Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery - September 2008 - (Page 10)

2 0 0 8 W h o l e s a l e Ba k e r o f the Y e a r Charter Baking is taking mainstream varieties of bread and other baked goods and introducing them into the organic market for the whole family to enjoy. Continued from page 9 Two-pronged Approach To accomplish this strategy, Charter Baking initially targeted three of the top organic food markets, namely the major metropolitan areas throughout corridors from Boston through New York to Philadelphia, with a series of acquisitions of small baked goods companies with DSD or third-party distribution systems. In 2005, Charter Baking acquired Vermont Bread Co. in Brattleboro, Vt., and Adams Baking Co. and The Baker brand in Milford, N.J. A year later, it bought Superior Bakery Inc. of North Grosvenordale, Conn.; and the Matthew’s Bread Co., which produces whole wheat and other breads and muffins sold under the Matthew’s All Natural name that were distributed by Superior Bakery. These operations now have more than 100 combined routes serving the core organic markets on the East Coast and distributing one another’s products. Perhaps more significantly during that period, Charter Baking purchased Boulder-based Rudi’s Organic Bakery, which has 18 routes in its core Denver market and today serves natural food stores in all 50 states with a line of freeze-thaw products. “Rudi’s was the most advanced in strategy,” Foley says. “They wanted to become No. 1 in the natural channel and leverage that No. 1 status in the natural channel and then move into conventional distribution. We are now No. 1 in the natural channel, and we are now expanding to where consumers are by moving into all channels.” Freeze-thaw products, distributed by common carriers, allow Charter Baking to target major organic food markets such as Austin, Texas, where DSD systems aren’t viable because the bulk of consumers throughout the state tend to purchase white or conventional bread. Demographically, the sweet spot for the Rudi’s Organic brand is the health-conscious, high-income, higher educated mom who buys organic products for herself and her family because she wants to avoid pesticides, chemicals or growth hormones in her food. Rudi’s Organic baked goods are U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic, a point of differentiation for the brand, says Tom Nash, vice president of sales. Continued on page 12 http://www.meyer-industries.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery - September 2008

Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery - September 2008 Contents Editor’s Note For Goodness Sakes Better Than the Rest Unconventional Thinking Easy Does It New Products In the Comfort Zone Engineering Management The ASB Column Printer Keeps Production Running Equipment Briefs Better Than the Rest The Final Word

Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery - September 2008

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