Baking & Snack - March 2015 - 12

EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor
Executive Editor
Managing Editor

Improvising in the face of disaster

Tribeca Oven's owners didn't immediately comprehend what hit them after
Hurricane Sandy struck the Northeast in 2012 and flooded the Carlstadt, NJ, operation. However, one thing was certain: The timing couldn't have been worse. The
late October storm knocked the artisan bakery out of commission right before the
holidays. Much of Tribeca's production was down for a month. To make matters
worse, the company had only two weeks' worth of par-baked products in inventory.
No matter how you do the math, things weren't going to add up. Marc
Essenfeld, Tribeca's chief executive, didn't try to sugarcoat it. "One of the first
things we did was contact customers, tell them we've been hit by the storm, we're
assessing the damage, we'll provide you details of what to expect as soon as we
have more clarity, we have this much inventory in stock, we can find partners who
can support your inventory needs ... although they will not be the same quality,
there will be bread on your shelves for the holiday season," he said.
Some customers had enough inventory in stock while others took up the offer to
temporarily switch to another provider. Tribeca still had to spend several months
rebuilding relationships, but there's something to be said about honesty and transparency. It builds trust. In a disaster, the last thing someone wants is an unexpected
surprise. If you can't exceed expectations, at least meet them. Never disappoint.
"We followed up with them multiple times per week to tell them what was
happening and what we could deliver," Mr. Essenfeld said. "We were in constant
communication, and we did what we said we would do. Maybe there was a little
empathy. It was a tough time for everyone. People are willing to work with you if
you tell them what you are going to do and you do it, and in the end, relationships
get stronger."
A lot of people talk about customer service, but Mr. Essenfeld defined it this way.
Bakers and snack producers have four fundamental options to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. "You can offer quality, price, service and marketing,"
he explained. "We opted to be the industry leader for quality and service - that's
where we want to focus our energy. We're adding more depth to our customer service team and rolling out a wide variety of performance metrics to ensure
we deliver on a higher level of service."
Tribeca demonstrated its commitment to service in the most
difficult of times. It also learned a few other lessons, such as
having four weeks of inventory instead of two. And it's made a
number of changes just in case another 100-year flood occurs,
which Mr. Essenfeld hopes it isn't anytime soon.
"We put in some disaster plans to turn it around quicker,
but I don't want to ever go through it again," he said and then
laughed. "That's the last thing I ever want to do. They say thorough preparation makes its own luck, so I want to believe luck
will be on our side in the future,"
- Dan Malovany, editor
dmalovany@sosland.com

12 Baking & Snack March 2015 / www.bakingandsnack.com

Senior Editor

Dan Malovany
dmalovany@sosland.com
Laurie Gorton
lgorton@sosland.com
Joanie Spencer
jspencer@sosland.com
Charlotte Atchley
catchley@sosland.com

Assistant Editor

Ryan Atkinson
ratkinson@sosland.com
Contributing Editors:
Donna Berry
donnaberry@dairy-food.com
Theresa Cogswell
bakercogs@sbcglobal.net
Jim Kline
jkline@theensolgroup.com
Joe Stout
joe.stout@cf-san.com
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Baking & Snack - March 2015

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