Dear Howard:
I wanted to take this opportunity to give you feedback on the positive effects our natural verification has already had on business. Though I obviously can’t share the third party names to which I’m referring, I can at least relay two current happenings. We began a dialogue with two companies around the same time late last year. Both companies expressed keen interest in the healthier-for-you nutritional profile of our cakes. They were also quite impressed with the quality and flavor of each item and felt we could work well together in expanding our brand, respectively. After a couple of months of stop-and- go negotiations, we informed them of our recent certification and the verification process through which we had gone. This seemed to have an impact for which we were unprepared. Indeed, it could almost be said that this new aspect to our cakes made a bigger impression on them than the low-glycemic nature of our cakes; the reason they first took an interest in us! One of these companies, already firmly rooted in natural foods, was so impressed with the effort we put forth in earning third-party certification that they promoted this fact to franchisees across the country; for sure, a very nice way to have our products introduced nationwide!
As we all know, most companies remain conservative, rarely wanting to be the first to try something untested, new or unfamiliar. For Benchmark, sailing into uncharted waters is our raison d’etre. In this context, we have always understood the importance that natural verification would eventually have and now has had, and will continue to have. We are delighted that we are the first naturally certified snack cake on the market and can claim that fact with pride!
I don’t doubt that the above accounts are only the beginning and that the more exposure our verification gets, the better it will be for everyone: consumers, manufacturers, retailers, food service and of course, us.
Thank you again for leading the way!
Sincerely,
David A. Musso
Co-Founder
Benchmark Foods, LLC