Cookies for the People! Good Business Case Study: Coppenrath Cookie Bakery

By Susie, 15 March, 2012,

German Sweets Tour: Niederegger | Coppenrath

German Candy Industry Report: Part 2

Did you ever wonder who makes those European cookies you see at the drugstore with cute patterns printed on or a tablet of chocolate…and how they get to our store shelves at some insanely low price like $1.99?

I have. So it was no minor thrill to visit one such bakery, in Northern Germany. In my second report from an epic mid-sized confections tour with German Sweets , learn about Coppenrath Fein Bakerei, a several generation old, family bakery whose intention is to produce natural, excellent baked goods at a price accessible to any consumer.

The answer to that first question came from Andreas Coppenrath: volume. Coppenrath sells in about 100 countries, with 15,000 tons of cookies annually emerging from a relatively small factory where, in the high season, 250 people work. While this may sound like a lot, their reach in the U.S. is limited by their capacity to serve our nationwide chains…as we found with many of Germany’s old family owned sweets businesses. (As someone who enjoys discovering products abroad we can’t get at home, it’s not necessarily a bad thing!)

On our factory tour, Andreas particularly impressed me with his leadership skills, openness about the operations, and innovation. For example, 6-packs of Sponge Cakes for tart bases get sold alongside strawberries. We loved their cookies (especially one reminiscent of a Milano but with coconut).

Andreas left no question unanswered — with something to illuminate bakers and food manufacturers of all sizes:

Some Background – “Honor the past and go for the future.”

This sixth-generation family business started in 1825. World War II might have felled the company, but Andreas’ grandmother, suddenly a single mom in 1942 after her husband died, managed to keep it going with eight kids, all the while harboring Jewish locals in her cellar. The town memorialized her with a street in her name.

Coppenrath cookies Today Coppenrath is the leading producer of speculaas (or speculoos, in Wikipedia and the Netherlands), a seasonal spice cookie pressed by brass rollers into shapes like windmills, kids, and animals. “Speculaas” may ring a bell. It is also the magic ingredient used in “cookie spread” as well as a filled chocolate currently sold at Trader Joe’s.

Secrets to Sweet Success

Employees are trained in bakery — rather than only in a rote production method — so they can understand if the smell, texture, and result work or how small changes might affect the recipe.

Keep employees very happy. Production workers get a daily 3-4% of salary bonus based on meeting production goals. Andreas has an open door policy. No wonder some employees have been there 40 years.

One line, many cookies. They can switch heavy brass rollers to imprint patterns. At a high enough volume Coppenrath can produce various designs and co-pack for others who want custom designed cookies.

The company prototypes products not in small batches but on the production machines to see what the real result would be.

Much equipment has wheels so it can move around as needed. In one shift they can produce 40,000 packages. In 24 hours, 100,000 600-gram packs.

They source flour from several mills. Flour quality and flavor varies by wheat growing region. They blend to their specification and choose the flours that fit the best. They visit their suppliers to check the facilities.

Challenges

Ingredients prices have skyrocketed (worldwide, really), with sugar increasing from 500 to 900 Euros per ton in one fell swoop. 2011 was the worst year.

Every market has different taste. English market likes colored cookies. Netherland fatty cookies. The more north you go in Germany the more popular dark chocolate. Milk chocolate and sweeter taste, more so in the south. The solution? Pick your market and develop products accordingly.

The UE requires ingredients traceability. For example, eggs can be tracked down to the specific chicken.

International labeling is also tricky. Some countries allow a sticker with their language and others require it printed on.

Packaging Innovations and Challenges

Coppenrath’s resealable packaging for cookies in trays struck me as brilliant. You peel back the top, lined with sticky stuff on the edges, then peel it back closed when you’re done. This format is great for snacking, keeping the product fresh, and making it easier to open the package.

Andreas conducts in-store research himself, going to departments unrelated to his products, like toilet paper. He looks away then quickly turns to the product display to see what catches his eye.

After observing and learning that packaging where a person on the package looking directly at you (or the camera) is the most eye catching they developed a counter top display case with single serve cookies. (It’s true! Check store shelves and you’ll find a striking number of people gazing back into your eyes like the Brawny man.) Each pack includes a thought-provoking saying or quote.

They produce efficient, useful packaging. In a year they use one million meters of cookie packaging, all printed at once. Folding cardboard cookie tray gets assembled automatically without glue, making it perfectly recyclable.

Mixed cases in 1/4 pallet sizes allow an in-store standalone display simply by un-shrink wrapping. This is particularly popular in small stores. Six-packs of cookies in plastic carry packs with a handle are popular at warehouse stores. Cookie totes!

My favorite tidbit: Cookies with chocolate can ship packed below the water line in containers as refrigeration.

US Availability

Coppenrath sells through four importers in the U.S. Look them up at Coppenrath Fein Bakerei.

Want to Start a Preserves Business? Here’s One Way…

By Susie, 12 March, 2012,

inna jam Hot off the pixels, the San Francisco Chronicle introduces the new Food Craft Institute (FCI), based in Oakland’s Jack London Square from the folks who brought us the Eat Real festival. The institute will offer what I call “apprenticeship bootcamps,” with hands-on learning from numerous food crafters and entrepreneurs as well as business-ey types such as moi!

You can learn from the likes of Dafna Kory, who is taking her jam business – kicked off at the local forage sf underground markets – to the next level, thanks to Kickstarter. Chip in and get some of her popular preserves. Hope to see you at the FCI!

Or think really big about how you might start a unionized berry farm with an honor system farm stand like Swanton Berry Farm.

Fancy Food Show Exhibiting Success Tips from Coach Maz

By Susie, 12 February, 2012,

When I read specialty food coach and consultant Deb Mazzaferro‘s newsletter recapping the 2012 Winter Fancy Food Show, well I immediately asked if I could reprint. At the show she not only helped new organic candy company Torie & Howard — whose branding delights me no end — successfully launch, she compiled a useful list of tips for new specialty food entrepreneurs to use at your Fancy Food Show debut!

Success at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco

“It’s been a long time since I’ve worked a booth, but hey… it’s like riding a bicycle… you get on and it all comes back… almost instinctively. Yet I understand from working with many clients (over 100 in the past 11 years as a consultant) that many exhibitors don’t know the key elements to having a great show. Here’s my list of musts:”

Identify your goals in advance: do you want to write orders, build your database, meet specific target accounts, add distributors, build your private label business? Once you are clear on what your intended outcomes are, you can market prior to the show as well as design your booth to accomplish your goal. You’ll also have metrics in place to determine success. At this 2012 show, Torie & Howard’s goal was to sign distributors. We contacted the target accounts prior to the show and drove them to the booth (which was in the ballroom). They might not have found us if we hadn’t done this preshow work.
Participate in the Business Builders One-on-One meetings on Saturday. Even though I had an appointment at 9 AM and one at 4:50 PM, I made the commitment to be there all day. This paid off because there were meetings available at the last minute which I was able to step into. You’ll be able to show your product, but also be prepared for 10 minutes of rapid bantering. If you are seeing distributors, be sure you understand what you can offer in terms of discounts, promotions, advertising allowances, etc. As much as they want your great product, they also need to understand how much you can support it with marketing. Have your questions ready for them as well.
Articulate your go-to-market strategy and stick to it. If you want to sell through distributors, ask everyone who comes to your booth which distributor they use. Post show, you’ll have a list of potential distributors and a list of their accounts who want your product. Powerful!
Have a preshow meeting with your staff so they know your goals and what to capture from attendees. I provided a FAQ for my clients and they were able to answer 99% of the questions that were asked.
Have a show special. Any order is cash toward paying your booth expenses and closing an account at the show is one less follow up when you get back to the office.
Rent the lead retrieval machine. I like the one that provides a paper printout so I can take notes on it. The jump drive makes for easy uploading into your CRM so there is minimum typing. I even scan consumers so I can build a list for my web announcements, invite them to join Facebook, tell them where to buy product as I close new retailers.
Deflect non-prospects. Potential vendors should not be consuming your time during show hours. Decide in advance how to handle these. I usually ask for a card and tell them someone will be in touch if we have a need. I prefer not to give out a contact name to limit the cold calls.
Follow-up: send the samples you promised. Send every prospect a thank you along with a price list, sales brochure and list of distributors (or other way to order). Remind them of your show special if it’s still in effect or extend it to generate more orders. Include the next couple of shows you’ll be exhibiting in.
Evaluate your metrics; list your accomplishments. Note what you can improve on for the next show. Do this while it’s fresh in your mind.
Take a deep breath. You did it. Again!

Would you like more information on having the most successful trade show ever?

Download a successful game plan for your next trade show and receive 3 bonuses when you order today! See the details here.

Article Copyright Deb Mazzaferro

Do You Shoot Figs?

By Susie, 7 February, 2012,

When I saw that Valley Fig was holding a fig photography contest, I lept into action. After all, with a blog called Nutty Fig, how could I not have a library of qualifying photos. Well, it turns out I have not a one! The contest is for recipes you’ve made and photographed.

I’ve got plenty of fig glory shots (see Fig 2), fruit at markets, and growing on trees. How could my figophilia have failed me?

Well if you hare a chef or food entrepreneurs in need of figs, look to Valley Fig Growers which is a co-operative doing an excellent job promoting California growers. Better yet, win the contest and get to America’s Test Kitchen!

fig contest

fig inside

Fig 2: Fig in All Its Glory

My Winter Fancy Food Un-trend List

By Susie, 20 January, 2012,

As someone who anticipates the day there’s a store called “Off Season” where you can buy perennial favorites (what the Gap used to be), after seeing all the trend spotters’ lists*, I decided to wrap up my favorite food twists from the January Fancy Food Show. I don’t see these as trends but good foods that are here to stay! Read ‘em and eat:

CRUNCH: Interesting chips – Loved the Wailana cassava chips, Mediterranean Snack lentil chips, and Simply 7 chips, which often had that “pop chips” style of composition, similar to rice crackers. A soft kind of fluffy crunch.

Healthy crunch – Fresh Sonoma Brinery pickles with fun, new branding and a whopping fresh crunch. (Sold in refrigerated sections, mostly on the West coast.)

CHEW: Lots ‘o salt caramel – Soft, firm, dippable (from Amella), uncoated, coated, mixed into ice cream. Well I had to taste them all. I’m one who will not mind if this trend entrenches itself alongside traditional unsalty caramels.

Savory chew pick – Kwik’Pak Fisheries salmon. Superlative lox, strips, and salmon bites, supporting traceable, wild caught salmon fishing in Alaska.

SOFT BITES: Fell madly in love with Bacetti ice cream bites from San Francisco. How did they choose pine nut / vanilla as the third flavor after chocolate and vanilla? Inspiration from Tuscany.

Tasting Jeni’s Ice Cream for the first time inspired a little video after I learned about her from-scratch process. (Many of the best, small ice cream makers start with an ice cream “base” made by a dairy or company because of onerous USDA dairy regulations.)

Yogurt in liquid, solid, frozen, and dips scattered the show floor. You’ve known Stonemill Kitchens for their artichoke dips. They’re now making Greek style yogurt dips in Oregon, I learned at Jeff Davis’ Food Fete. (I need to hear the backstory on the S.K. naming.) I could live on tzaziki and welcome any natural yogurt developments.

ZING: And salts – The Day After my eyes were puffy, not from crying or allergies, but the copious salt (and caramel) tasting. In the Real World you wouldn’t eat so much salt, but if you’re going to, naturally flavored salts like those from Eat Well farm and other favorites like Allstar Organics’ celery salt (found at Ferry Building Farmers Market) are where you should place your salt budgets (both consumption and monetary).

SIP: What more water? I continued to be surprised that the desire for new and different continues demand for new bottled waters. Let’s un-trend this!

What the Trend Spotters Saw

Denise Purcell at NASFT and their team of trend spotters

New Hope 360

Food experts like Amy Sherman, Margo True, et al

Gourmet Retailer

Procure: You very well know that many of the brands you discovered at the show are available for wholesale orders in a one-stop-shop format through Buyer’s Best Friend, distributed and billed by the manufacturer. You communicate directly with the company so it’s similar to emailing or calling them, only more convenient.