Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on December 27, 2010 under New Product Showcase | 
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New Product Showcase…by Eda Kram
The legendary Manischewitz Tam Tams have recently been made bigger and better. The improved Tam Tams have no trans fats and offer 20 percent more product for the same price. The Tam Tams are now available in 9.6 oz packaging. Flavors include: Original, Garlic, Unsalted, Onion and Everything, and now Sesame. The 9.6 oz. size is available with a suggested retail price of $3.69.The Manischewitz brand was founded in a small bakery built to make Passover matzo in 1888 by Rabbi Dov Behr Manischewitz in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1932, Rabbi Manischewitz opened a plant in Jersey City, NJ, replacing the operation in Cincinnati. This move paved the way for the introduction of new products like Tam Tam Crackers, Chicken Soup, Noodles and Gefilte Fish. For more information visit Manischewitz
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on December 26, 2010 under Sixth Sense |
By Menachem Lubinsky
It has become fairly common to see two or more kosher certifications on products, primarily to increase the size of the market to include those that have more trust in the added certification. This is particularly true for Chasidic Jews who tend to rely on “Chasidic” certifications. In reality, in most cases, there are no changes made to either the ingredients or the production process. In a sense, the secondary certification merely confirms the integrity of the kashrus worthiness of the product. It has been proven to increase sales for many products.
Not so is the case with the pending Magen Tzedek symbol, which is being introduced by Rabbi Morris Allen, a Conservative rabbi from Minneapolis. The new symbol which is designed to confirm that a kosher product is also produced in accordance with ethical standards developed by the group is not expected to gain any traction with either kosher manufacturers or consumers. During the heat of the Rubashkin scandal, the outcry by the group did not cause any reduction in sales of Agriprocessor products. In fact in a survey of 25 retail establishments in 12 states just weeks after a government raid on the Postville IA plant, none of the stores even reported any complaints that the products were carried by the store. The criteria for all categories of kosher consumers were then what it always is: price, quality and kashrus.
It is not clear who the group is targeting since most of the nation’s kosher products are produced by giant food producers who certainly meet the tests of the Magen Tzedek standards. That would potentially leave only the smaller kosher producing companies who are unlikely to assume the burden of a new tax by Conservative rabbis. In promoting his new symbol, Rabbi Allen took a nasty swipe at kashrus agencies who have responsibly contributed mightily to the growth of kosher. He told the Forward: “This is a serious religious undertaking to help restore a culture of kashrus in America. “ This is one certification that is certifiably DOA, as it should be when it tries to usurp the traditional role of kashrus supervision and the oversight of government on labor, health, and animal welfare.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on December 24, 2010 under Kosher Market |
New York…Wal-Mart may be years away from opening stores in New York City, but the speculation about its effect on kosher has already begun. City officials say that the mega chain will find fierce opposition to opening in the five boroughs but some kosher food industry officials said that their arrival in the City “was only a matter of time.” A chain of Wal-Mart stores in New York would most likely mean a new major competitor for kosher. In the past few years, stores like Target and Costco have already changed the landscape as more and more consumers shop the club and discount stores. Some kosher food industry officials say that it is not clear which Wal-Mart will show up for kosher. They were apparently referring to the retailer’s mixed reputation with kosher consumers. While Wal-Mart carries kosher products in several hundred stores, it has not been particularly aggressive in pursuing kosher. Vendors say that its Monticello store which caters to some 250,000 vacationing Jews in the Catskills, has not measured up, leaving the territory to independents and chains like Shop-Rite.
Wal-Mart is mounting an aggressive campaign to open stores in New York. It is even willing to forego its traditional model of opening mega stores and instead opening smaller stores, a move that may also allow them to bypass City Council approval. Supporters are already drooling over the prospect of many new jobs, but opponents say that these jobs would only replace existing jobs of small businesses that will be forced to either cut back or go out of business. For kosher consumers a Wal-Mart in New York City with many kosher products may just be what they need, particularly for financially hard pressed families.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on December 23, 2010 under Kosher Industry |
New York…With 2010 winding down to just a few days, there seems little chance that the remaining two inspectors of the Kosher Law Enforcement Bureau of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets will be spared come December 31st. According to several high-level sources reached by Kosher Today, come January 1st the bureau will be manned by only its director Rabbi Luzer Weiss. The inspectors were terminated as part of state budget cuts to close the gap on the state’s growing deficit. The sources said that there may have been other reasons, including the lack of any significant public protest, a cave-in by the state to a second lawsuit by the Commack butchers who knocked out (through their first lawsuit) the state’s 100-year old kosher food laws, a house-cleaning of appointees of former Governor George Pataki (a Republican), and a “non-appreciation” of the role of the inspectors.
But Kosher Today has learned that the role of the state in enforcing its current kosher laws will most likely be revisited in the new administration of Governor-Elect Andrew Cuomo. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a key advocate of the kosher food laws, was one of those who said he would take a close look at the state’s enforcement of the laws in the future. Several other legislators echoed the Speaker’s sentiments. Kosher food sources fear that the state’s elimination of 11 inspectors in a relatively short period of time will severely impact their deterrent effect on kosher establishments. One leading rabbi who has been a strong advocate of saving the jobs of the remaining two inspectors, said: “I fear that the removal of the inspectors will mean that retailers and other kosher establishments will become lax in how they present kosher to the public and that would be an absolute disaster.”
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on December 22, 2010 under Kosher Market |
New York…by Tova Ross…Welcome news in this tight economy: Jewpon and jdeal are two new ventures that are capitalizing on the popular Groupon deals for city residents that offer amazing deals – this time, savings that cater to a Jewish and kosher audience. Jodi Samuels not only runs MetroImma, an online social network for working mothers, but she also has three children, is a frequent organizer of blogger and social media events, and is now the co-founder of jdeal. A wildly successful initiative offering “Jewish” coupons and deals to the public, jdeal follows the model of Groupon, which asks for a person’s city of residence, likes, and e-mail – and then sends them personalized discounts and coupons each day. Samuels explained, “My partner Allen Ganz and I were looking for business opportunities over the past year when I stumbled across the Groupon model. I thought it would be a great thing to the Jewish community.”
After much research and investing in the brand, they launched last month in the New York area. Since then, they have amassed over 3,000 e-mails of people interested in receiving great deals geared for a Jewish customer base. Jdeal has already built lists in other major Jewish cities and plans to launch soon in Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Miami, and in Toronto and Montreal. Samuels, who said she is averaging about three hours of sleep a night, said that many Jewish merchants are now realizing the potential of building a strong customer base by featuring a great deal on this particular site. “With Groupon and other similar not specifically Jewish coupons sites, many Jewish business feel that they won’t get repeat customers out of the coupon buyers ; rather, one-timer store patrons who just snapped up some great deal” she explained. “But with jdeal, if a kosher restaurant gets kosher consumers into their store for a deal, chances are, those people will keep returning if they like the food.”
The coupons that sell out the fastest? “This may be stereotypical, but the food-related discounts are always sold out within a few hours,” said Samuels. A recent jdeal offered $100 worth of groceries from Kosher.com for a mere $50. The vouchers, of which jdeal only had 100, sold out in under 2 hours. A link on the site invites merchants and business-owners to apply to be featured on the site.
Samuels explained, “I think this is an extension of marketing for Jewish businesses, what I call ‘on-steroids’ marketing using the power of social media. This is a way to see instant results of advertising – these businesses are spending money on marketing anyway, and this is marketing that you know delivers great and instantly-seen results.”
Zalmi Duchman, who recently founded Jewpon, came about his kosher coupon business another way. As the chief executive of The Kosher Diet, a diet delivery service based in South Florida that he founded with his brother several years ago, he was contacted by Groupon in 2009, asking for his business to be featured. “It was a super-successful move on our part,” recalled Duchman. “Being featured by Groupon generated half a million in sales.” Duchman and his brother had long wanted to offer a kosher diet delivery service, but when the idea was suggested to Groupon, the company wasn’t receptive. “They didn’t want to feature something that was only tailored for what is seen by some as a limited audience,” said Duchman. The two decided that there certainly was a healthy market hungering for great deals on kosher food, and so they decided to found a similar model of Groupon for a kosher audience: and Jewpon was born. “The response has been unbelievable,” said Duchman. “Our first deal featured Kosher Keepers, and our second deal, Cucumbers Café. One of our most successful ones we featured is BenZ’s Gourmet, a shop in Brooklyn.” Recent deals featured a kosher-for-Shabbos toothbrush from Kosher Innovations and a Judaica package from Aspaclaria Judaica, based in Florida. The service sends e-mails to about 3,000 people, 80 percent of whom are based in New York and the others in Miami, LA and Chicago. The service will soon expand to other cities nationwide and internationally, including, the brothers hope, in Jerusalem. Duchman said he and his brother are handling running one successful company and one burgeoning venture pretty well. “With the Fresh Diet, we have a lot of resources at our disposal,” he explains, “and we can use them as a great backbone to help us run this new business.”
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on December 21, 2010 under Kosher Market |
New York…Israel’s largest food companies have been on the hunt for at least the last five years for new potential markets. With hopes for major penetration in Middle Eastern countries still on ice, the companies have turned to the US and Europe, but increasingly to Russia and other FSU countries. At least one large retailer has already announced plans to open a number of supermarkets in Russia. The Strauss Group is buying the LeCafe brand sold in Russia and former Soviet Union countries for $37 million. LeCafe had sales of $23 million in 2009 and $16 million in the first nine months of 2010. Mei Eden, an Israeli bottled water company, holds 16% of the bottled water market in Western Europe and 8% of the bottled water market in eastern Europe. Mei Eden’s third-quarter revenue for 2010 stood at €69 million, a 7% increase over the same period last year.
Israeli food industry officials say that Russia has become a preferred market because of its relative close proximity to Israel (as compared to the US and the Far East), the many Russian émigrés who live in Israel who can help negotiate the Russian bureaucracy and cultural nuances, and the interest shown by the Russians in Israeli technology as it applies to foods. One Israeli official said: “These companies are already at capacity with the Israeli market and have money to invest in expanding their business elsewhere.” The food sources believe that the Israeli-Russian connection will only increase in the coming years. Some of the companies say that they are also benefiting from their kosher certification which is desired by kosher consumers in Russia and the other countries in the FSU.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on December 20, 2010 under Kosher Market |
New York…The sale of kosher foods during the just concluded Chanukah season were “slightly better” than in 2009. In a survey of several retailers and distributors, it appeared that consumers spent more this year on gift items, largely because of a somewhat improved economy. Last year, a Kosher Today survey found sales to be “flat”: as compared to 2008 when the industry reported having a banner year. Industry sources say that the gift market has steadily increased in the past five years but that more younger consumers were involved in preparing Chanukah parties. Some retailers said that Chanukah sales are directly tied to the calendar, They said that they do “better” when the holidays of Chanukah and Christmas are closer together, which was not the case this year. Some of the items that did well included the traditional foods like doughnuts (leaders were jelly and caramel filled) and frozen potato pancakes.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on under Kosher |
New York…The year began with the news that at least two Albertson’s stores that served kosher consumers in Florida would be closing. It is ending with the bankruptcy of A & P, which in recent months closed several Pathmark and Waldbaum’s stores, including a flagship Pathmark kosher store in Monsey. But there were also significant developments with independent kosher retailers, including the relocation of the Seven Mile Market in Baltimore to a 55,000 square foot facility, the planned entry of a major Israeli retailer and the increased kosher offerings by club and discount stores all over the country. The upshot of all of these developments is a three-tiered kosher retail mix that has changed the shopping habits of many kosher consumers and has resulted in stiff competition between the three types of retail grocers.
While the changing kosher retail scene may have been the biggest story for kosher in 2010, there were other notable stories. Kosher slaughter (schechita) continued to come under pressure in Europe and New Zealand. There were more well-known brands that became kosher, including Gatorade and Glenmorangie. Kosherfest 2010 saw a record 7,000 trade representatives attend with an increased number of gluten-free and spelt items. The ongoing recession put the squeeze on the lucrative Passover hotel business and on many upscale gourmet items. It was a banner year for kosher cookbooks with such notable authors as Joan Nathan, Gil Marks, Susan Fishbein and Jamie Geller and a significant book on the development of kosher by Sue Fishkoff (“The Kosher Nation”). There was a dramatic up tick in the role of social media in kosher sales. All in all, kosher sales increased by approximately 12%, at a time when the food industry in general will grow only by several percentage points as it did in 2009. Kosher grew by about the same percentage number in 2009 with the closest competitor being organic foods that grew by 5%.
