Gourmet Food Industry Filled With Passionate People
One of the first things that I noticed when we started our company, www.epicureanfoods.com, way back in 1993, was the passion that many of the company founders and executives have for their companies, their products and the gourmet food industry in general. This is a genuine passion that quite honestly cannot be “faked“. One either has it or not. If you are employed in the gourmet and specialty food business and have a passion for it, going to work every morning is really not a huge chore. Rather, it is usually a “labor of love” that feels more like a hobby or favorite pastime than a source of income. If you don’t have it, working in this industry is simply a job, like virtually any other. One of the best aspects of this industry is the opportunity to work with true specialty food professionals - people who really love what they are doing and share that with everyone they meet.
Cobblestone Kitchens’ Passion for Excellence
Since the late 1990’s, when we first met Kim & Peter Reid, (the husband-and-wife team owners of the fabulously successful Cobblestone Kitchens), we have been impressed with their passion for excellence for all aspects of the company. Like many of the other husband and wife teams whom we have met in our industry, Kim and Peter have complementary skills that have enabled them to grow their company into an amazing success story. (Since the early 1990’s, the Toronto-based Cobblestone Kitchens has produced an extensive array of cupcake mixes, cocktail mix kits, cocktail rim trims, gourmet hot cocoa mixes and scone mixes.) They are both exceptionally intelligent and insightful people who are able to assess and overcome the ongoing difficulties that arise from operating a gourmet food company.
“Good Enough” Just Doesn’t Cut it at Cobblestone Kitchens
Over the years, we have watched many other companies that apparently felt comfortable “cutting corners” wherever necessary. Gross profit margins and bottom line results seemed to be more important than producing a quality product. This is certainly not the case with either Kim or Peter. Because they such a “passion” for their business and their products, they are completely focused on producing products that exceed their customers’ expectations every time. The short-term benefits of cutting corners to save profits never outweigh the long-term benefits of expanding their loyal customer base. Stated simply, “Good enough doesn’t cut it” at Cobblestone Kitchens.
A “Passion for Food Excellence” Can Sometimes Be Expensive
I have come to understand and respect Kim & Peter’s true commitment to food excellence more and more as we continue to do increased business together. I have also come to understand that sometimes, this passion for food excellence can be quite expensive…
(Without revealing anything that was told to me in confidence), Peter recently shared with me that they were destroying the equivalent of a truckload of packaging materials that had become obsolete, due to some FDA nutritional labeling requirement changes. The amount of money involved was significant and would certainly impact their own “bottom line” for the year. Rather than attempting to sell the products with (the admittedly minor) labeling deficiencies in their labels, they opted to not use them. They put the health and well-being of their customers (who rely on the accuracy of the nutritional label panel) ahead of profit maximization. Only those company founders with such a deep-rooted “passion for food excellence” would behave in such a manner.
We Are Fortunate To Have Cobblestone Kitchens As A Partner
It is reassuring for us, as purveyors of some of the world’s finest gourmet and specialty foods, to have a supplier / partner as dedicated to excellence as Kim & Peter Reid of Cobblestone Kitchens are. It is with this knowledge that we can continue to confidently offer their products to our discerning customers across Canada and America. We all know of and have dealt with companies where “good enough” is the daily norm. We are very fortunate to have Cobblestone Kitchens as a supplier who shares our own “passion for food excellence”…
Greg Sprout, Co-Founder,