Publicity Release
Article from Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Family-Owned Bakery Introduces Unique Line of Soft, Super-Moist Premium Cookies with Focus on Comfort
Regardless of Economic Conditions, Rich, Delicious Cookies Remain One of Life’s Simple Pleasures

FORT WAYNE, Ind., USA (June 15, 2009) — Today, Ellison Bakery, Inc. announced the introduction of nine varieties of soft, premium cookies that will be sold in grocery stores across the nation.

“Our new cookies have a distinctive, soft, rich, chewy texture, due to their extremely high moisture content,” said company co-founder and chairman of the board, William Ellis. “Consumers will also enjoy a fresher cookie experience with our brand, because Ellison Bakery premium cookies will be on the shelf just one third as long as most others on the cookie aisle.”

The new cookie varieties include unique recipes such as Soft Apple Raisin, Soft Rocky Road and Soft Raspberry Filled, as well as traditional favorites like Soft Chocolate Chip, Soft Oatmeal and Soft Oatmeal Raisin. The line also includes Soft Molasses, Soft Date Filled and Classic Sugar.

Unlike the cookies of large institutional bakeries, Ellison Bakery cookies are made using time-honored recipes that have been handed down over generations, Ellis explained. While some are variations on original recipes, all the recipes are proprietary to the family-owned bakery that has called Fort Wayne, Ind. its home for over six decades.

Ellis added that his family pays particular attention to the quality of the ingredients that go into each cookie, and that this extra attention to detail is part of the family’s “culture of quality” that was established by his brother and Ellison Bakery founder, Don Ellis, back in 1945.

“These cookies are definitely designed to cater to adult tastes,” said Ellis. “They have been specifically formulated for the more discriminating palate of the 35-and-over female consumer. These women know what they like and with top-quality ingredients, exceptional freshness, rich, moist consistency and satisfying portion size, our cookies have what they’re looking for.”

Ellis noted that the new cookies recently tested very well in focus groups with both 35-and-over and 45-and-over females. Members of both demographic groups noted that they often select premium cookie brands for their personal enjoyment, in addition to purchasing the mainstream brands favored by their children.

The 64-year-old family-owned bakery is no stranger to the cookie business. In addition to being the first franchise owner for a popular national cookie brand for decades, Ellison also manages several non-consumer cookie brands, while providing contract-baking services for a variety of national and international brands.

“Cookies are the ultimate comfort food,” said MJ Sparks, National Sales Manager for Ellison. “Many people associate soft cookies with home baking and other pleasant memories of their family and childhood.”

“We can all use a little stress reduction now and then,” observed Sparks. “Setting some time aside for yourself to enjoy a cookie or two is a simple way to escape the day’s challenges, if only for a few moments.”

The company has adopted the slogan “Find Comfort in Our Cookies,” to underscore what it believes to be the emotionally nurturing benefits of treating oneself to the occasional premium cookie.

In fact, Americans appear to be seeking additional comfort from economic woes by taking more time to enjoy cookies than in happier days, according to a Feb. 2009 article in Modern Baking Magazine. Not only has the current economic climate not hurt cookie sales, it has apparently stimulated them by 7.4 percent over the previous year, according to independent food industry consultant and article contributor, the Perishable Group.

Company officials said the product launch also coincides with the posting of a new consumer-focused Web site, http://www.ellisonbakery.com, that will highlight the brand, the bakery’s family origins and the nine new cookie varieties it now offers.

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The Journal Gazette
Sherry Slater
Published: April 11, 2009

www.journalgazette.net

Ellison bakes up own brand expansion, new jobs in plant’s future

A Fort Wayne bakery is launching a line of premium soft cookies similar to ones it previously made for Archway.

Ellison Bakery Inc. plans to invest $1.25 million to add a third oven and production line in its plant at 4108 Ferguson Road after the cookies find a loyal customer base, said Todd Wallin, vice president and general manager.

That would add about 15 jobs to the workforce, possibly within a year. The company now employs 75.

Ellison Bakery made Archway cookies from 1950 to October, when Archway filed for bankruptcy. Over the years, Ellison Bakery has broadened its customer base to include schools, hospitals, nursing homes and ice cream manufacturers.

By the time Archway went out of business, less than 10 percent of Ellison Bakery’s cookie output was for the Ohio-based company. As a result, the company didn’t have to cut jobs, Wallin said.

The company plans to ship 12 new cookie varieties to stores in June or July. The date depends on how long it takes to finalize an agreement with a distributor.

Wallin acknowledged that the names will sound familiar to Archway customers. But, he said, superior ingredients and preparation techniques will make Ellison Bakery-brand cookies more upscale.

“The flavor will be similar. We think these are better,” he said. “Lots of things you do on the ingredient side will make a difference in the cookie.”

In early 2008, Ellison Bakery completed a $4 million expansion that laid the groundwork for adding a third production line, which would include an oven, conveyer and mixer. The company’s two production lines now operate around the clock.

The privately owned company’s sales were up 38 percent in 2008 and have increased an additional 25 percent this year, Wallin said. Demand has not waned with the recession.

“It’s a fairly inexpensive treat,” he said. Even when consumers are bypassing big-ticket items, he said, “we can still take a pack of cookies home to the kids.”

Ellison Bakery will sell the following types of cookies under its own brand: Iced lemon, Oatmeal, Oatmeal Raisin, Sugar, Molasses, Rocky Road, Chocolate Chip, Windmill, Date Filled, Raspberry Filled, Apple Raisin, Coconut Macaroon.

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