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September 12, 2009
GBS' Vice President of Marketing, Chris Colby interviewed for
Civet Coffee article. Read full article....
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June 12, 2009
GBS' newly launched sites for food industry jobs and capital
networking featured on Gourmet News. Read full article...
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Oct. 10, 2008
GBS Founder Ryan Montague honored as a top entrepreneur under
age 40 by Gourmet News. Read full article...
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Oct. 7, 2008
Gourmet Business Solutions sells iBuyGourmet.com to private
investment firm. Read full article.
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September 2008
Gourmet Business Solutions launches investing and fund-raising
portal for gourmet/specialty food companies and investors. Read
full article...
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August 14, 2008
GBS announces launch of Gourmet Business Directory after six
months of private beta. Read full article.
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June 7, 2007
Founder Ryan Montague interviewed for Houston
Chronicle business article. Click here
to read the full article
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Gourmet Business Solutions Founder
Ryan Montague interviewed for launch of Mars Retail Group's new
'chocolate lounge' venture.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2007/Mar-01-Thu-2007/news/12860788.html
'chocolate evolution'
Ethel's lounges give hometown brand upscale flavor
By JENNIFER ROBISON
It began as an experiment.
Before the Mars Retail Group transformed its Ethel M Chocolates store
at Fashion Show into Ethel's Chocolate Lounge in September, company
executives did no advance consumer research to study whether tourists
and locals would embrace the new concept. They merely wanted to see, on
a small scale and in real-market time, how the lounge would fare in Las
Vegas.
Mars executives liked the results of the changeover: Sales inside the
1,200-square-foot store grew by double digits.
Now, based on the improved sales, Mars' test run is leading to an
entirely new business model for Ethel M Chocolates, a beloved, locally
based brand that's been a Southern Nevada mainstay since the company's
Henderson headquarters and factory opened in 1980.
In the next two months, Mars Retail Group will change all nine of the
company's Ethel M Chocolates stores across the Las Vegas Valley into
Ethel's Chocolate Lounges.
The transition is under way inside stores at the Henderson plant and at
The District at Green Valley Ranch. Conversions are planned for the
remaining stores inside the California and Flamingo hotels, the Meadows
Mall and McCarran International Airport.
Future stores, both locally and nationally, will carry the Ethel's
Chocolate Lounge logo.
"We are calling this a chocolate evolution," said John Haugh, president
of Ethel M owner Mars Retail Group, a Henderson-based division of
global food giant Masterfoods USA. "We're building on the best part of
our past as a regional leader in chocolate. By transitioning Ethel M to
Ethel's, we're at the forefront of innovation."
Fans of Ethel M needn't lament the brand's disappearance from
storefronts.
The nameplate will live on in the Ethel M Classic Collection. Consumers
will be able to buy seven of the company's best-selling product lines,
including assortments with Almond Butter Krisps, Lemon Satin Cremes and
Milk Chocolate Raspberry Satin Cremes. Ethel M's Buttery Pecan Brittle
and Chocolate-Stribboned Pecan Brittle will also be available, as will
the Las Vegas Slot Box featuring foil-wrapped chocolate coins and the
Taste of Las Vegas collection with its box cover featuring the Strip
skyline. The collection's prices will range from $8 to $33.
The local changeover to Ethel's Chocolate Lounges follows a 10-store
rollout in Chicago in 2005 and 2006.
Unlike the Las Vegas debut, the Chicago launch involved extensive
consumer research. The company's studies "said there was a space for us
to go after a more contemporary lounge environment and more everyday
premium chocolates," Haugh said.
With Ethel's Chocolate Lounges, Mars officials want consumers to enjoy
chocolate beyond key holidays such as Valentine's Day, Easter and
Christmas. In addition to splurging on big candy purchases for special
occasions, consumers could also frequent their neighborhood chocolate
lounge for regular, smaller indulgences in gourmet confections.
Inside Ethel's Chocolate Lounges, patrons can buy 10 chocolates and hot
cocoa for two for $18. Chocolate fondue for two, with dipping items
such as strawberries, bananas, marshmallows or pound cake, costs $18 to
$25.
The chocolate flavors in the Ethel's line also depart from the standard
butter-cream fare of more conventional lines. Truffles come in
espresso, honey and piña colada varieties, while the
Cocktail Collection serves up chocolates with hints of spiced rum,
brandy, champagne and mixed drinks such as mojitos and margaritas.
The American Pop Collection offers Peanut Butter and Jelly, Cinna-Swirl
and Apple Pie varieties.
The confections feature custom touches such as hand-squeezed juices for
the Fruit Collection and individually painted or transferred art on
candies in the Cocktail Collection.
Candies sold through Ethel's have commanded about a third more in price
than Ethel M chocolates. A 1-pound, 1-ounce box of Ethel M Creamy Milk
Chocolates, for example, contains 40 pieces and sells for $29. A
24-piece box of Ethel's chocolates retails for $24.
Food-industry experts say Mars Retail Group's brand makeover is a wise
one given the trend toward trading up -- the notion that middle-class
consumers are seeking small-scale luxuries they can relish every day.
Steve Lalich, president of the Illinois-based food-marketing firm
Lalich Resources, said the proliferation of "higher-quality food" in
recent decades means more consumers can distinguish between upscale and
mid-market products. That ability to taste a difference makes many
consumers more keen on investing in gourmet delicacies, Lalich said.
People have also shown a greater willingness to spend on occasional
goodies.
"When it comes to a small treat or piece of candy -- something where
you're not buying a month's worth of food to feed a family -- you're
usually consuming in smaller quantities, so you can kind of justify the
higher expense," Lalich said.
Ryan Montague, president of Gourmet Business Solutions in
New Orleans, said other major chocolate makers are going high-end, such
as Hershey's with its new Cacao Reserve line.
"A lot of companies are entering the upscale market,"
Montague said. "Larger companies have seen the enormous growth in the
gourmet-food segment, so they're trying to get a piece of that growth."
Mars plans to expand Ethel's locally and nationally. By the end of
2007, "a couple more" Ethel's Chocolate Lounges should have opened in
Las Vegas, Haugh said. The company is eyeing new locations near Boca
Park at Rampart and Charleston boulevards and Town Square, which is
under construction at Sunset Road and Las Vegas Boulevard.
Executives are preparing for nationwide expansion in 2008. Mars
officials haven't solidified entry into specific cities yet, though
Haugh said the emphasis would be on markets with diverse demographics
and high concentrations of gourmands.
"We're talking about the usual suspects -- L.A., Dallas, Atlanta,"
Haugh said. "We're looking for premium 'foodie' markets."
The company will also make capital investments in its Henderson factory
as the plant switches more of its output to Ethel's products, though
Haugh didn't disclose the price of the improvements.
Haugh said the company doesn't plan to let workers go or hire new
staffers to accommodate the brand swap. Mars Retail Group employs about
450 workers in the Las Vegas area.
Food marketers said expansion could bring even sweeter success to Mars
Retail Group.
"If you look at Starbucks, going for a cup of coffee
there is kind of the 'in' thing to do," Montague said. "It's become a
status symbol. The chocolate lounge could follow in similar footsteps.
It may not be as large an industry as coffee, because so many consumers
are drinking coffee. But a chocolate lounge could be the next hit date
thing. Instead of grabbing a cup of coffee, people might go to the new
chocolate lounge and have a couple of gourmet chocolates. It's possibly
one of the great, new, emerging trends."
Agreed Lalich: "I don't see a slowdown in gourmet trends in the near
future. I just see the gourmet market as continually moving up. I think
there's a market for (Ethel's)."
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GOURMET BUSINESS SOLUTIONS ANNOUNCES
THE LAUNCH OF THE GOURMET BUSINESS FORUM
New Orleans, Louisiana, January 10, 2007: New Orleans based
Gourmet Business Solutions has teamed up with Brooks Pepperfire Foods
of Rigaud, Quebec, Canada to launch the Gourmet Business Forum as the
first and only online community and networking resource for members of
the Gourmet Food Industry.
The Specialty Food industry has been a slow adopter of the
internet and its technological advances, and the Gourmet Business Forum
will revolutionize the way industry affiliates learn, network, and
conduct day-to-day business, bringing them into the twenty-first
century. A strong and weathered management team leads the Forum.
The Gourmet Business Forum is open to all Food Industry
participants and their suppliers. Discussions will focus on the various
topics associated with the owning and operating of a gourmet food
business. Membership is free to anyone with a valid email address who
agrees to comply with forum rules of code and conduct. The forum is
privately held and funded, and revenues are driven by sales of forum
advertising to industry affiliates and businesses.
Gourmet Business Solutions is a New Orleans based firm
specializing in business and marketing solutions for Gourmet Food
companies. The company, founded by Ryan Montague, specializes in
assisting Gourmet Food Companies in business startup, branding, web
development and redesign, marketing and product sales.
Montague’s background is in Executive Management, sales and
marketing with a specialty in Internet Gourmet Foods.
As the managing forum moderator, Tina brings a wealth of
experience moderating internet forums with added value from her years
in business as an entrepreneur and most notably as VP of Marketing for
Brooks Pepperfire Foods, a Canadian Gourmet Food Manufacturer and maker
of Peppermaster Hot Sauces.
For more information on Gourmet Business Solutions or the new
Gourmet Business forum, please contact Ryan Montague by emailing
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, or by phone at 800.975.7068
extension 703.
For more information on Brooks
Pepperfire foods, Peppermaster Hot Sauces or the forum, please contact
Tina Brooks by emailing
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or by phone at 866.451.6770
Ryan Montague
Gourmet Business Solutions
3819 State Street Drive New Orleans, LA 70125
800.975.7068
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.gourmetbusinessforum.com
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