GIRAFFE FOODS

GIRAFFE FOODSwww.giraffefoods.com

2 FOOD & DRINK Giraffe Food & Beverage02Rising abovethe competitionGiraffe Food & Beverage attracts customers through qualityand organic growth

JUNE/JULY 2010 The American Business Journal3

4 FOOD & DRINK Giraffe Food & Beverage

JUNE/JULY 2010 The American Business Journal5Giraffe Food & Beverage Inc. has always been ableto attract attention—and not just because of itscatchy name. Known for “sticking their necks out,”the Canadian-based food and beverage companyhas become well-known for offering some of thebest foodservice products on the market.

6 FOOD & DRINK Giraffe Food & BeverageEstablished more than a decade ago, GiraffeFood & Beverage Inc. is truly a family business.Started by her in-laws, Ellen Hurwitz, directorof R&D, told George Media that the company isowned by her husband, sister-in-law, and fatherin-law,and several family members comprise themanagement team, including her brother-in-law.The family aspect of the business certainly hashelped shape it—and Hurwitz is more than happyto share how closely Giraffe’s growth is related toits organic corporate structure.“With our own distinctive strengths andpersonalities, the family management team workssmoothly and addresses the needs of both ourcustomers and employees” Hurwitz says, as theyguide the company growth together.Giraffe’s continued growth has required thecompany to move into a larger, state-of-the-art,high efficiency manufacturing and research facilityin Mississauga, ON—and the expansion doesn’tstop there. The company also intends to expandU.S. operations, which currently make up 60percent of existing business and growth. “Up until18 months ago, we were pretty much ready to goand then, everything just backed up in the U.S.market,” tells Michelle Powell, vice-president ofoperations at Giraffe Foods.In 1996, the foodservice company tappedinto the U.S. markets around the same time ofits inception and, hasn’t looked back since. “Atthat point in time, the dollar was very much inour favor with the currency situations, and thiswas especially the case for Canadian exportersin general. That has since changed, obviouslyas the dollar is now at parity it is a bit different,”tells Powell.One of the ways this company has madeitself stick out in the market is by doing all thedirty work to make a high-quality product, many ofwhich are manufactured in-house and distributedin environmentally-friendly recycled jugs. Yes,those jugs you see if you ever visit the kitchen ofa restaurant that are filled with the wing or sauceflavors you know and love.Giraffe’s main customers are mid-sizedrestaurant chains and foodservice distributors.The market has changed for the company sincethey started in 1997, and now Giraffe products arefound all over the U.S., Canada and the CaribbeanIslands. Giraffe products are available under theirown label or under a customer’s.Catering to niche marketWith the company’s emphasis on value, deliciousproduction and innovation, it has carved out aplace in niche market with its very specializedproducts under its Private Label foodserviceproducts (think of a restaurant chain’s wing

AS SEEN IN THE JUNE/JULY 2010 ISSUEOF THE AMERICAN BUSINESS JOURNAL