Beech-Nut Nutrition: Healthy Baby
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By Alan Dorich   
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
smc Beech-Nut produces more than 150 baby foods with all-natural ingredients, and without sugar or artificial preservatives.
Beech-Nut produces more than 150 baby foods with all-natural ingredients, and without sugar or artificial preservatives.
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After nearly 120 years of operation, President and CEO Christoph Rudolf says, Beech-Nut Nutrition is not resting on its laurels. Instead, the baby food company wants to build upon the reputation of its brand, which has “always stood for purity,” he says.
    
The Canajoharie, N.Y.-based Beech-Nut was founded in 1891, and initially produced smoked bacon and ham. In 1931, it began producing baby food, which has remained its focus ever since.
    
Currently, Beech-Nut produces more than 150 baby foods with all-natural ingredients, and without sugar or artificial preservatives. “We’re very proud of our heritage and we wish to build on that with innovative, nutritious new products,” Rudolf says.
    
In fact, Beech-Nut has a long history of innovation, Rudolf asserts. For instance, in 1931, Beech-Nut was the first to provide baby food in glass jars, while its competitors sold them in lead-soldered metal cans.
    
In 2002, the company also introduced the very first baby food with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is found in breast milk and supports brain and eye development, Rudolf says.
    
He adds that the awareness level of DHA has “skyrocketed” since the introduction.
    
Five years later, the company says it was the first baby food company and one of a few food companies in North America to achieve ISO certification.
    
“This certification further strengthens our commitment to provide products with leading-edge nutrition to infants and toddlers,” the company says.

Building on a Heritage
In 2005, Beech-Nut became a subsidiary of the Hero Group, a producer of preservatives/jams and other food products based in Lenzburg, Switzerland.
    
Hero wished to evolve Beech-Nut, while maintaining its heritage, Rudolf says.
    
One area of concentration for the company was appearance. Because the company’s packaging had presented the same look for many years, Beech-Nut introduced a whole new look in March 2007, plus added new products focused on functional-based nutrition, such as its Good Morning and Good Evening food lines, Rudolf says.
    
The Good Morning breakfast food is made with whole-grain oats and one gram of soluble fiber.
    
“This blend of recipe provides a baby with more attentiveness that could aid in learning,” he says, noting that the foods provide needed energy and nutrition.
    
“Good Evening dinner products feature whey protein, and a pre-biotic, which can benefit a child’s growth and digestive health while providing a calm evening,” he says.

Continued Updates
In September 2007, the company introduced new packaging for its infant cereal. In research, Beech-Nut found that mothers were unhappy with the standard cereal box which has been around for generations and preferred its Easy Pour container, which features a spout with a twist cap.
    
“In March of ’08, we’re going to continue building on our innovation platforms of 2007, which also includes introducing new juices,” Rudolf says.
    
In addition, he notes that Hero is firmly committed to Beech-Nut’s success, and “believes the company can bring more consumer-preferred innovation to the market more quickly than the competition.”

‘For the Long Haul’
Beech-Nut will be relocating soon, Rudolf says. When Hero purchased the company, “The corporate headquarters [of Beech-Nut] was in St. Louis,” he recalls, noting that it had relocated from its manufacturing facility in upstate New York with past owners.
    
Although Beech-Nut always maintained a plant in New York, Hero felt it needed to relocate its headquarters to be more efficient. “If you’re trying to be the quickest [company] possible, you can’t do everything remotely,” Rudolf explains. “You have to have face-to-face interaction.”
    
Now, the company has partnered with the state of New York to build a manufacturing facility in Florida, N.Y. The 630,000-square-foot facility will house its infant-food production facility and be located 22 miles from its facility in Canajoharie.
    
“This way, we’re going to keep as many of the current employees as possible in addition to adding more jobs,” Rudolf says, noting that the facility will feature more efficient processing and manufacturing.
    
“Plus, the facility is being designed for potential expansion, given its future growth projections,” he adds.

Forging a Path
“I think there’s significant growth opportunity in the baby and toddler food categories, and with Beech-Nut’s focus on consumer insight and delivering consumer preferred innovation, we can meet the needs of new moms and significantly grow our brand,” Rudolf concludes.
 
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