Page 48-49 - CIO_OCT_2013

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of others on the market were sold be-
cause of more in-your-face branding.”
MANUFACTURING
Stephano’s now boasts an ex-
tremely flexible and innovative ap-
proach when it comes to manufactur-
ing products that are certified organic,
or, made with organic ingredients. The
company has the necessary years of
experience to make great tasting prod-
ucts that are “customizable and deliver
the nutritional profile” customers are
looking for.
We have put a lot of effort into our
lines of products, including our gra-
nola top yogurt parfait. We have been
able to partner with some smaller
manufacturers to do custom designs
for our parfaits, which has been very
beneficial for the business,” Frank
comments.
Stephano’s now has multiple pro-
duction units in the North York facil-
ity to make the production of various
product lines including the yogurt
parfait; “We started by focusing our
sales on coffee retailers because that’s
where the action has been. That devel-
oped into needing specialized produc-
tion areas. We have the potential in our
North York facility to grow, and we
were fortunate to be able to bring our
standards up to a new level—we made
a huge investment into mechanizing
everything,” he continues.
The company has seen a grow-
ing demand for their products and
have developed a range of options to
suit customers’ tastes. “In terms of a
competitive landscape, we have sort
of tucked our business into niches
that work for Stephano’s. We work
with our larger clients also to sit down
and develop products that work with
them.”
Stephano’s has learned over the
years to be diverse and adaptable, in
order to change with the times, and de-
mands from their markets. But healthy
and delicious products have always
been at the core of the Stephano’s busi-
ness.
BUILDING THE BRAND
When it comes to growing the
business, the company intends to play
to its strengths. “We’re refocusing a
fair bit of our strategy towards getting
out there with our brand products,”
Frank explains.
The company has provided in-
dustry partners with unique private
label solutions, and been flexible with
open-concept packaging operations.
This allows for easy integration and
quick turn-around times. The company
says: “Whether you have a completed
formula or a project under develop-
ment our team will work to ensure
you are completely satisfied. Stephano
Whether you have a completed formula or a
project under development our team will work to
ensure you are completely satisfied.”
STEPHANO GROUP