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Local Baker Tastes Sweet Success The U.S. bakery business has been stale for several years, but one New Haven company saw its sales rise dramatically because it changed the recipe for success. Something Sweet, which began baking in New Haven in 1997, has built its business as a private-label baker for grocers by baking the products retailers ask for. “Most of our business is based on making products for customers and we don’t put limitations on our customers,” said founder Joe Montesano, who owns Something Sweet with his wife, Mary Ann. “We make good quality products that generate repeat sales. We make the upscale stuff that people look for. And we try to offer each customer some exclusivity. Their competitors won’t be carrying our same products.” As a result of this recipe, the company has expanded dramatically, outgrowing its original 7,000 square-foot Long Wharf space. Today, it occupies 65,000 square feet in two buildings in New Haven. The company employs 45 people. Retailers from Maine to Florida, as far west as Illinois, sell Something Sweet’s products. In the next year, the company plans to hire a national sales director to expand its business within the existing footprint. Eventually, the company plans to go national. “We’re probably at 40 percent to 45 percent of our capacity right now,” said Montesano. “We operate a shift and a half from 4:30 a.m. till 8 p.m. So we can grow significantly. And there is a very good labor pool in New Haven. We’re pretty selective about bringing people in and we don’t have any issues with getting people. In fact, most people who come here stay here.” A key ingredient to Something Sweet’s success is the company’s flexibility. It manufactures 140 different SKUs of cream pies, fruit pies, merengues, cakes, brownies and specialty items. The company’s biggest seller is pumpkin pie, even though it’s a seasonal product. Number two is lemon meringue and number three is chocolate cream. “Sometimes we bake as many as six or seven different products in a day,” Montesano said. “For the sake of efficiency, we try to do just one product a day when we can.” Something Sweet got its start when Montesano, who spent 13 years in the food brokerage business, selling other people’s products, realized retailers needed unique baked goods. He and his wife spent two years developing products that retailers liked, then hired a contract baker to do the manufacturing. Once sales grew, the Montesanos decided to build their own bakery operation in New Haven to assure quality. That allows the company to invite retailers to the bakery to help create their own, unique products. One grocery chain wanted their lemon meringue pie to look different than those available at competitors’ stores. Company executives worked in the bakery for a day to bake the perfect pie. “That gave our customer a little bit of ownership over the final product,” said Montesano. “And our people had the chance to see exactly what the customer wanted.” For the near future, the Montesanos expect steady growth as Something Sweet expands within the areas it currently serves. To fuel added growth, the company started working with fundraising organizations, making baked goods. That now represents a significant share of the business. “New Haven is a very good location for us,” he said. “It gives us access to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. We’ve got room to grow from here. But we try to manage our growth so that we don’t overwhelm everyone.” |
