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Corinna Baban, vice president; Jeff Brinkhoff, founder and president; and Emily Janes, vice president of quality
Corinna Baban, vice president; Jeff Brinkhoff, founder and president; and Emily Janes, vice president of quality

2015 Dynamic Dozen No. 8: Red Monkey Foods

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Red Monkey Foods showed substantial growth in 2014, not the least of which saw the organic spices and seasonings company’s headquarters move in February from Mount Vernon to a new 58,000-square-foot facility in Republic’s Brookline Business Park. The company generated 2014 revenue of $17.47 million for a three-year growth of 54 percent.

CEO Jeff Brinkhoff says the new location – at 6571 W. Kings St. and built by Rich Kramer Construction Inc. of Springfield – was made possible through the company’s Tampa, Fla.-based equity partner, The Anderson Group.

“We just moved into that in February, a couple months ago,” Brinkhoff says, adding Red Monkey Foods will put about 16 million bottles of spices and seasonings through the manufacturing plant this year. “We put in a training program for new hires, we’ve updated our lines to create more efficiencies, and we’ve invested in some senior execs to help drive us to the next level. We don’t plan on slowing our growth.”

But its revenue increases have come with a few growing pangs.

“The challenges have been the quick growth and trying to build the foundation and the structure appropriately to keep up with growth,” Brinkhoff says.

He attributes that growth to a few factors but the biggest is continued focus on manufacturing of the company’s private label organic and gourmet spices, which includes products under Target’s Archer Farms and Hy-Vee’s Hickory House brands. Presently, the company has anywhere between 18 and 120 different products on the shelves of over 11,000 retail stores nationwide.

“We’re about 99 percent focused on developing private label programs for retailers,” Brinkhoff says.

“We continue to acquire a lot of accounts, and that’s the sales team we have that goes out and spends time fostering these relationships.”

Staying on top of market trends is another ingredient of Red Monkey Foods’ growth.

This year, the company will produce regionally flavored ancient grains, such as rice, millet and quinoa, among others, in stand-up pouches complete with seasonings and dehydrated vegetables. The product line, dubbed “meal solutions,” is designed to meet the demand of younger generations who want quick and simple food that is still pleasing to the palate.

“The millenials are moving in to the biggest buying power right now, so they’re not just looking for a broccoli-and-cheese flavored rice, they are looking for something more intriguing,” Brinkhoff says, adding ethnic culinary influences, forward-thinking chefs and cooking shows are contributing to a rise in popularity.

“You have consumers who are demanding and driving more adventurous flavor profiles.”

While employment is expected to remain steady through 2015, expansion into the stand-up pouch program may necessitate additional hiring, according to Brinkhoff. The company launched a new benefits program a little over a year ago, offering its employees health, dental and vision insurance.

Brinkhoff says the company also is considering a move into small quantity superfood powders.

“The smoothie explosion is really bringing those to light, and people are realizing they can use those in a lot more than just smoothies,” he says. “We see that as an up-and-coming category that we’re keeping an eye on.”[[In-content Ad]]

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