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Dion Peyrefitte, vice president of business analysis; Jeff Brinkhoff, president and CEO; and Corinna Baban, vice president of operations
Dion Peyrefitte, vice president of business analysis; Jeff Brinkhoff, president and CEO; and Corinna Baban, vice president of operations

2014 Dynamic Dozen No. 8: Red Monkey Foods

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Red Monkey Foods President and CEO Jeff Brinkhoff prefers to focus on quality, not quantity, in the niche market of organic spices and all-natural seasonings.

“We have our niche in the marketplace,” Brinkhoff says in an email. “We definitely have a business model different than the big elephants in our category like McCormick. They focus on high volume, lower cost items, and we focus on slower moving, higher cost items.”  

Established in 2002, Red Monkey Foods focuses on delivering private-label programs, or manufacturing such products under the banner or brand of the retailer that it works with – such as Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Price Cutter and Harter House. 

Recently though, the company has begun combining its main focus of private-label seasonings and flavors with other commodities such as quinoa, orzo and rice, though the bulk of its revenues still come largely from the private-label programs. Brinkhoff says one in four items purchased is a private label versus a branded label. 

“While some of the growth at Red Monkey is coming from new accounts wanting to enter this market under their own brand, a nice part of our growth has come organically through increased number of (stock keeping units) with our current clients, and our expansion of additional product offerings,” Brinkhoff says. “We have to stay on the latest in flavoring trends, and how or when they come to market so that we can ensure our clients are meeting the demands of their shoppers.”

The Mount Vernon-based company notched a three-year growth in revenue of 60 percent with $7.8 million in 2011 revenue jumping to $12.53 million in 2013.

Owing its success to more than just revenue, Brinkhoff says it is the capable staff who keep business driving forward. 

Red Monkey Foods Vice President of Operations Corinna Baban says employee training programs focus on long-term employee engagement and opportunity, which only make good employees better. 

“As our company continues to grow at a tremendous rate, our training is robust,” Baban says. 

Baban says key elements in the program are job skill training, building quality in the product and cross departmental communication. “All of which adds value to the work experience,” Baban says via email. “Once an employee is in a work center, they are encouraged to grow their work skills from operator to trainer, to line lead and beyond. We’re not satisfied with limiting employee potential. We gain more output, accuracy and sustainability by focusing on the core of our business: our people.”

Baban says the company has reduced costs by reducing employee turnover. From 2012 to 2013, Red Monkey Foods reduced its staff by 37 employees. Brinkhoff says the reduction was a result of taking on a large bag program in 2012 prior to having proper machinery, resulting in a temporary need for hand packing.  

“I like to hire smart, and I have a lot of smarts around me. When you can get a team running on all cylinders, watching the momentum build, it is a lot of fun,” Brinkhoff says.
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