Taste the Best of Missouri: Holiday gift boxes highlight some of state's foods

After three years of planning, 26 food producers in Missouri are showcasing their wares in |quot|Taste the Best of Missouri|quot| gift boxes.

John Jungk, president of Old World Spices and Seasonings, a Kansas City-based company that blends seasonings for industrial, food service and private label use, is the director of the |quot|Taste the Best of Missouri,|quot| program.

|quot|The Department of (Agriculture) approached me a year ago, and asked if I would direct the program,|quot| Jungk said. |quot|The conversation of what could be done to support Missouri businesses has been an ongoing discussion for a number of years.|quot|

Jungk said at trade shows sanctioned by the Department of Agriculture, which are primarily international food shows, there are many other states with pavilions featuring smaller food companies.

While he noted that the Missouri Department of Agriculture has attempted to do that, it hasn't been very successful in getting participation.

Jungk said he was very vocal in asking the state why it wasn't doing more to market Missouri foods and related business, and when the state in turn asked what he would do, he had an answer ready.

|quot|I told them that one of my ideas was to develop a gift basket to take and promote them as a group, rather than individually, and it would be less costly that way for everyone,|quot| Jungk said.

Twenty-six participating companies were selected from an initial list of about 160 companies. The products in the baskets include seasonings, steak sauces, pecans, walnuts, mushrooms, salad dressing and cookie mixes. The cookie mixes, Jungk noted, come from a Hurley-based business started by two teachers with state grants, to teach students about entrepreneurialship.

Black walnuts for the program are from Stockton-based Hammons Products Company.

|quot|When John called, we were glad to hear that somebody was interested in promoting Missouri products, and the Missouri state tree nut is the black walnut, so it seems a natural fit,|quot| said Brian Hammons, company president. |quot|We like tie-ins with the Ag Missouri program. Any time someone is talking about Missouri food products, black walnuts should really be a part of that.|quot|

However, black walnuts are also included in another product in the baskets. Pepper jelly in the baskets, made by Taste of the Kingdom, a Kingdom City business, features black walnuts that come from Hammons.

|quot|We were at a restaurant show in Springfield a couple years ago, and they were demonstrating their pepper jelly and I said, Let's try to put some black walnuts on this and see how it tastes,'|quot| Hammons said. |quot|They liked it so well they came up with two new varieties of pepper jelly with black walnuts.|quot|

Products in the program have to be manufactured or grown in Missouri, and sold by Missouri-based companies.

|quot|The reason being (that) we're trying to generate revenue and jobs,|quot| he said.

The baskets used with one of the larger boxes are created by Quality Products Inc., a Nevada-based sheltered workshop.

|quot|Taste the Best of Missouri|quot| gift boxes are available in various sizes, and are available for $40, $50, $60, $70 and $80, depending on the size. There is an additional charge for shipping.

Boxes can be ordered online at www.tastethebestofmissouri.com. For holiday delivery, orders need to be in by Dec. 1.

Footing the bill

Three of Jungk's products are featured in every size of gift box a stipulation he was able to make because he's paying for the venture. He noted that although the program works closely with the Department of Agriculture, the program isn't government-funded.

When all's said and done, Jungk said, his company will have invested between $80,000 and $90,000 on the |quot|Taste the Best of Missouri|quot| program, including $38,000 in the printing plates and dyes for the boxes.

Because of costs, Jungk said, the decision to make the boxes available beyond the holiday season each year hasn't been made, although eventually participants would like them to be available on an ongoing basis.

|quot|I've got to be able to at least break even, or we as a family have decided if we lose a few thousand dollars, that's one thing, but I'm not willing to take a what's the term take a bath on this,|quot| he said.

But Jungk is optimistic about getting his money's worth.

In September, the program did a test run of about 1,500 boxes, all of which already have been sold.

For the test run, participating companies' products were purchased up front and all participants are providing wholesale prices for the program but Jungk is only taking advance orders for the next production runs, scheduled for the first weeks of November and December.

|quot|I feel very comfortable (that) I will get at least 90 percent of (my investment) back,|quot| he said.

The education connection

One focus on the program is to have the baskets sold by Missouri students for fundraisers. Jungk said the Department of Agriculture initially wanted state Future Farmers of America groups to sell the gift boxes instead of fruit from Florida or cheese from Wisconsin. But the fund-raising focus has changed and is broader, he said.

|quot|We've opened it up to secondary education across the state, any group. It could be the band, it could be a DECA group, it could be any organization that's trying to raise money,|quot| Jungk said.

The tie to education is important, Jungk said, because 25 percent of the proceeds will go to a scholarship fund for students at any of the University of Missouri campuses. The scholarship is important to Jungk and his family, he said, because the family is undertaking this venture in the name of his daughter Laurie, who died unexpectedly two years ago. While the scholarship isn't in her name, he said, his family is participating in memory of her.

|quot|The greatest feeling when this is all over will be giving scholarships out to these kids. They'll be $1,000 scholarships for all four years,|quot| he said. Scholarship awards are to begin in fall 2004.

Matching funds

Another 5 percent of revenues from the basket will provide matching funds for small businesses to participate in programs sanctioned by the Department of Agriculture.

Jungk said a goal is to have Missouri businesses use the Taste the Best of Missouri gift boxes as employee gifts.

|quot|Many businesses give out gifts every year to their clients or employees or customers, and that's the target for us getting businesses to help businesses here within the state,|quot| he said.