Liz Lovely Inc, a Vermont-based, nationally distributed cookie maker has re-released their entire line of cookies as Certified Organic, Certified Fair Trade and Certified Vegan. This is the first nationally distributed product in this segment to acquire all three certifications. The suggested retail price of the cookies has not changed: $3.99 to $4.39 for “2 big ones”.
“The wizards at Liz Lovely made my favorite cookies even better! They’re now Certified Organic and Fair Trade Certified. And at the same price…wow!” remarked Clem Nilan, Director of Purchasing for City Market, a downtown cooperative grocer in Burlington, Vermont.
While many natural foods companies look outside their business for recipe formulation and manufacturing resources, Liz Holtz, president and founder of Liz Lovely, does not subscribe to this philosophy. According to Liz, “We have an artisan philosophy. Everything is made from scratch in our own bakery, not in some giant contracted food factory.” She added, “We’re extremely excited about the new organic recipes. They’re uncompromising in flavor and in their commitment to social responsibility.”
According to Dan Holtz, Liz Lovely’s vice president of sales, “Customer demand for Organic and Fair Trade products is huge, and still growing. We’re first-to-market with these certifications, and it was not easy to achieve all three certifications. Our new recipe uses only sustainably harvested organic palm fruit oil in place of the processed egg and butter substitutes we were using previously. It’s also important to note that, unlike palm kernel oil, palm fruit oil is heart-healthy and 100% free of trans-fat.”
Liz Lovely partnered with the Vermont chapter of the Northeast Organic Farmers Association and TransFair USA to identify available ingredients, setup audit trail systems, and prepare the business for Organic and Fair Trade certification with the respective organizations. Liz Lovely has been Certified Vegan by Vegan Action since their inception in 2003.
Visit online at www.lizlovely.com