NEW YORK — Artisanal Brands, Inc. (OTCQB: AHFP), a marketer and distributor of specialty, artisanal and farmstead cheeses and other specialty food products, today announced that it has made three additions to its senior marketing team as the Company seeks to drive new business initiatives across multiple sales channels.
Mr. Joern Tittel has been appointed to the newly-created position of Director of Retail Sales. Mr. Tittel has more than 20 years of senior level executive and sales experience in wine and specialty food distribution. He is past president of the MetroWine Distribution Company and founder of Splitbin, an online wine retailer.
Mr. Joe Sherman, former chief executive officer of Viking Culinary Group, has been retained as a sales and business development consultant. Mr. Sherman has more than 25 years of executive experience building retail businesses by establishing and managing relationships with key partners, including Frontgate, Sur La Table, Sterling Vineyards, Williams Sonoma, and Diageo.
Mr. Thomas Thornton, a director of the Company and former chief executive officer of Dean & Deluca, has additionally been retained as a consultant, to begin developing Artisanal's company store concept. Mr. Thornton has more than 20 years of specialty food and restaurant experience and will help the company open its first store in the Fall.
Daniel W. Dowe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Artisanal, said, "We are adding executive talent to drive sales through our highest-margin channels, while also laying the foundation for company-owned stores, which will be vital to our next growth phase. "
"Joern Tittel will use his extensive network of over 800 specialty wine merchants in the Tri-State area to expand the number of outlets that stock the Artisanal CheeseClock™ retail merchandising system, which is a very effective in-store cheese and wine educational tool. From the outset, he has already secured numerous commitments from retailers and wine distributors, which will have an immediate, positive impact on our cash flow. His ongoing efforts will help us expand sales and become cash flow positive throughout the year, versus seasonally."
Dowe continued, "Additionally, high-profile, third-party channels are becoming more important to us, and Joe Sherman will help us develop more marketing partnerships among catalog and online specialty retailers to increase sales and get our brand in front of millions of consumers. In this channel too, the Artisanal CheeseClock™ is sought after as a great learning and marketing tool."
"Finally, the opening of our first company-owned Artisanal cafe is on the horizon," Dowe said, "and Tom Thornton's experience as CEO of Dean & Deluca will help us immensely as we move toward that goal. This will be a natural expansion that brings the full Artisanal experience to our customers, as well as significant revenue to the Company and our shareholders in the years ahead."
"Together, these appointments will add to the work now being done by our recently hired Director of e-Commerce, Judy Reiley, to expand sales of Artisanal Premium Cheese in partnership with online wine merchants and new major retailers. We are leveraging the clear synergies that exist for our products among all of our sales channels as we seek to increase revenue and enhance cash flow," Dowe concluded.
About Artisanal Brands, Inc.
Artisanal Brands Inc. markets Artisanal Premium Cheese's line of specialty, artisanal and farmstead cheese products, as well as other related specialty food products under its own brand, to food wholesalers and retailers, and directly to consumers through its catalogue and website, www.artisanalcheese.com. Artisanal Brands, Inc. is based in New York City and its customers include The Four Seasons, Hyatt, Neiman Marcus, The Wine Enthusiast, the American Express Wine Connoisseurs Club, as well as exclusive wine and liquor retailers in New Jersey and Connecticut.
Safe Harbor Statement Forward-looking statements made in this press release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on current management expectations that involve risks and uncertainties that may result in such expectations not being realized. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks described in Company filings made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Source: Artisanal Brands, Inc.