NEW ORLEANS – Gulf Coast Blenders, a New Orleans-based company that produces dry ingredient blends and mixes, said it has been helping restaurants and foodservice businesses find new revenue streams during the pandemic.
Several local spots, including Gracious Bakery, have begun selling packs of do-it-yourself ingredients to their customers. The dry mixes are certainly a fantastic way to boost their bottom line.
“We had never worked with a co-packer before and knew nothing about this business, which is totally different from a retail bakery,” said the bakery’s co-founder Jay Foreman in a press release. “Our king cake box mix was a hit out of the gate in 2020. Our biggest problem was keeping them in stock.”
Gulf Coast Blenders said they have also helped short-staffed restaurants save prep time in the kitchen. They accomplish this through their array of pre-blended fry batters, seasoning blends, breakfast mixes, and restaurant mixes.
“This past year has been especially tough on restaurants and foodservice businesses, and we wanted to help owners weather the storm through new sources of revenue and time-saving products,” said Vince Hayward, fourth-generation owner and CEO of L.H. Hayward & Company, Gulf Coast Blenders’ parent company. “Our full-service operation and master blenders ensure that all aspects of customers’ requirements are met – from production planning, quality control, and food safety standards to worldwide delivery.”
For more than 30 years, Gulf Coast Blenders has made spices, seasonings, and fish and chicken fry mixes. In 2018, L.H. Hayward & Company, the New Orleans-based 98-year-old packager of the popular Camellia Brand of beans, peas, and lentils and handmade Dagostino Pasta, acquired the company.
“We had never worked with a co-packer before and knew nothing about this business, which is totally different from retail bakery. Our king cake box mix was a hit out of the gate in 2020, and our biggest problem was keeping them in stock.”
