Food Contact Applications aren’t exactly the “bread and butter” of kosher certified products.They aren’t designed to get “shmeared” on a bagel, nor do they go particularly well with gefilte fish.What does a company like Michelman gain from OU certification?
Customer Satisfaction: Michelman saw that customers were calling their “plain” (that is, uncertified) kosher statement into question. The company responded by quantifying the kosher statement in the best way possible, by backing it up with the industry standard OU certification.
New Markets: Michelman hopes to expand its product line to include applications which would benefit significantly from kosher certification.
Exposure: For less than the price of an ad in the media, being kosher certified makes your product available to another market.
Perception Of Quality: OU kosher certification is viewed as a quality assurance, and is recognized as such worldwide.
Michelman is educating its customers about the concerns a kosher customer might have when purchasing a competitor’s product. Coatings can frequently contain such non-kosher ingredients as bovine fatty acids and the pork-derived porcine. Manufacturers are often unaware of this fact, and a Michelman product can guarantee avoiding the issue entirely.
OU kosher certification has offered Michelman opportunities in other markets, such as potentially expanding into fruit coatings. Many fruit and vegetable manufacturers have contacted the OU looking for kosher certification for their coated produce; Michelman is looking into providing the coatings for those companies committed to being kosher certified.
Though many companies contact the OU only after they have customers requesting OU certification, Michelman is using its certification to get those customers. When it comes to thinking ahead, Michelman is ahead of the game.