Business I on the cover entrepreneurships

A 25-pound batch is dumped on a table to cool.

Dry Nuts from page A29

Grand Rapids. With Jonny's help, their
company established 12 retail stores in
Michigan, Ohio and Illinois. In 1995, they
began selling wholesale and, in 2000,
closed their last retail outlet.
The brothers both live in Oak Park and
are observant Jews — the two school-
age children of Jonny's three kids attend
Yeshivat Akiva in Southfield — and their
business is kosher, supervised by the
Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater
Detroit. In addition, they hire 15-25 work-
ers from Southfield-based JVS to do all
their packaging on site. The company has
t full-time employees.
Nuts Are Good products are distributed
in bulk (25-pound cartons) or in plastic
bags under the company's name or the
retailer's.

Kosher Niche

.....sovror'er;

.4*

Jonny and Danny Levy find that Nuts Are Good.

A30

December 13 • 2007

The company's kosher certification has
helped sales, especially in New York and
at Detroit-area retailers. Meijer has been
the Levys' largest customer for years, while
Lipari Foods distributes Nuts Are Good
products to independent grocers, deli and
party stores. Giant Eagle stores are a client

in Pennsylvania, and Sefton International
Foods handles New York distribution.
Says Jonny, "We've been national in
pockets. Now we would like to expand
even more."
The plant is closed on Shabbat and
Jewish holidays, and a massive floor-to-
ceiling plastic curtain separates the manu-
facturing area and its seven dry roasters
from the packing area.
The brothers make eight different fla-
vors of peanuts, which are good carriers
of flavor. "We can actually combine any
flavoring with any nut," says Jonny, but
they keep the numbers of flavors low for
manufacturing and distribution reasons.
"Raspberry is good on peanuts and
almonds, but I wouldn't try it on a cashew.
We try to find what is appealing to people."
Adds Danny, "A lot of flavors are geared
to a specific niche. Raspberry people are
crazy for raspberry. But coconut — people
can take it or leave it."
"And anise says Jonny, "I didn't like it
[on nuts] at all."
Two-and-a-half years ago, the brothers
hit on their most successful flavor. The
price of almonds was going sky-high,

