Friday, August 7, 2009

Philadelphia Business Journal - by Adam Cancryn

Le Bec-Fin is about to become Le Bec Frozen.The gourmet sorbets served exclusively at the famous Philadelphia restaurant will soon line the shelves of local retailers. It is the first product offering from new specialty foods company Pure Gourmet Foods.

The company was formed by Andrea Perrier, who is the wife of local restaurateur and chef Georges Perrier, along with her brother Michael MacLeod and his wife Kelly. Pure Gourmet is trying to bring a touch of class to the frozen food market.

"We want to give people a gourmet option when it comes to frozen food," said Andrea, a chef for the past 20 years. "Our target market is people like us who enjoy good food but might not have the time to go out to a restaurant."

Through a collaboration with her husband, Andrea has arranged for the desserts to come directly from the kitchen of his renowned Le Bec-Fin. Georges has lent both his recipes and expertise to the development of Pure Gourmet's products.

"He's not just giving his name to the product," said Kelly MacLeod. "He is active in developing recipes and will continue to be involved in the business."

Pure Gourmet is hoping to redefine the frozen food market with an upscale approach. Andrea said that all of the sorbets, which come in tropical, pear ginger, chocolate caramel and mojito flavors, are completely organic and non-dairy and made with the same imported fruit used at Le Bec-Fin.

Kelly added that their main goal is to faithfully recreate the product served at the restaurant. "It's important for us to maintain the integrity of the Le Bec-Fin name," she said.

As part of the effort to nurture its high-end image, the company is choosing its distributors carefully. Local specialty foods outlet Di Bruno Bros. will be the sole carrier when the Pure Gourmet sorbets debut on Aug. 25.

"It's a good fit and a local brand that people recognize," Kelly said.

Di Bruno is Le Bec-Fin's longtime exclusive cheese purveyor.

"We believe in their quality and they've been good partners," she said.

Pure Gourmet expects to team with more distributors in the near future, but it first needs to find a manufacturer that can make the sorbets quickly without sacrificing quality. Currently, every pint of sorbet is handmade by Andrea and Kelly. Though they can handle the workload for the short term, Kelly said that partnering with a manufacturer is key to Pure Gourmet's future growth.

"It's really a volume business," Kelly said. "A lot hinges on our ability to find a manufacturer that can mass produce the product."

Once they find one, the next step is a product expansion beyond sorbets. They want to roll out a line of frozen entrees, appetizers and cakes within the next year, all of which would be taken from the Le Bec-Fin menu.

Pure Gourmet is also in talks with other well-known chefs about creating products out of their dishes.

"It's a great way for people outside of a chef's region to learn about them," Kelly said.

Despite its branding as a luxury product, Pure Gourmet's founders are confident they can succeed during the recession. Michael Willmann, who is handling the company's marketing effort, believes the company will establish a substantial niche.

"It's a specialty product, so it's not meant for everyone," he said. "The people who will appreciate it also appreciate going to the Perrier restaurants."

Andrea added that the $5.70 per pint suggested retail price is very reasonable considering the ingredients used.

"We believe that the quality of the product far outstrips the price, and will be recognized as something more than typical frozen food," she said.

Though the sorbets are Georges' creations, it is Andrea and the MacLeods who initially decided to introduce them to the retail market. Andrea said that, fittingly, the idea originated over dinner.

"We all have a passion for the good, gourmet type of food," she said. "We talked about how it would be great to take Le Bec-Fin's food and be able to get it at home."

Kelly took the concept with her to graduate school, where she made it the subject of marketing and entrepreneurship projects. After two years of development, what began as light dinner conversation became a feasible business plan. With the MacLeods handling the financials and the Perriers running the kitchen, Pure Gourmet Foods was born.

Kelly said that, if all goes well, she projects a "minuscule profit" by the end of Pure Gourmet's first

year. However, Andrea and her are most focused on maintaining their sorbets' superior taste. If the product is top-notch, they believe the profits will follow.

"I've tasted these sorbets all along, and I'm not sick of it yet," Kelly said. "I still get surprised."