Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Whole Foods to carry new line of gourmet Biscuits for Cheese

People have been making and eating cheese for hundreds of years, in places all over the globe -- France, Italy, Australia, even Egypt, Argentina and New Zealand. With hundreds of different textures, flavors and varieties, just try to find a nice cracker to go with them.

That was Maria Walley’s motivation when she started Daelia’s earlier this year.

“Cheese lovers know that great cheese should be served with interesting breads and crackers that complement and bring out the natural flavors of the cheese, but don’t overwhelm them,” said Walley, a genuine foodie who has spent her nearly 20-year career working in the cheese and specialty foods business. “I wanted to make a biscuit specially designed to go with all types of cheeses, and so Daelia’s Biscuits for Cheese were born.”

Made with the highest quality ingredients, the almond flavored Daelia’s Biscuits have no added fat or salt that would detract from the flavor of the cheeses. They’re sturdy so they won’t break easily and they’re pleasing to the eye and the palette. In June, Walley finalized her Daelia’s Biscuits product and its packaging, and in August she traveled to the American Cheese Society conference to test the waters with cheese connoisseurs and specialty foods experts from across the industry. She wanted feedback. What she got was a national distribution deal with Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI), the world’s leading natural and organic grocery store with more than 280 locations across the globe, and several other independents clamoring to add Daelia’s Biscuits to their cheese departments.

“I never expected the process to move this quickly, but the response was so positive,” added Walley. “Everyone loved the product and everyone saw the potential for a line of biscuits specially created to go with a variety of cheeses, from domestic to imported, soft-ripened to aged Cheddars. It’s perfect for food lovers who enjoy exploring the full range of flavors or making the perfect holiday cheese plate. I wanted to give them the ideal accompaniment for their cheeses and wines.”

Who better than Walley to come up with that perfect biscuit? She owned and operated a specialty food and wine retail shop in Cincinnati’s affluent Hyde Park neighborhood in the early 1990s, then launched the Hyde Park Specialty Food Marketing Group, a food brokerage and consulting practice. From there, she became managing director for U.S. operations for Cheese from Britain, a sales and marketing organization with a focus on developing retail business for fine cheese producers and exporters across the United Kingdom. Walley had the seed of the Daelia’s Biscuits idea in 2007 and in early 2009, it was time to bring it to life.

Made in the U.S.A. and based on an old Mediterranean recipe, Daelia’s Biscuits for Cheese (Almond) will be available in Whole Foods Market locations beginning October 1, and Walley plans to add additional flavors by the end of 2009.

“Whole Foods Market is an iconic brand, and I’m very excited to launch Daelia’s Biscuits for Cheese with them,” said Walley. “Having worked in this industry for so long, I know it often takes years to develop, test and place a product with Whole Foods Market, so to accelerate the timeline this much really speaks volumes about the quality of the product and the great response we expect to get from the marketplace.”

About Daelia’s Biscuits for Cheese
Made in the U.S.A. and based on an old Mediterranean recipe, Daelia’s Biscuits for Cheese are designed specifically to go with all types of cheeses, bringing out their natural flavors but never overwhelming them. Daelia’s Biscuits are currently available in Almond flavor and can be found in Whole Foods Market locations across the country. For more information, call 513.404.2545 or visit www.daeliasbiscuitsforcheese.com.

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