Josie's Best Gluten Free: Baking Through the Storm

Bend, Ore., June 4, 2020 - We often are told to look for the opportunities, which even exist during a downturn. This holds true for Sisters startup company Josie's Best Gluten Free Mixes whose sales were positively impacted by COVID-19. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the company has seen a huge increase in their sales on both Amazon and through their website. CEO/Founder, Josette Johnson, attributes this to more people shopping online and more people with extra time on their hands to bake. This, combined with the 32 million people in the U.S. with a food allergy, make Josie's Best's products the perfect recipe for "allergen-free" bakers.Additionally, during this time Josie's Best started to market themselves through brand awareness campaigns. This increase in online activity resulted in a larger audience, which translated into increased sales for the company. They launched customs boxes and packages through Amazon which was a huge lift for the startup but came at the perfect time. "We obviously didn't project this and we spent a few weeks scrambling to catch up, but we are so grateful," said Johnson. "We ran out of almost all our supplies...everything from bags to tape to space in our warehouse. But we're getting caught up now and are still seeing sales continue."The pandemic gave the company an opportunity to secure coveted grocery store shelving space in larger chains when some of the bigger brands were sold out of products and couldn't refill them due to overwhelmed distribution channels. These stores turned to Josie's Best to help fill in the gaps. "We are so happy that we have been able to help keep shelves full during a time that has been so taxing for grocery stores," said Johnson.With a full plate of filling orders, Josie's Best did not forget the local community. They donated all of the sample bags they had reserved for Expo West (the U.S.'s premier natural food products trade show which was canceled due to COVID-19) to local food banks. They also started a weekly local no contact "porch delivery" service which was both successful for their business and helped those at-risk from traveling. "We are just so grateful that we had the sales channels set up that allowed us to get products to so many people and businesses that have needed it during this time," said Josie. "I hope that we've helped people not only get the food they need safely but also spread some joy during quarantine."