Dear OK Kosher Client,

OK Kosher Certification recognizes that this is a busy time of year, as you deal with the demands of closing 2016 on a high and driving to achieve all of your targets. 2017 is around the corner and brings another year of opportunity for growth. As your partners in kosher certification, OK Kosher Certification appreciates the deep commitment that you invest in kosher. We want to honor that partnership by continuing to help your businesses grow in 2017.

In the past 12 months, we’ve significantly simplified our processes while adhering to the same stringent level of kosher regulatory standards OK Kosher is known for.  We have also expanded our staff with several high-caliber individuals across all departments.  This means we are stronger and better equipped to guide our clients than ever before, moving into 2017 and beyond.  Our commitment to excellence will forever be our guiding principle.

As you continue to drive growth through innovation and product launches, Kosher is a significant part of your marketing strategy. To support the success of your 2017 plans, here are a few key factors to bear in mind regarding your kosher programs:

• To maximize your investment in kosher, it is important for the kosher symbol to be printed clearly on your labels – prominently displayed and large enough that consumers can easily see it.
• As part of our promise to be your advocate for all kosher matters, we encourage you to give added consideration to the design and placement of the OK Kosher logo on the labels of existing certified products.
• To assist in this endeavor, OK Kosher has developed an easy-to-follow guide for proper use of the symbol. Please contact [email protected], to request copies of this guide.

We thank you for your loyalty and look forward to showing our appreciation in ways both big and small. It is our goal that you consider OK Kosher your in-house kosher experts for any and all kosher matters.

With best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2017.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Eli Lando,

Executive Manager & Chief Customer Relations Officer

2013 was a year of continued growth at the OK, with hundreds of newly certified customers and ongoing service to our current customer base. This year we are revamping QuicKosher – the premiere kosher food industry newsletter. The new year will see a new design and an improved format with one article appearing at a time and more frequent emails, rather than quarterly, longer newsletters. The new QuicKosher will truly be a quick and informative read, featuring a concise article about new and relevant updates within the OK, complemented by innovations by OK certified companies that benefit the kosher market on a large scale.

We encourage you to interact with the newsletter and let us know what kosher topics you would like to see in upcoming issues. If your company is changing the face of kosher food production, please share your accomplishments with us ([email protected]) so we can publicize and share them with our certified companies!

Remember, the OK is here to provide you with the highest level of customer service and help you provide your consumers with products that are Kosher Without Compromise. Your Rabbinic Coordinator and Account Representative are available by phone or email to answer any questions, provide walk-throughs of our unique software, and help you maximize the return on your investment in kosher certification.

The economy is tight, expenses are always growing, and now, more than ever, every dollar counts. Every company has a budget – ingredients, packaging, staff, advertising, certifications – and each category is assigned a dollar amount, for many companies an amount that is hard to stick with. Make the most of your kosher certification AND your advertising budget at the same time by clearly advertising your product as kosher certified, using the word “KOSHER” and/or the OK Kosher symbol in your ads.

When a kosher consumer sees an advertisement for a product, the first thing he/she looks for is an indication that the product is kosher. Without a kosher symbol, the kosher consumer quickly moves on without stopping to learn about the product. To the kosher consumer, the kosher status comes before the ingredients, before the nutrition panel, and even before the price of the item.

In addition to the approximately 1.3 million Jewish Americans who exclusively purchase kosher products, 21% (about 12.25 million) of Americans occasionally or regularly buy kosher products specifically because they bear a kosher symbol.

You chose kosher certification because you know it is important to your target markets. Let consumers know, loud and clear, that your product meets the highest standard of kosher certification with a prominent OK symbol on your next advertisement.

Sources:

Mintel Report (March 2003, May 2005, January 2009)

LUBICOM Kosher Analysis (October 2009)