CONTACT:                                                       

Cara K. Bernosky

IMC Licensing

502.589.7655                                                                                    cbernosky@imclicensing.com

IMC Licensing Caters to the F&B Market

LOUISVILLE, KY - IMC Licensing, the nation's leading full-service licensing agency specializing in consumer product brands, announced today that it has had a record year in the food and beverage (F&B) sector, outperforming agency expectations by delivering a host of distinctive new licensed products to the marketplace and representing more F&B brands than any other agency. 

Portfolio of Respected Brands

IMC Licensing has worked over the years with some of America’s largest F&B companies and their brand portfolios including brands such as Altoids® and Life Savers® for the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and Jell-O®, Kool-Aid®, Oscar Mayer®, A.1.®, OREO® and others for Kraft Foods.  In addition, IMC Licensing has worked with other powerhouse brands including TABASCO®, Manischewitz®, Southern Comfort® and Jack Daniels®.

According to Cara Bernosky, IMC Licensing President and Co-Founder, “We are delighted to have had the privilege of working with such an incredible group of F&B brands as part of our growing portfolio of clients.  Firmly grounded in America’s heartland where great brands have been built and where these brands live, breathe and interact with consumers, we believe we have a grounded approach to licensing that is truly unique.  Our mission is to turn brands into great new consumer products that delight consumers and expand the long-term value of our clients’ iconic trademarks.”

Turning Brands into Great New Consumer Products

IMC Licensing recently launched a variety of distinctive new consumer products for its F&B clients including :

·         Jack Link’s® A.1.® Steak Sauce Beef Jerky and Jack Link’s® A.1.® Steak Sauce Beef Steak Nuggets, two new innovative and convenient premium meat snacks for people on the go.  IMC Licensing, Kraft’s licensing agency, secured and negotiated this deal with Wisconsin-based Link Snacks, Inc., the leading U.S. meat snack brand and fastest growing meat snack manufacturer worldwide.

·         Life Savers® Pops, a frozen novelty which incorporates the brand’s authentic taste while resembling a LIFE SAVERS Five-Flavor Roll on a stick.  This product, available in regular and sugar-free varieties by licensee Unilever, has been the top new product in the popsicle category in its first year. 

·         Life Savers® Real Fruit Sherbet made with real fruit offers all five genuine LIFE SAVERS flavors in every scoop.  Kemps Ice Cream is the licensee.

·         Crème Savers® Ice Cream and Sherbet, available in both ice cream and an ice cream and sherbet swirl, debuted in early 2007.  IMC Licensing secured and negotiated this deal with Kemps Ice Cream.

·         JELL-O® Jiggler Molds, refrigerator and freezer safe, FDA-approved, non-stick silicone molds which ensure that delicious JELL-O creations can be removed from molds with ease and can retain their shape for ideal appearance.  Lifetime Brands, Inc. a leading designer, marketer and distributor of houseware products, is the licensee.

·         JELL-O® and Kool-Aid® Lip Smackers®, a collection of clear and refreshing Lip Smackers lip gloss for girls that look and taste like the brands themselves.  The licensee is The Bonne Bell Company’s Smackers® brand, the #1 favorite lip gloss of girls. 

·         Manischewitz® Vanilla and Chocolate Flavored Non-Dairy Ice Cream and Manischewitz® Cherry and Lemon Flavored Italian Ices, new premium quality Kosher dessert products, perfect for entertaining guests and sharing with family all year round.  IMC Licensing negotiated both licensing agreements for R.A.B. Food Group’s world-renowned Manischewitz® brand.  The licensee is Brooklyn-based Real Kosher Ice Cream Inc., operating as Klein’s Kosher Ice Cream, a leading manufacturer of Kosher dairy and non-dairy desserts.

·         Manischewitz® Cheese Pizza, a new Kosher pizza product formulated with potato starch rather than matzo meal to adhere to stricter dietary laws, making it available for a larger audience to enjoy and available during Passover.  Brooklyn-based Real Kosher Ice Cream Inc., operating as Klein’s Kosher Ice Cream, is the licensee.

Well-Respected Industry Thought-Leaders

In addition, IMC Licensing continues to lead the industry through its thought-leading articles, presentations and work for America’s leading brands. Its co-founders, CEO Stephen R. Reily and President Cara K. Bernosky, have been active speakers and participants for multiple industry conferences and publications.  Within the past year, Ms. Bernosky moderated a panel at Licensing University 2006 on “Opportunities in Food Licensing” and published multiple F&B articles in The Licensing Journal and on brandchannel.com.  Other members of the IMC Licensing senior staff also play active roles as contributors to licensing industry events as well to IMC Licensing’s own regularly scheduled webinars.

According to Ms. Bernosky, “We at IMC Licensing are driven by a vision that licensing will earn a respected place among the best brand-building, marketing practices and we know that to demand this respect, we must earn it.  White papers, articles and presentations help us achieve this vision as well as keep on top of industry trends and insights and in turn create great new consumer products for our clients’ brands.”

ABOUT IMC LICENSING

IMC Licensing is the nation’s leading licensing agency specializing in consumer product brands. Firmly grounded America’s heartland, IMC turns brands into great new consumer products that delight consumers and expand the long-term value of our clients’ iconic trademarks.

IMC Licensing represents Kraft Foods, Remington Arms, TABASCO and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., among others. For more information, please visit www.imclicensing.com.