Gerbs Allergy Friendly Foods has been a RISBDC client working with Director Amit Basnet since June of 2016. As the world’s premium allergy-friendly foods manufacturer, Gerbs is one of a handful of companies with products that are free from the top 14 FDA (Food & Drug Administration) recognized food allergens.

Initially, Gerbs came to the RISBDC looking for help with formulating and executing growth strategies. Director Amit assisted with connecting Gerbs with Polaris MEP to design their expansion layout and maximize their production efficiency. As of 2017, with the help of RISBDC and Polaris MEP, Gerbs has doubled its production space and has entered Canadian Amazon markets.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began earlier this year, Gerbs experienced dramatic increases in sales volume on their website, eBay, and especially the Amazon platform. Towards the end of February, they began to see the first signs of how the stay-at-home orders issued due to the virus would increase website traffic and ultimately, sales. As a result of their good standing with their suppliers, Gerbs was able to procure enough supplies to quickly meet these forecasted increases.

At this time, owners Sennen and Galen Conte were told by contacts at Amazon and through statements from RI Governor Raimondo that they were deemed essential due to the nature of their business – producing stable, safe, and consumable food items. They immediately initiated CDC and RI Board of Health safe distance guidelines, including hand sanitizing and washing, masks, gloves, and temperature reading stations to ensure staff safety.

In mid-March, sales dramatically spiked, causing them to reformulate production schedules, sometimes on an hourly/daily basis, to ensure they kept the supply chain between Gerbs and Amazon Prime Fulfillment services open and to eliminate lost sales due to out of stock items. This led to hiring two more production staff. Ultimately, they had to make the tough decision to temporarily pause all sales channels outside of Amazon Prime. As a point of pride, the Gerbs team worked tirelessly around the clock for several week to meet the increased demand, and they are happy to report they never closed their doors (even if it meant working long days). Due to the high demand, they saw their 2020 Q1 sales increase by 81% compared to 2019. Even during these challenging times, and the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 crisis in the small business community, Gerbs was able to contribute to the local economy.

Gerbs is #RIStrong and feels committed to their customers and community more than ever.

The RISBDC continues to support Gerbs with overall business development and capital planning needs. Additionally, Gerbs received the 2019 Rhode Island and New England Small Business Manufacturer of the Year Award.

To learn more about Gerbs Allergy Friendly Foods, visit their website at MyGerbs.com.