Sweet Smell of Success
“I always knew I wanted to be in a business that made something,” says Raymond Baxter with a smile. As president and CEO of Interbake Foods, Baxter gets to do just that — and with Interbake in the cookie biz, his dedication to research and development takes on new and delicious possibilities.
 Working with caramel, coconut, and chocolate, however, does have its drawbacks. After the Richmond, Virginia, company’s monthly meeting to taste-test cookies in development, Baxter says he leaves “absolutely satiated with sugar. You feel like holing up somewhere until you recover.” In addition to creating new products for giant brands such as Keebler and Nabisco, Interbake is the oldest producer of Girl Scout Cookies and the primary source of ice-cream sandwich wafers in the United States.
ABC Bakers, a division of Interbake Foods, manufactures about half of the country’s supply of Girl Scout Cookies. Annual proceeds from the cookie sale activity stay in the local Girl Scout councils to support Girl Scouts in their communities.“It is a unique developmental opportunity for the girls to learn self-confidence and to improve their ability to approach the public, make plans, and set goals”, Baxter remarks.
High technology and down-home care are behind every ABC Girl Scout Cookie. Interbake is able to turn on a dime when it comes to supplying products to meet fickle consumer demand. Its sophisticated level of management and operational systems have resulted in a 99.9 percent compliance rate in order fulfillment; it is also the only baking company in North America to be registered ISO 9001, the highest standard for quality systems in food processing. Cookies, it seems, can be serious business.
As for Interbake’s future, Baxter remains confident of continued success for one very good reason: “When people want to treat themselves, it’s the little pleasures that come first. Cookies will be around forever.”
Adapted with permission from Harvard Business School Bulletin, October 2000. |
