Bada-BING!

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Friday, 22 July 2011 17:24

Yakima Valley, Washington, July 2011 — Not what you think, but instead it’s Tillen Farms’ newest family member, their grown and processed in the Pacific Northwest Bada Bing Cherries™.  www.tillenfarms.com The Bing cherry, the most popular fresh cherry sold in the U.S., is only available seasonally. Tillen Farms, working with the leading Northwest Cherry Co-op, now offers fresh Bing Cherries in juice year round. These jumbo Bada Bings are pitted, stem-on and made with only natural ingredients. They are gluten-free, kosher certified and contain no preservatives, no Red Dye #40 and no corn syrup. Tillen Farms’ Tim Metzger noted, “After our natural Maraschinos were received so well, we wanted a complementary product. The initial response from our customers with the jumbo Bada Bings has been remarkable. Many have suggested it’s the best tasting cherry ever. And securing the Bada Bing Cherry mark from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office was simply icing on the cake.” Tillen Farms’ Bada Bing Cherries are packed 6 x 13.5 oz. jars per case with a SRP in the $6.99 range. They will be available to the trade through specialty food distributors sometime this month. Tim and Helen Metzger have Tillen Farms to continue a delicious tradition first begun by the Hogue family over forty years ago in the fertile, volcanic soil of the Yakima Valley of Washington State. From this rich soil, irrigated by pure river water running down the Cascade Mountains, come some of America's finest vegetables and fruits. In 1987, Tim met and began working with Gary Hogue who along with his brother Mike, had a small canning operation near their Hogue Cellars winery that had been started years earlier. Tim had a background in specialty foods and was engaged as Hogue’s national sales agent to expand the veggie business while Gary and Mike grew their award-winning Hogue Cellars wine label. Later was offered the opportunity to purchase the business with the understanding he would eventually change the label. Tim agreed and founded Metzger Specialty Brands in late 2002. The new brand name, Tillen Farms, was introduced in early 2004 and continues the great tradition of the Hogue Farms pickled vegetable line. While new varieties have since been added, all the original recipes, packing facility and commitment to excellence remain the same as before. Lots of folks have asked about the origin of the new Tillen Farms brand name. When faced with the unenviable task of changing a brand name that had been in the market for 20 years, Tim and Helen pondered over it for months. They conducted formal and informal focus groups and perused detailed maps of the Yakima Valley, searching for a name that would reflect the quality and simplicity of the product, the "family" nature of the business, and that tilling the soil is an honorable profession. Tim and Helen's talented packaging designer and friend, Betty Slater, said, "Since you're doing this business with the support of your family, take your initials and put them together." Over lunch, she took the first 2 letters from (Ti)m, 2 letters from daughter Ji(ll)'s name, and 2 letters from Hel(en), to create "Tillen". To learn more, visit www.tillenfarms.com. SOURCE : Tillen Farms < Prev   Next >