Kosher Media Holdings LLC to Help Companies Sell More Kosher Products with Appointment of Food Retailing Expert

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., June 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Kosher Media Holdings LLC (KMH) – parent company of JOYofKOSHER.com under the leadership of Founder, CEO, and Chief Creative Officer Jamie Geller – today announced kosher and food retailing expert, Deborah Shapiro, has joined the company as its first vice president of marketing and operations. Shapiro will deliver new supplier and retailer products and services through KMH, including a kosher retail merchandising consulting division to help retailers effectively promote kosher foods for all occasions.

"Since 2012, KMH has been fortunate to partner with some of the world's most recognizable brands, such as Kraft Heinz, Unilever and Strauss. Over time it became clear to us and our brand partners that what is still missing from the equation is consistently strong in-store merchandising," said Geller. "Deborah's extensive retail experience enhances the value we can deliver to suppliers and retailers alike, ultimately to the benefit of the more than 12 million kosher consumers who want fast, fresh meal solutions for the whole family and the ability to purchase those meal ingredients with ease."

Shapiro most recently served as a senior marketer and merchandiser for Southeastern Grocers, parent company and home of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, which combined creates the fifth-largest supermarket chain in the U.S. and the second-largest supermarket in the Southeast based on store count. With a focus on international and ethnic food, Shapiro is known for designing kosher "store-within-a-store" concepts that incorporate kosher-certified full-service delis, pizza and sushi stations, bakeries, and fresh meat and grocery departments. She also is a creator of kosher training programs designed to familiarize non-kosher retail employees with the kosher food process.

"Today's kosher consumers purchase 365 days a year – not only during the religious holidays. They are shopping the entire store while searching out best-in-class products that happen to be kosher, like Barilla pastas and sauces and Philadelphia Cream Cheese," said Shapiro. "Yet most CPGs tend to only advertise during the Jewish holidays and most mainstream grocers tend to only buy and merchandise 'traditional' Jewish foods, such as matzo and gefilte fish, without truly understanding today's kosher consumers. We intend to change that."

In 2014, there were about 4.2 million American adults who said they were Jewish by religion, representing less than 2% of the U.S. adult population.¹ Yet in the same year more than 12 million Americans chose kosher products.² In addition, kosher products generated $17 billion in grocery business nationally in 2013, and sales have grown an average of 10% every year since 2005³. Given the 10% year-over-year trend, one could conservatively estimate kosher products generated $20.6 billion in 2015.

Added Shapiro, "KMH is the only strategic business partner that now offers both supplier and retailer expertise, and that owns and operates a 360-degree custom content publishing empire that is led by a celebrity lifestyle expert who directly influences millions of kosher consumers every day nationwide. We look forward to collaborating with suppliers and retailers to help them tap into what today's kosher consumers want, eat, buy and cook."

Shapiro joins Geller as a member of the company's executive team, which also includes: Tamar Genger MA, RD, executive editor of JOYofKOSHER.com, who is a highly sought after expert on health and culinary nutrition; and Shifra Klein, editor-in-chief at award-winning JOY of KOSHER with Jamie Geller Magazine, who also conducts popular cooking classes and demos nationwide.

About Jamie Geller

Known as the "Queen of Kosher" (CBS) and "Jewish Rachael Ray" (The New York Times), best-selling author Jamie Geller is the founder, CEO and chief creative officer of Kosher Media Holdings LLC, publisher of JOYofKOSHER.com and the award-winning JOY of KOSHER with Jamie Geller magazine.

She is host of the Chanukah Cooking Special with Jamie Geller on PBS and Create TV. Jamie also is a regular on the TODAY Show and has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS and Martha Stewart Living Radio, and been featured in Forbes, Family Circle, Cosmopolitan and the Chicago Tribune among many others.

One of the most sought-after Jewish food and lifestyle personalities worldwide, Geller and her husband have six fun and fabulous children — which give her plenty of reasons to get out of the kitchen — fast; hence her "FAST, FRESH, FAMILY" mission.

About Kosher Media Holdings, LLC

Founded by world-renown Jewish food and lifestyle personality Jamie Geller, chief creative officer, and new media and social entrepreneur Henry Kauftheil, chairman, KMH combines traditional media (magazines, books, broadcast) with the latest in digital, mobile and social media, to provide suppliers and retailers with a total integrated media and marketing solution which reflects the way today's consumers communicate and live.

KMH is a 360-degree custom content publisher, providing consumers with what they want, when they want it, and how they want it. Between her digital, print, mobile, social, books, broadcast, PR and live event channels, Geller influences millions of kosher consumers every day nationwide.

JOYofKOSHER.com is the number #1 kosher food and recipe website in the world, featuring Jamie Geller, cookbook authors, bloggers and chefs. With over 7,000 recipes, menus, articles and videos plus fresh content added daily, there is always something new on JOYofKOSHER.com.

¹ Source: Pew Research Center
² Source: Lubicom Marketing Consulting, LLC
³ Source: Kosher Advisory Service

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160620/381255

SOURCE Kosher Media Holdings, LLC

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