To collaborate with organizations and foundations that support good causes, Kemper Foods International came up with the concept of Delicious Awareness Ribbons. Shaped in a loop and sized like the ribbons themselves, the edible handheld snacks with a social conscious come in different colors to encourage public awareness for health, social causes or other worthy issues.

“We’re making fun foods — foods with a purpose,” said Mike Kemper, chief executive officer and founder of Kemper Foods, which hold the design concept for the product. “They’re cutting-edge, great-tasting, food-safe ideas for supporting a variety of causes.”

Using its Rheon technology, he added, the food manufacturer develops fully baked snacks using a cornucopia of doughs and popular fillings. So far, the company has rolled out several prototypes, such as mixing strawberry and cream cheese to create a pink filling for breast cancer awareness or a blueberry and cream cheese mix to reflect the purple color for raising Alzheimer’s disease awareness.

“We also have pizza ribbons with 3 oz of pizza dough filled with pepperoni, tomato sauce and cheese that’s shaped like the awareness ribbon,” Mr. Kemper said.

When it comes to new product development, Kemper Foods is up to almost any challenge. In fact, Mr. Kemper has a plaque on his desk quoting the legendary Walt Disney saying, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

And while there is an intrinsic art and science to making miniature foods, Mr. Kemper feels no need to overcomplicate the process.

“We like to tell people that ‘We put stuff in stuff.’ That’s what we do. That’s who we are,” he said.

With the Delicious Awareness Ribbons initiative, Mr. Kemper has had discussions with various organizations and is currently searching for the best opportunity to help support a worthy cause while providing the proper execution and support that it does with all its customers.

“We know that this is something that can turn crazy big in a hurry,” he said. “We’re just waiting for the right partner who is really at the right size to make the biggest impact when we sell these products.”

This article is an excerpt from the March 2020 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Kemper Foods, click here.