Bella's Cookies Expands Food Allergy/Dietary Selection

Bella's Cookies expands food allergy/dietary selection

Milton, DE - May 20 2008 - As the number of diagnosed food allergies continue to rise, food allergy sufferers are paying careful attention to the ingredients used in the foods they eat. This week, Bella's Cookies of Milton has announced an expansion in their offerings of allergy-free and dietary restriction products, to meet the growing requests from those diagnosed with food allergies and those looking to limit certain ingredients.

Food allergies mainly result from reactions to wheat, milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, fish and shellfish; avoiding these allergies is often difficult, as the only solution is adhering to a strict food diet, free of any allergic triggers. A listing of ingredients clearly states what any product is made from, including sub-ingredients. As a natural and organic baking company, Bella's Cookies has become a maven for treat-loving consumers with certain dietary restrictions. Recently, Bella's has been filling more special request orders for those suffering from a particular food allergy. "If there is an allergy to a specific ingredient, we can easily create something delicious without using that trigger," said Kelly Leishear (President of Bella's Cookies). Birthday cakes with no egg, gluten-free birthday cakes, gluten-free breads & sweet breads, and dairy free products are some of the most common requests. "Parents who have children with food allergies have come to know us as a place to call when they're looking for something special, without compromising taste," said Kelly "and kids are the toughest critics." One of Bella's newest creations is a gluten-free chocolate crème filled sandwich cookie, that is currently only available online. "We've wanted to create our version of this popular cookie for some time, but the question was how to make it different," said Leishear "requests for more of Bella's gluten-free products have been increasing; we experimented with this, and perfected it so that everyone can enjoy, whether they're gluten-free or not." Other products catering to those with dietary restrictions are an increased vegan selection (no eggs or dairy), more egg free offerings, a recently completed diabetic friendly line using organic agave nectar, and experimentation into niche lines such as macrobiotics. Bella's will formally release their new organic agave oatmeal raisin cookie this summer, which contains 4 grams of sugar per cookie.

In addition to expanding their product offerings, visitors to the Bella's Cookies website will find a new "food allergy" category on their homepage. For those that have been recently diagnosed or those who want to learn more, information can be found about specific food allergies, triggers, hidden ingredients, substitutions in recipes and links to additional websites. "We've always abided by a rule to create specific products only on specific days," said Leishear "this eliminates any cross contamination of ingredients and enables us to confidently make available products that truly meet any customer's needs; all finished in an regulated bakery."

More information about Bella's Cookies and Verdi Good, including ordering and a list of retailers can be found by visiting www.BellasCookies.com or by calling 302-684-8152.

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Bella's Cookies Offering Holiday Delights

Milton, DE – December 9, 2007 – Bella’s Cookies released this week their annual Holiday lineup, which will be available December 10th – December 24th 2007. The organic and vegan bakery turns out “clean” versions of traditional holiday cookies and baked goods each year, as consumer concerns mount over questionable ingredients found in traditional baked goods. Bella Leishear’s younger brother Liam joins in the offerings from the family business this year, with an introduction to his upcoming candy & confectionary company.

“People have these wonderful memories of cookies during the Holidays,” said Mark Leishear (Director of Sales & Marketing for Bella’s) “as a child, my mother would literally make cookies for days… all different types, and they’d be used for parties, gifts, and obviously dessert.” Bella’s Cookies is named after Kelly & Mark Leishear’s 6 year old daughter Bella, with both Bella and her 4 year old brother Liam serving as chief taste testers for all products. Touting a list of 6 “No’s” in all of their products, (no trans fats, no hydrogenated oils, no refined sugars, no high fructose or any corn syrup, no artificial colors or flavors and no preservatives) baking can sometimes be a challenge, but they’ve successfully built their family business into a small cookie phenomenon.

Flexibility gives Bella’s the ability to turn out their holiday creations. Whereas most bakeries turn out their same products on a consistent weekly basis, Bella’s will bake randomly during the holidays in order to incorporate their specialty cookies into rotation. “During the holidays, Kelly will closely monitor our traditional lines as to where demand is, and bake around those with holiday cookies.” Returning to their holiday cookies this year are snowballs (Russian tea cakes), “Choco-Mint” (double chocolate peppermint), and “Silver Lake Shortbread” (a chocolate caramel shortbread named after Silver Lake in Rehoboth Beach). New offerings this year include an organic blackberry shortbread, several gift options and the introduction to all-natural and organic confections from Bella’s younger brother, Liam. Liam’s first creation is an all natural and organic English Toffee called “Dinosaur Crunch.” Organic cinnamon buns will be available for delivery on Christmas Eve. Bella’s holiday creations range in price from $4-$40.

Bella's Cookies is Delaware's All Natural & Organic Cookie Company specializing in the aforementioned as well as Vegan, Gluten-Free & Holiday Cookies. More information about Bella’s Cookies can be found online at www.BellasCookies.com or by calling 302-684-8152.

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Bella's Cookies Featured On The Rachael Ray Show

Milton, DE - April 18, 2008 - Bella's Cookies is featured on an episode of the nationally syndicated The Rachael Ray Show, airing Monday, April 21st. The organic & vegan bakery was selected as provider of the show's daily "Snack of the Day" segment, sending bags cookies to New York City for taping.

Citing their support of family businesses, the concept of the company, a commitment to healthy eating and the taste of their cookies, the show found the ideal snack provider in Bella's Cookies, and is the first company from Delaware to be featured on the show. "Snack of the day" is a daily segment where host Rachael Ray (Food Network's 30-Minutes or Less & $40 Dollars a Day) highlights and discusses a certain snack distributed to her audience members and show guests. Bella's Cookies shipped 200 bags of it's Baby Bella's Champion Chunk (mini Chocolate Chunk) cookies. Show producers narrowed their choice between Bella's Champion Chunk & it's Rumazin cookie (a rum raisin cookie made in partnership with Dogfish Head Craft Brewery's Brown Honey Rum), eventually choosing chocolate for it's broad appeal.

The Rachael Ray Show is an Emmy Award-winning, daily one-hour syndicated talk show and is among the top-ranked daytime programs on television. In the fall of 2007, was launched and scored the highest rated premier for a syndicated talk show since the 2002 launch of Dr. Phil. It immediately secured its position among the top ranked daytime shows and was the #1 syndicated strip launched in the 2006-07 season. Check local listings for show details.

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Cold Cookies & Baseball: Bella's at Shorebird Stadium

Milton, DE - March 31 2008 - Thursday, April 3rd is opening night for the Delmarva Shorebirds, and the night a local bakery begins offering its products at Shorebird Stadium. This year, fans who enjoy snacking on cookies during the game will have a natural & organic cookie option from Bella's Cookies in Milton, DE.

"Cookies and baseball go together very well," said Mark Leishear of Bella's Cookies "last season we were late approaching the Shorebirds, but this year we approached Ovations Food Service & we're starting off the season with Bella's Cookies in the concessions." Bella's Cookies is a line of product from Kelly & Mark Leishear's natural & organic bakery and is named after their 6-year-old daughter Bella. Normally found in health food stores & food markets, natural & organic products aren't typically found in places such as ballparks. Today however, it's becoming more common that parks are offering their customers healthier options at their concession stands: including lower calorie, fresh/local options and vegetarian choices. "When you're at a baseball game, you're there to watch the game, have fun and enjoy some snacks... Shorebirds fans now have an option for something that tastes great, baked locally & made with natural & organic ingredients." As Bella's Cookies contain no preservatives, their products are kept cold and will therefore be served from cold units in concession stands around the park. When asked how customers respond to cold cookies, Leishear responded "out of the cold, our cookies come to their surrounding temperature very quickly and turn into perfect soft baked cookies, or some people enjoy eating them right away... fans will enjoy them on those extra hot days at the park."

More information about Bella's Cookies, including ordering and a list of retailers can be found by visiting www.BellasCookies.com or by calling 302-684-8152.

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Students Exchange 215 lbs at Green Halloween

Students Exchange 215 lbs at Green Halloween

Milton DE. - November 5, 2007 - Students at Milton Elementary School participated in Green Halloween November 1st and exchanged a total of 215 lbs of Halloween candy. Green Halloween is a new program organized by Bella's Cookies of Milton, aimed at reducing children's consumption of certain ingredients during the Halloween festivities.

Over 85 students participated in this year's pilot program at Milton Elementary School. The concept of Green Halloween is to think creatively and earth-friendly; that treasures and trinkets are enjoyed by children just as much as treats and candy and to raise the awareness of the dangers found in certain foods. Candy and treats filled with high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors & flavors, and preservatives are given without hesitation to children who enjoy dressing in costume and shouting "Trick or Treat." The rules of the Green Halloween exchange were simple: students must turn in 2 pounds of candy for a Green Halloween bag. Inside each bag was an apple from TS Smith & Son in Bridgeville, organic chocolate bites from Good 4 U Natural Market in Lewes, non-toxic crayons/recycled pencils & a coloring book promoting either composting or recycling from the DSWA in Dover, organic pretzels from Newman's Organics, and Bella's Cookies provided honey sticks, organic fruit strips, stickers, stamps, temporary tattoos, and some of their own cookies.

The first grade glass at Milton Elementary exchanged the most amount of candy with 71.1 pounds. Winners by grades received special prizes are were, Kindergarten: Trinity Stratton - 4.1 lbs, 1st Grade: Haley Rauch - 4.8 lbs, 2nd Grade: Estarian Sandborn - 3.6 lbs, 3rd Grade: Sarah Hawtof - 4.4 lbs, 4th Grade: Emma Holland - 4.15 lbs, 5th Grade: Chris Argo - 3.05 lbs. "In our first year, we had a fantastic turnout of children participating," said Mark Leishear (Director of Sales & Marketing for Bella's Cookies) "school officials and parents have expressed their appreciation in this program & we look forward to continuing it next year and years to come."

Bella's Cookies is an organic and vegan bakery specializing in all natural & organic, vegan, and gluten free cookies. More information about Bella's Cookies or Green Halloween can be found online at www.BellasCookies.com or by calling 302-684-8152.

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