Bella's Cookies & Verdi Good Holiday Lineup

Milton, DE - September 14, 2008 - Bella's Cookies and confectionary company Verdi Good have released their selections for this year's annual holiday cookie and candy lineup. Confectionary aficionados mark their calendars each year beginning November 1st - December 31st, as specialty holiday creations fill the pages of their website. Made each year since the organic & vegan bakery's first year in business, their popularity has been steadily increasing, and not just locally.

Over the past several years, online shopping has increased dramatically; convenience and web site security have made online ordering extremely easy and e-commerce is now a focal business for many companies who merchandise their products online. Gift baskets and cookie lovers cross country keep BellasCookies.com steady with online orders throughout the year, however during the months of November and December those orders increase significantly each year. Their special holiday selections are attributed to this spike. "We make old homemade favorites during the holidays and we make them only once each year," said Leishear "people reminisce about childhood, parties, old housewarming gifts, cold nights, lights and delicious desserts during these times of year."

Typing "organic cookies or organic holiday cookies" into any Internet search engine quickly brings shoppers from across the country to Bella's website, where bakery rules are stringent, but simple: no trans fats, no hydrogenated oils, no refined sugars, no high fructose or any corn syrup, no artificial colors or flavors, and lastly no preservatives. "As people are watching more of what's in what they eat, they want to find indulgences of the same quality; the internet allows them to find exactly what they're looking for, buy and send it to whomever they want, all without leaving the comfort of wherever they are... it's a shopping nirvana." While most of the holiday selections on their website can be shipped anywhere in the continental United States, certain items remain for local delivery only. Cinnamon Buns (varieties include different flavors from cherry cinnamon buns to sweet potato), organic pies, cheesecakes, and traditional cakes are among those items. "We decided to make these specialty items available this year as they're now made with regularity." People suffering from certain food allergies often contact Bella's directly to create items for themselves and special occasions.

A more complete listing of their holiday lineup can be viewed at their website, and includes: snowballs (Russian tea cakes), caramel shortbread, organic jam shortbread, homemade fudges, caramels, English toffee, and Delaware Rum cakes (made with locally distilled Dogfish Head Brown Honey Rum).

"As more people are looking to eliminate the costs associated with unnecessary travel, I expect 2008 will be a record year for online holiday shopping."

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

Bella's Cookies unveils "All-American" Cookie

Milton, DE - July 8 2008 - In celebration of Independence Day, Bella's Cookies of Milton formally released its newest creation All-American, Oatmeal Raisin. A traditional cookie favorite dating back to colonial times, the Oatmeal Raisin cookie has roots deep in American History. Under decorations of American Flags, banners and an "Uncle Sam" top-hat worn by Mark Leishear, Bella's newest creation took center stage at Saturday's Historic Lewes Farmer's Market.

The history of the cookie and specifically the Oatmeal Raisin cookie can be traced back long ago. Since it's arrival on America's shores by English, Scotch and Dutch settlers, the cookie (then known by it's Danish name of "koekje" or translated "little cake") quickly gained in popularity among newfound American families and their recipe books. American cookies, like Americans themselves at the time, quickly became a mixture of tastes and styles among it's many different inhabitants. Spice cookies, shortbread, butter cookies, oatmeal raisin, molasses and ginger drop cookies were familiar and were often called "jumbles" or "plunkets". Cookies were made over-sized as sustainable treats for working farm hands. As the many tastes and styles of cookies have passed on and continue to grow through American culture, the Oatmeal Raisin cookie has become a staple of American cookies. Commonly labeled as a health cookie for its using cholesterol lowering oatmeal, and the antioxidant properties of it's raisins, the Oatmeal Raisin cookie is most often associated with family memories & grandmother's recipe.

Bella's oatmeal raisin pays tribute to memories of cookies past by using two types of organic oats, seedless raisins, and spices. Each cookie is "farm-hand" sized at 3.25 oz., and cookies are sold in double pack form (2 cookies) for $3.99. Bella Leishear can be seen dressed as the often called "Mother of America" Betsy Ross, on the tag of the All-American cookie. appropriate for it's release over Independence Day weekend.

More information about Bella's Cookies can be found by calling 302-684-8152 or visiting www.BellasCookies.com.

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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