Bettermade Snubbed by Wayne County

**danofcamden** · January-27-10, 03:22 PM

Surely something could have been worked out.

OUT-OF-STATE FIRM AWARDED SNACK FOOD CONTRACT FOR WAYNE COUNTY JAILS DESPITE 29 YEARS OF LOYAL SERVICE FROM DETROIT'S OWN BETTER MADE SNACK FOODS

DETROIT, MI - After 29 years of loyal service providing a wide variety of snack foods to the Wayne County jail system, Better Made Snack Foods will no longer be servicing the Wayne County Jails. In a letter dated January 12, 2010, Better Made was informed that the new vending contract was awarded to an out-of-state firm due to pricing issues.

The loss of the contract will ultimately hurt the local employees that make the product and the general economy in Southeast Michigan.

"We are glad to have had the opportunity to provide products to Wayne County Jails for so long," says Salvatore Cipriano, CEO of Detroit-based Better Made Snack Foods. "However, we are disappointed that part of the money Wayne County receives from the State of Michigan will now go to out-of-state workers. We pay Detroit City and Wayne County taxes, and have endeavored to keep our business in Detroit for nearly 80 years. We are wondering where is the loyalty to Detroit workers?"

Founded in 1930 in Detroit as Cross and Peters, Better Made has developed and provided a wide variety of quality award-winning snack foods, including flavored potato chips, popcorn, crunchy chips, pretzels, pork rinds, tortilla chips, beef jerky, chocolate covered potato chips and pretzels, salsas and cheese dips.

The family-owned company uses locally grown potatoes and trans fat-free cottonseed oil. For more information, please visit www.bettermadesnackfoods.com. You may also follow Better Made on Facebook and Twitter.

**buildingsofdetroit** · January-27-10, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by danofcamden

Surely something could have been worked out.

OUT-OF-STATE FIRM AWARDED SNACK FOOD CONTRACT FOR WAYNE COUNTY JAILS DESPITE 29 YEARS OF LOYAL SERVICE FROM DETROIT'S OWN BETTER MADE SNACK FOODS

DETROIT, MI - After 29 years of loyal service providing a wide variety of snack foods to the Wayne County jail system, Better Made Snack Foods will no longer be servicing the Wayne County Jails. In a letter dated January 12, 2010, Better Made was informed that the new vending contract was awarded to an out-of-state firm due to pricing issues.

The loss of the contract will ultimately hurt the local employees that make the product and the general economy in Southeast Michigan.

"We are glad to have had the opportunity to provide products to Wayne County Jails for so long," says Salvatore Cipriano, CEO of Detroit-based Better Made Snack Foods. "However, we are disappointed that part of the money Wayne County receives from the State of Michigan will now go to out-of-state workers. We pay Detroit City and Wayne County taxes, and have endeavored to keep our business in Detroit for nearly 80 years. We are wondering where is the loyalty to Detroit workers?"

Founded in 1930 in Detroit as Cross and Peters, Better Made has developed and provided a wide variety of quality award-winning snack foods, including flavored potato chips, popcorn, crunchy chips, pretzels, pork rinds, tortilla chips, beef jerky, chocolate covered potato chips and pretzels, salsas and cheese dips.

The family-owned company uses locally grown potatoes and trans fat-free cottonseed oil. For more information, please visit www.bettermadesnackfoods.com. You may also follow Better Made on Facebook and Twitter.

What was the source on this?

**East Detroit** · January-27-10, 03:32 PM

Saved a couple bucks in the short term.

Welcome to short term thinking 101.

**Detwa** · January-27-10, 03:34 PM

Hmmm, someone better check and see who owns that out of state firm and when it was launched. Just saying.

**Pam** · January-27-10, 03:44 PM

We will all have to chow down on more Bettermade products to take up the slack.

LodgeDodger · January-27-10, 03:46 PM

I read about this in the FREEP last weekend. With the big push for local-owned businesses getting contracts, this was a surprise.

The Cipriani's deserved this contract. They're local and they've contributed a lot to this area. They should have been awarded the contract over some out-of-state company.

**bailey** · January-27-10, 04:11 PM

So, Bettermade is all concerned about the taxpayers---just not concerned enough to beat or match the price offered by the competitor i guess.

**artds** · January-27-10, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by LodgeDodger

The Cipriani's deserved this contract. They're local and they've contributed a lot to this area. They should have been awarded the contract over some out-of-state company.

are you assuming the bids were similar or equal, or are you arguing that they should have been given the contract even if their bid was significantly higher than the out-of-state company?

**CountrySquire** · January-27-10, 04:35 PM

They'll always have my business so long as they keep the factory in Detroit.

**Det_ard** · January-27-10, 04:36 PM

I'd give the local company a 1% or 2% advantage over the out-of-state company to account for positive externalities, but any more than that and the purchasing agent owes it to the taxpayers in Michigan to minimize costs.

Bettermade is acting like they were owed something. All they were owed is an honest shot at getting the business. They bid too high. Better luck next time.

BTW, does Bettermade sell outside the state of Michigan? Given their parochial attitude they ought to leave out-of-state sales to that state's local companies.

**DetroitPlanner** · January-27-10, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by LodgeDodger

The Cipriani's deserved this contract. They're local and they've contributed a lot to this area. They should have been awarded the contract over some out-of-state company.

They were out-bid. Perhaps they got greedy and assumed that since they were local they would get some sort of preferential treatment? I am certain that Wayne County would have wanted to give them the contract, but government is facing some tough times and has to be accountable. My biggest question is why are we feeding inmates potato chips/snack foods on my dime?

**Fury13** · January-27-10, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by buildingsofdetroit

What was the source on this?

Looks like a Better Made press release.

**Patrick** · January-27-10, 05:08 PM

Yea, there is more to it. In this kind of economic climate, every organization needs to save $$. They simply should have asked Better Made if they could have beaten this rate. It couldn't have been that much of a difference

**old guy** · January-27-10, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

My biggest question is why are we feeding inmates potato chips/snack foods on my dime?

If it's like most jails, they don't get anything free. They buy snacks. At least that's what uh... some guy told me.

LodgeDodger · January-27-10, 05:14 PM

Originally Posted by artds

are you assuming the bids were similar or equal, or are you arguing that they should have been given the contract even if their bid was significantly higher than the out-of-state company?

I'm assuming nothing. What I'm saying is something should have been worked out. They contribute a lot to various organizations in the county. They employ people from the area. They are business people and can recognize that local governments must try to save money. I say keep the money local.

bartock · January-27-10, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by LodgeDodger

I'm assuming nothing. What I'm saying is something should have been worked out. They contribute a lot to various organizations in the county. They employ people from the area. They are business people and can recognize that local governments must try to save money. I say keep the money local.

All prison jokes aside, I'm wondering how much difference in annual dollars switching one potato chip/snack company versus another; BetterMade is not expensive to begin with , given the added transport, etc. costs that would have to be built in to the price of this other company's product, how much is the county really saving?

**old guy** · January-27-10, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by bartock

All prison jokes aside, I'm wondering how much difference in annual dollars switching one potato chip/snack company versus another; BetterMade is not expensive to begin with , given the added transport, etc. costs that would have to be built in to the price of this other company's product, how much is the county really saving?

If you're referring to what I said about inmates buying snacks, it's not a joke. Most county jails these days are big business. They sell snacks at a profit. They also sell soap, stamps, paper, envelopes, clothing, shoes and just about anything else you can imagine. Bob Barker is the largest wholesaler of goods to county jails and prisons in the world.
I don't doubt the county would want to get the best price they can so they can turn a profit, but they don't give that stuff away.

**SMRJim** · January-27-10, 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by Detwa

Hmmm, someone better check and see who owns that out of state firm and when it was launched. Just saying.

Yeah, I wonder if it's an upstart company based in Texas??!! Kilpat-chips?

It is a bummer, but it would be interesting to hear all the facts.

Ravine · January-27-10, 05:55 PM

I love Better Made, but that's a whole lot of opining when the only fact revealed here is that they didn't get the contract.
Who got it? By what percentage-difference did the other company's bid win out?
Was Better Made supposed to get the contract just because they're from Detroit? Isn't that related to the kind of thinking that has gotten this city into some of the troubles it has been in?

**vivadetroit** · January-27-10, 07:07 PM

Originally Posted by Fury13

Looks like a Better Made press release.

yes, you can find the press release on their web site:
http://bmchips.com/out-of-state-firm...-contract.aspx

**gazhekwe** · January-27-10, 07:09 PM

I have to say Bettermade's prices shocked me. Not so long ago it used to be 2/$5 meant two one pound bags. Now it means two 8 oz bags. That is $5 for one pound. The price has doubled in about a year.

Ravine · January-27-10, 07:23 PM

P.S.: And please don't get me wrong. As I said, I love Better Made. Always have. Still remember the big cans, which my father used to buy, of them, and going to the factory, where you could watch them rolling down the ramp, etc., and buy bags which-- of course-- could not possibly be fresher.
And I think that every effort should have been made to keep the deal between Wayne County and Better Made, "keeping the money inside the county," so to speak, but what can you do? That's a problem with putting contracts up for bid. If the contract goes to a company whose bid was beaten by another company, and the latter company decides to not take the loss "lying down," then the shit hits the fan, of course, and we have enough shit hitting enough fans, around here, already.
This whole thing grieves me, it really does. I just bought a new product, this morning, and the only reason I decided to try it was because it's made in Detroit. And-- how many times can I say it?-- I love Better Made chips. Potato chips are the only snacky-type thing to which I have been devoted since before I can remember when.
I wish this deal could have been worked out, over drinks at an area cafe, and sealed with a handshake. "So & So says they'll do it for $X.00; come somewhere close to that, and we'll stick with Better Made."
But...

**DetroitPlanner** · January-27-10, 07:24 PM

If they made concessions for Bettermade how would this be any different than throwing a contract to someone like Ferguson or taking a bribe to open a strip club?

Really you have to bid this stuff out fairly. As much as I'd love to see a local company get the business, if they threw them the contract with another person putting in a better bid, is it really good business? The county is accountable to all of the taxpayers, not just one company.

Ravine · January-27-10, 07:36 PM

Yeah, Gaz, chips have gone way up. The chip companies tried to do a sleight-of-hand trick, by manipulating the prices and the weights. Lay's, alone, must have spent a small fortune just on printing up different versions of their smallest bags, which went from four 1-oz. bags/$1.00, to four .8-oz. bags/$1.00, to the current three 1-oz. bags/&1.00, in what seemed like about one year.
I guess three things are obvious:
1. The other two family members in my house like Lay's
2. I'm really into the whole potato chip thing
3. I pay close attention to what kind of deal I'm getting.

Well, all I can do to help is to make sure that I start buying more Better Made products than ever [[which won't be a problem; I like the pretzels, too,) and start leaving big bags of the chips laying around the house. Wife & son may prefer Lay's, but if there's a big-ass bag of Better Made just sittin' there on the dining room table, I'll betcha they'll eat 'em.

This whole thing sucks. I just didn't like the knee-jerk reaction, here, because it came without the benefit of knowing the details.

But, sometimes I forget where I am.
DetroitYES!: "Knee-Jerk Reactions 'R' Us."

**East Detroit** · January-27-10, 07:36 PM

Maybe bidding everything to the lowest bidder isnt always the best thing to do. There's something to be said about quality, support of the local economy, etc.

Of course, we've seen many members of "DetroitYES" express their opinions about supporting the local economy. Lets do that thing and blame Bettermade without facts. Lets blame them for only concentrating on the snack food industry. Lets also blame them for not getting radioactive potatoes from China. Do they use Union labor? Lets blame them for that. Also, lets blame them for not moving their factory to Mexico. And then when they do, lets blame them for doing that.