MiMfg Magazine
INDUSTRY
22
January 2019
Member
Spotlight
Jeff Koeze
Koeze Company
Member since September 2010 • Employs 35 Michigan workers • Learn more at www.koeze.com
Every manufacturer loves a challenge. Whether
it is creating a new product from scratch or
innovating a way to improve the quality or
efficiency of an existing product, manufacturing
comes down to problem-solving. As a fourth-
generation, family-owned business, Koeze Company
has experienced its share of ups and downs since it
was founded in 1910, yet this nut and confectionary
manufacturer continues to push forward on solving
modern manufacturing challenges all while offering
something delicious in return.
“I like challenging problems — there’s always
something difficult going on,” says Jeff Koeze,
president of Koeze Company in Wyoming and the
great-grandson of the company’s founder. “We’ve
been around for 108 years so the challenges may
have changed, but we’re always being tested.”
Originally a wholesale produce and dairy company,
Koeze became primarily a peanut butter manufacturer
until the mid-1990s when retail consolidation led to
consolidation in the supply chain and the company
shifted its focus to specialty markets where it has
thrived as a manufacturer of gourmet nuts, fine
chocolate and the same top-of-the-line peanut
butter that made the brand a household name.
“One of the biggest challenges is keeping food
manufacturing on the radar in Michigan,” explains
Koeze. “We’re a state so well-known for the auto
industry, that it can be easy to forget that Michigan
has a rich agricultural heritage and manufactured
foods are among our state’s biggest exports.”
Now is the time for all of us in the
industry to work together and make the
experience better for the customer.
When your product is food, the safety standards
and facility processes are judged at a higher bar than
in many businesses, even when compared with
other manufacturing sectors. From new federal tariffs
upending the supply chain, to the impact of customers
demanding consistent products out of inconsistent
raw materials impacted by crop yields and weather
patterns, to issues with general distribution,
there’s never a day at Koeze without a challenge.
To the manufacturer looking to build a quality
reputation, Koeze believes it starts and ends with
understanding your company’s value — what are
you selling and why do people want to buy it.
“I think we’ve done well to weather the storms —
we’ve worked to stay light on our feet, to not tie
up too much capital on any particular customer
or product — and we’ve always made safety and
quality the primary points of emphasis,” Koeze
explains. “We don’t mix messages — every person
who works here understands that those are the
two most important things and we have very
visible and robust systems to underscore that.”
By knowing that, you can find success either as
the first business to step into a new market or by
being the better, more prepared brand in a
well-established niche.
As a member of MMA’s Food
Manufacturers Committee, Koeze
and the rest of his team are working
hard to forge the food manufactur-
ing sector’s place in conversations
across the state.
“We’re looking for any opportunity
to get food manufacturing on the
radar — there are so many great
businesses out there, manufacturers
like us who face unique challenges
because of the products we produce
and have a role in the positive direction
our state’s economy is heading,”
Koeze says. “Now is the time for all
of us in the industry to work
Jeff Koeze and team member Zdena Pranjic stand by one of the many machines together and make the experience
dedicated to producing the company’s sweet and salty treats all year long.
better for the customer.”
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