Retail Confectioners International, a trade association serving the chocolate and confectionery industry, recently awarded the 2015 Henry J Bornhofft Memorial Award at their 95th Annual Convention. Brothers, Bill and Jeff Birnn of Birnn Chocolates of Vermont in South Burlington were the honored recipients.
Jeff Birnn (third from left) and Bill Birnn (third from right) take home RCI's 2015 Bornhofft Award.
Bill and Jeff are third generation candymakers. Their grandfather, Charles "Pop" Birnn, began creating chocolate confections in 1915. As the business grew, Pop and his son, Edward, expanded to eleven retail stores in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Edward's two sons, Bill and Jeff became involved in 1972 and learned as much as they could about the family business. In 1985, their focus became refining a European-style chocolate truffle.
The company changed dramatically in 1991 with the move from mainly retail in New Jersey to strictly wholesale manufacturing in Vermont. Bill and Jeff started with ten truffle varieties and expanded their customer base through trade shows and industry organizations. With their background in retail, Bill and Jeff understood what people look for in a reliable supplier. With the goal to provide high-quality product at a fair price, they created a manufacturing process which was both nimble enough to adapt to varying orders and highly efficient to keep costs down. Today, they offer same-day shipping for over 150 varieties of truffles in five different sizes, nationwide. Their dedication to the industry has been evident over the years of service to Retail Confectioners International (RCI) as event hosts, contributing authors to Kettle Talk magazine and service on RCI's board of directors and various board committees.
"It is an honor to present the Henry J. Bornhofft award to both Bill and Jeff Birnn of Birnn Chocolates of Vermont. They have been active contributing members of RCI since 1995. The Birnns have always supported and participated in RCI events, including serving as hosts for multiple RCI events in both Barbados and Vermont. Because of their dedication to the industry and RCI's goals, the Board of Directors felt they were the perfect choice for this honor," said Virginia Whetstone Maguire, Whetstone Chocolates and 2014-2015 RCI President of the Board.
"We were totally surprised, very honored and extremely humbled by this award. We never saw it coming," said Jeff Birnn. "It really is a privilege to be part of such a great industry. We are so grateful to our confection 'family.' Thank you."
Each year, the RCI board of directors selects a supplier member of the confectionery industry to receive the Henry J. Bornhofft Memorial Award at the annual convention in June. The recipient is a stand-out person, who has exhibited many years of outstanding leadership, loyalty, friendship and has made numerous contributions to the confectionery industry.
For information about upcoming events hosted by RCI, visitretailconfectioners.org/events.
Retail Confectioners International (RCI) is a not-for-profit trade association serving the confectionery industry. Based in Springfield, MO, RCI has represented the interests of confectionery manufacturing retailers and promoted public interest in these products for more than 90 years.RCI provides a forum for confectioners to network, share ideas and develop their candy-making and entrepreneurial skills.For more information, please visit www.retailconfectioners.org.
Source: SPRINGFIELD, MO-July 1, 2015-Retail Confectioners International.