NEW YORK - Thompson Bellingrath appointed a physical brokerage network to complement Condimental.com, his online brokerage service, in September.

Despite having seen businesses such as wholesaleportal.com, GreatFood.com and Edgewood Creek fail at online brokerage concepts, Bellingrath, president of Condimental.com based here, remains unscathed in his determination to succeed.

Bellingrath appointed JBM Sales and Marketing, Foxboro, Mass., covering the Boston market, and Food Specialties Associates, Middlesex, N.J., covering the New York and New Jersey markets, to take the Condimental.com concept to the streets by communicating details to retailers.

“What I’m trying to do is put together a database of products,” said Bellingrath.

Condimental represents roughly 130 small-scale suppliers nationwide. Vendors pay Condimental an annual $100 fee as well as 15 percent commission.

JBM and Food Specialties work with 4,100 combined retail accounts and, together have 14 salespeople in the field, said Bellingrath.

Through the service, retailers can order cases of specialty foods from various suppliers by placing a single order at Condimental.com. Each order is then forwarded to the appropriate supplier which bills and drop ships directly to the retailer. The supplier is paid first and retailers receive separate shipments from each supplier. The two remain in contact for customer service.

Bellingrath, together with two other employees also manage customer service inquiries during regular business hours. The site features a telephone number to reach an in-house customer service representative.

“For a store manager who places 25 orders a month, this can save them 10 to 20 hours a month,” said Bellingrath.

Jerry Mintz, owner of JBM Sales and Marketing, said he was attracted to Condimental.com because of the site’s unique selection of products. “The majority of the lines he (Bellingrath) represents are small, v

(PRWEB) July, 2004 -- Condimental LLC recently launched its online catalog and commerce engine which streamlines the wholesale product procurement process for the specialty food trade.

By using the Condimental catalog and commerce engine, retailer buyers are directly connected to vendors, distributors and brokers 24/7 allowing them to browse and purchase gourmet products. Condimental also allows the end user to easily monitor and track order status via email notifications.

With easy-to-learn training for participants, Condimental supports most existing hardware and software systems, so there is no need to purchase new equipment. Real-time demonstrations of their web-based ordering service have been available since their attendance at the NASFT Fancy Food Show in New York City.

"Operational and profitable E-marketplaces are now more common than ever and the Condimental catalog was specifically developed to integrate the fragmented players in the specialty food trade,” stated Thompson Bellingrath, President of Condimental.

"Our application allows gourmet retailers to reduce order and bill payment time by 40-60 percent without upsetting the existing phone and fax channels for manufacturers.”

Vendors will see significant benefits of the Condimental service in the time saved processing orders, while retail buyers can save up to 3% on purchases. The catalog allows customers to view photos of packaging, detailed product information and featured items as well as the ability to search for new suppliers and products.

"I have been restraining my excitement somewhat; maybe because I’ve been here before with other companies, but all the pieces just weren’t right. However, I have enthusiastic confidence in Condimental and the benefits it will provide our customers," stated Dave Zilko, Owner of The Mucky Duck Mustard Company. "The mix of industry experience and professionalism combined with stable technology are going to be terrif