Wixon, Inc. has risen to the elite ranks of the North American food and beverage industry with its achievement of ISO 9001 quality system certification. The century-old firm is among the very few producers of a comprehensive line of ingredients to attain such a distinction.

In recent years, Wixon has grown to become one of the nation's largest producers of bread and baking mixes. This specialty area is in addition to the manufacturing and distribution of an extensive library of sweet and savory flavors, spices and seasonings, licorice products, beverage ingredients, and retail food packaged goods. All of these areas, plus our state-of-the-art packaging plant, earned ISO 9001 quality system certification following an audit by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance Limited.

Tim Sonntag, vice president of quality and technical services, and Russ Marchiando, quality systems director/management representative, guided the 18-month effort toward certification. Noted Tim, "Because we were pursuing certification for the sake of quality, we chose the most comprehensive ISO 9001 level that would include our design processes. We also selected Lloyd's as our registrar based on its experience in the food and beverage industry. Consequently, Wixon's certification places us among the country's outstanding food and beverage ingredient manufacturers."

ISO 9001 certification recognizes a quality management system that meets or exceeds globally recognized standards. While many North American companies have pursued this certification, the food industry has been relatively slow to embrace ISO 9000-level certification, Tim explained, adding, "We saw ISO 9001 certification as an opportunity to create a world-class quality system and to be among the pioneers in the food industry for this certification."

The certification covers all aspects of Wixon's quality system for the design, production and distribution of spices, seasonings, bread and other baking mixes, flavors, licorice root extract products and derivatives, and contract packaging. The United States Registration Accreditation Board (RAB) and the United Kingdom's National Accreditation Council of Certification Bodies (NACCB) oversee Wixon's accreditation through Lloyd's.

"While we are gratified that Wixon's emphasis on quality has been recognized at such prestigious levels, the credit really belongs to our talented and conscientious employees," stressed Peter Gottsacker, Wixon president. "It is their dedication and teamwork, along with the commitment of some 6,000 man-hours, that have made this accomplishment possible," he added. Russ Marchiando was enthusiastic about the company-wide effort and what it means to Wixon and its customers. "ISO 9001 certification opens the door to a new global market for us. Our ISO 9001 quality system is recognized worldwide and will provide opportunities to expand our efforts into the European community, Asia, and the Pacific Rim. But most importantly, it means that our customers can consistently count on Wixon to meet their requirements."

"And it's equally important," Pete indicated, "that our many customers in the U.S. know that Wixon, Inc. has made a major commitment to superior processes and products now and into the future. We look forward to continuing the tradition of excellence that has been Wixon's for the past century."