HOUSTON – 9/17/2008 Sell Gourmet, Inc., (www.sellgourmet.com) the destination site on the internet for gourmet products and specialty foods, is a Houston, Texas based internet technology company that has maintained business operations throughout the hurricane Ike disaster.

“Thank goodness we had the foresight to have our servers based in Orem, Utah and our backup servers elsewhere”, stated company president, Jerry Gabbert. In the virtual environment of internet based businesses, “servers” are the physical location of the computer(s) where the website is housed. From this access point, internet users across the globe are able to do business, shop or perform a myriad of other functions with the company’s website.

“It was critical for us to maintain operations as we have over 100 clients from all over the USA and Canada.” Mr. Gabbert added, “It is our fiduciary responsibility to make sure that a local or regional disaster does not affect the business operations of our clients in the non-affected areas… and in our case it did not. In fact, from September 12th – 17th over 21 orders were placed with our clients that are in other parts of the country.”
Sell Gourmet, Inc. functions similar to an online portal. Specialty food companies advertise their products on two dedicated wholesale and retail websites (www.WholesaleGourmet.net and www.RetailGourmet.com), but the online orders are actually placed with and fulfilled directly by each individual merchant.

According to Mr. Gabbert, the company has purchased a power generator and will loan the equipment to relief agencies to use for a family that has no power. “The storm and its aftermath are having a terrible effect on families in the Texas heat as we were fortunate to use our generator until our electricity came back on. Those not as fortunate need help and we’re happy to do what we can.” Gabbert said.
“There are a lot of relief agencies that are focused on individuals that have been affected by the lack of power. It is a mammoth task in itself to restore power to nearly 2 million people in a reasonable amount of time. The Houston area is home to many medium to large specialty food businesses that contribute heavily to this industry.  We are offering free online memberships to all Houston Metro area based food companies throughout the rest of 2008.  We want to offer something to local small businesses that may be impacted by this storm as a way to offer their goods for sale across the country.”

If companies have unique and high quality products with a great story to tell… we want to speak to them about joining our site for the upcoming holiday season.

The folks at The Sell Gourmet Network will be happy to discuss how our multi-channel approach to wholesale ordering can benefit all of your sales channels while having a positive impact in restoring the lives of those who have suffered so much. Sell Gourmet would like to encourage companies across the country wishing to help in the hurricane Ike relief effort and in enhancing their online presence to fill out a Prospective Vendor Form.
The Sell Gourmet Network (Sell Gourmet Inc.) is the revolutionary new business portal that connects all business-types in the gourmet and specialty food industry in one easy-to-find, easy-to-use location. The Sell Gourmet Network is designed to bring everyone in the industry together in a way that is efficient, cost effective, and, ultimately, your most valuable sales and information tool. With just a few clicks of the mouse, manufacturers can find co-packers and brokers; brokers can find distributors and retailers; co-packers can find potential clients, and so on, all in one, very easy to understand and easy to navigate site.

Company Information:
Sell Gourmet Inc. is a privately held corporation located in Houston, Texas. Our mission is to revolutionize the way business is conducted in the fragmented gourmet and specialty food industry. We bring years of combined experience in the industry including sales and marketing management, business operations management, e-commerce/internet business, and wholesale distribution & logistics.

Contact Information
For more information, media should contact
Jerry Gabbert, President
The Sell Gourmet Network

Sell Gourmet, Inc.
17611 Empress Cove Lane
Tomball, TX 77377

Additional Contact Information

email: info@sellgourmet.com
phone: (832) 559-7317
web: http://www.sellgourmet.com

http://sellgourmet.com/gft.launch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sell Gourmet Inc. launches food video sharing and advertising site.

HOUSTON - (January 2008) – The Sell Gourmet Network (Sell Gourmet Inc.), a leading gourmet/specialty food business resource and directory announces the launch of www.GourmetFoodTube.com, the first video advertising and promotion site for specialty food businesses. GourmetFoodTube.com allows for businesses to upload videos of their products and recipes free of charge in order to attract new business from consumers and wholesale buyers alike.

Company executives from the Sell Gourmet Network see tremendous potential in an untapped new-age media market for the specialty food industry, and believe both consumers and wholesale buyers’ purchasing decisions will be increasingly influenced by Web 2.0 applications, specifically video.

“With the advent of video media and the fact that nearly everyone owns a video camera, making a video is now easier than ever before. Specialty food companies need a way to distinguish their brand and this is yet another way that we bring value to the gourmet community,” commented co-founder Jerry Gabbert during a recent interview.

“Internet giants like YouTube.com and Myspace.com have changed the way businesses reach customers by building web portals that allow for user generated content, creating a viral effect. GourmetFoodTube.com will have the same effect; businesses can post new product demonstration videos and consumers can upload videos showing their unique or favorite way to use them in a recipe or otherwise”.

GourmetFoodTube.com allows free uploads and will offer paid video creation services as well as advertising partnerships. GourmetFoodTube.com will also link with other sites in the Sell Gourmet Network, including a retail and wholesale food directory, broker directory, co-packer directory, gourmet business discussion forum, and a gourmet business wikipedia.

For more information, visit www.gourmetfoodtube.com and www.sellgourmet.com

Press Contact:

Jerry Gabbert, CEO 

832.559.7317

info@sellgourmet.com
www.sellgourmet.com

About Sell Gourmet Inc.

Sell Gourmet Inc. is a revolutionary network that connects all business-types in the gourmet and specialty food industry in one easy-to-find, easy-to-use online location. This fast-growing network provides a ‘one-stop-shop’ for connecting businesses and professionals in the retail, wholesale, foodservice, and direct sales, marketing/advertising, and internet segments of the gourmet and specialty food industry.

Welcome to the NewsBlog from the Sell Gourmet Network!