ON THE SHELF VALUE-PRICED KOSHER FOOD SELLING IN MARKETS.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

NORTH HOLLYWOOD - Rabbi Moshe Grawitzky didn't plan on being a businessman, he just wanted to make a good kosher meal.

More than a decade ago, the former schoolteacher went to his local grocer looking for some kosher spices but found the selection lacking. The options were either too expensive or too limited to suit him, so he thought he'd try his hand at producing a few small batches of spice, carefully supervised under Jewish kashrut law, to sell to independent shops under the name It's Delish!.

``When we started this, it was an accident,'' the animated entrepreneur said. ``We thought it would be for a few little markets. But when we caught on with the mainstream, we figured we might as well see where it would go.''

Today, his brand sells across the West Coast, servicing major supermarkets and retailers, with 70 spices, eight kinds of gum, 60 flavors of candy, 25 varieties of nuts, dried and canned fruits, and pies. Chains like Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons have the brightly colored packages prominently displayed this week to draw in customers for Passover, the biggest holiday for kosher food sales.

While he is reluctant to divulge the revenue for this privately held company, Grawitzky says it's in the millions of dollars annually. Already a respected regional player, he thinks he could expand into Florida and Texas, bringing low-priced kosher food to consumers far from his North Hollywood factory.

Although his original intended consumers were Jewish families, drawn to the brand for its kosher status, he was able to land the products in major chains because of extremely low price points. While Vons sells a 1-ounce container of McCormick cinnamon for $2.55, It's Delish! cinnamon sells in 8-ounce containers for $3.59, or 46 cents an ounce. Dole pineapple chunks carry a price of 10.6 cents an ounce, It's Delish! sell for 6.5 cents an ounce.

``Because of our kosher status, we had to do everything from scratch,'' he said. ``We had to create manufacturing facilities and do our own marketing and distribution. That allows prices to stay at a level that's very friendly to the consumer.''

To achieve that status, certified by Kehilla Kosher, It's Delish!'s products must be judged clean, with meat, dairy and grains kept separately.

Grawitzky's expansion plans come at a fortuitous time, according to industry followers. An estimated 75,000 types of kosher products sold in 2003, making for a $165 billion annual market, which kosher expert Neil Ticktin says has grown in double digits for the last 20 years.

As Americans eat healthier, more have explored kosher diets, though Rabbi Yosef Wikler, editor of Kashrus Magazine, says they're not inherently healthier than any other food.

``There's an increased interest because of the perception that kosher is safer because there's more supervision,'' Wikler said. ``People think the ingredients are purer, though they're not, and there's a perception that it's got higher standards.''

Grawitzky doesn't claim to be selling a healthier product than his competitors, but he does try to compete on value. He sells in large portions to appeal to family consumers and keeps prices low to not take advantage of consumers who follow the diet for religious reasons.

``I don't believe you should be punished for keeping kosher,'' he said. ``I also don't think you should take advantage of people just because you have an expertise. They deserve to be treated fairly.''

This attitude makes Grawitzky something of an oddity in the brutally competitive food world, said Ticktin, who serves of chief executive officer of the Westlake Village-based Shows International, which produces the annual trade show Kosher World in Los Angeles.

``He is well regarded in the industry,'' Ticktin said. ``He's proven that kosher is not about Jewish people; it's about good quality food.''

Brent Hopkins, [phone]

brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Rabbi Moshe Grawitzky, shown at a grocery store in Studio City, is the director of Mave Enterprises Inc., a Los Angeles company that manufactures and distributes kosher food products under the label It's Delish!

(2 -- color) It's delish! brand spices, gum, candy, pies, and dried and canned fruits are sold at major market chains and retailers on the West Coast.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer