Richmond, VA – It only makes sense that you’d find The World’s Best Cheesecake® at “the Center of the Universe.” Ashland, Virginia – known by that moniker – is home to Daystar Desserts, an award-winning wholesale bakery that has partnered with three other well-known Richmond companies to form WBC Ventures, LLC. The new company unveils its new brand and online store today, officially launching WorldsBestCheesecake.com. The partnership brings together four friends and entrepreneurs, brought together by a shared love of cheesecake. Mark Creery, Data Directions CEO approached his potential partners (John Fernandez, CEO of Daystar Desserts, Brian Harding of BHVA Ventures and Madison+Main Chief Idea Officer Dave Saunders) with the concept one year ago. WBC Ventures is a partnership between Daystar Desserts, Data Directions (which built and maintains the website), BHVA Ventures (which provides shipping and customer service) and Madison+Main (which built the brand and provides PR and marketing services). The partnership was formed in March of 2014 and the website soft-launched one month ago.
“We’ve all known each other in one way or another, for some time. Everyone was very enthusiastic about the idea from the moment we put it on the table,” says WBC Ventures partner Mark Creery.
WBC Ventures’ WorldsBestCheesecake.com is a start up but has plans for expansion.
Daystar Desserts acquired the World’s Best Cheesecake® brand in 2004, but the company’s business lies primarily in wholesale distribution. WBC Ventures was formed to bring the original World’s Best Cheesecake® to retail consumers. The company’s first foray into retail is on the web, with expansion planned for niche retail, corporate gifts, fundraisers and retail distribution through select restaurants. The product lines will be expanded soon to include other desserts including bar cakes, Mason jar cakes and other specialty desserts. World’s Best Cheesecakes® are produced at the Daystar Desserts Bakery in Ashland, Virginia and packaged and shipped from the company’s warehouse facility in Midlothian.
World’s Best Cheesecake® has a history that dates back to 1957.
World’s Best Cheesecake was founded in 1957 and served through the Sansbury Bakery in Arlington, Virginia. Soon after, Founder Sansbury “Cotton” Sweeney renamed “The Original Cheesecake” to “World’s Best Cheesecake®,” after customers started calling it by the new name. In 1964, Sweeney applied for and received the trademark for World’s Best Cheesecake® by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The partners include four very familiar names in the Richmond business community.
John Fernandez is CEO of Daystar Desserts, which he founded in 1998. He is an award-winning Chef and Graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He was named Small Business Person of the Year for the state of Virginia in 2010 by the Small Business Administration. John has been featured in several print publications such as the Richmond Times-Dispatch, New York Times and Distinctions Magazine, and in addition to his local television appearances on Virginia This Morning on WTVR-CBS 6, he has appeared on national programs such as CBS Morning Show, QVC and The Food Network. Daystar Desserts makes and bakes World’s Best Cheesecakes® and licenses World’s Best Cheesecake® to WBC Ventures.
Mark Creery is CEO of Data Directions, a web and application company founded in 1983. In addition to his regular column in the Richmond Times-Dispatch entitled Propeller Heads, Mark is a lead investor with the Greater Richmond Chamber and currently serves as Chairman of the J. Sargeant Reynolds College Board. Data Directions built the company’s website and will manage the ecommerce component.
Brian Harding is President of BHVA Ventures. Brian sits on the Board of many business organizations, including the Greater Richmond Chamber’s Richmond Business Council and will serve as Chairman of the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce in 2015. Brian was appointed to the Chesterfield County Budget Advisory Committee in 2012 by the Board of Supervisors. BHVA Ventures was a finalist in the 2012 i.e.* Start Up Competition and the company’s product, Dozer (“the ridiculously easy to use portable car seat rocker”), is distributed nationwide through Walmart, Toys-R-Us, Amazon and DozerRocker.com. BHVA Ventures will handle logistics and customer service for World’s Best Cheesecake®.
Dave Saunders is Chief Idea Officer of Madison+Main, a branding, marketing and public relations firm based in Richmond, Virginia with an additional office in Blacksburg. Dave is a nationally recognized brand and marketing expert who’s been featured in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Wired Magazine, and Wall Street Journal and on numerous radio and television programs. Dave has many community ties including the Greater Richmond Chamber, the Chesterfield Chamber, Retail Merchants Association and many others. He sits on several non-profit boards such as the National MS Society and Lucy Corr Foundation. His firm, Madison+Main was named Business of the Year by the Greater Richmond Business Council in 2013 and he was named Ad Person of the Year by the Richmond Ad Club in 2009. Madison+Main recreated the new brand and provides marketing and PR services for WorldsBestCheesecake.com.
About World’s Best Cheesecake®
World’s Best Cheesecake® and WorldsBestCheesecake.com are trademarks of WBC Ventures, LLC and registered with the U.S. PTO. For more information on our products visit http://www.WorldsBestCheesecake.com or call us at 1-844-289-2433 (1-844-BUY-CHEESECAKE). The company’s mailing address is 10440 Leadbetter Road Ashland, Virginia 23005.
Source: World’s Best Cheesecake®
