Bissinger's Purchases A "new Ingredient" For Growth Acquires Bochner Chocolates, Brings 40 New Jobs To St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, December 11, 2012 - Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolatier, a gourmet chocolate and confection company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri today announces the acquisition of Bochner Chocolates of Iowa City, Iowa. Known for high quality and use of advanced technology in chocolate, Bochner Chocolates produces distinctive private label and co-manufactured products for a variety of notable retailers. The sale closed on November 30, 2012 for an undisclosed amount.

This acquisition will significantly expand Bissinger's operations and ability to meet increasing demand for its premium, high-quality confections. "The past five years Bissinger's has shown steady growth through strong sales," said Bissinger's President Ken Kellerhals. "As a company, we have worked very hard to stay true to the craftsmanship of our handmade signature chocolates, while spending significant time in the kitchen developing new innovative confections."

Four of Bissinger's main product lines have doubled in units sold in 2012. Some examples include:
� Resealable Bag line - Panned Confections, featuring chocolate covered blueberries, cranberries and nuts and Gummy Pandas, winner of the specialty food industry Sofi award
� Hand-painted Chocolate Sculptures - available for a limited time during major holidays of Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. This Christmas we were very successful with our Chocolate St. Nick, in a variety of sizes, and our Santa Lollipops.

More than 200 Bissinger's products are sold through the company's wholesale division. Bissinger's confections are sold nationwide at retailers such as Whole Foods Market, Dillard's and Neiman Marcus, as well as gourmet stores including Draeger's Markets in the San Francisco area and Straub's Fine Grocers in St. Louis.

"With this acquisition, Bissinger's secures its position in the national premium gourmet confection category," Kellerhals continued. "Building a premier boutique chocolatier with national presence has been our goal for the past 15 years. Growth is the core of the company's strategic plan. To enable growth that meets retailer demand, we had to acquire a like-minded company with state-of-the-art capabilities that complement Bissinger's heritage, quality, strategy, products and sales network. This is the perfect fit for Bissinger's."

Bochner Founder and President, Eric Bochner will assume the position of Senior Vice President of Operations and Private Label Sales for Bissinger's. "Combining our advanced technology model with Bissinger's expansive sales and distribution network will elevate Bissinger's to levels the company has never seen," said Bochner. "I am very excited to be a part of the next chapter of Bissinger's long and distinguished history."

Bochner Chocolates will move several key people and equipment to St. Louis, during 2013, to fully integrate with Bissinger's. To accommodate the expansion, Bissinger's is reviewing several building options in the St. Louis area. Along with a physical move, it will also create 40 full and part-time jobs to the St. Louis area.

"This acquisition is very positive for Bissinger's and all of its customers," said Bissinger's Executive Vice President of Sales Mark Ebling. "With Bochner's technology, it will elevate the company's capacity to meet growing sales demand while continuing to deliver high quality confections. Collectively, this is a huge benefit for our retail partners who sell Bissinger's products."

As of midyear, Bissinger's has added a new investor group, giving the company the capit