Should a revolutionary humanitarian food product be protected by commercial patent, when lifting restrictions might save millions of starving children?

Click here to read this article: BBC News - Legal Fight over Plumpy'nut, the hunger wonder product.

Learn how Mellace Family Brands and Mama Cares Foundation is working to feed starving children from crumbs!

CARLSBAD, Calif. (March 30th, 2010)-- Did you know that there are 178 million children in the world suffering from malnutrition? Or that 20 million suffer from severe acute malnutrition and only 3 percent receive the treatment they need? Mike Mellace knows, and it makes him sick — so he’s going all in to change it. Mellace is the president and co-founderof Carlsbad-based Mellace Family Brands, a nine-year-old company that makes snack mixes under the Mama Mellace’s Old World Treats, Mama Mellace’s Nut Hut and Snacktrition brands.

“We’ve always felt like the business has been our vehicle to do ministry,” Mellace explained. “We weren’t sure what that ministry was — we just knew that God gave us this business to do good with it. About 18 months ago the Lord made it clear to us what our mission is.” GodmanifestedMellace’sm ission with a video e-mailed to him by an employee from CBS’s 60Minutes about a Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) product and how it was being used to fight famine in Africa. But thisproduct has two strikes against it: it’s expensive and there’s not enough of it.

UNICEF estimates that in Africa alone there’s a need for about 200,000 tons of RUTF, but last year only about 16,000 tons were purchased because that’s all that were available. So Mellace looked at his nut business, looked at the need for RUTFs, and the proverbial light went on. He realized he could use peanut crumbs, a normal byproduct of his business, to make a better, less expensive RUTF. Through the Mama Cares Foundation (a foundation founded by Mellace), Mellace has developed Re:Vive, a fortified peanut-based RUTF. Re:Vive is loaded with vitamins and minerals and it does not require refrigeration, cooking, or water, making it ideal for Third World countries where vast numbers ofc hildren suffer from malnutrition. Re:Vive packs 550 calories into a 92-gram package, or a little more than three ounces. Each pack is the nutritional equivalent of a glass of milk and a multivitamin. Re:Vive means “to live again,” and the name is not a coincidence. A child who consumestwoorthreepacks of Re:Vive a day over the course of 30 days will go from death to life — literally. Without the product, the child typically has about a 10 percent survival rate, but withittheyhavea90percent survival rate.

Not content with his own Mellace took Re:Vive to the next step by enlisting the support of his vendors and customers. “It’s been an amazing journey for us,” Mellace said. “A number of the vendors we have relationships with, as we tell the story, they ask us how they can get involved. We’re also talking to our customers, and they’re all talking to their suppliers about trying to help minimize the cost that goes into the recipe. He also formed a partnership with World Vision to ensure that Re:Vive gets to the kids who need it most as quickly as possible. Now he’s looking for churches and other ministries with “boots on the ground” to help distribute the product. “Now the question is, how can we get ministries in places like Uganda and Rwanda to view this as a tool, because that’s the way we view it,” Mellace said. “How do we communicate that to churches and to different aid organizations? How do we reach out to those people? We all have contacts and relationships with different people, different ministries that would love to have this because they’re in the field and they could use it to start feeding the kids that they’re touching today anyway. “As it sits today, from all the commitments we’ve got, we can lower the price by more than 25 percent. We’re hoping to get it even lower. The lower we can get it the more lives we can help save. We’re really looking at it as an industry consortium, trying to get the cost of production down.

“We’re very excited about how God is using us,”Mellace added.“It’s been an incredible journey for me. We’re just finally seeing how God is causing us to use our business in the nut industry and our partners and it’s been exciting to see non-Christian businesses that are in the industry that just want to jump on board and help make a difference in the world.” Every six seconds a child dies from malnutrition. That means that in the roughly four minutes it took you to read this article, 40 children died. MikeMellace simply can’t stomach that. To view article in PDF format, click here.

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Mama Mellace's kettle roasted nuts will be combined with Cinnabon's signature Makara® Cinnamon

CARLSBAD, Calif. (October 19, 2009)-- Mellace Family Brands, a snack food innovator known for a diverse product line that includes tree nuts, peanuts, snack mixes, and enrobed chocolate items, today announced IMC Licensing, the nation's leading full-service licensing agency specializing in consumer product brands, has secured a license agreement for Mellace Family Brands with Cinnabon®, the market leader among cinnamon roll bakeries. The inaugural line of products will combine Mama Mellace's kettle roasted nuts with Cinnabon's signature Makara® Cinnamon to create a variety of new snack offerings.

According to Todd Donaldson, IMC Licensing Vice President of Sales, "We were delighted to bring together Mellace Family Brands and Cinnabon to launch this line of innovative and delicious snack items perfect for a quick break. These new products leverage the homemade taste and crunch of Mellace products with the well-loved taste of Cinnabon Makara Cinnamon to create great new indulgent snacks for people on the go."

Cara Becker, Director of Brand Licensing for Focus Brands Inc., added, "Cinnabon is delighted to partner with Mellace Family Brands on this delicious new product. The quality of the nuts and the unmistakable Cinnabon cinnamon flavor are sure to wow consumers and make a great addition to our licensed product mix."

All products will be kettle-roasted in water and will contain no oil or preservatives. The new line of products is expected to be available at retail in early 2010.

About IMC Licensing
IMC Licensing leads the industry with its focused approach to brand-building through licensing. They help brand owners and manufacturers turn the world's best consumer product brands into great new consumer products. IMC Licensing has worked with companies like SC Johnson, Chiquita, Duncan Hines, TABASCO, Valvoline, General Mills and Borghese. For more information, please visit www.imclicensing.com.

About Cinnabon®
Maker of the world's most famous cinnamon rolls, Cinnabon Inc.® (Cinnabon) serves fresh, aromatic, oven-hot cinnamon rolls, as well as a variety of other baked goods and specialty beverages. Cinnabon currently operates more than 750 franchised locations worldwide, primarily in high traffic venues such as shopping malls, airports, train stations, travel plazas, entertainment venues, academic institutions, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.cinnabon.com .

About Mellace Family Brands
Mellace Family Brands is a snack food innovator that produces the highest quality and most desirable products using unique processes and recipes. The company's 42,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility located in Carlsbad, California, manufactures a diverse product line that includes kosher tree nuts, peanuts, snack mixes, and enrobed or panned chocolate items. These products have propelled the company's growth, placing it on the Inc. 5000 list and earning its founder Entrepreneur of the Year award recognitions from both the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and Ernst & Young (as finalist for San Diego) in 2007. Since it's founding in 2001, Mellace Family Brands has made social responsibility a top priority. Through the Mama Cares Foundation, the company has provided assistance to many individuals, families and organizations in need. Please visit www.mellacefamilybrands.com and www.mamacares.org for more information.

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Fruit & Nut Mix, Sea Salt Almonds and Sea Salt Cashews earn national recognition

CARLSBAD, Calif. (October 8, 2009)– Mellace Family Brands, a snack food innovator known for a diverse product line that includes tree nuts, peanuts, snack mixes, and enrobed chocolate items, today announced its Snacktrition line has been recognized with multiple 2009 GearAwards™ by ShapeYou.com, an innovative health and fitness website.

Snacktrition Calcium and Fiber Fruit & Nut Mix earned a Seal of Excellence. And the Calcium Sea Salt Almonds and Fiber Sea Salt Cashews earned Top Gear of the Year honors. Each year, ShapeYou.com selects the top products in a variety of natural products, health and fitness categories and provides them with added visibility in its wholesale directory. ShapeYou.com's judges are industry professionals from the world of trainers, nutritionists, health care practitioners, health food storeowners and more.

"We have a passion for making treats that are both tasty and healthy," said Mike Mellace, chief executive officer, Mellace Family Brands. "Snacktrition products are health-baked through a simple oven-roasting process developed to provide less fat and a more natural and flavorful crunch compared to traditional oil-roasted varieties. In addition, we sprinkle our almonds and cashews with the nutrients your body needs like fiber and calcium, making it easier to incorporate them into your daily diet. We believe you can really taste the difference in our products, and this industry acknowledgement demonstrates how we have successfully set ourselves apart."

The huge selection of natural and organic products out in the marketplace gave ShapeYou.com the idea to create and run the GearAwards. "We want people to easily find the best of the best that's out there," a company spokesperson said. "And if it has a GearAward seal on it, that just makes it simpler to find a great product - because we've done the footwork already."

About ShapeYou.com
ShapeYou.com (www.ShapeYou.com) is the creation of fitness and nutrition guru Tony Hale, and provides a wealth of information, articles and resources for consumers, retailers, and manufacturers in the natural & organic industry. This year, ShapeYou.com also launched its Sports, Health & Fitness Wholesale Trade Directory where wholesale trade buyers for health food stores, sporting goods stores and many other retail outlets can find all the wholesale products they’re looking for in one location.

About Mellace Family Brands
Mellace Family Brands is a snack food innovator that produces the highest quality and most desirable products using unique processes and recipes. The company's 42,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility located in Carlsbad, California, manufactures a diverse product line that includes kosher tree nuts, peanuts, snack mixes, and enrobed or panned chocolate items. These products have propelled the company's growth, placing it on the Inc. 5000 list and earning its founder Entrepreneur of the Year award recognitions from both the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and Ernst & Young (as finalist for San Diego) in 2007. Since it's founding in 2001, Mellace Family Brands has made social responsibility a top priority. Through the Mama Cares Foundation, the company has provided assistance to many individuals, families and organizations in need. Please visit www.mellacefamilybrands.com and www.mamacares.org for more information.

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Company's Ranks No. 2,711 Among the Fastest Growing Companies

CARLSBAD, Calif. (September 29, 2009)– Mellace Family Brands, a snack food innovator known for a diverse product line that includes tree nuts, peanuts, snack mixes, and enrobed chocolate items, today announced it was ranked 2,711 on Inc. magazine's third annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America's independent-minded entrepreneurs.

Mellace Family Brands was also ranked 66th in the food and beverage sector. "A growth rate of more than 100% between 2005 and 2008 is what landed us on the list," said Mike Mellace, chief executive officer, Mellace Family Brands. "We believe our continued commitment to innovation, quality, and building fair and honest relationships will keep us on the list for 2010 and beyond."

"Savvy trend spotters and those who invest in private companies know that the Inc. 5000 is the best place to find out about young companies that are achieving success through a wide variety of unprecedented business models, as well as older private companies that are still expanding at an impressive rate," said Inc. 5000 project manager Jim Melloan. "That's why our list is so eagerly anticipated every year."

The 2009 Inc. 5000, unveiled today on Inc.com, serves as a unique report card on the U.S. economy. Despite the ongoing recession, aggregate revenue among the companies on the list actually increased to $214 billion, up $29 billion from last year, with a median three-year growth rate of 126 percent. The Inc. 5000 are responsible for creating more than 1 million jobs since their founding, making the list perhaps the best example of the impact private, fast-growing companies can have on the economy. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found on Inc.com.

About Mellace Family Brands
Mellace Family Brands is a snack food innovator that produces the highest quality and most desirable products using unique processes and recipes. The company's 42,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility located in Carlsbad, California, manufactures a diverse product line that includes kosher tree nuts, peanuts, snack mixes, and enrobed or panned chocolate items. These products have propelled the company's growth, placing it on the Inc. 5000 list and earning its founder Entrepreneur of the Year award recognitions from both the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and Ernst & Young (as finalist for San Diego) in 2007. Since it's founding in 2001, Mellace Family Brands has made social responsibility a top priority. Through the Mama Cares Foundation, the company has provided assistance to many individuals, families and organizations in need. Please visit www.mellacefamilybrands.com and www.mamacares.org for more information.

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Delight in food and beverages from: Stone Brewing Co., Mellace Family Brands, Jer’s Handmade Chocolates, Carlsbad Gourmet, Don Jose Lopez Portillo Tequila, and many more!

PLUS! Meet special guest DEVIN ALEXANDER, celebrity chef and author of The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook.

RSVP by Sept. 10, 2009 to http://savorawish2009.eventbrite.com/ or savorawish@gmail.com

Tickets are $50 per person at the door!

Mike Mellace was recently interviewed about our Mama Mellace's Old World Treats brand by San Diego Fox6 News.

From San Diego 6 The CW

Inc. Magazine recently ranked Mama Mellace’s Old World Treats No. 1,678 on its first-ever Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. The Inc. 5,000, an extension of Inc. magazine’s annual Inc. 500 list, catches many businesses that are too big to grow at the pace required to make the Inc. 500, as well as a host of smaller firms. Taken as a whole, these companies represent the backbone of the U.S. economy.

Within the Inc. 5000 list, Mama Mellace’s Old World Treats was also honored as No. 31 in the Top Companies in San Diego and No. 36 in the Top Companies in Food & Beverage. Click here to visit our listing.

Thanks to all of our customers, investors, vendors and employees for helping us with the latest in Mama Mellace’s many achievements.