Benny Curl, of Savannah-based Byrd Cookie Co., has been included in the inaugural class of inductees into the Specialty Food Association Hall of Fame.
Curl was among 114 individuals — some of them involved in the specialty food industry as far back as the 1950s — who were chosen based on their “accomplishments, impact, innovations and contributions to the specialty food industry.”
“The specialty food industry is built on the creativity and passion of individuals who have worked hard to bring top quality food and new flavors to market. We are proud to recognize these pioneers,” said Ann Daw, Specialty Food Association president.
Association members and its hall of fame committee selected the inaugural hall of fame class.
“I was surprised and honored to receive this award from The Specialty Food Association,” Curl said Wednesday. “Our family is proud of the fact that Byrd Cookie Company is considered as one of the leaders in the gourmet food industry throughout the United States.
“As I review the list of members of The Specialty Food Association’s Hall of Fame, I am pleased to be a member of this prestigious group.”
Curl serves as Byrd’s chairman emeritus and focuses on legislation, labeling and overall awareness of industry trends and opportunities. He has served — and continues to serve — on various boards and committees in Savannah.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture reached out to Curl initially to lead the Georgia Specialty Food & Wine group where he served as president and was instrumental in
providing information to the state’s manufacturers, retailers and specialty food consumers.
After working with the agriculture department’s specialty food outreach, he was elected to the board of the Specialty Food Association, where he served for 16 years in a variety of positions.
Benny Curl and his wife Kay Byrd Curl were the third generation of the family to own Byrd Cookies. In 2011, they sold the firm to their daughter, Stephanie Lindley.
Curl’s partnerships with Disney and other amusement parks were considered the first of their kind. Under his leadership, Byrd’s Famous Cookies developed a strong private label business and, at the height of those partnerships, Byrd’s Famious Cookies had seven of the top 10 selling food products in all of the parks.
The Specialty Food Association, which has 3,000 members in the U.S. and abroad, inducted its first hall of fame class Jan. 11 in San Francisco.