Creating World-Class Products

OUR MISSION

We help brands bring product ideas into reality. Whether you’re a startup launching your first product or an established company expanding your portfolio, we’re here to bring your vision to life.

Workers in white lab coats, hair nets, and masks are operating machinery and packaging products in a factory or food processing plant.

Who We Are

At Ideation, our name reflects our mission: To be a disruptor in the better-for-you industry by supplying product solutions that exceed our Partners' expectations in Innovation, Quality, Safety, and Speed to Market. We specialize in product development, full-service Turn-Key co-manufacturing, or Tolling Only Co-manufacturing, providing a seamless journey from ideation to finished product, all under one roof.

OUR FACILITIES

  • A large pile of raw, seasoned chicken wings on a metal tray at a food stand or market.

    Gluten

    In our 20,000 Square foot facility we have lines to manufacture and package cookies, brownies, edible cookie dough, and more.

  • Industrial manufacturing facility with conveyor belt processing a large roll of material, surrounded by machinery, control panels, and pipes.

    Gluten Free

    In our 50,000 square foot dedicated gluten-free facility we have a myriad of product solutions for emerging brands, and fully integrated market offerings.

  • A worker in a white coat and hairnet arranging donuts on a conveyor belt in a food manufacturing facility.

    Allergen / Allergen Free

    To meet individuals unique food needs and concerns, we process allergens in a controlled environment with a strong commitment to food safety.

  • Commercial bakery kitchen with racks of raw doughnuts on trays, industrial oven, and a worker in white coat and hairnet standing near racks.

    Band and Rack Ovens

    With our all of our ovens we have wire and rotary capabilities to manufacture an assortment of crackers, cookies, bites, granola, and assorted snacks. goes here

  • Warehouse aisle filled with stacked boxes on pallets and shelves, wrapped in plastic for storage.

    Cold Line

    We have a dedicated cold form bar line with built-in enrobing stations that can process and pack up to 300 bars a minute.

Our Industry, Customer, and Regulatory Certifications include:

  • Gluten-Free certification label with a black and white design, including a stylized snake or worm graphic.

  • HACCP logo with hazard analysis, critical control point text

  • Non-GMO Project Verified logo with a butterfly and leaf design

  • Certified Organic logo with a globe surrounded by a circular border reading 'In Quality Assurance International'.

  • Logo with a stylized globe and the letters 'SQF'

  • Kosher certification logo with a large letter 'U' inside a circle, indicating OU Kosher certification.

OUR COMMITMENT

So why choose Ideation as your manufacturing partner? We offer comprehensive services, covering every step from product development to full-scale manufacturing and fulfillment.

We’re flexible — ready to support both emerging brands and large, established companies.

We maintain uncompromising quality, backed by top-tier certifications and rigorous standards.

We emphasize innovation and collaboration, working side by side with you to solve challenges and seize opportunities.

And we bring a hospitality mindset to every partnership — treating you not just as a client, but as a valued collaborator, invested in your success.

Our “Produce it Right the First Time” approach is the key to quality production, cost efficiency, and partner satisfaction.

Ideation operates in two facilities located 17 miles apart in Marietta and Atlanta, Georgia. We have a dedicated gluten facility and a dedicated gluten-free facility with over 110K sq feet+ and a 3PL with over 200 pallet spaces.

A circular diagram featuring four quadrants centered around a light bulb with a leaf, labeled 'ideation.' The quadrants include 'Mission Statement,' 'Core Values,' 'Brand Promise,' and 'Strategic and Operational Priorities,' each with corresponding descriptive text, surrounded by an outer ring with the phrases 'Practice Clear and Effective Communication,' 'Demonstrate Core Values,' 'Practice Fiscal Accountability,' and 'Driven by Improvement.'

Why Ideation?

  • R&D / Innovation

    In our R&D lab, creativity meets precision. Food scientists and product developers collaborate with you to build and refine formulations, run trials, and optimize flavors, textures, and shelf life — all with regulatory compliance and scale-up in mind and focusing on the brand tenents that were established during the initial engagements and as a part of the new product brief and R&D Agreement.

    Industrial food processing equipment in a kitchen or factory setting.

  • Speed-to-market

    The first mover in a new or underserved market is always greeted with extended periods of less competition and better margins. With the agility of a startup and production capabilities Fortune 500 brands expect, Ideation understands the importance of capitalizing on marketplace gaps. By addressing unmet consumer needs with new or revamped products that are fresh and exciting, your brand can enjoy first-mover advantages much earlier than previously capable.

    A worker wearing a hairnet, mask, gloves, and white coat opens a large industrial oven in a commercial bakery or food production facility. Next to the worker, a metal cart with multiple trays of baked goods is visible. The background features industrial equipment and ductwork.

  • Flexibility

    Our team approaches every idea with flexibility. By turning those newly generated ideas into a new product or by assessing an existing product, we can drive various aspects of product innovation and production to be completed faster, cheaper, and often with better quality.

    Industrial machinery with metal rollers, pipes, and wires in a manufacturing setting.
Group of four people in hairnets and masks working with industrial equipment in a factory setting.

Ready to Build Your Vision?

We’ve got what you need: from enterprising product development to first-class production capabilities and an intense quality control focus. Let’s start something great, together.

Meet The Team

Our leadership team ensures strategic alignment, continuous improvement, and the delivery of exceptional client results.

  • A middle-aged man with white hair wearing a black blazer and white shirt, standing outdoors in front of green foliage.

    Joseph F Best III

    FOUNDER & CEO

    Joseph is a serial entrepreneur, having started more than ten different businesses in seven different industries. He started his career with what is now called Accenture, Joseph focused on growing companies for other owners. In 1995, he started applying his growth strategies to companies that he held a majority interest in. In 2008, while serving as the President and CEO of Quality Wine & Spirits, Joseph founded H&F Bread CO, LLC (“H&F”), to offer the best fresh bread in the Southeast to the Atlanta Market. After twelve years of supplying the finest bread solutions to restaurants throughout the state of Georgia, Joseph recognized the devastation the restaurant community would face because of the COVID Pandemic, he orchestrated a dramatic shift in H&F’s business model. Joseph states “Changing our business model, and company name from H&F to Ideation to focus on the better for you lifestyle products and selling to retail channels saved the Company”.

  • A middle-aged man with gray hair and a beard, wearing a navy blue blazer and a light blue patterned dress shirt, stands outdoors in a natural setting with green plants and trees in the background, smiling gently at the camera.

    Roger Hodge

    PRESIDENT

    Mr. Hodge has 25 Years of Food and Beverage Experience and a keen sense of business acumen. He possesses an innate ability to bring cohesiveness to any leadership team and team members. Mr. Hodge has a proven track record of building business infrastructures and providing sustained and aggressive growth. Since joining the H&F Bread CO and Ideation Bakery team, he has been key in driving a 30% compounded growth rate over 5 years, this growth has led to 5 consecutive years on the Inc. 5000. He is responsible for developing business plans and budgets, growth strategies, sales strategies, and contract negotiations.

  • A man with short brown hair, wearing glasses, a light blue dress shirt, and a dark blazer, smiling outdoors with green trees in the background.

    Albert DiFonzo

    VICE PRESIDENT OF R&D

    Albert DiFonzo is a dynamic, passionately energetic individual driven toward achievement through the discovery of people, products, and processes. By employing philosophies of excellence, habit, repetition and how things are done, Albert’s endless desire for discovery are leveraged to fulfill the expressed and unexpressed wishes of our partners. Albert loves to cook, is an avid Opel GT enthusiast (his first car), listens to jazz and enjoys long walks on the Beltline Atlanta.

  • Smiling man with dark hair and a beard, wearing a navy blue t-shirt and beige pants, standing outdoors with a brick wall and metal siding in the background.

    Joe Rannazzisi

    PLANT MANAGER - ID1

  • African American woman with curly black hair and glasses, smiling, standing in an office near a large green potted plant.

    Naisha Michel

    CONTROLLER

MORE TEAM

What Our Clients Say

  • “I have been living the Keto Lifestyle for 3 years now. During this time I have made or purchased just about every item I have come across. The Pecan Shortbread is the best Keto Cookie I have ever eaten. It delivers on great flavor, texture, and doesn’t have a bad aftertaste (or cooling sensation). I recommend this cookie to any and all that are considering Keto or just watching Carb intake.”

    Mike D. Account Manager

  • “Ideation has been an excellent partner in growing our baked goods business. We’ve worked with several co-manufacturers over the years, and HIdeation provides superior service, R&D expertise, and production capabilities. They’ve worked with us to develop recipe formulations leveraging consumer and data driven insights, resulting in delicious products that our customers love. We’re confident that we’ll be able to grow and scale our business with Ideation as a trusted and committed partner.”

    Bryan J.Co-founder & CEO

  • “Working with Ideation has been phenomenal and we are blessed to have them as a partner. Their staff is friendly and they produce high quality, consistent products. Their R&D team too has been a huge benefit to our business and has allowed us to quickly develop new products to be more competitive within the space.”

    Austin G. Founder

  • “Working with Ideation has been nothing shy of wonderful. What I can honestly say is they care about their partners, the integrity of their work and wants everyone to be successful. My partnership with Ideation has been supportive and fruitful and has taken me to the next level!”

    Jeanne S. Founder