Naturally Healthy for NPEE 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019

New Products from Great River Organic Milling

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SPECIAL SHOW ISSUE

Pocas: Healthy Foods from Around the World

Interpress Celebrating 30 Years of Food Packaging Solutions

An interview with Kevin Shin, President/Chief Executive Officer, Pocas International.

Great River Organic Milling (GROM) has always been a proud supplier of the highest quality organic grains, stone ground flours and blends to the organic industry. While its focus over past decades has primarily been to service bakeries and cereal manufacturers alike, more recently a demand for a fresh new brand in the retail space has encouraged the company to pursue just that.

KS: Pocas International is an importer and manufacturer of natural foods and beverages. I founded Pocas in 2005. Now

Interpress Technologies is a leading food packaging manufacturer specializing in formed paperboard cups and containers, wrapped cups, printed sidewalls and folding cartons.

Interpress continuously expands its capabilities to offer additional sizes and packaging options.

BOOTH #1111

BOOTH #835

BOOTH #1139

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Atlantic Natural Foods Offers TUNO

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Bone Suckin’ Sauce from Ford’s Gourmet Foods

An interview with Doug Hines, Founder, Atlantic Natural Foods.

An interview with Sandi Ford, President, Ford’s Gourmet Foods.

GN: Tell our readers about Atlantic Natural Foods and what you’re bringing to the show this year.

Continued on Page 68

From Stacy’s Pita Chips to BeBOLD Bars

Madison,

New Products from The Pickle Juice Company

SF: My brother-in-law, Phil Ford, is a real estate appraiser and father of four in Raleigh, North Carolina. Phil developed his barbecue sauce recipe

BOOTH #553

BOOTH #1413

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Restorative Botanicals: Quality and Consistency

An interview with Bernard Perry, Chief Executive Officer and President, Restorative Botanicals LLC.

GN: You’re launching a refrigerated raw energy bar company called BeBOLD. What does this company have in common with your first company, Stacy’s Pita Chips?

GN: Restorative Botanicals has emerged as one of the most trusted brands in the fast-growing hemp extract and CBD category. How have you done it?

BOOTH #957

BOOTH #8906

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The Pickle Juice Company, LLC based in Mesquite, Texas, has made a name for itself by developing a revolutionary approach to addressing muscle cramps and taking the “functional foods” concept from the physiological realm to the neurological realm. By addressing muscle cramps at the neurological root cause rather than the physiological symptoms, the company’s flagship products, Pickle

GN: Where did the Bone Suckin’ Sauce recipe come from?

DH: Atlantic Natural Foods, LLC (ANF) is a leading manufacturer of better-for-you, shelf stable foods. This year,

An interview with Stacy Founder, BeBOLD Bars.

GN: Tell our readers about your company.

Continued on Page 68

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True Salt: Clean, All Natural, Affordable

By Lorrie Baumann

True Salt is a brand based on the simple idea that the culinary world needed a pure sea salt that would enable high-end chefs and home cooks alike to make the switch from mass-market iodized salts to a higher-quality sea salt in a price-neutral way. “We had been looking at a Continued on Page 62

SEPTEMBER 2019

New Products from Great River Organic Milling

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SPECIAL SHOW ISSUE

Pocas: Healthy Foods from Around the World

Interpress Celebrating 30 Years of Food Packaging Solutions

An interview with Kevin Shin, President/Chief Executive Officer, Pocas International.

Great River Organic Milling (GROM) has always been a proud supplier of the highest quality organic grains, stone ground flours and blends to the organic industry. While its focus over past decades has primarily been to service bakeries and cereal manufacturers alike, more recently a demand for a fresh new brand in the retail space has encouraged the company to pursue just that.

KS: Pocas International is an importer and manufacturer of natural foods and beverages. I founded Pocas in 2005. Now

Interpress Technologies is a leading food packaging manufacturer specializing in formed paperboard cups and containers, wrapped cups, printed sidewalls and folding cartons. Interpress continuously expands its capabilities to offer additional sizes and packaging options.

BOOTH #1111

BOOTH #835

BOOTH #1139

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Atlantic Natural Foods Offers TUNO

GN: Tell our readers about your company.

Continued on Page 70

Bone Suckin’ Sauce from Ford’s Gourmet Foods

An interview with Doug Hines, Founder, Atlantic Natural Foods.

An interview with Sandi Ford, President, Ford’s Gourmet Foods.

GN: Tell our readers about Atlantic Natural Foods and what you’re bringing to the show this year.

Continued on Page 68

New Products from The Pickle Juice Company

SF: My brother-in-law, Phil Ford, is a real estate appraiser and father of four in Raleigh, North Carolina. Phil developed his barbecue sauce recipe

The Pickle Juice Company, LLC based in Mesquite, Texas, has made a name for itself by developing a revolutionary approach to addressing muscle cramps and taking the “functional foods” concept from the physiological realm to the neurological realm. By addressing muscle cramps at the neurological root cause rather than the physiological symptoms, the company’s flagship products, Pickle Juice® Sport and

BOOTH #553

BOOTH #1413

GN: Where did the Bone Suckin’ Sauce recipe come from?

DH: Atlantic Natural Foods, LLC (ANF) is a leading manufacturer of better-for-you, shelf stable foods. This year,

Continued on Page 68

Continued on Page 64

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Restorative Botanicals: Quality and Consistency

True Salt: Clean, All Natural, Affordable

GN: You’re launching a refrigerated raw energy bar company called BeBOLD. What does this company have in common with your first company, Stacy’s Pita Chips?

GN: Restorative Botanicals has emerged as one of the most trusted brands in the fast-growing hemp extract and CBD category. How have you done it?

True Salt is a brand based on the simple idea that the culinary world needed a pure sea salt that would enable high-end chefs and home cooks alike to make the switch from mass-market iodized salts to a higher-quality sea salt in a price-neutral way. “We had been looking at a number of

BOOTH #957

BOOTH #8906

From Stacy’s Pita Chips to BeBOLD Bars

An interview with Stacy Madison, Founder, BeBOLD Bars.

SM: After Stacy’s Pita Chips, I focused on raising my twins.

Continued on Page 64

An interview with Bernard Perry, Chief Executive Officer and President, Restorative Botanicals LLC.

BP: When I founded the company, I needed to ensure that Continued on Page 68

By Lorrie Baumann

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SEPTEMBER 2019

RLA Collective Goes Big with Integration, Small with Targeting

An interview with Alyson O’Mahoney, Managing Director, RLA Collective, a Ruder Finn Company.

GN: Tell our readers about RLA Collective and why it’s unique.

AO: RLA Collective is a data-driven brand marketing agency that uses audience targeting data within multiple Continued on Page 70

Tortilla Chips from Tortilleria Mi Nina

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SPECIAL SHOW ISSUE

Associated Buyers Expands into New York City

Suzanne’s Specialties: Sweetness the Way Mother Nature Intended

BOOTH #8139

BOOTH #928

In June 2019, Associated Buyers, Inc., of Barrington, New Hampshire, purchased specialty distributor, Gotham Artisanal, of Maspeth, New York, and thus expanded its territory into the five boroughs of New York City, as well as Hudson Valley and Long Island.

Gotham Artisanal’s focus was hospitality. It provided many of the best restaurants and bars in the NYC area with Continued on Page 66

New Single-Serve Amoré Hazelnut, Almond Chocolate Spreads

An interview with Tobe Armendariz, Production Manager, Tortilleria Mi Nina.

Suzanne’s Specialties has been supplying alternative sweeteners to the health food and industrial food markets since 1984. Its offerings include brown rice syrup, clarified rice syrup, rice maltodextrin syrup and solids, tapioca syrup, tapioca maltodextrin and solids, agave syrup, inulin, cane sugar, invert syrups, molasses, honey, barley malt syrup and coconut sugar and syrup. It also has the ability to make custom blends Continued on Page 68

Desi Natural Brings Innovation to Indian Inspired Yogurt Segment

TA: We use hand carved volcanic stones to grind our nonGMO white corn, with nothing else but filtered water and

Once Again Nut Butter, spreading integrity for over 40 years, is bringing single-serve sweetness to the nut butter category with its launch of Amoré milk and white chocolate squeeze packs. With a velvety texture and balanced sweetness, these perfectly portioned treats transform everyday foods into healthy indulgences and help curb dessert cravings without overdoing it. The white chocolate nut butters are the first of their kind

“Ethnic inspired foods are driving significant growth at retail. The Indian food segment is no different, with mainstream consumers increasingly seeking it out. And now, we are finding mainstream retailers looking to better serve the Indian population,” said Larry LaPorta, General Manager of RFG Dairy, LLC. Enter Desi Natural™ Dahi, the No. 1 Indian yogurt in the

BOOTH #228

BOOTH #217

BOOTH #1152

GN: What makes your company different?

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High-Quality Ginseng from Wisconsin

The state of Wisconsin produces nearly one million pounds of ginseng annually. This precious herb takes four years to bring to harvest.

Ginseng grown in Wisconsin is the plant Panax quinquefolius, which is different than the Panax ginseng grown in Asia. Panax quinquefolius has different benefits than

BOOTH #6522

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Belcampo Demonstrates Regenerative Agriculture in Northern California

By Lorrie Baumann

At about 2,800 feet above sea level in the shadow of California’s Mount Shasta, Belcampo Farm had what Farm Director James Rickert calls “a heck of a winter,” last year, with more rain and snow than usual. That meant taking extra feed to the farm’s cattle after a blizzard dropped 18 inches of snow Continued on Page 64

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Stonewall Kitchen Lemon Fig Shortbread Squares Mix

Stonewall Kitchen goes fig-forward with a sophisticated twist on classic lemon squares.

This handy new Lemon Fig Shortbread Squares Mix makes it simple to bake up an ideal after-school snack or post-dinner dessert that both kids and adults will love.

The universal appeal of these tempting treats also makes them the perfect thing to bring along to a picnic in the park, a school bake

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Interpac and Interpress: Co-Manufacturing and Distribution Interpac Technologies is your single-source solution for co-manufacturing, distribution and packaging. Headquartered in Northern California, Interpac works with sister company Interpress to combine package printing, co-manufacturing and distribution services.

Interpac Technologies Services Operating as an extension of your organization, Interpac enables customers to expand product lines or launch new products with minimal, upfront capital requirements in its

state-of-the-art 260,000 square foot manufacturing and distribution facility. Interpac takes pride in providing a quick turnaround with unwavering quality and consistency. In addition, for project launches, Interpac’s New Project Manager guides customers through set-up, R&D trials and organoleptic testing. Customers simply ship their ingredients and packaging and Interpac coordinates the rest. For customers ordering printed cups and cartons produced by sister company Interpress Technologies in California, cus-

Nature’s Earthly Choice Acquires Vigilant Eats Nature’s Earthly Choice is excited to announce the recent acquisition of Vigilant Eats, the Bloomington, Indiana-based cereal company. Vigilant Eats manufactures a wide range of organic cereals created with unique and wholesome ingredients. These delicious cereals are available in a re-sealable pouch or a convenient on-the-go cup. They can be consumed either hot or cold, and there is even a foldable spoon inside. This acquisition expands Nature’s Earthly Choice’s goal of providing consumers with simple, healthy and delicious products to support their busy lifestyles.

Company President, Chuck Watson, ex-

plains, “Vigilant Eats has an exciting portfolio of innovative, healthy and delicious organic cereals that are truly complementary to our existing line of ancient grains, nutritional powders and superfood seeds. This acquisition helps us expand into the healthy convenience category. Every flavor in this line is simply delicious. We are proud to integrate these products into our Nature’s Earthly Choice family.”

All of the research Nature’s Earthly Choice has conducted shows that consumers are seeking more ways to add nutrients to their diets, without wanting to give up convenience. Nature’s Earthly Choice is happy

tomers save shipping costs and headaches as Interpress provides complimentary shipping to Interpac.

Interpac is an SQF, organic, gluten free, kosher and biodynamic certified co-manufacturing facility. Interpac offers separate areas for blending, as well as for the filling of cups, bags, stand-up pouches and sachet packets. Additionally, Interpac fills a variety of oils, including coconut, olive, avocado, sesame and flaxseed Continued on Page 70

to bring even more healthy, convenient options that it is confident consumers will enjoy. The consumption of superfoods has exploded in the past few years as consumers become more educated about their benefits.

Superfoods such as goji berries and maca powder are riding the same wave as more and more health-conscious consumers seek out more nutritious foods.

About Nature’s Earthly Choice Founded in 2005, Nature’s Earthly Choice has been working to build a product line of new and convenient healthy food products. Offering a wide range of exotic Continued on Page 70

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SEPTEMBER 2019

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GOURMET NEWS

A SPECIAL SHOW ISSUE OF GOURMET NEWS

Publisher Kimberly Oser Senior Associate Publisher Jules Denton-Card Editorial Director Lorrie Baumann Associate Publisher Anthony Socci Associate Editors Jeanie Catron • JoEllen Lowry • Karrie Welborn Art Director Yasmine Brown Graphic Designer Jonathan Schieffer Senior Account Manager Marcos Morhaim Account Managers Abeer Abi-aad • Adrian Chacon Beth Painter • Joseph Bellon Director of Operations Tara Neal Customer Service Manager Susan Stein Show Logistics & Distribution Jay Watson • Hannah Stefanovich European Sales Enrico Cecchi Publishing office: 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300/Fax: 520.721.6300 Subscriber services: Gourmet News P.O. Box 30520 Tucson, AZ 85751 Gourmet News is published by Oser Communications Group ©2019 All rights reserved.

Founder Lee M. Oser www.gourmetnews.com

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Flax-Based Products from Flax4Life

By Kasondra Shippen, General Manager, Flax4Life

Flax4Life is a small family owned and operated bakery located in the Pacific Northwest that is certified gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free (except coconut). Our goal is to make flax-based products that not only taste good, but are good for you. Healthy ingredients are important, but the taste is, too! Our baked goods are meant to be enjoyed by anyone, allergies or not.

If you are looking for a flavorful treat that is high in Omega 3s, healthy protein, fiber and lignans, look no further. Your taste buds will not be disappointed with our delicious line of muffins, brownies, gra-

nola, cakes and toaster buns. All the products are all natural, preservative and cholesterol free.

In search of something on-the-go, our single-serve muffins and brownies are a perfect solution. The same quality product, but in more convenient packaging. You can choose from muffin flavors Carrot Raisin, Chocolate Chip and Wild Blueberry, or brownie flavors Chocolate and Toasted Coconut. These small delicious packages are perfect for lunches, road trips, games or any time you need a little treat.

Celebrate any occasion guilt-free with either our rich Chocolate Cake covered in fudge frosting and dark chocolate shavings, or our scrumptious Carrot Cake covered in

Pocasville’s All Natural Vacuum Dried Crunchy Dragon Fruit Chips Looking for a low-fat, low-calorie superfood to add to your diet? Pocasville’s 100 percent natural Dried Dragon Fruit Chips may be just the thing! Dragon fruit helps boost the immune system, supports digestion and may aid in cancer prevention.

As global buyers and experts proclaim that dragon fruit will be one of the top 10 food trends for 2019 (Business Wire, 2018) you must be aware of, dragon fruit has its grasp

on the market. Market experts assure that dragon fruit chips will be one of the healthy and trendy products in the market. Likewise, dragon fruit has an excellent reputation among the big chains, as well as from individual customers.

Pocas added some crunch to this popular superfood. Pocasville’s premium crunchy dragon fruit chips are 100 percent natural vacuum dried dragon fruit from Phan Thiet,

Coconut Ingredients from Franklin Baker Franklin Baker, Inc. is the largest processor in the Philippines and premier supplier of coconut ingredients to the global food and beverage market. The company has been in business for over 125 years and takes pride in long standing customer relationships, many of which exceed 60 years. Its products are produced in the Philippines from the freshest nuts available, at one of its three manufacturing facilities, where proprietary processing is utilized to ensure freshness and long shelf stability. Franklin Baker controls the process from tree through shipment, allowing its customers to have the highest level of safety and confidence in the product

supply chain.

Franklin Baker offers: wet steam pasteurization of all the coconut – no other competitor pasteurizes their product; BAX testing for salmonella, which is 10,000 times more sensitive than the competition’s BAM method; reliable and proven service levels for all products including specialty items; R&D and technical support direct from the Philippines; Franklin Baker guarantee of satisfaction; and three U.S. warehouse locations.

Franklin Baker offers an extensive portfolio of coconut products: desiccated coconut including sweetened and toasted, coconut water – single strength and concentrate, co-

New Products from Suzie’s Good Groceries Company, under its popular Suzie’s brand, continues to launch categorychanging healthy products while improving its healthy natural staples. Snacking never had it so good – great taste and better-for-you ingredients.

Nothing says snacking like flatbreads, and at Expo East the company is launching Suzie’s newest flatbreads: Sprouted Multiseed and Sprouted Pretzel Top. The sprouting grain process increases many of the grain’s key ingredients, including vitamins, folate, fiber and essential amino acids. The sprouting process also lessens allergens and makes grains easier to digest. Made with whole grains, non-GMO, kosher and delicious. Whatever your favorite nosh, it sits best on a Suzie’s Ancient Grain Flatbread.

Available in four other delicious flavor pro-

files: Kamut & Sesame, Kamut with Rosemary, 7 Ancient Grain and Spelt Multiseed.

Sprouting tasted so good that Suzie’s incorporated sprouted rice into its Thin Cake line.

Suzie’s Thin Cakes are perfect by themselves, as a bread substitute or with your favorite nosh topping them. The delicious, simple ingredient Thin Cakes are now available in nine flavor profiles: Unsalted & Light Salted Organic Brown Rice, Organic Corn – Lightly Salted or with Sesame & Quinoa, Organic Multigrain, Organic Spelt & Flax, Buckwheat with Quinoa & Flax, Lentil and now Sprouted Rice.

Speaking of sprouting, Expo East marks the introduction of Suzie’s Sprouted Pita Chips. With flavor profiles like Dill Pickle, Barbecue, Sea Salt, Sour Cream & Onion, Garlic Parmesan and Honey Mustard, your mind won’t believe what your mouth is

dairy-free cream cheese frosting with toasted coconut. If you are at a birthday party or dinner gathering, there won’t be any leftovers of these cakes.

You can enjoy our products any time of the day for a healthy treat to keep you going.

If it is first thing in the morning with a bowl of our uniquely soft granola or a late-night chocolate brownie snack, you will not feel guilty enjoying our products.

Handmade wholesome goodness, nutritious and delicious!

Muffin Flavors: Wild Blueberry, Carrot Raisin, Chocolate Chip, Cranberry Orange, Apple Cinnamon and Hawaiian Pineapple.

Brownie Flavors: Chocolate, Toasted Co-

Vietnam, which is considered the land of the dragon fruit.

This delicious and nutritional snack is all natural, non-GMO verified, gluten free and kosher. There is no cooking oil, no cholesterol, no preservatives, no trans fat and no added sugar, but it is still tasty! It is available with white and red flesh.

Pocas International Corp is passionate about delivering premium healthy beverages and specialty foods to its customers

conut milk and cream, coconut concentrate, creamed coconut, virgin coconut oil, coconut flour, coconut sugar and other coconut products.

Franklin Baker is proud of its extensive third-party certifications and accreditations, including: certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, certified by the Non-GMO Project, Fair Trade USA, BRC, Control Union, ISO 9001:2000, ISO 22000:2005, HACCP, FDA Philippines, GMA-SAFE, AB PAO Accredited Testing Laboratory, SEDEX, kosher, halal certified, and Award of Excellence, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 American Master of Taste & Gold Medal Endorsement for Superior Taste and 2018 and 2019 Beverage Champion by Chefs In America. Franklin Baker is a Plat-

telling it. The sprouting process brings out the best in the grains while added variety brings out the most in profits. Add Suzie’s Sprouted Pita Chips to your snack centers; your bottom line will thank you.

If your customers are in snacking mode, introduce them to Suzie’s new betterfor-you snack kits. Four of its Thin Cakes combined with a sachet of hummus, almond butter or peanut butter will satisfy that craving guilt-free. These come in a 10-pack shelf or counter display ready tray, the perfect new profit center for rice cakes.

If spreading out the hummus or almond butter isn’t your customer’s thing and they’re still trying to fill the void with a better-foryou guilt-free snack, then Suzie’s Topped Lentil Cakes are just the ticket. Available in

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conut, Dark Cherry, Cappuccino and new Mint Chocolate.

Granola Flavors: Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate Chip, Pineapple Coconut & Mango, Banana Coconut and Cranberry Orange.

Toaster Bun Flavors: Original, Everything and Cinnamon Raisin.

Cake Flavors: Chocolate and Carrot.

Visit Flax4Life at booth #1373. For more information or to order a sample, go to www.flax4life.net, call 360.715.1944 or email customerservice@flax4life.net. Follow the company on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

with only top-quality products. The mission of Pocas is to study global market trends of healthy foods and beverages on behalf of its customers and supply the best healthy products to its valued customers with the lowest price possible.

Visit Pocas International at booth #835. For more information, go to www.pocas.com or call 201.941.7900. Follow the company on Instagram and Facebook.

inum Sponsor of the Coconut Coalition of the Americas and proudly serves on its Board of Directors.

Franklin Baker’s levels of product certification are unrivaled and provide its customers with confidence in the quality, safety and sources of what they are buying. The company holds itself to the highest product standards, which makes Franklin Baker, A Cut Above the Rest.

Franklin Baker offers bulk, foodservice and retail packaging options to meet your business needs to forge a trusted coconut supply chain partnership.

Visit Franklin Baker at booth #1361.

For more information, email info-us@ franklinbaker.com.

10 two-pack shelf or counter display ready trays. Flavor profiles include Peanut Butter, Chocolate or Almond Butter Topped Lentil Cakes.

Suzie’s Sprouted Pita Chips, Nut Butter Filled Cookies, Organic Thin Cakes, Rooted Puffed Lotus Seeds, Quinoa RTE Meals, Organic Crackers, Organic Puffed Cakes, Ancient Grain Flat Breads and other quality, natural foods are available at fine grocery stores throughout North America.

Suzie’s – Innovation you can taste, innovation for your health! Innovation that drives sales!

For more information, visit booth #1835, go to www.goodgroceries.com, email info@goodgroceries.com or call 718.768.0821. Follow the company on Pinterest, Instagram, www.twitter.com/SuziesBrand or www .facebook.com/Suzies.Natural.Products.

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Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread from Food For Life Baking Co. Food For Life Baking Co., maker of the incredibly delicious and nutritious Ezekiel 4:9® Sprouted Grain Bread, has been committed to the health of its customers since its inception over 50 years ago.

Among the many natural sprouted grain breads are its widely popular Ezekiel 4:9 and Genesis 1:29® breads, English muffins, tortillas, buns, cereal, pitas and pasta.

Sprouting maximizes digestibility and nutrition, while lowering the glycemic index in its flourless bakery products.

Beyond the commitment to superior nutrition, there’s also a commitment to a balanced and protected pH in every loaf. Why is a balanced pH so important? Food For Life recognizes that a balanced pH is absolutely essential for optimum health.

Food For Life meticulously chooses its ingredients, and refuses to use acidifying agents such as cultured wheat starch, vinegar, calcium propionate and ascorbic acid – all preservatives.

As an amazing benefit of sprouting, grains actually become more alkaline as water and oxygen support the growth of the new plant and naturally balances the pH. While a balanced pH is great for health reasons, a higher pH does tend to shorten shelf life. This is why the company primarily sells Food For Life breads frozen.

Because of the popularity of its Ezekiel breads, Food For Life is seeing more competitors releasing sprouted grain breads, but using acidifying agents like vinegar and cultured wheat starch to extend their shelf life. Unfor-

Cynara Launching Artichoke Chyps, Artichoke Delights Cynara Worldwide Sourcing is excited to introduce two new groundbreaking and innovative additions to its family of premium quality artichoke products: Artichoke Chyps and Artichoke Delights.

Made from farm picked, 100 percent artichokes, these innovative and first-to-market Artichoke Chyps (pronounced “chips”) are a crispy, authentic culinary delight.

Chyps are plant-based, high in natural plant-based fiber, naturally gluten free, non-GMO verified, kosher and have zero

sugar. Add texture and a burst of artichoke flavor to salads or use as you would any other produce-based snack product. Great as a soup topper, sandwich partner or simply snack all day. Available at your local grocery store and online Fall 2019. Get the crispy crunch you crave with Cynara Artichoke Chyps.

Artichoke Delights are for families and friends on the go. Hand selected from fresh picked, 100 percent tender artichoke hearts, they are sustainably grown and harvested,

Sombra’s Money Back Guarantee to Increase Sales, Reduce Administrative Burden

As a store buyer, you know that your customers have thousands of choices in the products they buy from your company. You probably also realize that in order for a customer to try a product, you must offer them a way to reduce their perception of risk.

Perhaps some of your suppliers offer coupons or other trade promotions. Still others might send samples you can merchandise.

Sombra, the manufacturer of Sore No

More Natural Pain Relieving Gels, understands your challenges. It also understands that it will be easiest on your administrative staff if your stores don’t have to handle complaints or refunds to dissatisfied, first-time customers.

In order to increase the number of customers who try Sore No More products, Sombra introduced the 110% Money Back Guarantee. Now your customers will see no risk in buying a jar, tube or roll-on of Sore

Announcing the Launch of Woodridge Snacks

By Drew Pawlan, Assistant Manager – Marketing, ALO Drink by SPI West Port, Inc.

Woodridge Snacks is going to market with five deliciously unusual product lines. The brand prides itself on its global sourcing of ingredients in a never-ending search for the best of the best. We find artisan farmers who value the earth that nourishes their crops.

Woodridge Snacks insists on sustainability as an unseen ingredient in our snacks. Savory or sweet, we’ve got a sensible, eat-anytime snack for everyone.

Tempura Seaweed Chips A true taste sensation, these delicacies are dipped in a light batter and very gently fried to a delightful crisp. Forget potatoes. Discover the better chip. The Tempura Seaweed Chips product line is launching with three flavors: Hickory BBQ, Sea Salt and Sriracha.

Mochi Rice Nuggets An Asian-fusion inspired snack, Woodridge Mochi Rice Nuggets are made with short grain, slightly sweet white rice baked to a satisfying crisp. Always baked. Never fried.

tunately, these ingredients lower the pH by increasing the acidity, which Food For Life feels often defeats the purpose of sprouting in the first place. To be a truly healthful product, Food For Life strongly believes in protecting the pH level of its sprouted grain bread, targeting a balanced pH. Because of its commitment to health, you can be assured that Ezekiel 4:9 bread is the pinnacle of nutrition.

Sprouted to maximize nutrition and digestibility. By adding pure filtered water to certified organic grains, legumes and seeds, Food For Life is able to maximize nutrition and digestibility. Enzymes like amylase and protease are released naturally, helping to break down carbohydrates and protein, making them easier to digest while maximizing nutrition and lowering the glycemic index.

Food For Life’s slow baking technique non-GMO verified, kosher and packaged in BPA-free trays, which are safe for both microwave and freezer. No more fuss or confusion on how to cook the perfect artichoke. Simply peel and eat or add to your favorite recipe for a burst of fresh artichoke goodness. Available in your local grocers produce department and online Fall 2019, its best-selling open flame, slow grilled artichoke hearts and quarters, Roman style with and without stem and natural artichoke hearts in brine. Use as a topping on pizza, bruschetta, tapas, antipasto, salads or pair with cheese or hummus for an authentic culinary delight.

No More Natural Pain Relieving Gel for the first time. Even if your customer finishes the whole jar, they can return the empty jar directly to Sombra for a refund of 110 percent of what they paid.

Your staff need not take time to service the customer, your accounting system need not credit the customer and your inventory staff need not take time to receive a used jar to return to your distributor. Sombra will take care of everything, freeing your team to focus on revenue-generating activities.

Each jar, tube and roll-on is labeled with a 110% Guarantee label. Dissatisfied cusLaunching with two flavors, try Tom Yum flavor for the taste of the traditional Thai soup favorite.

Teriyaki flavor features notes of soy sauce and sake with a hint of ginger.

More flavors coming soon.

Ginger Chews Woodridge Ginger Chews will delight fans of ginger. Enjoy the tanginess of fresh cut ginger. Launching with two flavors, take your pick of chewy ginger wrapped with the slightly nutty flavor of roasted Sesame Seed, or try the nutrient-filled Chia Seed wrapped

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means that every sprouted grain loaf is baked at lower temperatures to help preserve important natural vitamins and minerals and never “flash browned,” which can often trap active yeast.

Loaded with both types of fiber: soluble and insoluble fiber. Food For Life Ezekiel 4:9 bread is loaded with both important natural soluble and insoluble fiber to help your body function at its peak.

Aren’t all breads just carbs? Amazingly, Food For Life Ezekiel 4:9 breads often contain just as much protein as the stuff you put on your sandwich, from all plant-based sources.

Ezekiel 4:9 bread is made with 100 percent organic ingredients. Your body and taste buds will know the difference!

Visit Food For Life Baking Co. at booth #1464.

Cynara is exclusively focused on artichokes. The heart of its corporate philosophy is a commitment to being great global citizens with an uncompromising focus on the highest quality, freshest, non-GMO ingredients, all sourced from sustainable farming communities passionate about best practices and humanplanet leadership.

Cynara’s artichokes and snacks are minimally processed, nutrient dense and delicious. Snacking made simple, at heart.

Visit Cynara at booth #338. For more information and recipes, go to www.cynara.net.

tomers need only visit www.sorenomoreusa.com for instructions on returning the item. They must mail their receipt with the product to Sombra, which will send them a check. There is a limit of one refund per household.

Take this opportunity to buy Sore No More Natural Pain Relieving Gel products for your store(s).

More prospective customers will buy the product because they perceive no risk and your servicing and back office functions will save time and money because they won’t have to service returns.

For more information, visit booth #2706.

chewy ginger. Both are delicious, anytime snacks.

In addition, Sticky Rice Chips are handmade with whole grain rice popped to an airy crisp and seasoned to perfection in four flavors. Vacuum-fried Crunchy Fruit Chips are superbly crispy fruits with natural intensity in three wonderful flavors.

You can taste Woodridge Snacks at the ALO booth, #1619. While you are there, don’t forget to taste delicious ALO Snacks, too.

For more information, visit booth #1619, go to www.alodrink.com, call 800.223.4438 or email info@alodrink.com.

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Dream Foods Announces Organic Certification of Volcano Burst Line After 20 years in the U.S. market, Dream Foods Intl. is celebrating its first anniversary since being acquired by the Polenghi Group from Italy, a world leader in production of lemon and lime juice.

This new structure has given the U.S. company new manufacturing capabilities

and it can now expand further into private label and foodservice, while broadening retail distribution throughout the U.S. As of June 2019, all Volcano Burst® products have received USDA organic certification, putting Dreams Foods Intl. at the forefront of innovation in the category. This

Healthy, All-Natural Seasonings from The Spice Lab Continuing to focus on healthy, all-natural seasonings, The Spice Lab has added two new brand lines – KETO and Organic Pantry.

Packaged to appeal to consumers following a ketogenic diet of low carbs and high fat, the KETO line of seasonings includes 18 of The Spice Lab’s most popular blends in two packaging options: shakers and large jars with spoon. From French Lavender + Rosemary and Herbs de Provence to Blackened and Italian Rustico Seasoning, each spice blend is all-natural and OU Kosher, and formulated for a keto-friendly diet.

Having received its USDA Organic certification for packaging organic spices, the

company has launched the Organic Pantry brand beginning with Turmeric, Beet Powder, Ginger, Cinnamon, Cinnamon Sticks, Peppercorns and Sugar Cubes. Beet Powder, like these spices, is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to support a healthy diet.

Nashville Hot Chicken and Slow Burn Seasoning are the latest all-natural, OU Kosher spice blends in The Spice Lab line.

The selection also includes Chorizo Seasoning, the winner of the 2018 silver sofi™ Award from the Specialty Food Association, 2019 Scovie Award winners Fiery Southern Charm, Spicy Turmeric, Southwest Chili and Spicy Brown and 2019 Fiery Foods Chal-

Ariston’s 4-Leaf Organic and Infused Balsamic Vinegars The new Ariston line of organic balsamic vinegars is characterized by a perfect balance between sweet and sour. This product is made exclusively with GMO-free and organically farmed grapes, without pesticides involved. The entire production process is certified in order to guarantee consumers the compliance with highest organic farming standards, guaranteed by the CCPB certifying body.

The grape must, cooked over a direct heat in an open vessel, simmers slowly and is

concentrated until it is reduced to about one third of its original volume. It is then placed in the attic, in a series of casks of oak wood.

Here, the balsamic vinegar passes the years acidifying, aging until it has reached a balance that only the alchemy of time can master, prodded along by the masterful hands of artisans.

This balsamic is naturally dark and dense, with a 5 percent acidity content. The balsamic is sweet with a very light pungency and an extremely thick consistency.

Organic Sweetened Condensed Milk from Santini Foods Santini’s California Farms Sweetened Condensed Milk is manufactured in the U.S.A. using fresh milk for a fresh dairy flavor and milky white color. Its Sweetened Condensed Milk is kosher certified by the Orthodox Union, halal certified, Real California Milk certified, gluten-free, and select products are also certified organic.

Santini Foods has been producing sweetened condensed milk on the West Coast since 1995. It is a full line supplier of all types of sweetened condensed milks. Santini Foods is certified to make organic sweetened condensed milk and can produce rBST free sweetened condensed milk for customers requiring it. It offers sweetened condensed

PJC Offers Functional Beverages At the forefront of the recent “all things pickle” movement is the Texas-based Pickle Juice© Company. Founded in 2001, the Pickle Juice Company, LLC (PJC) has become a global leader in the functional beverage space.

Recognized as one of the top 10 fastest growing food and beverage companies in North America and the No. 1 global product to stop muscle cramps, PJC has led the way in creating hyper functional beverages that have be-

come staples for everyone from the casual consumer to elite sports teams and athletes.

PJC’s flagship product lines, Pickle Juice Sport and Extra Strength Pickle Juice Shots are purpose-built products that have nothing to do with pickles or pickling. The name Pickle Juice® is a registered trademark that was selected for the product because the proprietary grain of vinegar that is used to block the neural receptors that cause muscle

is a huge step forward and opens many doors to retailers searching for high quality products.

The new organic Volcano Lemon Ginger Burst® can be used for many culinary options including salads, entrées, water, tea, etc. Ginger is known to stimulate the immune system, reactivates metabolism to burn fat and aids in digestion.

lenge winner Spicy Seafood Seasoning. Other favorites in the line of 50-plus unique seasoning blends are Everything and More, Seattle Seafood, Chicago Chop, Hawaiian Hula, All-Natural Taco, Spicy Citrus Mojo and Adobo Seasoning.

For the holidays, three Seasoning Collection gift sets are available, each including a themed selection of four seasonings in shaker jars packaged in an attractive retail gift box. Choose regional flavors with Taste of America or award-winning BBQ rubs in the Barbecue Collection. Mediterranean includes favorite southern European herb blends.

As a woman-owned and family-run business, The Spice Lab takes great pride in being one of the world’s premier suppliers of sea salts and seasoning blends. Its extensive They have tasting notes of raisins, plum and some smoothness from oak barrels.

This product pairs well with any fine cheese or fruit, and finishes all dishes including salads, filet mignon, seafood dishes, grilled vegetables, certain desserts, vanilla ice cream, Greek yogurt, gelato and many more. It’s also great for salad dressings and entertaining guests, and is even delicious in drinks and seltzer water. milk in every size container, ranging from the small 14 ounce can you see at your local grocery store to 40,000 pound tanker trucks to fit the needs of industrial users.

Organic Sweetened Condensed Milk California Farms Organic Sweetened Condensed Milk is the perfect choice for anyone wanting to increase the amount of organic food in their diet without sacrificing flavor or quality. Formulated to do just cramping lead it to taste similar to pickle brine, the stuff from the jar.

Studies dating back to 2010 indicate that muscle cramps are a neurological issue rather than a physiological one so, contrary to popular belief, the cramps are not stopped by the high level of electrolytes in pickle juice; it’s the proprietary vinegar that functions as a neural inhibitor. Other features of Pickle Juice include that it is certified organic by the

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The new Volcano Lemon Ginger Burst flavor will be available by October of this year for immediate placements throughout mass market and natural/specialty retailers nationwide.

For more information, visit booth #1658, call 310.315.5739 or email sales@ dreamfoods.com.

product line includes salts, awardwinning seasonings and rubs, premium spices, peppercorns, natural sugars, loose teas, Himalayan salt shot glasses and plates, regional brands, private label and a wide array of corporate gifts.

These products are processed and packaged in The Spice Lab’s HACCP certified manufacturing facility in Pompano Beach, Florida. The company’s high quality brands can be found in grocery, gourmet, specialty gift shops, foodservice, club, major retailers and online through Amazon.com as well as www.spices.com.

For more information, call 954.275.4478, go to www.spices.com or email sales@the spicelab.com.

This item comes in Traditional, Apple, Fig, Pomegranate, Pear & Cinnamon, Bluberry and Black Cherry. Try them all!

Ariston’s 4-Leaf & Organic Balsamic Vinegar comes to you in a beautifully packaged box. Ariston cordially invites you to taste all its products, including its new CBD infused olive oil.

Visit Ariston at booth #2130. For more information, call 860.263.8498, email ariston specialties@hotmail.com or go to www.ariston specialties.com, www.facebook.com/Ariston OliveOil or www.instagram.com/ariston specialties. that, California Farms Organic Sweetened Condensed Milk is Santini Foods’ most assertive step forward towards a more healthconscious future.

Organic Evaporated Milk A timeless baking staple, creamy California Farms Evaporated Milk is just the ingredient to make a recipe for any occasion extra special.

For more information, visit booth #1609.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, sugar free, caffeine free, contains 10 times the electrolytes of common sports drinks and is made in the USA using only locally and domestically sourced component parts and ingredients.

Visit The Pickle Juice Company in the Swing Hall C at booth #1413. For more information, visit www.picklepower.com.

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Altramed Products Formulated for Pets, Too Since 1996, Altramed® Health Products Inc. (AHP) located in Quebec, Canada, has been a distributor of ESSIAC® products in North America. To this day, the company’s aim is to create the ultimate client experience. AHP works closely with all retailers and distributors and takes pride in excellent communications, account management and executive abilities in order to offer clients a better way

of purchasing.

ESSIAC is an herbal formula that has been available since 1922. The formula was given to nurse Rene Caisse from a Canadian Ojibwa Indian. Nurse Caisse prepared her original herbal formula into an herbal tea named ESSIAC, which is her last name spelled backwards. ESSIAC is sold in powder, liquid and capsule formulas. The ES-

VitaClay: A Healthy and Satisfying Choice VitaClay knows you are faced with a myriad of options for preparing your daily meals.

How do you select the perfect cookware for taste, texture, nourishment and satisfaction?

Between pressure cookers, crock pots and fast cookers, you may have some big questions.

Here are some answers to assist you in making a choice for meals that you will love and that can keep you feeling healthy and satisfied.

VitaClay is the only cooker made with a secret ingredient: unglazed organic clay.

Clay alkalizes your foods and amplifies flavors and nutrients, and the bells and whistles that VitaClay has added for your modern kitchen give you smart programming and loads of special settings.

VitaClay cooks in record time, using traditional heating methods to heat foods

Simple Mills Launches Almond Flour Brownie Mix Simple Mills is a rapidly growing Chicagobased company on the forefront of the clean food movement, transforming center store grocery aisles with products made from simple, whole food, nutrient dense ingredients.

The company’s mission is to enrich lives and bodies through simple, delicious, real foods that taste great in the moment and nourish your body for the long-term. Simple Mills

believes that if you don’t recognize an ingredient, your body won’t either, so it handpicks its ingredients with a purpose – only including things that nourish you.

Barely five years after launch, the company is the No. 1 baking mix brand and the No. 1 cracker brand in the natural category. Simple Mills is also the No. 3 cookie brand and has the No. 1 cookie item in the natural category.

Lancaster Local A2A2 Organic Milk Swiss Villa is pleased to announce the offering of Lancaster Local A2A2 organic cream line of milk. This non-homogenized milk presents the cream of the crop!

A2A2 is nothing new – just old-fashioned milk values without the A12 genetic mutation prevailing in American dairy products. Some say it makes a world of difference to them in their dairy consumption.

But look at what this new innovation has to offer! No light damage to this A2A2 organic milk! Noluma has partnered with the company to enable you to enjoy the truly fresh flavor of milk for the entire shelf life

of the milk. Beyond that, there is no compromising the vitamins in this naturally grassfed, nutrient-dense organic milk. Find the Noluma certification on the front panel of Lancaster Local milk to ensure you are getting the best.

You may choose Lancaster Local A2A2 organic milk in regular cream line whole milk, low fat non-homogenized milk or delicious chocolate whole milk that is pasteurized but not homogenized.

Probiotics in real milk with 100 percent A2A2 protein come in Lancaster Local’s drinkable yogurt. Real strawberries, blueberries and red raspberries flavor some offer-

Children’s Supplements from ChildLife ChildLife has been the No. 1 best-selling children’s supplement line in the natural products industry for the past seven years.

ChildLife is well known for developing specialty formulas which address and support the issues and challenges kids face in today’s world.

ChildLife is the result of the 20-plus years of extensive experience of Holistic Pediatrician Dr. Murray Clarke. Dr. Clarke was born in New Zealand and moved to America in 1984, where he began his study of medicine.

He now holds licenses and doctorates in three fields of medicine: Naturopathic Medicine, Homeopathic Medicine and Chinese Medicine (including Acupuncture and Herbology).

Dr. Clarke opened his medical clinic in Santa Monica, California, in 1988 with a general practice utilizing acupuncture, herbs, nutrition and homeopathy. One of the challenges Dr. Clarke faced was the lack of highquality supplements that were geared towards babies and children. This inspired

SIAC powder will need to be brewed and prepared the old fashioned way. The herbs in ESSIAC are grown specifically for ESSIAC from Canada and are harvested at peak times in order to ensure maximum botanical potency.

ESSIAC for Pets is also made from Nurse Rene Caisse’s original proprietary herbal formula, which contains a quality blend of premium burdock root, sheep sorrel, Indian evenly and it retains a consistent temperature inside without high pressure.

When the clay is heated up, it will store the energy in the pot, then use the energy stored to cook foods for the rest of the desired time with minimal electricity.

You can open the VitaClay lid anytime to check flavors, textures and add ingredients.

VitaClay housing doesn’t transfer any taste, because it is only clay that is touching your food. VitaClay is a fast, intelligent slow

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rhubarb and slippery elm.

ESSIAC for Pets is available in a convenient vegetable capsule.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

For more information, visit booth #3101, go to www.essiac.info or call 888.900.2299.

cooker that gives you a full meal in 20-30 minutes, plus it has a warming function so your food is ready at the perfect temperature when you’re ready to eat. In VitaClay, you can rest assured there is no pressure build-up inside your cooker.

VitaClay is easy to clean; simply clean it in hot running water with or without dish soap.

For more information, go to www.vitaclay chef.com or call 800.395.4361.

The brand has grown its store count in the past three years, going from 1,600 stores in 2017 to over 16,000 in 2019, ranging from Whole Food to Kroger, Publix, Safeway and Target.

Simple Mills recently launched a deliciously fudgy brownie that your taste buds will love. The almond flour brownie mix achieves the classic brownie taste and texture with simple, whole food ingredients and nothing artificial, ever. Unlike most brownie mixes where cane sugar is the No. 1

ingredient and the sugar content can be as high as 16 grams, the Simple Mills brownie mix puts nutrient rich almond flour front and center as the lead ingredient. The eight-ingredient list is rounded out with chocolate chips, Dutch cocoa powder, tapioca starch, arrowroot, sea salt and baking soda. Just add butter or oil, water and eggs, and bake. Your sweet tooth, and your body, will thank you.

ings, while the plain yogurt presents itself without any added sugars or flavors. Half pints and pints fit the needs of individual servings. The plain can be purchased in quarts and half gallons as well, to provide the base for the consumer’s own blends of fruits and desired sweeteners.

Lancaster Local organic A2A2 raw milk cheeses deserve strong consideration for any serious cheese display. Cheddar cheese with 100 percent A2A2 organic milk will call out to the dairy-intolerant crowd for reconsideration. Smoked cheddar, and a variety of flavors of herbs and spices, further whet the appetite. Stay tuned for Colby, Gouda, Hot Pepper Pack and the Speckled Herb.

Small farms in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, find markets for their milk via Lancaster Local. The company defines small as less than 65 milking cows per herd. Each farm must comply with soil enrichment and preservation programs. Animal care and healthful farming practices find regulation by the coop, Lancaster ECO (Enhance Community Organics).

Sustainability requirements establish fair prices to the farmers, and so without apology, the company presents you with Lancaster Local organic A2A2 milk in a sustainable manner. Enjoy, and enjoy it with true freshness!

Dr. Clarke to create his own formulas, specifically targeting the unique needs of children. ChildLife Essential’s formulas are all gluten free and non-GMO, verified by The Non-GMO Project.

ChildLife Essentials has 19 supplements, all specifically formulated to address the issues and challenges kids deal with daily.

First Defense is one of, if not the best, immune formulas ever developed for kids, while the Echinacea is the best tasting on the market. Aller-Care is great for support against environmental al-

Visit Simple Mills at booth #336.

For more information, go to booth #1146.

lergies. Cod Liver Oil provides 600 mg of DHA per serving – the highest level of any children’s supplement – and its delicious strawberry flavor has no fishy taste. Organic Vitamin D3 for Babies and Infants is the only organic D3 on the market for babies.

ChildLife Essentials has a 19year track record of success in providing parents the tools they need to help support their kids’ health needs and requirements.

Visit ChildLife at booth #3229.

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DreamOn Zen from RidgeCrest Herbals It is estimated that 60 million Americans deal with sleep issues each year. Whether you struggle to fall asleep or wake up with your mind racing, you are more likely to struggle during periods of high stress or anxiety.

Some of the most significant causes of sleep issues include: physical or emotional stress and discomfort; environmental factors such as light, noise and climate; unfamiliar surroundings, and irregular or unusual sleep schedules.

There are many products out there that may help you get more sleep, but at what cost? Attempts to promote sleep can create

feelings of grogginess the next day, memory loss, sleepwalking, temporary paralysis and dependence. Even melatonin may disrupt natural hormone production, leading to imbalances that may keep the restless cycle going. This is why RidgeCrest Herbals’ DreamOn™ Zen floats above the crowded market as if on a sleepy cloud. It is safe, natural and leaves you feeling refreshed while promoting healthier sleep and feelings of calm.

RidgeCrest Herbals’ DreamOn Zen has been through many evolutions in its life.

Brought to market for the first time in 1993,

Stock Tooling Program Aids Customers in Turn-Key Process Apex Display Group, founded in 2007 and located in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, is a brandfocused and customer-dedicated POP display company. The company’s mission is to design and produce cost-effective displays that support and build customer brands while also increasing customer retail sales. Apex supports customers’ in-store merchandising programs through innovative graphic and superior structural design. The company complements this

process with its vast manufacturing capabilities. Apex also has the capability to perform all assembly, pack out, warehousing, e-commerce and shipping that its customer companies require from Apex’s facility.

David McBride, Director of New Business Development, states that the company’s goal for the show is to reach new prospects. Apex is primarily interested in companies that are in the specialty food and organic CPG indus-

Elmhurst 1925 Expands Hemp Creamer Line Elmhurst 1925, maker of simple, nutritious and incredibly delicious plant-based nut and grain milks, is excited to announce the expansion of its Hemp Creamer line with new crowd-pleasing flavors: French Vanilla, Hazelnut and Golden Milk. Joining Original Unsweetened Hemp Creamer, the new Hemp Creamer flavors are crafted with just five simple ingredients, including real hemp cream. The new on-trend creamers are an easy and delicious way for anyone to enjoy the goodness of hemp

in their morning or afternoon coffee.

The creamers contain 350mg of omega-3 ALA per serving and only one gram of sugar, and are vegan, gluten-free, certified by the Non-GMO Project, dairy-free and OU kosher.

Like all Elmhurst products, Hemp Creamers are crafted through a unique HydroRelease™ method. Using just water, this process separates the components of a nut, grain or seed before reassembling them as a creamy, beverage-ready emulsion, maintaining the full nu-

Trace Minerals Introduces New Products Trace Minerals, America’s No. 1 selling trace mineral, liquid magnesium and performance nutrition brand according to SPINS® and the leading provider of trace mineral based supplements for over 40 years, has introduced an assortment of new products, all of which come with an unconditional “Feel the Difference or Your Money Back” satisfaction guarantee.

Effervescent Tablets Raspberry flavored Magnesium Effervescent Tablets – 150mg of magnesium, sugar free, gluten free, certified vegan and non-GMO. 10-tablets. Suggested retail price of $5.99.

Greens Effervescent Tablets – Melon lime flavor. Equivalent to a full serving of greens, vegetables and antioxidants, plus vitamins C, B12 and B1. 10-tablets. Suggested retail price of $7.99.

Collagen Effervescent Tablets – Peach mango flavor. Promotes healthy hair, skin, nails and joints. 250mg of collagen type I and

III. 10-tablets. Suggested retail price of $6.89.

Gummies Magnesium Gummies – Watermelon and tangerine flavors. 84mg of magnesium per gummy. Promotes healthy muscles, bones, cellular integrity, immunity and stress levels. 120 gummies. Suggested retail price of $29.99.

Omega Gummies – Blueberry flavor. Threegummy serving contains 135mg of omega-3 fatty acids – DHA 96mg, EPA 19.8mg – from fish oil. Supports the heart, brain, joints, metabolism, mood, aging and skin. 90 gummies.

Suggested retail price of $35.99.

Chewable Wafers Magnesium Chewable – Raspberry lemon flavor. 84mg of magnesium per wafer. 120 wafers. Suggested retail price of $29.99.

Zinc + Vitamin C Chewable – Raspberry flavor. 250mg of vitamin C and 40mg of zinc. 60 wafers. Suggested retail price of $15.86.

it was one of several products to have homeopathics added in 2006 in an industry-forward method of combining herbs and homeopathics, making it unique to the natural sleep industry. However, in 2018, RidgeCrest made the decision to again remove the homeopathics as governmental pressure increased against that method of care. At that time, what was originally called just “DreamOn” was changed to “DreamOn Zen,” to better capture the combination of sleep support and mood support that continues to make DreamOn Zen a revolutionary product. In fact, it recently won the Taste For Life Women’s Es-

tries. McBride says Apex is extremely proud of its stock tooling program, which includes hundreds of sets of Apex-owned tooling that it custom prints with a customer’s graphics.

In January 2019, the company added 40,000 square feet of assembly, pack out and warehousing space. This allowed it to include an additional high-speed shrink-wrapping line and to expand both its warehousing and e-commerce programs.

Through Apex’s stock tooling program, companies can develop custom-printed dis-

trition of the source ingredient without added gums or emulsifiers.

Elmhurst was founded in 2017, but the company’s roots date back to 1925.

Originally Elmhurst Dairy, the multigenerational, family-run organization, operated for almost a century under Max Schwartz and son Henry. After a meeting with plant nutrition pioneer, Dr. Cheryl Mitchell, Henry made a progressive pivot and decided to close his famous dairy plant and found Elmhurst Milked. All Elmhurst plant milks are created through a unique HyTMskincare Line All products are dye free, cruelty free, paraben free and fragrance free.

Bentonite Clay – Also called Indian Healing Clay. A spa quality, deep-pore cleansing, powerful facial mask. 16-ounce container, which is enough for between 10-15 facials.

Suggested retail price of $12.49.

Magnesium Lotion – Contains 5 percent magnesium chloride, one of the best forms of topical magnesium because of its purity, potency and rapid absorption rate into skin.

8-ounce bottle. Suggested retail price of $14.99.

Magnesium Gel – Offers all the same benefits to the skin as Magnesium Lotion, but contains 10 percent magnesium chloride. 8ounce bottle. Suggested retail price of $14.99.

Pure Magnesium Oil – Applied by spraying directly onto the skin. Contains 200mg of magnesium per 10 sprays and comes in an 8- and 4-ounce size. Suggested retail price for the 8-ounce and 4-ounce bottles is $19.99 and $14.99, respectively.

Zechstein Magnesium Oil – Also applied

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sentials Award in the category of Sleep Support.

RidgeCrest’s industry-unique approach creates a safe and natural botanical formula that taps into the body’s genuine ability to self-calm and relax for effective shut-eye, without unwanted effects. Unlike many natural sleep aids, DreamOn Zen does not contain melatonin, instead using herbs that promote relaxation and deep sleep so natural hormone production remains uninterrupted, as well as adaptogenic herbs to encourage waking refreshed, calm and happy.

Visit RidgeCrest Herbals at booth #3006.

play shipper programs without having to invest in the thousands of dollars typically associated with tooling. The company can complete all assembly and pack out of the customer’s product in the Apex facility, which allows a reduction in cost and turnaround for its customers. This creates a complete turnkey process, simplifying the entire experience for its customers.

Visit Apex Display Group at booth #555. For more information, go to www.apexpop.com or call 215.531.1756. droRelease method, which uses water to harness the full nutritional content of raw nuts, grains and seeds.

Nutrients are separated and recombined naturally to form a smooth, creamy beverage without the use of added gums or stabilizers. All Elmhurst varieties have six ingredients or less, no added gums or emulsifiers, and up to four times as many nuts as other leading brands.

For more information, visit booth #450 or go to www.elmhurst1925.com. by spraying onto the skin. Differs from the rest of the TMskincare magnesium products because the source of the magnesium comes from the ancient Zechstein Sea located in Northern Europe, as opposed to the Great Salt Lake located in Utah, USA. Zechstein Magnesium Oil also has 8- and 4-ounce size bottles for a suggested retail price of $17.99 and $12.99, respectively.

Magnesium Flakes – Relaxing and therapeutic body soak. Add 1-3 cups of Magnesium Flakes to a warm bath or foot bath and soak for a minimum of 30 minutes. 90g of magnesium per cup. 2.75-pound container.

Suggested retail price of $22.39.

Collagen Peptides – Unflavored powder. Can be used in water or any other beverage, even cooked into food. 20 grams of collagen type I and III, from grass-fed, pasture-raised bovine hides. Gluten-free, dairy-free, Paleo friendly. Two sizes: 560g, 28-servings jar; 280g, 14-servings jar. Suggested retail price of $49.99 and $29.99, respectively.

For more information, visit booth #3641.

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La Preferida: 70 Years Later, Still Going Strong From La Preferida’s humble beginnings as a small family grocery store in 1930s Chicago to the nationwide brand it is today, one thing remains the same: listening to its customers.

In the age of consumer transparency, La Preferida is proud to showcase its new ecofriendly packaging, as well as line expansions in key categories, such as organic, low sodium, vegetarian and kosher, while maintaining its commitment to authentic Mexican ingredients. By offering competitively priced organic products and alternative packaging, La Preferida’s goal is to empower the consumer to have healthier choices without paying more to do so.

At the forefront for La Preferida’s ecofriendly packaging initiative is its Tetra

Pak® line, featuring pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans and lentils, available in organic and low sodium options. Its beans in Tetra Recart® packaging are the first of their kind in the Hispanic food category in the U.S., following the trend in Latin and Central American countries. La Preferida’s unique packaging boasts recyclable materials made from renewable resources, easyopen and reclosable packaging, improved shelf utilization by 30 percent, and it is lightweight.

La Preferida’s recently launched Organic Seasoning line, which includes Organic Al Pastor Seasoning, Organic Taco Seasoning and Organic Fish Taco Seasoning, has proven to be an e-commerce hit, with sales

CBD Packaging Options from Alpha Packaging

By Marny Bielefeldt, Vice President of Marketing, Alpha Packaging

If you operate in the health, wellness and beauty sector, you cannot ignore the impact cannabidiol (CBD) products are having on your market. From beverages to beauty aids, supplements to sleep aids, and from pet products to insect repellents, CBD is finding its way into all the products we make and buy. Sales of CBD products hit $591 million in 2018, and the market for CBD-containing products is expected to grow dramatically

with the passage of the U.S. Farm Bill.

Alpha Packaging has more stock packaging options to serve the emerging market for CBD products than any other manufacturer.

Whether you have liquid CBD oils for pain management, tablets to help you sleep more soundly, ointments for topical pain relief or CBD sprays for repelling mosquitos, we have you covered with a wide array of light-protective, clear or colored plastic bottles and jars available right now. We also have a line of plastic jars that is designed to mate “flush” with child-resistant closures for an attractive

The food industry may not be the first to come to mind when someone uses the phrase “disruptive tech.” Though many ways in which technology has already shaped our world are obvious, some ways in which the ripple effect of big tech is causing movement are just starting to be discovered.

Businesses who are leveraging technology in small ways can make a significant impact in the food industry. The days of paper trails and manual processing are giving way to the innovative application of technologies originally developed for other industries.

trEAT4u is a line of 1-ounce snack bags that are a healthier grab and go option. Specially developed to meet a 10-point nutritional criterion, they are ideal for retailers looking for

Niwri is a unique beverage cold brewed from green tea and coffee cherries, also known as cascara. Cascara, which means “husk” or “skin” in Spanish, is the dried skins of coffee cherries. These pulped skins are collected after the seeds (i.e., the coffee beans) have

also make bottles from 100 percent post-consumer (recycled) resin and select bioresins. If you have a corporate sustainability goal for your packaging, please speak with an Alpha sales representative about the many options we can offer, from recycled content to light-weight packaging. We can help you find the best packaging solution to meet your sustainability goals and get your products to market quickly.

better-for-you snacks. trEAT4u is available in seven flavors of nuts, dried fruit and trail mixes. All flavors in the line offer no artificial ingredients, less than 200 calories and

been removed from the cherries.

People often inquire whether cascara is a coffee or tea. It’s something in between; cascara does not come from coffee beans or tea leaves but from the fruit of the coffee tree.

However, even though it comes from the cof-

GOURMET NEWS

and compliant way to package all of your products that require child-resistant packaging. When you need something entirely unique, Alpha’s inhouse design and engineering team will work with you to create memorable custom packaging that sets your brand apart. We are particularly good at using existing PET preforms to minimize upfront tooling costs and get your packaging into production as quickly as possible. When you’re catching the front end of a trend as big as CBD, you don’t want anything to hold you back from a rapid product launch.

All of Alpha’s plastic bottles and jars are made from recyclable materials, and we can

20g sugar with no cholesterol. The line includes Almonds, Fiber Crunch Delight, Fruit Bowl, Moonburst, Perfectly Fit, Sunshine Blend and Triple Treat. Whether your customers are looking for a quick pick-meup in the afternoon or a mid-morning snack, trEAT4u has a taste your customers will

White Coffee Introduces Niwri

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Preferida continues to shine through. Its Spanish Rice (canned) and Organic Diced Green Chiles are the No. 1 seller on Amazon and its canned bean business continues to be a high volume category for the brand. The versatility of La Preferida’s products as ingredients means customers can incorporate these items into a variety of dishes outside the Mexican food realm.

Building upon its strong roots in the Midwest, La Preferida is continually working to strengthen its relationships on the East and West coasts, so distributor/broker inquiries are always welcome. La Preferida is grateful and excited to be celebrating 70 years in the food industry in 2019, and looks forward to many more to come.

From the ground up, precision agriculture is leveraging advances in satellite, GPS and even photographic equipment to improve the efficiency of food production. The industry has already progressed from using tech to measure and track crop yields and soil levels, to monitoring weather patterns and water usage, and how these factors affect harvest. Now, the agricultural industry is beginning to see the positive impact of technologies and AI to differentiate between crop plants and their neighbors, for increased efficiency in the application of fer-

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increasing exponentially month over month, followed by Organic Salsa Verde and Organic Pico de Gallo. All products are free of MSG, additives and artificial preservatives.

Spearheading this surge in product development is La Preferida’s corporate chef, who is hands-on in the manufacturing process and also creates recipes for health-conscious consumers. His adaptations on traditional Mexican dishes focus on fresh produce, lean proteins and low-fat alternatives, helping to breathe new life and flavors into these old classics. You can find his many innovative ideas like piña colada rice pudding and baked fajita wings on La Preferida’s website.

Despite bouts of economic uncertainty in the CPG business, the resiliency of La

tilizers and pesticides.

Health, wellness and authenticity are a strong pull towards technology for Bellucci. As a leader in the production of high-quality extra virgin olive oil, the company launched its Trust Through Traceability campaign in 2014, creating its own consumer app to provide a transparent look into the food supply chain. Using a unique code printed on the label of every bottle, consumers can verify the authenticity of their extra virgin olive oil, as well as trace their bottle of Bellucci straight back to its source in rural Italy.

Bellucci has taken it one step further with

Bellucci’s Impact on the Food Tech Sector

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fee plant, it does not taste like coffee. Cascara has a sweet, fruity taste with notes of rose hip and hibiscus. The essence is similar to a superb blend of fruits including raspberry, currant, cranberry and cherry.

Aside from its taste, cascara is reputed to have many great health benefits.

Visit La Preferida at booth #1110.

Visit Alpha Packaging at booth #2929. For more information, go to www.alphap.com, call 800.421.4772 or email marny .bielefeldt@alphap.com.

the implementation of blockchain technology to provide even deeper insight into its process. Each actor in the supply chain creates and shares a permanent, unalterable record of the product journey from bottling to distribution to a distributed open ledger. The ultimate goal is to provide future consumers with complete transparency, from grove to grocer.

This is just the beginning, and Bellucci is dedicated to bringing food and tech closer together in order to drive innovation.

Visit Bellucci at booth #339. For more information, go to www.belluccipremium.com.

keep coming back for.

Available in 24 and 120 count boxes.

For more information, go to www.trulygood foods.com/treat4u.

The coffee cherry fruit has higher antioxidant levels than many other fruits high in antioxidants.

For more information, call 718.204.7900 or 800.221.0140, email info@whitecoffee.com or go to www.whitecoffee.com.

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Taj Food: Dedicated to Quality, Sustainability How can companies produce eco-friendly products, but also increase yield?

For over 25 years, Taj Food (Pvt.) Ltd. has been one of the largest organic processors of organic rice, dried fruits and sesame seeds in Pakistan. Having found successful business ventures across the globe, including North America, European Union, Africa and Asia, Taj Food continues to be the go-to organic supplier of organic product categories. It is the company’s practices and standards that set it apart from many other organic proces-

sors.

Over the years, Taj Food has built a relationship with its farmers, increasing sustainability each year along with educating the farmers on efficient and eco-friendly methods. It has actually noticed a big difference in its inorganic arsenic levels with its rice by having its farmers switch to using less water and better soil quality. Investing in such areas has benefited its Long Grain, Japonica/Round Grain, Basmati Grain and Red Grain rice with inheriting as low as 40 PPB

HyVIDA Sparkling Water Has Better Bubbles An interview with Rick Smith, President, Chief Executive Officer, co-Founder, HyVIDA. GN: Tell our readers about HyVIDA.

RS: HyVIDA is what you get when techsavvy entrepreneurs with spunk create a beverage. We harnessed hydrogen gas, a powerful antioxidant, infused it in sparkling water and added a dash of certified organic flavors.

GN: Like other sparkling waters, HyVIDA has zero calories, zero sugars, zero sweeteners and zero caffeine. What makes HyVIDA different?

RS: HyVIDA delivers amazing functionality to the sparkling water category and a unique taste experience. HyVIDA’s phenomenal for your body as the world’s first to infuse hydrogen gas (H2) into sparkling water to deliver powerful antioxidants. We

also added 30mg of magnesium, creating a user experience unlike any other sparkling water brand. Magnesium is a super mineral that aids the nervous system, reduces anxiety and has shown to help the body metabolize Vitamin D. Also, our process increases the pH to neutralize the acidity on the tongue and esophagus. The incredible result is a soft, bubbly experience that allows the certified organic flavors to leap over the palate.

GN: What does hydrogen do for the body that makes it an antioxidant?

RS: Many of our customers feel the Hy when they drink HyVIDA. Backed by over 1,000 published medical studies, hydrogen gas scavenges the body to neutralize free radicals directly in the cells, repairing environmental damage and soothing soreness.

Hydrogen (H2), being the smallest molecule, travels through the body much faster

WooBamboo Growth Exceeds Expectations for First Half of 2019 Despite its awesome lineup of toothbrushes for every member of the family, WooBamboo is not a toothbrush company. Its employees do not live and breathe toothpaste, toothbrushes or even floss. Instead, the company prides itself on its desire to inspire the world to do better, which makes it an inspiration company!

Recent reports show that WooBamboo’s mission is succeeding – growth for the first half of 2019 is at 134 percent compared to sales the company experienced in the same time period last year.

WooBamboo offers an extensive line of eco-friendly oral care products that inspire

the world to take care of their planet and give everyday consumers the power to do just that. WooBamboo offers bamboo toothbrushes for kids, adults and even pets, alongside other products that include all-natural toothpaste, biodegradable silk dental floss, and launching at Expo East – chewable toothpaste tablets, WooChews. WooBamboo products are designed to serve as quality improvements over the oral care products found littering landfills around the world. In fact, WooBamboo products can be found in 56 countries, and in more than 18,000 stores worldwide.

The company got its start on Earth Day in

Fall River Wild Rice: New Ways with America’s Native Grain Interest in plants and grains is soaring, as shoppers look for new ways to eat healthy.

High in protein and fiber, nutty and with a striking visual appeal, wild rice is one of the healthiest grains available. It was a sta-

ple food of several Native American tribes, who called it “manoomin” or “precious grain.”

Fall River Wild Rice brings this culinary gem to your store shelf. This naturally culti-

levels of inorganic arsenic.

As the climate changes and the population grows, the world needs a change in its farming ways. Farming is one of the top five causes of global warming, so the impact on the climate is more than we can imagine. Taj Food has dedicated itself to being one of the leaders in Pakistan in order to find answers. As it continues to embark on this journey of finding solutions, the company encourages all to join and give support in figuring out this question.

At its plant, Taj Food has integrated modern technologies to ensure the highest quality of product output, such as CO2 chambers, than Vitamin C, profoundly impacting athletes looking for a competitive edge, students cramming for an exam or professionals seeking to balance a healthy and social lifestyle.

GN: Who is HyVIDA’s target customer?

RS: Health-conscious people looking for better-for-you options in all aspects of their life. This includes the young, the spry, teens, kids, health freaks, domestic divas – anyone who drinks sparkling waters or values the benefits of a healthy beverage. We also see people using HyVIDA Hydrogen Infused Sparkling Waters as cocktail mixers. The crisp flavors make it an easy mixer and the functional benefits are an added reward – particularly the following morning.

GN: Is HyVIDA an energy drink?

RS: No, HyVIDA is not an energy drink.

Many consumers often feel ‘perkier,’ a sense of clarity, sharpness or calm after a can of HyVIDA. With only four ingredients: car-

April of 2013, and has grown substantially in the little over six years it has been in business.

WooBamboo’s latest stats show that it has replaced more than 3.5 million (plastic) toothbrushes with its sustainable bamboo option, and the company expects to add millions more to that number throughout the rest of the year and in the years to come. Though the company’s founders know their products won’t singlehandedly save the planet, they do serve as important reminders – both to the company and to consumers – that small changes in the way we all live our lives really do add up over time.

Waking up in the morning and brushing

vated wild rice is great in salads, soups and stir-fries. However, it also works well in mixes for pancakes and muffins and even in chocolate and desserts. Fall River’s Fully Cooked Wild Rice is high-protein goodness in seconds.

The only cereal grain native to North America, wild rice is not even a rice at all. It is the seed of Zizania plustris, a tall, blooming water grass that prospers in the Great

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heat treatment chambers, Infrared Sortex, vacuum packing and much more. Other than the technologies, Taj Food adheres to the highest standard of certifications, certified in organic, IFS, Sedex, FSSC22000, Naturland, KRAV and kosher.

The company will continue its search for answers while taking into consideration where all products are coming from and how they are being processed at its facility. The goal is to bring in and produce the highest quality foods while protecting health and the planet.

For more information, visit booth #511.

bonated water, magnesium, certified organic flavors and hydrogen, HyVIDA is a stimulant-free beverage made to Neutralize Negative Energy™.

GN: Where is HyVIDA sold?

RS: On Amazon and over 1,000 retailers across the USA, from natural independent stores to larger chains. We have great distribution partnerships with KeHE and UNFI supporting multiple distribution centers.

GN: What is the origin of the name HyVIDA?

RS: We’re having fun with the brand name.

How many brands get to tell people to do something healthy while sounding taboo ...

‘Get Hy™’! Hy is an abbreviation for both hydrogen and hydration, and VIDA means life.

Visit HyVIDA at booth #8907. For more information, go to www.hyvida.com, call 231.780.7450 or email rick.smith@hyvida.com.

with a sustainable and panda-friendly bamboo toothbrush can inspire people to make other environmentally friendly decisions throughout the day. On a global scale, such inspiration and the decisions it sparks can have a tremendous effect on the world. The team at WooBamboo believes that saving the world starts with inspiring people to make better decisions about the products they buy and use, and if the first half of 2019’s growth is any indication of that, they are certainly onto something. This sort of growth encourages WooBamboo to continue its mission to innovate, inspire and change the world.

Visit WooBamboo at booth #2734.

Lakes region, as well as in the fruitful valley in the shadows of the Sierra Nevadas and the Rockies. Fall River Wild Rice is a small grower-owned cooperative in the Fall River Valley, a rural mountain valley nestled between the Cascade and Sierra Nevada ranges.

For more information, call 800.626.4366 or go to www.fallriverwildrice.com.

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VitaClay Digital Express Cooker VitaClay Digital Express is the one daily kitchen counter top machine you’ll use every day and never put away.

You want delightful, delicious, fast and affordable meal choices. You want versatility and the ability to get great results with relatively little skill. You don’t want piles of dishes and a huge countertop clean-up. Sometimes you want to cook for just two, other times six. You don’t want to put in all the time, effort and ingredients to risk a failure.

The VitaClay Digital Express is a cooker that combines high tech with ancient art. VitaClay has combined one of the most simple, delightful, slow cooking techniques that has been used around the globe on every continent for 2,000 years and added the speed of digital technology plus mild sealed pressure to simplify your cooking while intensifying flavor. At the push of a button, you can have over a dozen world class cooking techniques at your fingertips and get incredibly succu-

New Bakery Brand Brings Handcrafted Flatbread Style to U.S.

By Lorrie Baumann

Breadeli is a new brand from Bakkavor, a British company that’s already familiar to American grocers who buy fresh prepared foods like hummus, burritos, meals and dips for their private labels. Although Bakkavor has heretofore been invisible to American consumers, it has decided to come out of the shadows with its Breadeli branded Rustic Flats. “We know that this product is fabulous; it resonates globally, and we wanted to bring it to the U.S.,” said Tanja Owen, Bakkavor Marketing Director.

It took Bakkavor two years of product development to tweak a product already a hit in the United Kingdom so that it would be a better fit both for American preferences in flavor profiles and for American shoppers who expect to see their breads in the bakery aisle. British shoppers expect to find breads that incorporate fresh ingredients in their

grocer’s refrigerator case – the same place that Americans would look for fresh pasta, while Americans are used to buying products like Breadeli Rustic Flats on open shelves where they’re stored at ambient temperature, Owen said. “The shopping behaviors are quite different,” she observed. “We want to make sure that we deliver the best product we can to the American consumer – we wanted to get it into the bakery, where we knew the consumer already visited.”

The flavor profiles for the Breadeli Rustic Flats, based on Bakkavor’s consumer research in the U.S., are Basil Pesto, Original, Italian Herb, Roasted Tomato and Garlic Butter. The bread beneath the flavor toppings is a schiacciata, a relative of focaccia whose origins go back to 15-century Tuscany, according to Ed Metzger, Bakkavor Senior Director of Business Development. “In order to test the ovens, they’d take a chunk of dough and throw it onto the hearth of the oven,” he

Smart Flour Reformulates Ancient-Grain Pizzas Smart Flour, which makes ancient-grain pizzas and crusts, has reformulated its lineup to deliver more flavor in every bite. The company has replaced its original whole-milk mozzarella with low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella in all of its pizzas so they’re less likely to burn and come out of the oven with better texture. The meat pieces are cut into smaller pieces now in both Smart Flour’s Uncured Pepperoni and Chicken Sausage Piz-

zas. That ensures that consumers will get even distribution of the toppings, so they taste the meat in every bite. Smart Flour Classic Cheese Pizza is now Four Cheese Pizza, with Parmesan and romano cheeses now added to the original mozzarella and provolone blend, and for its Traditional Margherita, Smart Flour is now using fresh basil.

What hasn’t changed is the brand’s commitment to serving up ancient grains in

Barbecue Sauces for the Sugar-Shy

By Lorrie Baumann

For health-conscious consumers who’ve woken up to the realization that condiments and sauces may contain ingredients that they’re no longer comfortable with ingesting, Maurice Jenkins, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mugger’s Marrow LLC, has created Stick ‘em up! sauces.

These are an organic spin on traditional barbecue sauces that contain no granulated sugar. They’re also low calorie, low sugar and low in sodium.

A long-time grilling enthusiast, Jenkins got his start in the food business when he looked at the ingredients label of the barbe-

cue sauce he’d been buying in his local grocery store. “I noticed that there was a lot of stuff that isn’t good for you,” he said. “I just looked at that and said, ‘That stuff has no business going in your body.’”

Other barbecue sauces on the shelf presented much the same issue to him, so he decided that he was going to have to make his own. At first, the sauce was just for his own use, but then he decided to take some barbecued ribs with him over to a dinner at a friend’s house.

The fruit that he’d been using as an ingredient happened to be out of season at the time, so Jenkins had to do some tinkering with his recipe, substituting in different fruit,

lent results.

This is not just an appliance to replace a slow cooker, a roaster, a pressure cooker and a crock pot. It replaces a rice cooker, a steamer and more. About the only thing it does not do is deep fry or scramble eggs. The VitaClay delivers incredible versatility with delayed timed start or instant start with cook cycles that range from minutes to hours with auto warming at the end.

Perhaps the most important feature of the said. “It’s an almost instant bake on the hearth, and essentially, that’s what we’ve replicated in a modern fashion.... It’s a pristine deck with about 10 ingredients on each product offering – all ingredients that people would be familiar with.

There are no artificial flavors and no preservatives.”

A lot of hand-crafting goes into the product, starting with two starters – one of them a sourdough starter that originated more than 15 years ago on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. that contributes tangy flavor and some of the airy pockets in the bread – and then a 24-hour fermentation. The dough is divided carefully, to preserve the air pockets, and then each loaf is hand-stretched to size. “No loaf will ever be identical,” Metzger said.

Once it’s stretched, the loaves receive their flavor toppings, and then they’re baked at an extremely high temperature to develop a crispy crust and expand the interior voids. As soon as they’re baked, the loaves go into a

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VitaClay Digital Express is actually the clay itself. Clay is naturally alkaline and slow heat allows a full bouquet of flavors to develop. The slight pressure of the device helps lock in nutrients that the high heat of a pressure cooker can destroy. The secret is the combination of sealed clay pot cooking that allows continuous, even low heat with mild pressure.

For more information, go to www.vitaclay chef.com or call 800.395.4361. blast freezer to maintain all of their freshness.

The bread is shipped frozen from Bakkavor’s new 35,000 square-foot state-of-the-art bakery plant in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It has a nine-month shelf life in the freezer, thaws in 20 minutes, and then has a five-day shelf life after thawing plus an additional two days for the consumer.

Bakkavor is supporting the roll-out, which will start on the East Coast, with both digital, social media and a variety of in-store marketing assets that will help to direct customers who are already in the store, where 70 percent of decisions on products are made, over to the bakery aisle, Owen said.

“My goal as a marketer is to drive traffic to the bakery and to drive total bakery sales by driving Breadeli,” she said. “Marketing will be a big element. Sampling will be another key element because we believe that when people taste this, we’ve got them hooked.”

For more information, visit www.breadeli breads.com.

every slice.

Smart Flour’s certified glutenfree pizzas start with a NonGMO Project Verified crust that’s made with a unique flour blend of sorghum, amaranth and teff.

These ingredients give the pizzas a healthy boost of fiber, protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals that far surpasses the nutritional profile of other whole-grain- and gluten-free options on the market. The gourmet pies are then topped with carefully-selected, clean ingredients that in-

clude a traditional and tasty tomato sauce, hormone-free c h e e s e blend, and the best-tasting, nitrate/nitritefree uncured pepperoni and hand-selected sausage in the meat versions.

Smart Flour’s pizzas are available at select natural and mainstream markets nationwide for a suggested retail price of $6.99 to $7.99.

but he had new sauce ready when it was time to fire up the smoker, and the ribs were a hit with his friends – and, more importantly, with an older relative who was visiting his host’s home. “Older folks will tell you the god’s-honest truth about how something tastes. He just loved it,” Jenkins said. “He had a big smile on his face, and he nodded and let me know that he really enjoyed the sauce.... That gave me the inspiration to go forward.... The flexibility of the product just gave me the impetus to try to market it.”

He’s now offering his Stick ‘em up! sauces in four flavors: Spicy Orange and Pineapple Jalapeno, the first two in the line; Mango Habanero and Agave Garlic.

The sauces work well with any sort of meat, fish or chicken, according to Jenkins.

“My vegetarian customers love it as well. It’s

very vegan friendly,” he said. “It can go into dips, nachos, pizza topping. Mango Habanero, in particular, has been used as a cocktail sauce for oysters, and it makes a great Bloody Mary mix.”

Each of the sauces is based on agave and garlic, with three of them containing some peppers for a kick and some fruit to balance out the heat with some sweetness. Spicy Orange is a smoky sauce, the most like a traditional barbecue sauce, with paprika, cayenne and chipotle to provide the smokiness.

“Pineapple Jalapeno has a nice balance of sweet and spicy,” Jenkins said, “and the Mango Habanero brings the heat along with the great taste.”

Visit www.smartflourfoods.com more info.

for

For more information, visit www.muggers marrowllc.com.

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Specialty Food Producers Bring Home the Gold

By Lorrie Baumann

The Specialty Food Association honored cheeses in two categories this year: cheeses made from cow milk and cheeses made either from milk from other species or from mixed milks. Bellwether Farms’ Whole Milk Ricotta won the gold award for cow milk cheeses, and Vermont Creamery’s Coupole won the gold award for other cheeses. Best new product awards in those categories went to Cabot Creamery for its Cabot Centennial Cheddar, an aged cheddar made five years ago in a limited edition to celebrate Cabot Creamery’s centennial anniversary and offered at retail in 1-pound deli bars and to Cypress Grove for Straight Up, a fresh goat cheese that’s packaged for retail sale in a 4ounce cup.

In other dairy categories, Vermont Creamery won a gold sofi Award this year for its Cultured Butter with Sea Salt Crystals and TEA*RRIFIC! Ice Cream won a gold sofi Award for its Masala Chai. New product awards in those categories went to Pyrotechnic Foods LLC for Fireworks Finishing Butter Honey Lavender Sea Salt and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams for its Frose Sorbet.

In the baked goods category, Date Lady Inc. won the gold award for Date Lady Fruitcake, and Just Date Syrup won the gold award in the category for baking ingredients. Sutter Buttes Olive Oil Company’s Blood Orange

Olive Oil Brownie Kit won the gold award in the baking mix category. Atalanta Corp. won the gold award for a dessert topping or sauce with Deca & Otto Dulce de Leche.

Wildly Delicious Fine Foods won the gold award for its Korean BBQ Grilling Sauce in the barbecue sauce category, while Wozz!

Kitchen Creations took the gold award for its Vietnamese Green Tea & Mint in the condiment category, and Bitchin’ Inc. won the gold award in the salsa and dip category for its Original, while RealStuff Inc. won the gold award in the hot sauce category for Organic Sriracha. In the cooking sauces and marinades category, Spicemode LLC won the gold award for its Vindaloo, and India Spice Palette LLC won the award in the seasoning and spice category with its All-Natural Indian Spice Blend.

Sweets are well represented in this year’s sofi Awards categories, and Rigoni di Asiago USA LLC won the gold Award in the honey category for its Mielbio Italian Honey Acacia. BRINS Jam & Marmalade won in the jam and preserve category with its Lemon Saffron Marmalade. In the confection category, Katherine Anne Confections won the gold award for Rosemary Sea Salt Caramel.

Goodnow Farms Chocolate won the gold award in the dark chocolate category with Ucayali, 70%; Askinosie Chocolate’s Coconut Milk Chocolate Bar took the gold award in the category for milk and white

Clean, Refreshing Coconut Water from TAJA

By Lorrie Baumann

TAJA Coconut Water is the only patented cold-filtered coconut water on the American market. Made from tender green coconuts harvested when they’re just 90 days old and then filtered with a seven-step cold filtration system, TAJA contains no juice, no sugar and no stabilizers. “It never turns cloudy; it never turns pink. It’s just like nature intended

it to be,” says company President Hallie Lorber.

The company started two years ago after TAJA’s founder Nilang Patel discovered that he was unable to find in the U.S. the kind of coconut water he was used to while he was growing up in India. With his background in the beverage industry, he had the intellectual tools necessary to solve that problem. “Since he couldn’t find it and didn’t like any of the

Duck Fat Now Available in a Cooking Spray

By Lorrie Baumann

Cornhusker Kitchen has introduced Duck Fat Cooking Spray to the market. Packaged in a 7-ounce can with a two-year shelf life, Duck Fat Cooking Spray delivers a fat beloved by high-end chefs in a format that appeals to home cooks, including those who grill and barbecue, as well as consumers who are practicing keto and Paleo lifestyles, said Dennis Schuett, who developed the product and introduced it to the market along with his business partner, Roger Brodersen. “The duck fat doesn’t overpower – it just makes food better,” he said. “We have such a diversity in our customers – it’s amazing.”

Schuett’s development of the Duck Fat Cooking Spray happened over the course of four years and started with Coney dogs.

Schuett was serving Coney dogs in his cafes in Omaha and needed beef tallow to make the authentic sauce, and his source for his “secret ingredient” happened to mention one day that he could also supply duck fat from a Pennsylvania pasture-raised duck farm if Schuett had a use for it.

That greased the wheels in Schuett’s culinary brain. “I got on the computer and started learning more and more about duck fat and found it to be one of the most wonderful cooking fats I’d ever dealt with,” Schuett said. “This, you can spray on food. You can spray it on your pan for a wonderful pan release, but you can feel good about spraying it right on your food.”

He learned that duck fat was shelf-stable with a melting point around 58 or 59 degrees and that it has a high smoke point. “So I

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chocolates; and Italian Products USA won the gold award for chocolate candy with Croccante al Pistacchio con Cioccolato Bianco-Kant. Goodnow Farms Chocolate also won a new product award in the chocolate candy category with Special Reserve, 77% Dark Chocolate with Putnam Rye Whiskey. In the cookie category, Douglas Sweets won the gold award with Italian Lemon Rosemary Shortbread. SuperSeedz won the gold award for SuperSeedz in the sweet snack category.

In the savory snack category, Noosh Brands took home the gold sofi Award for Keto Coffee Almond Butter, while East Hampton Gourmet Foods had the best cracker with its Lentil Rice Crispbread Turmeric + Nigella Seed. That cracker also won the award for the best new product in the category. The Dessert Table LLC won the gold award in the granola, cereal category for Roots and Seeds Granola, and Manna Organics LLC won the gold award in the nut or seed butter category with Manna Butter – Dark Chocolate Pecan.

In beverage categories, Lettieri & Co. Ltd. won the gold sofi Award in the category for ready-to-drink cold beverages with Tomarchio Organic Aranciata Rossa, a sparkling blood orange soda from Sicily, and Bittermilk LLC won the gold award for a drink and cocktail mix with its No. 2 Tom Collins with Elderflower & Hops. In the hot beverage category, the gold sofi went to Katherine Anne Confections for Mexican Drinking Chocolate Mix, and Republic of Tea Inc. won the gold sofi for Milk Oolong Full-Leaf Tea in the tea category.

Built by Bees Inc. won the gold sofi Award in the vinegar category for its Sourwood Balsamic Vinegar. The award for the best olive oil went to Henri Mor SL for Private Reserve Henri Mor, while The Art of Pecan won the award for other oils with its Pure Pecan Oil. In the category for meat, poultry and charcuterie, Tempesta Artisan Salumi, formerly ‘Nduja Artisans, of Chicago, Illinois, received the gold award for its Culatello, made in the traditional manner with sea salt, black pepper and red wine and aged for a minimum of one year. The gold award for the best seafood product went to Acme Smoked Fish Corporation for its Blue Hill Bay Smoked Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon, smoked with natural hardwood and packaged for retail sale in 3-ounce plastic envelopes of pre-sliced, ready-to-eat product. Pacific Pickle Works Inc. won the gold award for the best pickled vegetable or preserved fruit or vegetables with its Fenn Shui, a pickled fennel root in a rice vinegar-based brine accented with ginger, citrus zest and Thai chile.

Lotus Foods won the gold award in the category for pasta, rice or grain with its Organic Dehraduni Basmati Rice, and the gold award for the best pasta sauce went to Sundried Red Pesto with Genovese Basil DOP. Nona Lim received the gold award in the pre-made category with Thai Coconut Lime Bone Broth Heat & Sip Cup, a bone broth inspired by classic flavors of Thai cuisine and packaged for retail sale in a 10-fluid ounce cup. It’s made from chicken bone broth simmered with coconut cream, lemongrass oil and ginger root.

brands that were out there, he created it himself,” Lorber said.

After figuring out the patented process that’s used to extract the water from the coconuts he was able to source from local farmers in India, he opened a zerowaste production facility in India and started the company.

“In the last year and a half, we named it, gave it a great personality, gave it great packaging and sold it into retail,” Lorber said.

The packaging is a triangular 10-ounce polyethylene bottle that’s labeled with the

same PET, so that it’s completely recyclable. “It’s the easiest to recycle,” Lorber said. “It can be recycled up to four times.”

The triangular-sided bottle mimics the shape of the natural coconut, and it offers the extra advantage that the bottles fit together without wasted space, so that an entire 12-count case of the bottles will fit on a shelf in the produce aisle, where the product has already seen significant success since its February launch. “It makes for easy merchandising,” Lorber said.

thought, ‘what a wonderful cooking fat it could be if we could put it into a spray application for searing or for using as a binder for rubs and spices,’” he said. “It would be so much easier than heating up a fat or using a brush and trying to get all the areas covered.”

That began Schuett’s search for the way to turn the duck fat into an aerosol spray. “I started looking at the world of aerosols, and for the most part, I didn’t like what I found,” he said. “Many ingredients had nothing to do with the flavor.” When he discovered bag-on-valve technology, which features a product-filled bag inside a can that uses pressure between the can and flexible bag to propel a spray without the need for chemical propellants, he was, he says, “the happiest person in the world.” With the technology secured, Schuett next had to find a copacker that was certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to handle a poultry

product and that was willing to house Schuett’s new equipment before he could go into production. Schuett found that combination in the state next door to his Nebraska home, and he now has a product that’s already being embraced by specialty food grocers around the U.S. and by competitors on the country’s barbecue circuit who are finding that it allows them to achieve a great reverse sear with attractive grill marks. “It’s sure nice on vegetables too,” Schuett said.

“Air fryer folks are using it too. It’s like a godsend for those. It’s easy to clean up, and you hardly have to use any, and it creates a wonderful savory finish on fish, on pork or beef – I could just go on and on.”

Cornhusker Kitchen Duck Fat Cooking Spray retails for $8.99 to $12.99 for the 7ounce can. Cases contain six cans.

For more information, call Dennis Schuett at 402.306.5958 or email dennis@duckfat spray.com.

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Bone Suckin’ Recipes Use these six recipes to make delicious meals with Bone Suckin’ products.

Bone Suckin’ Ribs Recipe Ingredients: Bone Suckin’ Sauce, 16 oz. jar Baby Back Pork Ribs, 5 lbs.

Instructions: Preheat grill or oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Put ribs in shallow pan and baste with Bone Suckin’ Sauce. Cover ribs with foil. Cook for 3 hours. Uncover, baste with Bone Suckin’ Sauce. Raise grill or oven temp to 350 degrees. Cook ½ hour uncovered but still in pan, basting again after 15 minutes.

4 Step Bone Suckin’ Baked Asparagus Recipe Ingredients: Bone Suckin’ Vegetable Seasoning, season to taste Asparagus, 1 bunch Olive Oil, drizzle

Instructions: Place asparagus on baking sheet. Drizzle

olive oil over asparagus. Pour Bone Suckin’ Seasoning over asparagus. Bake asparagus at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-18 minutes.

Bone Suckin’ Chicken Recipe Ingredients: Bone Suckin’ Sauce, 16 oz.

Chicken, 1

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (set oven rack to middle position). Pat chicken dry using paper towels, place chicken on the baking pan lined with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup). Season both sides of chicken with salt and black pepper. Bake chicken for 45 minutes. Pour Bone Suckin’ Sauce over the chicken, turning the pieces over with tongs to coat both sides. Bake for about 15 minutes more or until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees).

Bone Suckin’ Chicken Wings Recipe Ingredients: Bone Suckin’ Wing Sauce, 1 jar Chicken Wings, 2 pounds Butter, ½ lb. melted

Ruth’s Mustard Named Small Business Champion

By Lorrie Baumann

Founded in 2012, Ruth’s Mustard LLC, founded by Laurel Smith along with her husband Ed, is a New Hampshire company that’s one of the businesses operating out of Genuine Local, a shared-use commercial kitchen located in Meredith, New Hampshire and owned by Mary and Gavin Macdonald. Like the Macdonalds and some of the other small food producers there, Smith lost the use of her previous facility when it suddenly closed with little notice. “When that went out, we were out,” Laurel says.

With a four- to five-hour trip to the nextclosest available commercial kitchen, that might have been the end of the business, but Ruth’s Mustard was rescued by the Macdonalds’ decision to build the new shared-use facility and open it as Genuine Local. “They bought all the equipment and kept it going and kept us going,” Laurel says. Genuine Local is still a two-hour drive from her home, so she still spends a lot of time on the road on mustard-making days, but that’s just part of the price tag for keeping the business going. “When we make it, it’s a haul, but we

want to keep doing it,” says Laurel.

The “Ruth” in the mustard’s name is Laurel’s Grammy Scranton, who used to make her special mustard for family celebrations. “I thought everyone ate this as a kid. I didn’t know it was a unique flavor,” Laurel says. “They’d eat it with ham. It was usually what she put on the ham – just drizzled on. Now people use it for everything.”

Laurel herself started making the mustard without a thought that she’d ever sell it. Instead, she gave jars to friends. And then friends asked for more. They said they’d buy it. Suddenly, she had orders for 61 jars, and she had to step up her production from the eight jars a night she’d been making when she was handing them out as gifts. “We were now up to 24 jars a night to get this order done,” Laurel says.

As the orders kept coming in, it was obvious that she was either going to have to scale back or move out of her home kitchen. “I got an idea, which are the words that totally make my husband cringe,” she says.

The idea was that if they took Grammy Scranton’s mustard into real commercial production, they could use it as a vehicle to help

A More Convenient Way to Maple Your Morning

By Lorrie Baumann

Bascom Maple Farms' Maple Stream is 100 percent pure USDA certified organic maple syrup, packaged in an eco-friendly can that doesn't need to be refrigerated, as other maple products do, so it's very convenient for a multitude of uses. Bascom Maple Farms sources additional maple from small family farms in the U.S. – more than 3,000

of them – that share its commitment to quality, environment stewardship and sustainable forestry management. By purchasing their syrup, and bringing it to market, Bascom Maple Farms supports other small farmers and builds local, rural economies.

In the Maple Stream, the syrup is forced out of the can by air pressure. The syrup streams rather than sprays, so it's not not atomized into a fine mist. Bascom Maple Farms Maple

Instructions: Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place rack inside large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and arrange chicken wings. Place wings in oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove wings from oven and coat with butter. Cook for 25 more minutes. Pour Bone Suckin’ Wing Sauce in bowl. Remove wings from oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees.

Dip wings in sauce using tongs, coating evenly. Put wings back on wire rack. Cook 15 more minutes or until done.

Bone Suckin’ Blackberry Chicken Salad Recipe This wonderful and healthy recipe won top honors in Taste of the South Magazine.

Ingredients: Bone Suckin’ Sauce, 2 - 16 oz. jars Chicken breast, 4, boneless and skinless Blackberries, 1 cup Walnuts, 1 cup Gourmet greens salad mix, 16 oz.

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Place chicken breast in oven safe pan. Pour 1 jar of Bone Suckin’ Sauce over chicken.

Bake in oven for 1 hour or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees. Cut chicken into strips. Place on gourmet greens salad, add fresh blackberries and shelled walnut pieces. Use second jar of Bone Suckin’ Sauce to drizzle over salad. Recipe serves four.

Bone Suckin’ 4 Step Steak Recipe Ingredients: Bone Suckin’ Steak Seasoning & Rub Steaks, 2, ribeyes or your choice

Instructions: Rub both sides of steaks with Bone Suckin’ Steak Seasoning 30 minutes before grilling and let stand at room temperature. Preheat grill with direct and indirect cooking areas. Sear steaks over direct heat, then move to indirect heat to finish. Remove and let rest 5 minutes. Can also do in cast iron skillet.

For more information, visit booth #553, call 919.833.7647 or email sales@ bonesuckin.com.

others, as Grammy Scranton herself would have liked. “You always felt welcome, and she always made sure people had enough, and she was always concerned about other people,” Laurel remembers. “When we started this, we didn’t feel like it was ours, so we used her name and put her picture on the label. And we said we’ll make sure we share.”

Today, Laurel and Ed are making nine flavors of mustard in batches of 250 jars. The two of them can make two batches a day, and the mustards are sold in shops across New Hampshire and online nationally – Laurel’s son Cory handles some of the sales. Ten percent of the profits are donated to charities, which have included local charities that serve the homeless, the Make a Wish Foundation and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

“We’ll give 10 percent to feed the need of others, whatever their need may be,” Laurel says. “We feel if you have it and you share it, it comes back. She had the attitude of, ‘Give your best, and God gives you the rest.’”

In 2018, Ruth’s Mustards was named a Small Business Champion by SCORE, the Service Corps of Retired Executives, the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors. Ruth’s Mustard earned the title of American Small Business Champion by submitting an online application describing what makes their business one of the best small businesses in their community, and

how they plan to use the prizes to grow their business. Nominations that garnered at least 100 votes were then presented to a judging panel of small business experts that determined 102 winners – two for each state plus the District of Columbia – including Ruth’s Mustard. Ruth’s Mustard stood out for many reasons, according to the judgest, not the least of which is that the company was donating that 10 percent of its profits to charities.

Ruth’s Mustards’ nine flavors include Original Hot & Sweet, Sweet Grillin’ Glaze, Cranberry, Raspberry, Garlic, Horseradish, Jalapeno, Cracked Black Pepper and Maple Mustard Marinade. In addition to single 7 fluid ounce jars, Ruth’s Mustard also offers three-jar gift sets packed in miniature crates made by Laurel’s son Dwight from recycled wooden pallets and gallons for foodservice use, and she also takes private-label orders.

All of the mustards are gluten free, and the Maple Mustard Marinade is paleo. “All of them have vinegar, mustard and sugar – except for the maple. The maple is made with natural organic maple extract in addition to local maple from our area. There’s no coloring or salt – most of them are three or four ingredients,” Laurel says.

Stream offers the distinct advantage that it's not going to spill all over the table if it gets tipped.

Mess-free and portion-controlled, the product helps consumers avoid sticky situations.

During consumer testing for the new product, one of the things that the company heard from parents was that they'd use real maple syrup themselves, but they didn't want to give it to their kids because they didn't want to take the risk that it would be spilled and wasted.

This new packaging solves that problem.

The Maple Stream doesn't require refrigeration because the syrup is sealed so that no air can get into it, so bacteria can't grow.

“From the bulk containers to this package,

it's a unique way of packing it,” said Arnold Coombs, Director of Sales and Marketing for Bascom Maple Farms and a seventh generation sugarmaker.

Since it doesn't need refrigeration, the Maple Stream can come warm to the table, so it doesn't cool down the flapjacks or the French toast or the coffee or tea to which it's added. “We're spoiled up here in Vermont, and a lot of people put maple in their coffee or tea,” Coombs said. “We have a local bartender who's experimenting with it for maple mojitos – it's a lot easier just to squirt it in than to go to the refrigerator for a bottle. A lot of uses we hadn't thought of are now coming to light.”

For more information, visit www.ruths mustard.com and look for Ruth’s Mustard on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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North Country Smokehouse Offers Certified Humane Pork Products

By Lorrie Baumann

North Country Smokehouse is focusing its creative energies this year on its transition to Certified Humane and organic status. “We want to be true to our roots,” said Chief Operating Officer Aaron Corbett, who joined the company in 2015 following its acquisition by Canadian firm Les Specialites Prodal Ltee. Previous to the acquisition, the Claremont, New Hampshire-based company had been family-owned, but when third-generation owner Mike Satzow wanted to retire, he picked the buyer he wanted for the company, and that was another family-owned company that shared his values. “It was a third-generation family-owned smokehouse that evolved from an old-style butcher shop to a smokehouse in the ‘70s,” Corbett said. “It went from a third-generation family-owned company to a fourth-generation familyowned company. It’s a different family, but it’s all about family-owned.”

Les Specialties Prodal sister company Les Viandes du Breton produces Certified Humane and organic pork and supplies much of the pork that goes into North Country Smokehouse bacon, sausages and hams. That existing commitment to organic meat as well as Satzow’s desire to transition his products

to Certified Humane meat that predated his sale of the company were already driving changes at the company – Satzow was an early adopter of Certified Humane labels for his products, but this year, Corbett and his team are putting extra effort into redefining North Country’s role in the sustainable food movement. “All of our organic products are Certified Humane Raised & Handled®,” Corbett said. “We believe that ensuring an animals right to fair and adequate treatment is in line with the true spirit of organic. These values significantly impact our future direction.”

Just in the last three years, North Country Smokehouse’s supply chain and its product line have both evolved toward specialty products made from premium organic and Certified Humane pork, primarily from Duroc swine. “We’re committed to hand-crafting small-batch recipes with premium ingredients, exceptional flavor, respect for livestock and the land,” Corbett said. “We feel that we offer the entire package, and that our values align with those of our customers.”

The evolution faces some economic hurdles, both for duBreton and for the small farmers who supply that portion of the meat that’s not produced by duBreton itself. A transition from conventional agriculture to organic is a three-year process that requires

IT’SUGAR Sells Laughter. Also, Candy

By Lorrie Baumann

With over 100 stores scattered across 27 states, IT’SUGAR has become the largest specialty candy retailer in the world.

Founded by Chief Executive Officer Jeff Rubin in June 2006 with a store in front of Caesar’s Palace Hotel, right on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the chain has just opened a new flagship store on the Las Vegas Strip, right across the street from the Bellagio Hotel’s famous fountains.

Like Las Vegas itself, IT’SUGAR shops are fantasies in which adults can recapture the fun of childhood while enjoying guilty pleasures spiced with a smidgeon of temptation. And like Las Vegas itself, they’re a world in which children are welcome, but they’re not the primary market for the thrills that are offered. “It’s a much more modern version of a traditional candy shop,” Rubin said. “We’re creating a theater to immerse you in the humor, in the fun experience of our store, so that you have a very entertain-

ing time while you’re in our store.”

Like the new Las Vegas store, the other IT’SUGAR stores, which range from 2,000 to 7,000 square feet in size, are in places where people congregate when they’re looking for fun – mostly in resort areas or the kind of lifestyle centers that also include restaurants, bars and theaters. Their lively music and colorful art and fixtures draw in passers-by who wander in looking for fun and stay to buy candy that’s as much about humor as it is about sweetness. “We can obviously satisfy a sweet tooth, but more importantly, we were put on Earth to provide an irreverent escape from the mundane world,” Rubin said. “We have created a store that makes you laugh, smile and enjoy yourself...When you’ve finished dinner at one of the entertainment vendors, you get hit with music and these funny products. You find yourself walking out with something you didn’t even know you needed.”

Customers are met just inside the front door with stacked tiers holding bowl after bowl of pick-and-mix candy on island fixtures around

Chloe’s Dairy Free Dark Chocolate Dipped Pops, Nickelodeon Pops

By Lorrie Baumann

Chloe’s™ has expanded its line of Fruit Pops made from only fruit, water and cane sugar with new Dairy Free Dark Chocolate Dipped and Nickelodeon-branded Pops. “We created Chloe’s with kids in mind. At the outset, we were simply looking to offer a clean, delicious frozen treat that kids would love and parents would feel great about serving to

their family,” said Founder Chloe Epstein.

She started the company in 2010 with a New York City store that competed with frozen yogurt shops with its line of Soft Serve Fruit made from just fruit, water and cane sugar. A downtown flagship store remains open, but the company has since shifted its focus to packaged retail products like the Fruit Pops. Starting in 2014, Chloe’s now offers nine core varieties that had been popular

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an up-front conversion to organic methods and then a three-year period while those organic methods are practiced before the operation can achieve organic certification. During that time, the farming operation usually has to absorb the extra costs of organic production without getting the price premium that comes along with the certification that it hasn’t yet achieved.

The farmers who sell their swine to duBreton don’t face that particular hurdle, according to Corbett. “One thing that’s unique about duBreton – rather than putting the financial strain on the farm, they fund that for them over the three-year certification period,” he said. DuBreton doesn’t base the price it pays those farmers on market rates – instead, it buys its meat for a price that ensures that its farmers can afford to stay in business regardless of what the overall market is doing. “No matter what, that guarantees that they’re getting a fair price for every hog they raise,” he said. “They wanted to make sure that the network they’ve created is sustainable for everyone involved.”

North Country Smokehouse now has an extensive range of organic and Certified Humane deli meats, sausages, ham and turkey as well as the bacon on which the company built its reputation. “We’re really proud of the bacon,” Corbett said. “We now have a

For more information about North Country Smokehouse, go to www.ncsmokehouse.com.

the floor, and they’re lured farther inside by shelves stacked with giant boxes of Nerds; “Saturday Night Live” confections; limited edition flavors of Starburst chews; nearly two dozen flavors of gummy bears; marshmallow unicorn poop, giant gummy foods ranging from watermelon to eggs and bacon; Charleston Chews; Pop Rocks and Razzles they loved when they were kids; PEZ dispensers cuter than the ones that swallowed their allowance when they were kids; stuffed toys shaped like candies; t-shirts celebrating the joys of sugar; exclusive “Stranger Things” products from IT’SUGAR’s continuing partnership with Netflix; and funny greeting cards that might be tucked in with a 5-pound gummy bear for a birthday gift.

“When anyone gets a gift that someone purchased from IT’SUGAR, it was given to them to make them laugh,” Rubin said.

“IT’SUGAR is meant to elicit laughter.”

One of the best-selling items is Marshmallow Madness, a big cereal box filled with nothing but little square marshmallows. “We try to create products that are very funny and entertaining, versus a traditional confectionery retail store,” Rubin said. “Over half our sales

come from exclusive, curated products.”

Another recent hit has been IT’SUGAR’s line of nine cocktail-flavored gummy bears called Beary Buzzed. The new line is nonalcoholic, but the fun cocktail flavors include Cosmopolitan, Gin & Tonic, Limoncello, Maple Bourbon and Margarita. They’re sold in custom fillable shakers, with a full shaker retailing for $9.99. “We just had to place an emergency re-order because they’re selling faster than we ever imagined,” Rubin said.

“We have our own box of gummy bear cereal. It’s part of an unbalanced diet,” he added. “It’s an unapologetic message that sugar delivers. IT’SUGAR sells sugar. It doesn’t hide from it. We’re providing an escape from all the rules of society that everybody must live by. IT’SUGAR kind of does that through its humor. Popular as gummy worms may be, they’re still outsold by the bears,” Rubin said. “Maybe it just has to do with tradition,” he speculated. “Although I will tell you we’ve come up with some interesting different shapes, but at the end of the day, bears are still what people gravitate to.

When you say the word ‘gummy,’ you almost expect the word ‘bear’ to follow.”

in the New York shop: Mango, Strawberry, Dark Chocolate, Blueberry, Cold Pressed Coffee fueled by La Colombe, Raspberry, Pomegranate, Tangerine and Pineapple.

With the new introductions, that line has expanded to include Banana, Strawberry and Dark Chocolate Pops dipped in Dairy Free Dark Chocolate. The Dark Chocolate Dipped Pops are also rolled in a quinoa puff, so they’re crunchy, while still being gluten free like the rest of the line.

The Nickelodeon-branded kids Pops are smaller in size and offered in two new varieties. Blueberry-Banana pays homage to characters from “Thomas and Friends,”

while “Sunny Day” is honored with a Strawberry-Mango Pop. “We are able to excite the kids with the packaging of the new fruit combinations, and with flavors they love – and at the same time, please the parents with the clean, simple ingredient label,” Epstein said.

The original line of Chloe’s Fruit Pops are sold in packages of four 2.5-ounce Pops that retail for about $3.99. The Dairy Free Dark Chocolate Dipped Pops are also sold in boxes of four, and they retail for about $4.99.

The Nickelodeon-branded products are sold in boxes of 10 1.5-ounce pops that retail for about $3.98 to $6.99.

Sugar-free Bacon in both organic and humane. We also have a lot of really unique products: Smoked Duck Breast, Smoked Skin-On Chicken Breast – we take pride in the products we make, and we believe pace, patience and our relentless focus on flavor set us apart.”

The company’s two newest products, launched this year for Memorial Day, are Jalapeno Cheddar Sausage and Harpoon IPA Beer Bratwurst, which are both all natural and Certified Humane. For the Jalapeno Cheddar Sausage, North Country partnered with Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company to produce a special cheddar. The pork is antibiotic free, vegetarian-fed and all natural, and the sausage is applewood-smoked. The Harpoon IPA Beer Brat comes as a result of a partnership with Boston, Massachusetts, brewery Harpoon, and it will be a year-round offering. Both sausages are offered in a 12-ounce package with four 3ounce links that retails for around $5.99.

Corbett’s personal favorite of the North Country Products is its Pit Ham. “It’s covercured in a maple syrup-based brine and then smoked for 12 hours. It’s phenomenal. You can’t beat it in terms of flavor, texture, everything,” he said. “For sausage, it’s the Jalapeno Cheddar. I think that’s going to be a big hit.”

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Natural Products Industry Alliance Pitches in for Disaster Relief

By Lorrie Baumann

Organic Valley and Dr. Bronner’s have teamed up with United Peace Relief and Grassroots Alliance to form the Grassroots Aid Partnership with the goal of bringing natural food producers together in a formal way to provide an ongoing resource to help people who’ve been affected by disasters such as California’s Camp Fire. That fire burned the town of Paradise, California, and killed at least 85 people, including five firefighters, last year and continues to affect survivors who still haven’t found new stable housing.

United Peace Relief is a nonprofit organization that provides volunteers to respond to disasters with humanitarian relief, while Grassroots Alliance is a charity organization dedicated to directing resources to organizations focused on alleviating hunger in the U.S. and in disaster zones throughout the world.

Clovis Siemon is leading the effort on behalf of Organic Valley. While his day job with the company doesn’t involve natural disasters, the company stood behind him when he formed and managed a relief kitchen that fed thousands per day after Hurricane Katrina. Since then, Organic Valley has continued to respond. “I led Organic Valley to disasters, but Organic Valley has kept

responding, disaster after disaster, over the last 14 years,” he said.

While his and Organic Valley’s early efforts to provide disaster relief were ad hoc, over the past few years, the company team working on the efforts has gained organizational skills and become part of a network that works with other disaster relief organizations such as the Salvation Army and the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency to fill in the gaps to meet human needs after a disaster. Now they think they’re ready to involve other natural food companies in the effort, Siemon said. “Three years ago, when Organic Valley gave to a disaster, we’d be all alone – it would be us giving directly to one 501(c)3 organization,” he said. “Now we’re bringing a lot more resources to the table.... we felt more comfortable inviting the rest of the industry in because, as a cooperative, we believe in collaboration, and because we felt confident that this is something that we can make work.”

The Grassroots Aid Partnership will continue to work with other organizations, leaving them to take the lead in emergency

Briton Brings Taste for Bangers to American Shores

By Lorrie Baumann

Jolly Posh Foods got started in the early years of the 21st century (2009) with a transAtlantic love story. Nick Spencer, the company’s owner, was born and raised in the United Kingdom, grew up and started working for Ernst & Young in London. That’s what he was doing when he met Connie, a Chicago native, in a London bar. Sparks flew.

The couple dated long-distance for three years until Spencer could persuade Ernst & Young to transfer him to New York. Connie moved there from Chicago to join him, and they eventually married.

Then, late in 2009, in the midst of the Great Recession, Spencer’s New York assignment with Ernst & Young had ended, and the couple decided that they’d move back to Chicago to be closer to Connie’s family and to start a little family of their own. “It wasn’t the best year for either of us to be looking for work, so we decided to start our own companies,” Spencer said.

Connie opened an independent law practice, and Spencer started thinking about what he could do that wouldn’t involve stepping back into the corporate world and that would take advantage of Chicago’s strength as a

manufacturing and trade center for the food processing industry. “Nothing is easy, but I thought I’d start with something that, on the surface of it, sounded rather simple,” he said.

“I was in the right place.”

He’d already realized, over the few years he’d lived in New York with Connie, that he was missing the good British food that he’d enjoyed in London. The “British food” he’d been offered in the United States reminded him of the nation’s historical cuisine – the stodgy “meat and two veg” that had come to characterize cooking in the British and Irish isles after World War II’s deprivations and rationing had come to an end but the postwar hardships remained.

But over the past few decades, Britain has seen a culinary revolution led by chefs passionate about resurrecting British culinary traditions with fresh ingredients and superior technique. “It was getting really, really good,” Spencer said. “The presentation and quality of food that’s either British or Irish that’s available in the American market doesn’t reflect the modern version of home.”

Spencer decided that his new business would introduce Chicagoans to the modern British take on a couple of foods already familiar to them – sausages and bacon. He made some bangers and took them out to

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response but then joining in once the gaps have made themselves felt and then continuing to help for a month or more to help rebuild the affected communities. “We figure out the needs and pitch in,” Siemon said. “We’ve been building kitchens and doing distributions for years. The formation of the Grassroots Aid Partnership is to support those efforts.”

The new organization’s focus – at least for now – is disasters within the U.S., but Siemon expects that the partnership will begin working on an international scale within a few years, since some of the volunteers who are involved with Grassroots Aid Partnership are already also involved in international disaster relief efforts. “We’re trying to start humbly,” Siemon said. “But we’re growing to meet the need.”

While each disaster presents its own challenges, the human need for safe, healthy food is a constant, and both Organic Valley and Dr. Bronner’s already had resources that they could put to work helping out in an e m e r g e n c y.

Organic Valley has shipped dairy products into the Camp Fire area for months to help.

“Dr Bronner’s sends sanitation materials.

Patagonia Provisions, Nancy’s Yogurt, Lotus Foods, Clif Bar and others have also

committed to sending goods,” Siemon said.

Both Dr. Bronner’s and Organic Valley have mobile kitchens that are ordinarily used for event marketing, but in disasters, the companies are sending them out for relief efforts. “Dr. Bronner’s owns a big kitchen that can feed 10,000 people a day,” Siemon said. “They built the kitchen to feed people at Burning Man, but the rest of the year, it does disaster relief on request. Organic Valley has a smaller kitchen that will feed about 1,000 people a day.”

Sanderson Farms has also helped out when refrigeration is needed, he added.

“Sanderson Farms has been very active and will often send a semi with chicken in it, and they’ll leave the semi for the disaster to use,” he said. “It’s a great example of how we break down borders. When it comes to disasters, everyone’s in it to give.”

The new organization has gone first to the natural foods industry as it puts together the resources to make this an ongoing effort, Siemon said. “We were well connected there.... In this time of rebuilding, it’s really important to give people the healthiest foods they can have to renourish them.... We are also trying distinctly to find food companies with healthy products, but we’re not picky about whether they’re organic. It just happens that we started with the natural foods sector.”

There’s also room for food retailers to get involved by cross-loading goods or lending refrigerated trucks, Siemon said.

“Often we just need a parking lot to set up in,” he said. “We’re big fans of everyone trying to help out.”

farmers markets, then opened a little grocery store in 2012, then a little cafe and then a bigger restaurant near Wrigley Field. “We were having kids at the time – we now have three,” he said. “We decided to get out of the restaurant business and focus on the wholesale business, which is now the full-time effort.”

His Jolly Posh product line comprises five products – two flavors of Bangers, a Back Bacon made with pork loin, and Black Pudding (blood sausage) and White Pudding (pork and oatmeal sausage). His banger sausages come in two different flavors: the classic Traditional Pork Bangers seasoned with white pepper, nutmeg and ginger and a Pork and Herb Banger that’s seasoned with sage, thyme and parsley. “We stuff them in natural pork casings, and when you cook them, they’re plump, juicy and nicely sized,” Spencer said. “When you cook them, it’s just like buying them from your local butcher back home.” The fully-cooked bangers packaged for retail sale have five links in a 12ounce package that retails for $7.99.

“Microwave it, fry it, bake it – whatever you fancy,” Spencer said. “All you have to do is warm it up.”

Jolly Posh also offers Back Bacon, bacon that’s made from the loin of the hog – essentially a thinly-sliced pork chop – so it’s a lot leaner than American bacon. “It’s cured and

not smoked for a lovely, meaty texture and flavor,” Spencer said. The 8-ounce package retails for $6.99 to $7.99, and a larger foodservice pack is also available. The final two products in the range include the Black Pudding and White Pudding, which are generally eaten as part of a full Irish breakfast, Spenser said.

“One fun fact about the bangers is that in Britain, we don’t really have a concept of the breakfast sausage, so we’ll eat bangers for breakfast, lunch or dinner,” he added. For breakfast, the main item on the plate might be bangers, while at lunchtime, the bangers might appear in panini or sandwiches. At dinner, the meal might consist of bangers and mash, which is bangers served with a generous helping of mashed potatoes, garden peas and gravy. Bacon is likely to appear on the table in sandwiches, in a pasta carbonara or even on top of a hamburger or a dish of macaroni and cheese, Spencer said.

Jolly Posh Foods products are distributed nationally by European Imports and Sysco, in the Midwest by Fortune Gourmet and Great Western Beef and by Food Innovations in Florida.

For more information, jollyposhfoods.com.

email

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Pocas Debuts Five-Flavor Berry Juice Drink Think outside of the box. Why do you think one fruit provides only one flavor? Find five flavors in a berry with Pocas’ brand new item, FIVE. Pocas International is debuting its five-flavor omija juice drink. Omija, also known as schisandra, means “five flavor berry” in Korean. The berry gives you five different flavors: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and spicy.

Besides its unique taste, it has long been used

as a traditional medicine in East Asia for a variety of ailments. In addition, recent research and studies identify its health benefits as boosting the immune system, liver and kidney function.

FIVE is made in Mun Kyeong, South Korea where top quality omija is produced.

The drink is non-GMO, with no preservatives, no artificial color, no artificial flavors and no artificial sweeteners. It is dairy free,

Suzie’s Offers New Products Good Groceries Company, under its popular Suzie’s brand, continues to launch categorychanging healthy products while improving its healthy natural staples. Snacking never had it so good – great taste and better-for-you ingredients.

Suzie’s enters a joint venture with Rooted to bring you Popped Lotus Seeds.

A favorite snack of their native India, popped lotus seeds are destined to be the next popcorn in the U.S. Lower in fat, lotus seeds are nutritionally distinct from nuts and seeds. Lotus seeds are a good source of protein, fiber, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron and zinc. With seven delicious flavor profiles – Thai Chili, Cheddar, Jalapeno, Salt & Pepper, Cheese & Chives, Cocoa & Sea Salt or Salt & Vinegar – you’ll be well positioned to take advantage of this new sensation. These tiny

seeds pack a powerful flavor when puffed and seasoned, and are gluten free, cholesterol free, contain no trans fats and are nonGMO and vegan.

Suzie’s newest flatbreads are Sprouted Multiseed and Sprouted Pretzel Top. They are made with whole grains, are non-GMO, kosher and delicious. The sprouting process helps make the grain easier to digest and lowers the glycemic index. Sprouting also makes grains less allergenic to those with grain sensitivities.

Suzie’s nut butter filled cookies redefine indulgent adult snacking, combining all the nutrient and mineral benefits from nut butters with a decadently delicious cookie, resulting in an exquisite snack experience. The patented process for the filled cookies results in 45 percent of the cookie being the filling.

Cookie Butter, Almond Butter, Cashew But-

Organic Artichokes by Cynara Cynara Worldwide Sourcing, a global leader in premium artichokes, is launching its Certified Organic Expansion Project. The company’s mission is to continue to support artichoke farmers and growers, with new organic crops being expanded each year. The new distribution initiatives into USA retail, e-commerce, foodservice and private label markets will continue to help grow brand awareness and product knowledge for Cynara Worldwide Sourcing.

The company’s primary corporate philosophy is to be incredibly sensitive global citizens. With the expanded distribution and global citizen initiative to include Certified Organic Artichokes, launching early Spring 2020, Cynara won’t compromise flavor, quality or food safety. It exclusively provides customers with the best artichokes ever produced.

Cynara Organic Artichokes are raised in the nutrient dense soil of Spain. The perfect

Jumping Bean Coffee Signature Blends Headquartered in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, Jumping Bean is an independent premium coffee roaster and café franchise system, offering unique blends and the richest single origin coffees available in market. The brand has grown exponentially in Canada and has now moved into the United True Salt (Cont’d. from p. 1)

opportunities within the ingredients stack – areas that we can disrupt and add value to the ingredients eco-system,” said True Salt coFounder Kelly Egan. “We spend a lot of time keeping it as natural and untouched as possible, and that comes out in the end product.”

True Salt is harvested in Mexico on the coast of the Sea of Cortez, one of the cleanest water bodies in the world, according to Egan.

“What’s great about the Sea of Cortez is that it’s not really touched by the global water

States, with its 2-pound whole bean and 100count single-serve products now available for purchase online at www.samsclub.com.

Jumping Bean selects the finest raw coffee beans from around the world, roasting them with a unique Eco2Roast® system. This process recovers 85 percent of the heat pro-

flow. It’s phenomenally clear and pure and beautiful, with sun and consistent temperatures that create a wonderful environment for both salt and natural evaporation,” he said.

There, the company produces a natural, unfiltered, unprocessed sea salt that’s separated from the sea water by natural solar evaporation. “It creates wonderfully clean and beautifully tasting sea salt,” Egan said, adding that top chefs in the southwestern U.S. who’ve tried it have told him that they still taste the sea, with its brininess without overly heavy salty taste, and the True Salt re-

gluten free, soy free and vegan. Your customers can enjoy five different flavors: Pure Schisandra (Omija), Schisandra & Korean Pear, Schisandra & Mango, Schisandra & Pineapple and Schisandra & Watermelon.

The berry’s complex flavor combination with natural fruits makes a refreshingly delicious drink.

Pocas International is passionate about delivering premium healthy beverages and specialty foods to its customers with only top-quality products. The mission of Pocas

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is to study global market trends of healthy foods and beverages on behalf of its customers and supply the best healthy products to its valued customers with the lowest price possible.

Enjoy drinks that are way beyond refreshing and feel the mysterious harmony in every sip.

Visit Pocas International at booth #835. For more information, go to www.pocas.com or call 201.941.7900. Follow the company on Instagram and Facebook.

ter, Hazelnut, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cream filled cookies will change your idea of a treat forever.

Suzie’s has also launched Nut Butter Sandwich Cookies in five amazing flavor profiles: Oat & Honey with Peanut Butter, Oat & Cranberry with Almond Butter, Oat & Coconut with Cashew Butter, Shortbread with Cookie Butter and Shortbread with Hazelnut Butter.

Being introduced at Expo East are the latest additions to the company’s adult cookie line: Oat & Bran Cookie Sandwiches. With Tahini, Greek Yogurt or Chocolate centers, these cookies are as delicious as they are healthy. Oat and Bran cookies are a delicious, high fiber way to enjoy guilt-free snacking.

Suzie’s Organic Popcorn Cakes round out the new offerings in the healthier-for-you snacking category. Available in three flavor profiles: Sunflower Oil and Salt, Indian Co-

conut and Beetroot with Carrot.

These crunchy delights will quickly become one of your favorites.

Suzie’s Sprouted Pita Chips, Nut Butter Filled Cookies, Organic Thin Cakes, Rooted Puffed Lotus Seeds, Quinoa RTE Meals, Organic Crackers, Organic Puffed Cakes, Ancient Grain Flat Breads and other quality, natural foods are available at fine grocery stores throughout North America.

Suzie’s – Innovation you can taste, innovation for your health! Innovation that drives sales!

summer days and mild winters create the perfect growing environment for Cynara’s organic artichokes to thrive. With their striking and colorful flower buds, this perennial plant produces the most delicate, delicious and buttery sweet artichoke you will taste. Cynara Organic Artichokes are grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides.

Cynara’s farmers are dedicated to sustainable, renewable and conscious growing tech-

niques using traditional, globally friendly farming methods that are inspected by nationally recognized agencies to verify the organic authenticity.

Each artichoke is hand-picked and individually inspected for premium levels of quality. Add some artichoke flare to your favorite pizza, pasta, salad, bruschetta or a variety of other dishes.

duced during the roasting process, saving a pound of carbon per pound of coffee.

In addition to this, Jumping Bean’s single serve coffee pods are manufactured with 100 percent compostable materials. That’s not just biodegradable – compostable means that the whole pod, ring and all, can be dropped directly into the kitchen waste

ally acts to bring out the natural flavors.

From Mexico, the salt is imported into the U.S. to Phoenix, Arizona, where it’s handsifted and packed into 1-pound bags for retail sale at around $3.79 and larger bags and buckets for culinary and hospitality applications. There are currently four products: a fine-grain salt, coarse-grain salt, a kosher grind that’s milled to the same size grain as mass-market kosher salts and a cocktail rimming salt that’s a mixture of fine and coarse grains. A flake salt is on the way. “We priced competitively, so we’re able to switch these

For more information, visit booth #1835, go to www.goodgroceries.com, email info@goodgroceries.com or call 718.768.0821. Follow the company on Pinterest, Instagram, www.twitter.com/SuziesBrand or www .facebook.com/Suzies.Natural.Products.

Visit Cynara at booth #338. For more information, go to www.cynara.net.

or compost bin, or dropped off at a local commercial composting facility for easy disposal.

Jumping Bean Coffee is proud to offer certified fair trade, organic, compostable products.

For more information, call 709.754.4538, email jeff@jumpingbean.ca or go to www.jumpingbean.ca.

chefs and restaurateurs away from their iodized salt and enable them to use an allnatural sea salt in their foods and enable them to tell that health story,” Egan said.

“We are leading demand for the industry to move to a healthier product.”

The retail product is currently being sold in Oregon, with distribution into other areas of the Pacific Northwest on the way and nationwide distribution projected for later this year.

For more information, www.truesaltco.com.

visit

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Belcampo (Cont’d. from p. 1)

on their winter range in the Sacramento Valley and a delay in the appearance of spring on the 17,000 Shasta Valley acres roamed by the farm’s pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks and turkeys – and its cattle, moved up from the winter range after spring has finally crept north to green up the pastures at their summer home. “We’re taking advantage of California’s Mediterranean climate, so we follow the seasons,” Rickert said. “That’s something my great-grandfather did 100 years ago.... We move cattle in trucks now.

It’s a lot easier.”

Rickert is a fifth-generation rancher who started his career after graduating from Cal Poly with his agriculture degree at his family’s Prather Ranch, just across the mountain from Belcampo Farms in Siskiyou County. “I loved it, but I realized that family businesses are not the easiest,” he said. He moved on from the family ranch after 12 years there but continued earning his living in and around California agriculture until he got the chance in 2017 to manage the regenerative agriculture practiced at Belcampo Farms, which supplies the meat for the company’s six restaurants and butcher shops in the Bay Area and Los Angeles as well as its newest location in the Hudson Yards development in midtown Manhattan, New York City.

One of the first things Rickert did after he was hired in late 2017 was to take a look at the farm’s pasture management and irrigaStonewall Kitchen (Cont’d. from p. 1)

sale or a family reunion. With just a few pantry staples and about 20 minutes of bake Ford’s Gourmet Foods (Cont’d. from p. 1)

around 1987, while he was trying to copy his mom’s recipe for a western North Carolinastyle barbecue sauce. Phil came up with an incredible barbecue sauce that had people asking for more! It was made from the ingredients in his kitchen: tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, honey, molasses, mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, onions, garlic, peppers, natural hickory smoke, natural spices and salt.

GN: How did you come up with the name?

SF: While driving to Charleston, South Carolina, to find my youngest son, Patrick, an apartment for college, I was trying to come up with a name for the sauce. I thought about BeBOLD Bars (Cont’d. from p. 1)

When Stacy’s sold, I was admittedly lost. I wanted to stay connected to the industry and keep work/life balance intact, so I opened a local juice bar. This is where BeBOLD Bars were created and sell like crazy. Similar to snacks, the bar category is super crowded.

BeBOLD Bars are the first product I have felt has the same potential as the Pita Chips.

I just know it.

The common theme between all companies? You have to start with taste, first and foremost. A bar is really a snack and your snack should taste great. We started with a great tasting bar. Then it was up to my brother Dave (an original pita chip guy) to scale the company and bring the dream to

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tion program. Cattle numbers were decreased slightly to reduce pressure on pastures that were expensive to irrigate, and some of that land was dried, saving some of the cost to pump water to them and reducing some of the risks of drought. “It focused the irrigation on the fields where it was going to be efficient,” Rickert said. “If your books are red, you can’t be green.... I want us to be very careful in a drought situation.”

His responsibilities also include overseeing the Meat Camp programs that are part of the company’s strategy for educating the public about its humane meat production, its regenerative agriculture practices, and in general, where their meat comes from. For the past four years or so, Belcampo Farms has accommodated up to 24 people at a time in June and September for three days of feasting on open fire-grilled meats, learning butchery and practicing their knife skills with Belcampo chefs, collecting eggs from the free-range laying hens, harvesting their own vegetables in the organic garden and fruit from the orchards and touring the farm to get a close look at the farm’s sustainable farming practices. “We look at this as a core part of our production here,” Rickert said.

“Consumer education is key.... I want to connect people with agriculture. I want them to know where their food comes from.... Society used to embrace agriculture because more people were connected to it.”

The farm’s philosophy, posted on signs here and there around the property, is that

Belcampo Farms delivers “great taste and quality in every cut, from every animal, every time,” through transparency and by working together to care for their animals with compassion, patience and the best food.

The point of the meat camps is to give visitors a chance to see how that works on the ground. “We’ve found that getting people out to agriculture and having experiences like this – people leave changed,” Rickert said.

“The type of consumer who shows up here really wants to learn and is just excited by this. That’s the kind of person we want. They tour the farm, learn about farrowing pigs, how the cattle are raised.”

The farm’s 180 sows are a mixture of Duroc, Chester White, Ossabaw and Berkshire breeds. They breed naturally and then birth their piglets in farrowing barns that provide them with room to move around, root through straw bedding to make their nest and nurse their babies in peace. Two or three weeks after farrowing, the porcine families are moved to group lactation pens where eight sows and their piglets live together for a few weeks, with piglets nursing from whichever mom is convenient and willing.

At eight weeks, the young swine are weaned and separated into market groups and turned out to pasture. “Pigs are really good at tearing up a field,” Rickert said. “Pigs we really look at not just as a commodity but as a land management tool.” Swine are harvested and processed at about nine months.

As the spring piglets are being born, newly

hatched chicks, ducklings and turkeys arrive from a third party hatchery and go into warm brooder houses, where they live for about the next month. “As soon as they can thermoregulate, they go out to pasture,” Rickert said.

The laying hens will already be out in the pastures, laying their eggs in mobile nest boxes mounted on trailers and pecking their way around a fenced paddock that’s moved along with their trailer every few days so they have fresh grass and bugs to peck at along with their laying ration. The eggs are used in Belcampo’s restaurants and wholesaled to grocers, and the byproduct manure stays where it falls to nourish the grass. “It just makes these fields explode with fertility,” Rickert said.

The farm also has 1,200 ewes and about 1,200 mother cows, born, bred and pastured on the three neighboring ranches that belong to Belcampo Farm before they’re herded quietly into trailers and trucked about 20 miles to the company’s U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified and Certified Humane processing plant in Yreka. The facility was designed

by Temple Grandin to ensure that the animals suffer as little stress as possible during their one bad day. The meat is sold in Belcampo’s restaurants and butcher shops, and it’s tracked all the way from birth to the butchery to its end consumer through a fully traceable coding system. “We’re fully vertically integrated from farm to table,” Rickert said. “It’s not a factory that produces widgets.”

time, anyone can whip up a batch of these slightly chewy, intensely flavorful squares in a flash. The end result perfectly balances lemony curd with honey-like figs, a melt-in-

your-mouth cookie base and just the right amount of powdered sugar. A tempting combination of tart, buttery and sweet, they’re an easy choice for lemon-square lovers looking

to expand their baking repertoire.

how good it was and how it made me do something I had never done before – suck on the bones to get the last little bit of flavor.

This reminded me of what my mom does when something was really, really good.

GN: Has Bone Suckin’ Sauce won any competitions?

GN: When did you realize you had a winning product in Bone Suckin’ Sauce?

SF: I realized we had a winning product when customers started being repeat customers and turning their friends onto the Bone Suckin’ Sauce. Repeat customers are the biggest compliment you can have with any service or product. Customers were buying it for themselves and also buying Bone Suckin’ Sauce and shipping it all over the world to share it with their family and friends.

fruition. This included bringing on some of the people we worked with over the past few decades.

GN: You’ve already had a successful exit with Stacy’s Pita Chips. Why would you want to start another company?

SM: Stacy’s changed the snack food business. Each time I go to the store and watch a mom put a bag in her shopping cart, there’s a sense of reward and satisfaction.

That isn’t something you can buy, its earned and trusted. I know I can make a similar change in the bar category. Personally, I watch the news and cannot believe what craziness is going on in the world, so for me this is a way of putting some sanity into

SF: Bone Suckin’ Sauce entered the North Carolina Battle of the Sauces in 1994 and took first place in a crowded field with over 10,000 people in attendance. With increasing rave reviews, the Bone Suckin’ Sauce won best in sales and set sales records every year in the Winner’s Circle, the elite category of past 1st Place Winners. Bone Suckin’ Sauce was off to the races and heading for grocery and specialty store shelves from there!

GN: How do you decide to add items to your product line up?

SF: We only add items that taste great and

what I’ve felt is an insane world. Creating this company is how I know I can make a change, even if it’s just as simple as an energy bar, so I am stepping forward and doing what I know I do well. It might be small, but if we all do a little something, it can make big change.

GN: What has the response been to the bars, and why the refrigerated section?

SM: When you speak to people about bars, typically they say they are choosing a particular brand for a reason; more protein, whole grains, it’s good for me – but rarely do they say, ‘I love them, they taste great!’ We are not trying to be anything in particular; high protein or low carb, but we are plant-based

For more information, call 888.326.5678 or go to www.stonewallkitchen.com. have clean ingredients.

GN: How many items do you have now?

SF: We have quite a few amazing items in the Bone Suckin’ line up. We have four types of Bone Suckin’ Sauce (Original, Hot, Thicker Style and Hot Thicker Style), two Mustards (Original & Sweet Spicy), Wing Sauces (Garlic & Honey and Honey & Habanero), Seasoning & Rubs (eight varieties including Original, Steak, Chicken, Vegetable, Lemon Pepper, Cajun, Seafood & Hot), our version of Teriyaki which we call Bone Suckin’ Yaki, Steak Sauce and Hiccuppin’ Hot Sauce.

For more information, visit booth #553, call 919.833.7647 or email sales@bonesuckin.com.

with clean and pure ingredients. Juice bar customers would purchase a bar for $3.25, then return and buy 10 for $25.

They’re in the refrigerator because our base ingredient is nut butter. We add oats, Brazil nuts (yes, those expensive ones), walnuts, chia and chocolate chips. Our team likes to say, ‘Sweetened with bees and trees’ (wildflower honey and dark maple syrup).

We mix, press, package. Nothing more, nothing less. The protein is from nuts. Gluten and dairy free. Eighteen grams of whole grains and kosher. Personally, I love them frozen, too!

For more information, visit booth #957, go to www.beboldbars.com, call 855.623.2653 or email info@beboldbars.com.

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Associated Buyers (Cont’d. from p. 1)

bitters, specialty sodas and concentrates, cocktail mixers and ingredients, olives, cherries and various other specialty items. Associated Buyers has worked hard to rebuild what Gotham Artisanal supplied to its customers, as well as grow and improve upon the product offering and customer service. It is now serving the NYC area with a limited but exceptional catalog of products.

Associated Buyers is a family-owned, cerDesi Natural (Cont’d. from p. 1)

U.S. For centuries, Dahi, or Indian yogurt, has been enjoyed in many authentic Indian recipes. Its creaminess and mild, never tart flavor work well with every dish. Rich in probiotics, Dahi is essential to help maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Moreover, Desi Natural Dahi yogurt is crafted with care and uses only the finest, Grade A ingredients.

Based on the category dynamics that convenThe Pickle Juice Company (Cont’d. from p. 1)

Pickle Juice Shots have become widely regarded as the most effective and quickest acting treatments for muscle cramps.

The rapid growth of the company has allowed it to be recognized as one of the top 10 fastest growing food and beverage companies in the United States. It has created global expansion with distribution in Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico and parts of Europe. That growth has also allowed for the construction of a new, state-of-the-art distribution facility, increased its social responsibility and the company has announced three new products in the pipeline: CBD Shot, Get UP! Recovery and Beet Juice. The Tortilleria Mi Nina (Cont’d. from p. 1)

mineral lime, into true corn masa. This process is known as Nixtamal, a technique that originates from the Aztec period. I hand carve volcanic stones that we use to grind our non-GMO white corn. This process is very hands on, and it reflects in a taste that makes us JUST THE BEST TORTILLA CHIP™!

GN: Where did the idea for the logo and brand come from?

Once Again Nut Butter (Cont’d. from p. 1)

on the market, as is the certified organic almond and milk chocolate spread. With just 90 to 100 calories per squeeze pack, there’s no need to hold back cravings, even while on the go. Here’s how the four flavors break down.

Amoré Spread Hazelnut with White Cocoa Butter Buttery hazelnuts join white chocolate in this luscious spread that tastes like shortbread.

Stir it into coffee or top your biscotti with it for a mid-morning treat.

Wisconsin Ginseng (Cont’d. from p. 1)

Asian ginseng. First of all, it is used for increasing an individual’s energy and stamina. In fact, the famous Mayo Clinic conducted research using Wisconsin Ginseng capsules, to test if the ginseng helped

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tified organic distributor of natural, organic, specialty and local foods to the Northeast market from its warehouse and offices in Southern New Hampshire. Over the years, it has grown from just a few people serving local markets to a small company serving a diverse account base across New England. Since the mid-70s, its customers have come to the company for its friendly, reliable customer service and diverse product mix. It distributes to a wide variety of accounts, including retail grocery stores, co-ops, restaurants and cafes, colleges,

ience and snacking are driving growth in the yogurt segment, Desi Natural is now shaking up the yogurt category with the launch of the first ever Indian inspired single serve flavored yogurts – Alphonso Mango, Mahabaleshwar Strawberry, Allahabadi Guava, Kerala Tall Coconut, Karnataka Vanilla, Carandas Cherry, Cavendish Banana and Vazhakulam Pineapple, Lacha Saffron. The new single-serve containers come in 5.3-ounce cups, which are perfect to take on-the-go. The convenient size makes

newly announced products are designed to provide solutions to specific problems using natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals.

Social Responsibility The Pickle Juice Company, LLC supports over 450 non-profit charity events throughout the United States annually, is committed to helping bridge the gender pay gap in sports and supports amateur sports organizations all over the world. All of The Pickle Juice Company’s products are manufactured in the United States using only locally and domestically sourced products and ingredients.

CBD Shot CBD has recently become the hot item in the

TA: The logo and brand were inspired by a photo of the owner’s daughter. The picture was taken when she was three years old, making tortillas with her abuela in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The owner would travel there and enjoy fresh corn tortillas and chips, and in 2011, decided to open the first tortilleria in New England.

GN: What chip flavors are available?

TA: We have our original Sea Salt, Jalapeno Agave and Pico de Gallo flavored chips. We are

Amoré Spread Almond with White Cocoa Butter Smooth white chocolate pairs perfectly with mellow almonds for a decadent yet delicate dessert that’s delicious drizzled over frozen yogurt. Also try the spread with berries or fruit. Close your eyes, and your taste buds will think you’ve bitten into a rich pie from the bakery.

institutions, hospitality establishments and buying clubs across the Northeast.

The company delivers to Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and now the five boroughs of New York City, Hudson Valley and Long Island.

It is slowly expanding into the New York City area and bringing with it over 40 years of experience in natural, organic and specialty food distribution across the Northeast.

The company has always and will always

them great for lunch boxes, picnics or any time you feel like having a healthy snack.

“This year marks a milestone for the Desi Natural brand with the launch of new singleserve Dahi yogurts. Grounded in sound category dynamics and consumer insight, our new Indian-inspired single-serve yogurts are targeted to mainstream food explorers,” said LaPorta. “We are the first to serve this market.

Importantly, this is the first of several new product launches designed to fill this consumer gap.”

CPG industry. The Pickle Juice Company, LLC has developed a lavender spearmint flavored CBD shot that contains 50mg of bioavailable CBD per 2.5-ounce serving with zero THC. This product is designed to help prevent pain and inflammation and reduce anxiety.

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pride itself on providing personal, caring and innovative service to all its partners, and both its customers and vendors.

The company looks forward to continuing to serve all of its loyal customers, and welcomes its new customers.

For more information, visit booth #8139. If you are interested in becoming a customer in the New York City area, email gotham@assoc buyers.com or call 603.664.5656. For general information, email info@assocbuyers.com.

About RFG Dairy, LLC – Desi Natural Desi Natural Dahi has been the premier brand of Indian yogurt and paneer in the U.S. for over 19 years. Desi Natural produces high-quality, authentic, kosher certified dairy products made with natural and non-GMO ingredients. Desi Natural products are available nationwide.

For more information, visit booth #1152, call 516.293.5448 or go to www.desifresh foods.com.

amount of nitrates of three beets in one 2.5ounce serving.

Get UP! Developed as the ultimate recovery product, Get UP! was originally created for the overseas market and will make its way to the North American market in 2019. Get UP! takes the neural inhibition properties of pickle juice and adds the organic caffeine and the key ingredients used in pre-workout products to give users the boost they need during recovery.

Beet Juice The nitrates in beets have long been recognized by elite athletes as a natural way to increase the oxygenation levels of red blood cells. Additionally, beets can increase blood flow, lower cholesterol and allow consumers to exercise longer. The Pickle Juice Company, LLC has developed an organic concentrated Beet Shot that contains the same

Visit The Pickle Juice Company in the Swing Hall C at booth #1413. For more information, visit www.picklepower.com.

GN: How can customers learn more about the company?

Visit Tortilleria Mi Nina at booth #228. For more information, go to www.minina tortilla.com, call 617.889.6462 or email info@mininatortilla.com. Follow the company on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

certified by the Non-GMO Project, kosher certified, Whole Grains Council certified, naturally gluten free and made with no additives or preservatives. Our chips are artisanally crafted from true corn masa. The only ingredients in our Sea Salt tortilla chips are non-GMO white corn, sunflower oil, sea salt and a trace of lime.

Our Jalapeno Agave has a great balance of taste bringing a little heat, a little sweet. The Pico de Gallo is fiesta of flavors in your mouth.

tency and just-the-right-amount of chocolatey decadence.

Amoré Spread Almond with Cocoa and Milk Our friend the almond marries well to partner cocoa in this dessert that’s perfectly rich, but not so rich you can’t keep eating it.

Amoré Spread Hazelnut with Cocoa and Milk Featuring the sweet, tantalizing taste of roasted hazelnuts, this spread features a uniquely smooth and fondue-like consis-

Aligning with consumers’ desire for clean, wholesome ingredients, the Amoré spreads are also certified organic, Fairtrade Certified, part of the brand’s Honest In Trade program, certified by the Non-GMO Project and glutenfree certified. In addition, the Amoré squeeze

increase energy levels in cancer patients.

The research, completed in 2012, proved that Wisconsin Ginseng increases a person’s energy levels. Currently, another study by the Mayo Clinic is underway.

For the past 100 years, Chinese consumers in Asia have used Wisconsin Ginseng. It is

known as the “gold standard ginseng” throughout Asia. Traditional Chinese medicine doctors use Wisconsin Ginseng to help with a variety of ailments.

Wisconsin Ginseng is used as an ingredient for food and drinks in Asia. This highquality ingredient can add value to your

TA: We encourage everyone to go to our website, www.mininatortilla.com. You can order from our online shop at www.minina tortilla.com/shop. We offer cases of all three flavors of our tortilla chips, shirts, water bottles, thermoses and more. Please check us out!

packs were recognized by the 56th Annual American Package Design Awards, conducted

by Graphic Design USA magazine, for their classy, high-end foil label that effectively captures the attention of consumers.

The Amoré milk chocolate squeeze packs are currently available in stores and the white chocolate varieties will start rolling into local co-ops and natural food stores this fall. The suggested retail price for each is $1.69, and a 10-pack is also available.

Visit Once Again Nut Butter at booth #217.

For more information, go to www.once againnutbutter.com.

products. It is very versatile and an excellent choice for giving your customers energy and stamina.

For more information, visit booth #6522, contact the Ginseng Board office at 715.443.2444 or go to www.ginsengboard.com.

NH 6 8

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Restorative Botanicals (Cont’d. from p. 1)

Restorative Botanicals’ products were safe, effective and of such high quality that I’d happily provide them to my own friends and family – including my children. Having this single core value in mind, it makes all the other quality decisions at Restorative Botanicals very easy.

GN: Is there a difference between hemp extract and CBD?

BP: That’s a very important distinction for consumers to keep in mind as they choose their hemp supplements. CBD is just one aspect of the beneficial compounds that the hemp plant provides. In fact, CBD is one of over 100 different beneficial cannabinoids and plant-based nutrients found naturally within the hemp plant. When these plantbased nutrients work together in the human

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body, they provide maximum benefit. I’m happy to say that Restorative Botanicals only uses organically-grown, whole-plant, fullspectrum hemp extract – never CBD isolate powders.

GN: For those not that familiar with hemp supplements, what types of benefits might they expect?

BP: Hemp has been helping mankind for thousands of years. It’s one of mother nature’s greatest adaptogens – meaning it provides the specific support your body needs to be in overall balance and provides a sense of well-being. Some of the most widely reported benefits we hear from our customers include calming, enhanced clarity, sleep support, systemic muscle and joint discomfort relief – the list goes on and on. Also worth noting is that hemp appears to deliver similar benefits for all mammals, meaning we see

distinctly similar results for dogs, cats and other pets as well.

GN: Is there anything else that’s unique about Restorative Botanicals’ product selection?

BP: First and foremost, our products have to be effective. To that end, we blend our highquality full-spectrum hemp extract into other all-natural functional ingredients such as organic hemp seed oil, extra virgin olive oil, black cumin seed oil, frankincense and even cod liver oil – which is used in our 4Paws Pet Blend. Second, our products need to need to either taste good if used orally or smell good if used topically. By doing this, we ensure that our customers always look forward to their daily use of Restorative Botanicals products.

GN: What’s next for Restorative Botanicals?

and sweetener systems.

Suzanne’s Specialties Organic Honey has been verified by the Non-GMO Project.

Suzanne’s Specialties offers an InfantSafe® version of all of its rice syrups.

This unique product contains less than 10 ppb for arsenic and lead, meeting the FDA standard for drinking water. It is available in

all DE levels.

It packs its industrial products in pails, drums, totes and tank wagons. All products are available in organic with most having a conventional version as well. Suzanne’s promises that all of its products are made with only the highest quality organic and all-natural ingredients. Each one is sure to give your formulas and applications “Sweetness the Way Mother Nature Intended™.”

Suzanne’s Specialties also provides an extensive line of retail products. These include its best-selling Ricemellow Crème, rice syrup based fruit spreads, flavored rice syrups and traditional offerings such as organic molasses, organic agave syrup, organic honey, organic rice syrup and organic barley malt syrup.

Pack sizes on its retail line range from jars to gallons to tubs to pails. It can service the needs of a household, restaurant, small bak-

Interpress (Cont’d. from p. 1)

compared to plastic overcap lids.

Paper Wrapped Plastic Cups with a Clear Advantage Interpress offers wrapped cups with a clear plastic cup which allows consumers to see the container contents. The paper overwrap can have graphics printed on the back side for viewing printed fill, coupons and additional branding information. The paper wraps can also include a custom die-cut window, offering greater visibility to the package contents and additional brand distinction.

Suzanne’s Specialties (Cont’d. from p. 1)

Microwavable Paperboard Cups With years of experience and product development, Interpress became the first manufacturer of paperboard cups designated for microwave use. Microwavable paperboard cups are more sustainable compared to foam wrapped plastic cups. Paperboard cups are made primarily of renewable resources and use 92 percent less plastic and weigh 42 percent less than foam wrapped cups. Also, Interpress paperboard cup graphics are far superior compared to printed foam.

New Paperboard Overcap Lids Interpress is excited to offer the next generation of paperboard overcap lids for cups. Interpress paper lids include full color graphics on the lid rims and top panels for enhanced marketing appeal, and are more sustainable Atlantic Natural Foods (Cont’d. from p. 1)

we’ll showcase the new lineup from Loma Linda, shelf-stable, heat-and-eat plant-based meal solutions and meal starters, as well as TUNO™, a new plant-based, canned seafood alternative. Made with non-GMO plant-based protein ingredients, this proteinrich, gluten-free food features the light, flaky texture of seafood and is packed with nutritious omega-3s but is completely fish-free.

We created TUNO in collaboration with seafood industry experts from around the world to help address the growing crisis of global fish stocks being overfished and depleted. TUNO offers a delicious, ocean safe and mercury-free creation that tastes like real tuna while providing its versatility in a more sustainable form.

GN: What would you say makes TUNO unique?

Microwavable Paper Wrapped Plastic Cups Interpress is pleased to introduce new sizes of paper wrapped plastic cups. The paperboard overwrap provides additional rigidity to the lightweight plastic cup and thermo protection while providing an excellent smooth printing surface for graphics. In addition, consumers can remove the paper wrap from the plastic cup and recycle both in many municipalities.

The paper wrapped plastic cups are great for microwave and refrigerated food options and can be further engineered for additional moisture and oxygen protection. Due to their versatility, wrapped cups are used for a variety of products including cereal and granola, oatmeal and overnight oats, soups, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, pet food, chowders and chilis, yogurt and desserts.

DH: TUNO is made of a proprietary blend of non-GMO soy, seaweed, sunflower and yeast.

Our products have naturally occurring omega benefits through soy and enhanced DHA omega-3 fatty acid. It has been important to us to create like health benefits that are found in fish and shellfish, through our seaweed ingredient. TUNO seafood alternative is only made in small batches and comes in three canned varieties: TUNO in Spring Water, TUNO with Lemon Pepper, TUNO with Sriracha and TUNO pouches in Spicy Thai and in Ginger, with more flavors on the way.

Additionally, TUNO contains 8 to 20 percent less sodium than comparable fish products.

We are also looking at other future ingredients that will further enhance health benefits with a continuing goal of delivering a product that retains value along with health benefits.

GN: How long have you been in business?

What drove you to develop TUNO?

Non-Round Tapered CanNesters™ The Interpress tapered oval non-round CanNester containers offer cost efficiency and shelf appeal for dried fruits, confections, frozen desserts, entrées, oatmeal and baking mixes. Interpress CanNesters stack to improve shipping and storage space by a ratio of 13 to 1 compared to straight-walled preformed canisters and has a wide flat bill-

DH: We’re proud to draw on a rich history since 1890 with great influence by Dr. J.H. Kellogg, who created many of the original meat like products. We have been generational leaders championing a plant-based lifestyle rooted in sustainable practices to benefit future generations.

The team and I have decades-long history in the tuna industry, and until recently, was one of the investors in the largest distant water fishing fleet operating in the western Pacific under U.S. Flag. I began developing TUNO over five years ago because of the insight I had into the future strain placed on global fisheries; seafood is not an endless resource. I have become committed to innovating healthful, sustainable foods for current and future generations to enjoy.

GN: What is the nature of your distribution?

DH: TUNO is available at natural retailers

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BP: This is an exciting and quickly moving category. We’re always looking to expand our high-quality products with new and innovative ideas – both for the Restorative brand as well as for our various private label partners. Thanks to our talented inhouse confectionery chef, we already have some of the most distinctive hemp-infused food supplement products on the market, including our award-winning Bolder Caramels and Bolder Gummies. You can expect to see more great-tasting, full-spectrum hemp-infused super foods and supplements coming from our kitchen in the very near future.

Visit Restorative Botanicals at Hot Products booth #8906 and Hemp Pavilion booth #5309. For more information, go to www.restorativebotanicals.com, call 720.684.6100 or email support@restorative botanicals.com.

ery or institution. Visit www.suzannesspecialties.com for more information on these products or to shop in its easy to use online store.

With distribution facilities on both the East and West coasts and a diverse product line, Suzanne’s Specialties has the ability to service your company’s specific needs.

For more information, stop by booth #928 or visit www.suzannes-specialties.com. board surface for graphics.

With a variety of packaging options from Interpress Technologies, brand owners can look forward to offering attractive, user friendly, functional cost-effective packaging to protect foods.

Celebrating over 30 years of experience and innovation, Interpress Technologies has three locations producing “Made in USA” food packaging with high impact graphics and certified sustainable paperboard. Interpac Technologies, a sister company, is a certified organic co-manufacturing facility and fills cups, oils (coconut, olive, flax), packets, bags and pouches and offers distribution services.

For more information, visit booth #1139, call 800.929.9771, email inquiry@iptec.com or go to www.interpresstechnologies.com. and traditional grocers, including Walmart, Big Y, Earth Fare, Food Lion, Harmons, Jewel, Redner’s, SaveMart, Sprouts, Wakefern and Woodman’s. Along with TUNO’s North American launch, it is available in the U.K. currently and we plan to make it available in other select global markets.

GN: Where are you headquartered and manufactured?

DH: We are based in Nashville, North Carolina. We have manufacturing locations in Nashville, North Carolina and Bangkok, Thailand. Both are FDA-approved facilities, kosher-qualified, non-GMO-assured, with SQF level 3 verification, as we uphold only the most stringent health and food safety practices.

For more information, go to www.atlantic naturalfoods.com or email sales@atlantic naturalfoods.com.

NH 7 0

NATURALLY HEALTHY

Great River Organic Milling (Cont’d. from p. 1)

The year 2018 saw GROM take its retail product selection to over 100 SKUs, and it has received spectacular support from customers and distributors. A brand new line of products ranges from Super Fine Almond Flour and Hemp Protein Powder to White Popcorn and everything in between.

Pocas International (Cont’d. from p. 1)

we are national-based and have seven distribution centers in Texas, Illinois, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, California and our headquarters in New Jersey.

GN: What would you say makes your company unique?

KS: As healthy food adventurers, we are passionate about delivering premium healthy beverages and specialty foods from all around the world to our customers. From aloe vera drink, moringa tea and turmeric powder to dragon fruit chips, we have led market trends with innovative and quality items. We supply the best healthy products to our valued customers with the lowest price possible.

GN: What are you doing this year that’s different from what you did last year?

KS: We have achieved big success in the traditional market. This year, we are making RLA Collective (Cont’d. from p. 1)

integrated platforms to move the needle for consumer brands. These can be dietary supplements, medical foods, OTCs, healthy/functional foods, pet health, medical devices, personal care, etc. This intense focus means we understand the various sides of marketing consumer brands, from compliance behavior to regulatory, retail or ecommerce concerns. We know what works to drive sales in all the channels consumers are using, while minimizing risk.

GN: How do you approach brand strategy?

AO: We know it’s never one size fits all.

With the plethora of channels in which consumers receive information 24/7, it’s easy for a brand to create white noise. Strategy depends on the brand, the category, the sitInterpac and Interpress (Cont’d. from p. 4)

on its specialty and edible oil production lines equipped for filling bottles, jars and bulk packaging.

Quality and food safety are Interpac’s top priorities. The Quality Assurance Team maintains a multi-layered system of quality control processes to protect product integrity prior to entering the building. Ingredients and packaging materials are documented and stored according to allergen characteristics and protective requirements.

Interpac can pack point-of-purchase display Nature’s Earthly Choice (Cont’d. from p. 4)

whole grains, from quinoa, farro and black rice to superfoods like chia seeds and hemp seeds, the company’s portfolio of products continues to grow with the recent

www.gourmetnews.com

Great River Organic Milling has its organic certified products which it is best known for, along with a line of certified gluten-free products, as well as a natural line of products. Now everyone can enjoy having GROM’s quality products in their pantry!

Great River Organic Milling’s selection of organic, gluten-free and natural oat prod-

history in the online market. We have launched our favorite items in major e-commerce websites along with our own website, www.mypocas.com, and got remarkable results and feedback from our customers. We communicate more with customers and hold multiple online events that lead to boosting sales and traffic to the website.

GN: What was the most significant event or series of events affecting your company over the past year?

KS: Ten years ago, aloe vera was known as an emollient for sunburn, but was not much consumed as a juice drink. We imported and introduced aloe vera drinks to the American market for the first time. We have won statewide acclaim and are hailed as being a big success in the healthy beverage market.

In addition, we are proud to introduce the very first vacuum dried dragon fruit chips to the market. Ever since it was introduced to the market in 2017, Pocasville Dragon Fruit Chips has been loved. We are partnering with

uation. For example, are you new to market, facing declining sales or potential delisting at a retailer, adding SKUs? Whatever the case, we look at your goals, sales data and trends, what’s been working or not, audiences, competition, timing and budget. We then custom design a campaign based on your situation, budget and available data.

GN: What’s different about your approach?

AO: For most brands, it’s difficult to go after a broad audience and still be competitive. We prefer to focus on a subset of your audience that will engage with your brand ... then test, learn and scale, looking at data points at every step. We use evolving digital platforms, such as our artificial intelligence (AI), then layer on data that helps us to micro-message the brand story. We focus on

shippers and club store pallet displays and provides inventory management control, cross-docking, warehousing and order fulfillment. Interpac’s extensive capabilities as food co-packers and warehousing and distribution specialists provides a single-source solution delivered in a highly personalized manner.

Interpress Technologies Services Celebrating 30 years of experience and innovation, Interpress Technologies is a leading food packaging manufacturer specializing in formed paperboard containers and lids, wrapped cups, printed sidewalls and folding

launch of goji berry powder and maca powder. No matter what your dietary concern or need is, Nature’s Earthly Choice’s goal is to provide a fantastic tasting, easy to prepare product; from gluten-free, to products rich in Omega 3s, or vegetarian

ucts are tested rigorously to ensure they are safe and free from glyphosate. The company understands the responsibility it has to help the consumer protect their family’s food supply.

Great River Organic Milling continues to service the baking and cereal world with organic non-GMO stone ground flours and blends. The motto “Nothing Added, Nothing

major wholesale partners like Costco and Trader Joe’s to deliver this healthy snack to more customers.

GN: Are you introducing any new products?

If so, what distinguishes this new product from others already on the market?

KS: We are debuting five-flavor omija juice drink. The berry gives five different flavors: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and spicy so that your customers enjoy way beyond refreshing and feel the mysterious harmony in every sip. It is non-GMO and contains no preservatives and no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners.

GN: Why are your products or services the best value for your customers?

KS: Our products are known for their great quality and innovative aspects. They have won PRODEXPO Golden Award, America Masters of Taste, Beverage Innovation Award, Golden Europe Award, Sial Canada Innovation Competition, and also Monde Se-

your target consumer rather than the channel, educate through storytelling, and get them into the purchase funnel. Consumer research is part of our approach when developing an unbiased strategy. We have a great research tool in-house that helps get insights in real time.

GN: What does ‘integrated marketing’ mean?

AO: That term is thrown around a lot, but for us it means a good campaign will be multifaceted, much like today’s consumers and the varying ways they receive information.

Each facet works together with the others to strengthen the whole. Whether it’s our AI digital advertising platform, influencer activation, targeted content partners, PR, CRM, video, promotions, it all works together with unified messaging and a strong brand strat-

cartons with high impact graphics, “Made in USA” with certified sustainable paperboard.

With specialized printing presses, forming machines and cup wrapping machines, Interpress produces packaging for many products, including oatmeal, soup, pasta, dried fruit, snacks, nuts and ice cream.

Interpress continuously expands its capabilities to offer new innovative solutions and many product sizes are compatible to run on the Interpac filling lines. Interpress offers standard and microwavable paperboard cups, paperboard wrapped plastic cups (perfect for microwavable and refrigerated foods and prod-

sources of protein. Who says healthy has to be hard? Nature’s Earthly Choice brings consumers the earth’s most nutritious foods and makes them easy to make and easy to love. Nature’s Earthly Choice products are available in over 10,000 gro-

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Removed” is at the heart of its quality ethics.

Great River Organic Milling would like to take this opportunity to thank its partners, suppliers and friends for your support.

If you want to Bake Great, call on Great River!

Visit Great River Organic Milling at booth #1111.

lection Gold Award and Superior Taste Award.

We have seven different distribution centers to deliver our best products faster and safer. Throughout the year, we participate in over 70 trade shows, including national and vendor shows to support our customers and promote the products.

GN: How do potential new customers know that they can trust you with their business?

KS: As the company matures, we are achieving success by identifying and partnering with not only retail stores, but also national distributors and wholesalers, such as Walmart, Costco, Jetro, Save-A-Lot, Trader Joe’s, Amazon, etc. We pride ourselves on honesty and integrity to build long-term relationships with clients and distribution partners.

Visit Pocas International at booth #835. For more information, go to www.pocas.com or call 201.941.7900. Follow the company on Instagram and Facebook. egy. Everything has a purpose.

GN: What’s your advice to brands marketing in 2019 and beyond?

AO: Don’t assume you know your audience.

Do objective research that provides unbiased insights for audiences and messaging. Partner with an agency that understands the evolving digital landscape and has capabilities that have been successful for other clients, one that understands what keeps you up at night and is willing to set measurable, meaningful goals for your brand. Listen to their counsel and give the marketing the time it needs to work. Brand building is a process that takes commitment and time.

For more information, email aomahoney@rlacollective.com or call 914.241.0086.

ucts requiring additional shelf life) and the next generation of paper overcap lids (includes full color graphics on the lid rims and top panels).

Interpress has an in-house Graphics, Prepress and Ink Department to ensure consistency and streamline production, and three U.S. locations serving customers worldwide.

Interpac and Interpress Technologies look forward to helping to build your business.

For more information, visit booth #1139, call 800.929.9771, email inquiry@iptec.com or go to www.interpactechnologies.com. cery stores across the U.S.

Visit Nature’s Earthly Choice at booth #1358. For more information, email sales@earthlychoice.com, go to www .earthlychoice.com or call 208.898.4004.