Sweets & Treats at the Snacks and Sweets Expo 2019

May 2019

Chicago

AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION NOT AFFILIATED WITH SWEETS AND SNACKS

Darrell Lea: Not Just for Liquorice Lovers

Abdallah Candies Introduces Retreats

From humble beginnings 90 years ago selling sweets from a pushcart, and later to a small factory under the first arch of the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia, Darrell Lea has manufacturing pedigree almost unrivalled in the world of candy.

By MaDonna Schmitz, National Sales Manager, Abdallah Candies

Abdallah Candies proudly introduces Retreats. These amazing portable and resealable candy pouches are the perfect snack size to self-indulge, enjoy, relax, take a

Genesee Candy Land Launches OINKS Brand

An interview with Lorri Alden, Owner, Genesee Candy Land.

GN: Can you tell our readers a little bit about your company’s signature product?

LA: Genesee Candy Land is dedicated to crafting

Continued on Page 34 Continued on Page 32 BOOTH #883 BOOTH #2427 BOOTH #5027 Continued on Page 30 Warrell Creations Pioneers REAL FOOD FROM THE GROUND ChocoMaker Launching Innovative Snacks Three New Products UP Expands Product Offering

Warrell Creations, the private label and contract manufacturing segment of The Warrell Corporation, continues to bombard the confectionery and snack industry with new twists on the market’s leading brands. Its portfolio of manufactured innovations are a combination of ancient

The plant-powered snack revolution continues at REAL FOOD FROM THE GROUND UP™ with the expansion of its cauliflower-based snack line that now includes Stars, Stalks and Tortilla Chips. Also joining alongside its cauliflower counterpart is butternut

In 2005, Chocolate Delivery Systems, Inc.® designed and launched a home use chocolate fountain under its ChocoMaker® brand. Today, CDS produces many chocolate-inspired products, including a wide range of Candy Wafers™, a unique and impressive line of sprinkles and its traditional line of appliances.

Continued on Page 34 BOOTH #2213 BOOTH #1992 BOOTH #1385 Continued on Page 32 New Snack Concept Reimagines Snacking Just Got a Love Good Fats Traditional French Confections Whole Lot Healthier Snack Bars

Continued on Page 34

JOYFULS™ are dark chocolate medallions crafted with 60 percent cacao, then topped with sweet and savory ingredients such as fruit, nuts, seeds and pink Himalayan salt. Inspired by traditional mendiants hand-crafted by French chocolatiers, JOYFULS are a sweet and salty treat with a twist. Each delicious bite is

Eating healthy is something that we all feel conscious of pretty much all the time, but when we snack, sometimes we feel like it’s okay to sacrifice nutrition for taste.

Shrewd Food is changing that, along with the way that consumers are looking at snacking. You no longer have to sacrifice flavor to have a low carbohydrates, low

Love Good Fats is on a mission to spread the word that fat is back, and sugar is out! The brand aims to encourage North Americans to incorporate healthy fats into their diets. Its ridiculously delicious products are loaded with healthy fats like nut butters, coconut and palm oils that provide energy, support

BOOTH #1991

BOOTH #313

BOOTH #6033

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May 2019

Chicago

AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION NOT AFFILIATED WITH SWEETS AND SNACKS

Darrell Lea: Not Just for Liquorice Lovers

Abdallah Candies Introduces Retreats

From humble beginnings 90 years ago selling sweets from a pushcart, and later to a small factory under the first arch of the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia, Darrell Lea has manufacturing pedigree almost unrivalled in the world of candy.

By MaDonna Schmitz, National Sales Manager, Abdallah Candies

Abdallah Candies proudly introduces Retreats. These amazing portable and resealable candy pouches are the perfect snack size to self-indulge, enjoy, relax, take a

Genesee Candy Land Launches OINKS Brand

An interview with Lorri Alden, Owner, Genesee Candy Land.

GN: Can you tell our readers a little bit about your company’s signature product?

LA: Genesee Candy Land is dedicated to crafting

Continued on Page 34 Continued on Page 32 BOOTH #883 BOOTH #2427 BOOTH #5027 Continued on Page 30 Warrell Creations Pioneers REAL FOOD FROM THE GROUND ChocoMaker Launching Innovative Snacks Three New Products UP Expands Product Offering

Warrell Creations, the private label and contract manufacturing segment of The Warrell Corporation, continues to bombard the confectionery and snack industry with new twists on the market’s leading brands. Its portfolio of manufactured innovations are a combination of ancient

The plant-powered snack revolution continues at REAL FOOD FROM THE GROUND UP™ with the expansion of its cauliflower-based snack line that now includes Stars, Stalks and Tortilla Chips. Also joining alongside its cauliflower counterpart is butternut

In 2005, Chocolate Delivery Systems, Inc.® designed and launched a home use chocolate fountain under its ChocoMaker® brand. Today, CDS produces many chocolate-inspired products, including a wide range of Candy Wafers™, a unique and impressive line of sprinkles and its traditional line of appliances.

Continued on Page 34 BOOTH #2213 BOOTH #1992 BOOTH #1385 Continued on Page 32 New Snack Concept Reimagines Snacking Just Got a Love Good Fats Traditional French Confections Whole Lot Healthier Snack Bars

Continued on Page 34

JOYFULS™ are dark chocolate medallions crafted with 60 percent cacao, then topped with sweet and savory ingredients such as fruit, nuts, seeds and pink Himalayan salt. Inspired by traditional mendiants hand-crafted by French chocolatiers, JOYFULS are a sweet and salty treat with a twist. Each delicious bite is

Eating healthy is something that we all feel conscious of pretty much all the time, but when we snack, sometimes we feel like it’s okay to sacrifice nutrition for taste.

Shrewd Food is changing that, along with the way that consumers are looking at snacking. You no longer have to sacrifice flavor to have a low carbohydrates, low

Love Good Fats is on a mission to spread the word that fat is back, and sugar is out! The brand aims to encourage North Americans to incorporate healthy fats into their diets. Its ridiculously delicious products are loaded with healthy fats like nut butters, coconut and palm oils that provide energy, support

BOOTH #1991

BOOTH #313

BOOTH #6033

Continued on Page 32

Continued on Page 34

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Jake’s Nut Roasters New Roasted Salted Inshell Almonds

Jake, a fourth-generation member of the Jasper Family, is proud to continue the farming traditions of his great-grandfather that have been passed down for over 70 years. Since 1948, a commitment to quality and innovation has propelled many fine Jasper Specialty Foods products into the hands of health-conscious almond lovers around the world.

Brand new to the mix of Jake’s Nut Roasters’ creative line of specialty almond snacks is Jake’s distinctively packaged Roasted Salted Inshell Almonds. Definitely a twist on today’s

typical packaged almond products, these inshell almonds provide an unparalleled snacking experience, and make eating this healthy, plant-based snack both fun and satisfying ... and they are perfect for sharing, too!

Produced in a dedicated peanut-free facility and sourced from Jake’s own orchards, these premium California almonds are dry roasted and seasoned in small batches to deliver exceptional quality. Health benefits abound with California almonds, which contain a wholesome blend of both monounsatu-

New Additions to La Truffe Royale Line

MarDona Specialty Foods announces four new products in the La Truffe Royale line. After much research, taste testing, rejections and so on, the company came up with these four great new items to add to its La Truffle Royale product line. It is certain you will find these to be a great addition to your truffle retail lines.

Black Truffle Acacia Honey MarDona had searched for quite some time to replace its Wild Forest Tupelo Honey, but kept getting batches of honey that didn’t meet its standards.

After some research, MarDona discov-

ered a great acacia honey, the best of the best. It imported this fine, smooth acacia honey from Italy, then blended it with some black truffle pieces along with truffle essence. This honey makes a perfect addition to any cheese platter or roasted poultry, and it’s great over fresh ricotta cheese and toasted bread.

It is perfect for any dish or even as a dip.

Black Truffle Rub MarDona has been working on a truffle version of a rub for some time. It wanted the rub to stand out on its own merits.

After much research, trials and errors, it

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rated and polyunsaturated fats known to help reduce cholesterol levels and support cardiovascular health.

Jake’s Roasted Salted Inshell Almonds are packaged in a unique and reusable 16-ounce burlap bag, allowing for easy access and convenient storage. Jake’s rustic burlap bag has a classic, masculine appearance that looks great on a store shelf, kitchen counter or table centerpiece. Reach in and grab a handful of these tasty almonds ... just twist and crack for a delicious Continued on Page 34

came upon a great find. By incorporating a dried black truffle with a hand harvested salt, MarDona came up with the rub to beat all rubs. It’s a very fine powder that rubs well into any meat, poultry or seafood, and can be added to sauces and more.

Black Truffle Sea Salt One of MarDona’s great finds was its new imported Black Truffle Sea Salt.

This sea salt is a perfect addition to

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AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION NOT AFFILIATED WITH SWEETS & SNACKS 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 Customer Service Managers Caitlyn McGrath • Susan Stein Senior Account Manager Marcos Morhaim Account Manager Bo Robinson Director of Operations Tara Neal Show Logistics & Distribution Jay Watson • Hannah Stefanovich • Margaret Oser European Sales Enrico Cecchi Sweets & Treats Show Extra is published by Oser Communications Group ©2019 All rights reserved.

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 www.gourmetnews.com Founder Lee M. Oser

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Seasonal Candies Take Center Stage

By MaDonna Schmitz, National Sales Manager, Abdallah Candies

Abdallah Candies shares its heritage as it produces an amazing seasonal line of holiday candies – candies created that evoke childhood memories. Every detail and care are incorporated in the hand decorated pumpkin pie truffles, brightly decorated peppermint bark and thin nut filled brittles. These perfect indulgences are created for anyone who can remember sitting around the holiday table with

family.

Abdallah Candies creates the center of all of its truffles with fresh whipping cream, and then adds just the right mix of ingredients to create exquisite seasonal truffles. Abdallah Candies is known for its wide variety of traditional and delicious everyday candies; however, during the holidays, seasonal candies such as truffles and barks are highlighted. Hand crushed peppermints to create melt-in-your-mouth bark is one of the many items Abdallah

Cheese Straws and Cookies from J&M Foods

J&M Foods proudly continues its family tradition and passion for good food by providing its customers with the best tasting cheese straws and cookies in the market. As a family-owned business operating for roughly three decades, J&M Foods is happy to bring a little joy to its customers’ eating experience.

J&M Foods currently offers 21 varieties of cheese straws and cookies as well as additional seasonal offerings. Working with various combinations of cheeses,

chocolates, nuts, grains, fruits and spices, there’s never a dull moment. Its products are great for everyday pleasure and make the perfect gift. In addition, the company is always exploring new possibilities to tickle the taste buds and provide something new.

In keeping with the 100-year-old family recipe that inspired the great tasting Original Cheese Straws, J&M Foods is committed to maintaining its heritage of providing great products made from the finest ingredients avail-

Divine Chocolate Introduces New Organic Line Featuring 85 Percent Dark Chocolate

This year, Divine Chocolate expands its lineup with an innovative organic line.

The new collection contains four 2.8ounce bars, each made with Fairtrade cocoa sourced from São Tomé. The four variants include Lemon, Turmeric & Ginger, Cocoa Nibs, and Blueberry & Popped Quinoa.

The introduction of these products reflects consumer demand for healthful, tasty treats. Divine also capitalizes on an underdeveloped market for flavored high-percentage cocoa bars. For consumers seeking chocolate that is low in sugar and high in quality, this line

meets their needs. Chocolate lovers will particularly delight in the fact that the range is certified by the Non-GMO Project, certified by the Vegan Society, certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Certified Fairtrade.

For Divine Chocolate, this is its first organic chocolate line, and it’s the company’s first time partnering with a new cocoa co-operative: CECAQ-11.

CECAQ-11 is a Fairtrade and organic cocoa farmer co-operative in São Tomé.

São Tomé is a beautiful, forest-covered volcanic island off the west coast of

Sweet, Meet Savory: Snackers Love the Combination

By Robin Mather

First, there was salted caramel nearly everything. Now, there is a whole range of snacks that hit both sweet and savory notes to attract customers.

The trend has been on point for several years, says Sally Lyons Wyatt, Executive Vice President at IRI, a market research firm based in Chicago.

“Consumers often find they want something that is both sweet and savory, and there are now a number of options that fit that desire,” she says.

Chocolate-covered salty snacks – including items like Genesee Candy Land’s chocolate-covered bacon and

Hershey’s Take 5 Bars, with pretzels, caramel, peanuts and chocolate – may lead the way. The sweet-salty combination may be alluring to consumers whose palates have become more sophisticated, she says. Wyatt notes that chocolate-covered salty snacks showed an 11.3 percent rise in sales in 2016.

Colleen McClellan, Director of Client Solutions for Datassential, a market research firm in Chicago, credits consumer concern about sugar as one reason.

But, she says, “consumers are just exploring a more diverse flavor palate.

We can see it in the rise of bitter flavors, sour flavors, brines and some items with vinegar as well.”

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is known for. Seasonal candies are packaged in gift packs as well as offered in many bulk varieties.

Abdallah creatively produces a wide variety of specialties, seasonal including holiday nonpareils, marshmallow treats and amazing caramels as well as many other handmade confections. Seasonal candies are packaged and adorned with colorful bows and many are offered with colorful hand-wrapped giftwrap. Every

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care is put forth to evoke memories of family gatherings and love centered around the season.

Abdallah Candies is a fourth generation, family owned company producing quality confections since 1909.

Visit Abdallah Candies at booth #883. For more information, go to www.abdallahcandies.com, call 800.348.7328 or email service@ abdallahcandies.com.

able. All of its products are trans-fat free and baked with care.

The company’s latest creation, and something it’s very proud to add to the Janis & Melanie line of products, comes in the form of a large, soft-baked cookie (3 inches in diameter). They’re made with butter, whole egg and a whole lot of love. Varieties include Chocolate Chunk, Brownie and Oatmeal Cranberry. Each carton contains eight 1ounce cookies, which are individually wrapped. Enjoy them with milk, coffee, tea, ice cream or by themselves anytime

as a snack.

J&M Foods enjoys being flexible enough to handle all its customers’ needs. Located in a 32,000 square foot facility residing on 21 acres, the company has room to grow along with you. Centrally located and nationally recognized, J&M Foods is an award-winning market leader within the specialty foods industry.

Africa. When paired with sister island Príncipe, the two were once the biggest producers of cocoa in the world. In fact, this earned them the collective title of “Chocolate Island.” Over the last half-century, however, cocoa farming there collapsed.

Today, the CECAQ11 co-operative works to rejuvenate the country’s reputation for high-quality cocoa. It’s the members’ aim to promote the re-discovered secret of spicy and woodsy São Toméan cocoa beans.

Divine Chocolate is the only Fairtrade chocolate company co-owned by farmers. A co-op in Ghana called Kuapa Kokoo, made up of over 85,000 farmers, owns 44 percent of Divine and

shares in its profits. With the introduction of the new organic line, cocoa farmers in São Tomé enjoy the benefits of Fairtrade prices and premiums, and Divine Chocolate continues to deliver income to farmers in Ghana through its business model.

As a result, Divine Chocolate continues to show its commitment to its mission – creating equitable and empowering trading relationships with smallholder farmers in Africa and around the world. The bars are available for sale as of March 1, 2019.

As examples, she cites ginger-basil beverages, “drinking vinegars” such as Up Mountain Switchel’s Original Swizzle, and Grainful’s Steel Cut Meals, which are steel cut oatmeal bowls with flavors such as Tuscan bean and kale, Thai curry and cheddar broccoli.

Sweet-hot is another aspect of the blending of sweet-savory in snacks.

KIND’s sweet & spicy bars offer 10 grams of plant-based protein in flavors such as roasted jalapeno, thai sweet chili and sweet cayenne bbq. Wise has introduced Hot & Honey Puffed Cheez Doodles, and Werner offers Sweet Hot Crunch Mix, a snack mix of peanuts, sesame sticks and sesame seeds. Chip maker Utz has added Southern Sweet Heat BBQ to its potato chip line.

Sweet-hot flavor profiles are also showing up in meat snacks. Jack Link’s and Dick Stevens both offer Sweet & Hot

For more information or to discuss a private label need, visit booth #1382 or call 800.264.2278.

For more information, email sales@divinechocolateusa.com or visit booth #2164.

flavor in their beef jerky lines. FritoLay’s Baken-Ets Chicharrones has a Sweet Southern Heat BBQ, while Southern Recipe Small Batch pork rinds and pork cracklins has added Pineapple Ancho Chile, Honey Chipotle and Blackberry Habanero flavors to its line.

Some sweet-savory snacks are like music mash-ups. You Love Veggies’s green leather is made with spinach and kale, but also gains sweetness from kiwi, pineapple, banana and mango.

Millennials, in large part, have driven this flavor trend, says Jeff Fromm of Forbes’ CMO Network. “Millennials’ quest for adventurous flavors is much higher than with previous generations.

They place taste and enjoyment as more important than health. They forego routine and seek out what is new and different, preferring bold and spicy flavors and culturally diverse options,” Fromm says.

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Country Fresh Food & Confections, Inc. Expands Packaged Fudge Line

By Ed Stockton, President, Country Fresh Food & Confections, Inc.

In a recent trade magazine article, it was stated that retailers were focusing on four key areas: grow revenue, reduce costs, improve customer experiences and improve products and features.

With these goals in mind, Country Fresh Food & Confections, Inc. is expanding its highly successful 12-ounce Country Fresh Fudge Sweet Shoppe line

to over 100 flavors in order to help retailers achieve those goals. The additional flavors will allow retailers to offer an exciting variety of gourmet fudge only previously found in stores that made their own.

Country Fresh Fudge is made with premium ingredients such as cream, AA grade butter, Dutch cocoa, real fruits and Belgian chocolate, without adding expensive labor costs. New flavors to be offered include Banana Walnut, Blueberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Chip Cookie

Introducing Hammond’s Licorice and Sour Bites

Hammond’s Candies, a Denver, Colorado-based confectioner that has been delighting candy lovers since 1920, has launched a lineup of delicious, Australian-style licorice and sour bites.

Licorice fans will love the soft, richly flavored Black Licorice and Red Licorice Bites, and those who crave sour candies

are sure to enjoy the new Green Apple Sour Bites and Blue Raspberry Sour Bites.

“Our new licorice and sour bites gave us an opportunity to enter a category we’re really excited about,” said Andrew Schuman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hammond’s

Hawaiian Host Showcases Mamoru Takitani Founder’s Collection

Hawaiian Host®, Inc., a leading brand and producer of chocolate covered macadamias, is showcasing its Mamoru Takitani Founder’s Collection™. Paying homage to Mamoru Takitani, Hawaiian Host’s founder, the new Founder’s Collection gift boxes – milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, honey coated and matcha – are made with hand-selected whole macadamias and covered in premium chocolate. The Mamoru Takitani Founder’s Collection captures the premium quality and authenticity of Hawaiian Host products, delivering the same great taste with a new look.

“At Hawaiian Host, we’re commit-

ted to celebrating our rich Hawaiian heritage with products and packaging that delight and inspire,” said Helen Liew, Vice President of Marketing at Hawaiian Host, Inc. “The Founder’s Collection 8-ounce milk chocolate covered macadamias, made with our secret blend of milk chocolate, is a staple of the Hawaiian Host brand. It’s everyone’s original favorite, now with a new look. With our new packaging, the Founder’s Collection makes the perfect gift.”

Liew continued, “We are proud to shine the spotlight on our founder, Mr. Takitani, and his dream to create an original confection unlike anything else, in

Protein Crisps from Shrewd Food

Shrewd Food has launched the perfect snack to satisfy the traditional cheeseball lover, with a modern twist boasting outrageous flavors and amazing nutritionals.

Based in Long Island, New York, Shrewd Food has developed its new line of Protein Crisps with the health-conscious snacker in mind.

The Shrewd Food line of Protein Crisps caters to those who are critically thinking about their food choices, whether they are keto, celiac or just want to stay on track with their daily macros, by driving the consumer to expect more

from a snack. Shrewd Food hits the better-for-you snacking initiatives by offering a powerful punch of crunch that has 65 percent protein, which is nearly two times the percent of regular protein bars but with the added benefits of being low carbohydrate, low calorie, low sugar and gluten free.

The savory Protein Crisps are puffed using the highest percentage of protein isolate and then coated in real cheese and spices. The end result is a snack that resembles the old-time cheeseball snacks, but with 3 grams of fat, 2 grams

Southern Recipe Small Batch Adds Oven-Baked Line

Southern Recipe Small Batch is proud to offer oven baked rinds, with 33 percent less fat than the brand’s original pork

rind. Hand-selected and cooked in small batches, the oven baked pork rinds come in three savory flavors.

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Dough and Pistachio Nut. More flavors will also be added to the ever-popular sugar-free fudge selections which have seen tremendous growth due to their low carbohydrate properties which are very popular in keto diets.

For retailers looking to improve their in-house brands, private labeling is also offered without the usual high development costs. Country Fresh Food & Confections, Inc. has invested in state-ofthe-art printing equipment to meet its high demand for privately labeled, premium fudge. With only being packed Candies. “We know our customers have been craving licorice, and our chewy Australianstyle bites are satisfying their sweet tooth. Our mouthwatering, tangy sour bites are already getting rave reviews. Fans can’t resist the sweet and sour combination.”

Hammond’s Licorice and Sour Bites are now shipping to retail stores across the country. Each flavor is available in a our new line. A trusted and universally loved gift since 1927, we’re confident consumers will love Hawaiian Host’s new Founder’s Collection.”

About Hawaiian Host, Inc. Hawaiian Host, Inc., parent company to Hawaiian Host and Mauna Loa® brands, is a leading manufacturer of premium chocolate and macadamia nut snacks.

Renowned for providing an authentic chocolate and macadamia nut experience, the iconic Hawaii company has been offering a variety of high-quality, delicious products, from fine confectionary gifts to indulgent snacks, for over 90 years. A dry roasting process decades in the making, combined with a commitment to premium ingredients, including of carbohydrates and 1 gram of sugar. This, along with its intention to create flavors that are top notch quality, are what’s making this company stand out in the world of snacks.

There are three savory and two sweet flavors of Shrewd Food Protein Crisps that have taken the healthy snacking world by storm: Baked Cheddar, Brickoven Pizza, Sriracha Cheddar, Strawberries & Cream and Cookies & Cream. In addition, the line’s newest phenomenon, Parmesan Herb Protein Croutons, is changing up Cilantro Lime Oven Baked Pork Rinds are packed with fresh citrus notes, Blackberry Habanero Oven Baked Pork Rinds offer a fusion of sweet blackberries and spicy habanero chilies, while the Smoked Sea Salt Oven Baked Pork Rinds give the savory and smoky

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eight units per case, and a sixmonth shelf life, retailers can make a splash with their customers by offering a unique assortment of flavors at a very minimal cost.

Country Fresh Food & Confections, Inc. also offers pre-made fudge in 6-pound loaves as well as convenient pre-cut 2ounce pieces, individually wrapped pieces, and fudge mix for those who choose to make their own.

Visit Country Fresh Food & Confections, Inc. at booth #366. For more information, email info@countryfreshfood.com.

7-ounce bag, in a case pack of eight, with a suggested retail price of $5.95 each.

Place your order for Hammond’s Licorice and Sour Bites by calling 800.CANDY.99 (800.226.3999).

Visit Hammond’s Candies at booth #981.

Follow the company on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hammondscandies and Instagram at @hammondscandies.

hand-selected macadamias and a signature chocolate recipe, makes Hawaiian Host, Inc. a leader in the category and a favorite among chocolate and macadamia fans around the globe. Headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaiian Host, Inc. produces more than 40 unique premium chocolate and macadamia nut snacks and distributes them to more than 25 countries, with manufacturing facilities in Hawaii and Los Angeles.

For more information, visit booth #1323 or go to www.hawaiianhost.com and www.maunaloa.com. Find the company on social media at www.facebook.com/HawaiianHostInc, www.instagram.com/hawaiianhostinc and www.twitter.com/HawaiianHostInc. salads like never before with 10 grams of protein per serving.

Each of the savory flavors ring in at 14 grams of protein per serving while the sweet flavors tout 12 grams and 13 grams of protein per serving, respectively.

The family of Protein Crisps is growing to include two new savory flavors: Sour Cream & Onion and Nacho. These are available May 2019. When you try them, you’ll realize how “snacking just got a whole lot healthier.”

For more information, visit booth #313 or go to www.shrewdfood.com.

flavor consumers demand today.

To deliver your consumers unique flavor profiles, a bold, Keto-friendly crunch, higher protein and lower carbs all in one stellar snacking innovation, contact Mark Singleton at msingleton @rudolphfoods.com.

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Good Day Chocolate Disrupting Vitamin and Supplement Category

Creators of “chocolate with benefits,” Good Day Chocolate makes chocolate supplements, an alternative to gummies and pills, for both adults and kids. Each chocolate supplement piece is packed with pharmaceutical grade supplements, made with premium fair trade milk or dark chocolate and candy-coated with colors from fruits and vegetables. Not only do they taste delicious, most importantly – they really work. Whether you’re wired, tired, tense or simply

craving an effective and delicious way to take vitamins and supplements, Good Day Chocolate has you covered.

The company’s adult products include small, impulse boxes (8 pieces) and large bottles (80 pieces) of Sleep with 1mg of melatonin per piece, Energy with caffeine and B-vitamins, Calm with amino acids and herbs to help you relax, Probiotic with 1 billion CFUs per piece, and Turmeric with 400mg of turmeric per serving. Good Day Chocolate also has

The Whole Earth: Clean, Natural, Organic Snacks

By Kevin Allen, National Sales and Marketing, Snak King

In the snack food universe, The Whole Earth® brand stands for clean, natural and organic snacks that consumers appreciate. Our team scours the world for only the finest ingredients made with handcrafted care and expertise. Our “Earthly” creations often include fresh organic corn harvested at its peak, gently cooked and ground to perfection. We often use organic brown rice in our snacks to produce a light, crisp result as well as golden and

brown flax seeds for a unique nuttiness.

These are just some of the many fine ingredients we love to share when crafting our very special, The Whole Earth brand snacks.

These delicious snacks are being introduced only to the savviest retailers this year. Look for special crafted selections such as Organic Garden Medley tortilla chips, a medley of tri-colored goodness flavored with spinach, tomato, carrot, beets and flax seeds. We also offer the simplest ingredient decks of corn, oil and salt, all organic, of course, available

KeHE Announces New CAREtrade Partners

KeHE CAREtrade has announced its newest partners, and several snack brands are among them.

The KeHE CAREtrade® initiative, founded in 2017, identifies and promotes brands that advance a higher purpose than commercial success and is aligned with KeHE’s dedication to serve. These brands create good food, they’re passionate about being good to people and the environment, and have a service-minded vision for the future.

Bhakti means “devotion through social action,” and the company is devoted to giving back on a global scale.

Guided by its philanthropic platform of GITA (give, inspire and take action), Bhakti’s social mission is to make an impact in the world and be a voice for those who need it most. Just as cardamom is steeped into all of Bhakti’s iced chai tea products, charitable works are deeply infused into the way it does business.

This Bar Saves Lives is on a mission to end childhood malnutrition worldwide through a simple giving model – sell the best snacks to give the best life-saving nutrition. Each bar sold gives food aid to a child in need in a one-for-one model, equaling over 10 million life-saving food packets to date. This Bar Saves Lives’ bars also have unique flavor profiles like PB & J and Wild Blueberry & Pistachio that are non-GMO Project verified, gluten-free and kosher.

NuttZo uses the sales from its seed and nut-based butters and bars to power the work of its real mission, Project Left Behind. The non-profit focuses on providing education and living essentials to orphans around the world. Since its inception, NuttZo has donated more than $100,000 to Project Left Behind to provide food, medical needs, supplies and tuition to more than 200 kids in children’s homes across Peru, Nepal and India.

good! snacks Offers Plant-Powered Protein Bars

good!™ snacks, which makes plantbased snacks, has introduced new good! snacks plant-powered protein bars.

Founded in the belief that consumers should never compromise taste for nutrition, good! snacks protein bars offer 15 grams of plant-based protein and 10 grams or less sugar in each bar. good!

snacks protein bars also pack 11 grams of beneficial fiber in every bar and are free of dairy, soy and gluten.

“Consumers are craving and seeking plant-based snacking options,” said Dan Hoskins, Chief Executive Officer. “Not only can we deliver consumers the plantbased ingredients they’re looking for, but

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products for kids available in Sleep, Calm, Multivitamin and Probiotic in 50count child proof bottles for children ages 3 and up.

It all began in 2010, when Andy Goldman, M.D., a facial plastic/head and neck surgeon, began crafting lollipops with functional doses of common medications for his patients. Add three years of R&D and his life-long friend and business partner, Simeon Margolis, and Good Day Chocolate was born to bring relief to those who are wired, tired, tense and craving a new way to take supplements.

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After years of research, chocolate was chosen instead of a gummy or a pill because it’s a real, whole food with

natural benefits.

Good Day Chocolate is available nationally at Kroger, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and many other retail locations as well as online at www.goodday chocolate.com and Amazon.

Visit Good Day Chocolate at booth #1791.

soon in a beautiful blue corn rich in anthocyanins or a more traditional yellow corn tortilla chip.

From product development to packaging and logistics, expertly staffed R&D and sales teams are ready to serve your needs. Trust The Whole Earth to bring your natural and organic opportunities to reality, whether it’s with any of our wide range of Tortilla Chip styles, Extruded Snacks, Pellet Snacks (veggie-flavored chips), Popcorn, Popped Crisps, Kettle Corn, Caramel Corn or our ever popular Nut Clusters.

Service and quality, we get it! Our customers are confident that we understand the importance of quality and food

safety systems, including: HACCP-based Food Safety FSMA/USDA System, Compliance, GMP training & formalized verification, Computerized Recall & Traceability System, testing, Microbiological Allergen Control System and others. Third party certifications include: SQF level 3, Gluten Free, USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project, Kosher and Whole Wheat Council.

You can count on The Whole Earth, dedicated to quality and expertise in the industry.

The Soulfull Project was born of a passion to locally serve those in need. With each purchase of its hot cereals, the Soulfull Project donates a serving to a local food bank in the region of purchase. It hopes to deliver nourishing, wholesome food to all Americans and to build healthier communities among the underserved.

The Soulfull Project’s cereals come in bags, multipacks and single-serve cups that are vegan and Non-GMO Project verified. It is also a Certified B Corporation.

World Centric has donated more than $3 million dollars from the sales of its 100 percent compostable tableware, including cups, plates, silverware and more, since 2009. It aims to raise awareness of large-scale humanitarian and environmental issues by donating, at a minimum, 25 percent of its profits to grassroots social and environmental organizations annually, to serve the planet and its people. It hopes to provide assistance and to help create change.

This new group of brands joins the KeHE CAREtrade partners for 2018: Dignity Coconuts, Tony’s Chocolonely, Mavuno Harvest, Tanka, and The Real Co., which will continue in the program and will serve as mentors to the new member organizations.

The 2017 inaugural KeHE CAREtrade partners were Divine Chocolate, Growers Alliance Coffee, Kuli Kuli, Sunshine Nut Company, and Women’s Bean Project. Those companies have now graduated from the program.

KeHE Distributors, LLC (KeHE) provides natural and organic, specialty and fresh products to natural food stores, chain grocery stores, independent grocery stores and other specialty product retailers throughout North America.

KeHE is an employee-owned company with more than 5,500 employees in the U.S. and Canada.

we can do it in an incredibly delicious way that doesn’t make them feel like they’re missing out by avoiding dairy or gluten.”

The newly launched good! snacks protein bars are made from a blend of fava and brown rice proteins that give the bars a soft, creamy center unlike traditional protein bars. The Choc P.B. variety is like a

For more information, visit booth #524 or go to www.snakking.com.

For more www.kehe.com.

information,

visit

grown-up peanut butter cup with chocolate on the outside, smooth peanut butter on the inside, and 15 grams of plantbased protein. good! snacks protein bars are available in six flavors (Choc P.B., Cookie, Choc. Mint, Lemon, P.B. and Blueberry) at select retailers nationwide.

For more information, visit www .goodsnacks.com.

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Bison Snacks Bringing Buffalo Back to Native Lands

By Robin Mather

Since 2007, Tanka – the Lakota word for “a large, or the largest, all-encompassing idea,” says Mike Tilsen, President of Native American Natural Foods – has given bright hope to one of the country’s poorest populations. For the Oglala Lakota who live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, in Kyle, South Dakota, Tanka has also come to mean a way forward that provides pride and dignity.

Pine Ridge is the second largest reservation in the country, comprised of about 2.9 million acres. Tilsen, together with Karlene Hunter, Chief Executive Officer and co-Founder of Native American Natural Foods, are social entrepreneurs, with “a lot of projects” under their belts, he says. When bison producers approached the pair in 2006 for help in finding ways to add value to their product, Tilsen and Hunter were ready to help. “There was a glut of buffalo trim on the market at the time, so we did a big study to figure out what is the best for the reservation,” Tilsen says. Trim is the meat left after prime cuts are removed from the bison carcass.

Tilsen and Hunter’s thoughts turned to wasna – the Lakota word for the highly nutritious blend of dried fruit, dried meat and fat that sustained warriors on long hunts and other travels. Some tribes called the same mixture pemmican, the Cree word for “all mixed up.”

The idea of preserving meat with fat and fruit is almost universal, Tilsen says.

“Every culture in the world has a word for this. People trying to survive from feast to famine would mix the richest fat with meat to preserve it for the future.

We removed the fat because people don’t need those extra calories today,” he says.

“So, we started to work with the community to develop a healthy snack.

We wanted to move our producers from the bottom of the economic chain to the top,” he says. The company has always used clean-ingredient practices. “We don’t use any chemicals at all. It’s a really great-tasting, really high-energy product that also helps restore the prairie and the people,” he says.

The idea had other merits, he says: “To bring back those buffalo, to put them back on the land – to make them part of our culture again,” he says. The Sioux connection to the buffalo is deeply spiritual; the Lakota consider the buffalo a sister nation, Tilsen says.

Prepared with prototype samples, in 2007, “we went to a large community pow-wow to do a quiet launch,” Tilsen says. “We took it to a Black Hills powwow, passed out samples, and the local press loved it.”

In a combination of nightmare and dream-come-true, Tilsen says dryly, “Ten days later, we were in the New York Times. We definitely weren’t prepared for that.”

Imitation as Problematic Flattery Today, meat snacks from jerky to meat sticks are among the fastest growing seg-

Rogue Creamery Named “Best for the World”

Since its founding in 1933, Rogue Creamery’s handmade cheeses have won widespread acclaim and dozens of awards, including two back-to-back “Best of Show” American Cheese Society Competition wins (2009 and 2011) and the honor of “World’s Best Blue Cheese” (2003) – distinctions that have put this small, Oregon-based business on the international stage. But being a leader in the specialty cheese industry is only a part of Rogue Creamery’s vision for the future.

As Oregon’s first public benefit corporation (B Corporation), Rogue Creamery has built a reputation of being a force for good. It strives to do more than be best in the world; it also wants to be best for the world.

Now Rogue Creamery has been honored for doing just that.

Out of more than 2,400 Certified B Corporations around the world, Rogue Creamery has been singled out for creating extraordinary positive impact in its community and environment by winning a place on the 2018 “Best for the World” lists. This is the second year in a row that Rogue Creamery has been honored with this distinction.

“As a mission-driven public benefit corporation, we want to do so much more than make better cheese,” commented David Gremmels, President of Rogue Creamery. “We want to make a better future, too.”

Rogue Creamery now produces USDA certified organic cheese – one ini-

Discover the Healthy Sweetness in The Organic Candy Factory’s Gummy Bears

The Organic Candy Factory, located in Los Angeles, California, was founded in 2010 by Ginger Taurek, who was five years old at the time. Her mother, Piper Cochrane, took her daughter’s fantasy and made it real – and organic.

All of The Organic Candy Factory’s products are made with fruit pectin. They are gluten free, gelatin free, pesticide free and non-GMO. There are no preservatives, corn syrup or nuts. The candies are vegan and kosher. In 2019, the company

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ments of the snack industry. Driven by consumer demand for high-protein snacks, the segment is now a $2.8 billion category with by predictions Nielsen for a 4.2 percent annual growth through 2022. Nielsen says the average annual household spends $25.82 a year on meat snacks alone.

But growth in the meat snacks segment has meant Tanka has had to face new competitors.

“The multi-national corporations have given us the compliment of plagiarism,” says Tilsen, meaning that they’ve seen Tanka’s success and want to emulate it themselves. “We’re affected by the intense competition, but we’re really heartened by the huge amount of support the brand has. It’s a really viable product that many people love.”

Tanka Brand products – which include bars, sticks and bites – are available in 4,000 to 5,000 stores nationally, Tilsen says. One-ounce bars have 7 grams of protein and have a suggested retail price of $2.99. One-ounce sticks, offering 6 grams of protein, have a suggested retail price of $1.99. Bites, which come in a 3-ounce resealable bag, are made from the same formula as the bars but are cut into smaller pieces and have a suggested retail price of $6.99. Tanka Brands also makes a Warrior Bar, a 2-ounce bar, with a suggested retail price of $5.99. All are made with bison, wild rice, dried berries and natural flavorings such as chile peppers or orange peel.

The competition has proven diffitiative that contributed to its “Best for the World” ranking. At the company’s organic dairy farm, it embraces sustainable solutions that increase both herd and soil health, while also helping with carbon sequestration. This includes an automatic milking system, intensive rotational grazing practices and an innovative waste repurposing system.

Rogue Creamery has installed solar panels at its dairy and cheesemaking facilities and has enacted a plan to generate 100 percent of its own energy needs by 2023. Rogue Creamery also pursues initiatives aimed at building sustainability in its communities through team-led volunteering and charitable donation programs.

Gremmels added, “Being named will unveil four new flavors, more sizes and some holiday-specific items.

Ginger, now 13, says proudly, “Organic candy tastes better, why settle for second best? Our Organic Gummy Bears are one-of-a-kind.” Through her company, Ginger wants to change the way candy is viewed. She wants to reach folks who want healthy sweets, whether they are three years old, or 103.

The Organic Candy Factory’s

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cult, pushing Tanka Brand into a renewed growth mode. “We’re in the process of closing new financing,” Tilsen says.

“We’re fairly small in terms of our team.”

Portion of Proceeds Benefits a Non-Profit While producers are paid for their product, 10 percent of Tanka Brand’s profits go to the Tanka Fund, a national campaign to return buffalo to the land, diets and economies of the American Indian people, according to the company’s website, www.tankafund.org. One of the fund’s objectives is to assist those who live on the reservation in starting in bison production themselves by helping them buy stock and arrange for grazing land.

“Land access is one of the biggest challenges,” says Tilsen. “We work with other tribes to return buffalo to millions of acres of land. On the rez, you have to lease or buy checkerboarded land. Each person’s case is a very intensive project, but it does provide people without resources or access to land a chance to grow into the industry.”

Consumers respond to Tanka Brand’s story, he says. “For the consumer, one of the reasons we say we are growing is that we’re focused on the truth. Consumers aren’t interested in the marketing story; they want reality. Our reality is that the Lakota people have been with the buffalo throughout history.”

That, in itself, brings dignity and pride, he says. “We get to tell that story by offering people this incredible product, so we’re pretty proud of it.”

‘Best for the World’ shows that we’re doing it right.

Our actions make a real difference – and our hope is that they inspire others to do the same.”

The Best for the World Lists are based on an independent audit administered by the nonprofit B Lab, which measures a company’s influence on its workers, community, customers and the environment.

Businesses that earn scores in the top 10 percent of all B Corporations win a spot on the Best for the World lists. Rogue Creamery placed on the 2018 Overall Best for the World list, as well as B Lab’s Best for the World – Environment list.

For more information about Rogue Creamery, call 541.665.1155 or visit www.roguecreamery.com.

Gummy Bears are not only naturally sweet to eat because of the organic sugar used to make them, they actually contain healthy nutrients (minerals) that candy made with non-organic sugar lack. Don’t miss the delight; discover the healthy sweetness in Organic Gummy Bears.

For more information, call 310.309.7461 or go to www.organiccandyfactory.com.

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Big Food Companies Invest in Small Food Start-Ups

By Robin Mather

More and more big food companies are funding food incubators and accelerators.

A food incubator is typically set up to help start-ups early in their process, while an accelerator aims at companies that already have their ideas and business models squared away but need help to take the business forward. Both offer mentoring and advice, useful to entrepreneurs who may know their product but aren’t savvy about branding or attracting finance.

One of the aims of the corporate

incubators is to alleviate such pressures by providing ample working space in certified commercial kitchens to budding entrepreneurs. Along the way, the corporate sponsors get to see the future of snacks in real time as disruptors create new products. They also sometimes get first crack at an equity stake in companies that succeed.

Mondelez International has launched SnackFutures, which has as one of its mandates to focus on working with startups. “Discovering and unleashing innovative ideas in snacking that will delight consumers and drive growth is a key ele-

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ment of our new strategy,” said Tim Cofer, Mondelez’s Chief Growth Officer.

“We are launching SnackFutures, a new forward-thinking innovation hub, to capitalize on new trends and mobilize entrepreneurial talent and technologies to build, and grow, small brands with largescale potential.”

PepsiCo’s Nutrition Greenhouse incubator is working with snack makers Bohana, IQ Bar, Wildway and Rule Breaker Snacks. Each received $20,000 in initial grants, and at the end of the program, one will be selected to receive an additional $100,000.

“Nutrition Greenhouse was created with the intent of supporting changemaking start-ups of the future,” said Daniel Grubbs, Managing Director of PepsiCo Ventures Group. “We are very

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excited to collaborate with, help grow and learn from these incredible companies. Each finalist is unique in their own way, but one thing they all share is they’re mission-driven and purposeful, which is very much aligned with our own performance with purpose agenda.”

Kraft launched its Springboard Brands Incubator early in 2018, and has announced that five companies will participate in its inaugural program. Its first round of start-ups include Ayoba-Yo, which makes South African biltong; Clevland Kraut, specializing in fermented foods; Kumana, which markets an avocado sauce; Poppilu, an anti-oxidant lemonade made in Chicago; and Quevos, which makes salty, crunchy egg-white chips.

Chobani’s incubator, based in New York, New York, had more than 650 applicants for the 2018 class’s nine spots.

Last year, it began working with 88 Acres, a snack and seed butter company; Fresh Bellies, which makes organic baby food; Masienda, a clean-label tortilla company; Noka, which makes superfood smoothies; and Nona Lim, which makes Asian-inspired soups, noodles and broths.

Tyson Foods, while not operating an incubator itself, has agreed to work with two business incubators in Silicon Valley, California, and Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago incubator, named 1871, has worked with Yappah Protein Crisps, made with what Yappah calls rescued foods – chicken breast trim and leftovers from vegetable juicing and beer brewing.

In the same way, Kellogg and Conagra are backing a Chicago non-profit incubator called The Hatchery, which opened in November with space for about 75 businesses. PepsiCo also plans to work with The Hatchery.

The Hatchery’s 67,000-square foot production facility offers shared and private kitchen space, co-working and meeting space, storage, on-site business support and other incubation services, including classes and events.

Fabrique Délices Refreshes Branding

Fabrique Délices is redesigning its line of products: organic flatbread crackers, pâtés, rillettes and mousses, truffle butters, cornichons, dry and cured meat, specialty meats and all-natural sausages.

The new design features bright colors that catch the eye. Each label has the product name written on a chalkboard.

Charcuterie products have, undoubtedly, trended over the last few years – however, pâtés, rillettes and mousses are still unfamiliar to American consumers. To demonstrate how to enjoy these specialties, Fabrique Délices sleeves provide easy-to-understand instructions.

The new look has now shipped to retailers nationwide and has received great feedback from customers.

For more information, call 510.441.9500 or go to www.fabriquedelices.com.

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Mozaics Debuts Organic Popper Veggie and Potato Chips Mozaics has launched a new line of organic popped vegetable and potato chips. They’re tiled with peas, black beans, potatoes and rice that consumers can see and taste in a crunchy triangular chip.

Mozaics chips are popped, then lightly misted with organic extra-virgin olive oil. All chips are gluten free, U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic, kosher, Non-GMO Project certified and free of peanuts and tree nuts. Each chip contains 40

percent real vegetables, including 30 percent peas and 10 percent beans.

There are 110 calories and 23 chips per 1-ounce serving. Mozaics chips will debut in five distinct flavors: Sea Salt, seasoned with fresh sea salt; BBQ, crafted with a blend of tangy spices; Cheddar; Sour Cream and Onion and Salsa, which is similar to an authentic medium salsa.

The Sea Salt, BBQ and Salsa flavors are vegan-friendly, and Cheddar and Sour Cream and Onion are vege-

Lakeview Farms Buys Tribe Mediterranean Foods

Lakeview Farms has announced its acquisition of Tribe Mediterranean Foods.

Based in Taunton, Massachusetts, Tribe Mediterranean manufactures preservative-free prepared hummus products. Tribe hummus is plant-based, kosher-certified, veganfriendly, and contains no GMO ingredients, no artificial preservatives, no cholesterol, no hydrogenated oils or highfructose corn syrup. Tribe employs approximately 85 full-time, part-time and seasonal employees.

The company has a strong heritage of producing high-quality hummus in

innovative flavors. Tribe’s traditional savory products are complemented by its recent launch of a new sweet hummus platform.

Lakeview Farms is a leading marketer and manufacturer of refrigerated desserts, dips, seafood salads and spreads primarily sold on the fast-growing perimeter of retail outlets including dairy, deli and seafood departments across the United States. Its brands include Luisa’s, Salads of the Sea, Sea Gold, Senor Rico and others.

The addition of Tribe to the Lakeview family of brands allows

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tarian-friendly. “Consumers are always looking to cram more vegetables into their diet; Mozaics chips are a convenient, on-the-go nutritional snacks for time-starved consumers looking for real nutrition,” said Julia Stamberger, Chief Executive Officer and co-Founder of Spinning Wheel Brands, Mozaics’ parent company. “From road trips, get-togethers to backyard parties, Mozaics chips are reshaping the way consumers snack. Each chip is fewer calories and fat and higher in dietary fiber and protein than other salty chip brands. The whole-

Lakeview to further penetrate the perimeter of the store by entering the $800 million hummus category with an established national brand.

The combined portfolio will allow the business to offer a broader range of products and a higher level of service to its customers.

“We are excited to welcome Tribe and its employees to our Lakeview Farms organization,” said Tom Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Lakeview Farms. “Tribe brings an impressive product portfolio, deep talent and industry expertise, a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and a strong plan

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some chips also offer a satisfying texture and crunch consumers love.”

Mozaics chips are made with no artificial ingredients or preservatives and offer a simple ingredient deck. The chips are also manufactured in a facility free of peanuts and tree nuts.

The new chips have a suggested retail price of $3.99 for a 3.5-ounce bag or $29.99 for an eight-pack.

For more information, visit www .mozaicschips.com.

for growth. We look forward to continuing to build our business through innovation, world-class manufacturing and distribution.”

“Lakeview is committed to supporting the next phase of Tribe’s growth strategy, presenting an array of synergies and capabilities to enhance our ability to compete in this fast-moving, exciting category,” said John McGuckin, Tribe’s Chief Executive Officer. “This is a great opportunity for us, and we look forward to building the Tribe brand with innovative new products and to driving category growth.”

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Ethiopian Coffees Get Buzz at Good Food Awards

By Greg Gonzales

Retailers who look to awards and prizes as a guide to what’s best in the world of specialty food are likely to notice that, once again, Ethiopian coffees dominated the category in this year’s Good Food Awards. It’s no fluke; over half the category’s finalists this year consisted of Ethiopian varieties, and 50 of 86 total GFAs in this category have gone to coffees of the same origin. Even though there are plenty of reasons roasters and judges and coffee aficionados alike prefer Ethiopian coffees, the dominance of Ethiopian coffees in this awards competition has become self-perpetuating, despite continued efforts from the GFA’s coffee committee to level the playing field for other origins.

“That’s a big reason people are submitting Ethiopians, is because of the proven success of them in this competition – and it’s definitely one of the reasons I submitted an Ethiopian to the competition,” said Rob Bathe, Owner of Folly Coffee Roasters, a GFA finalist. “I talked to Tony Querio [Head Roaster] of Spyhouse Coffee, and he said if you’re a roaster and you’re looking to have success in the Good Food Awards, and you look at the past, and you see how many Ethiopian coffees are being awarded, you’d be almost foolish not to submit at least one Ethiopian coffee to the awards.”

Even though the awards have allowed for two submissions per brand, the rules changed this year so that each submission had to come from a different origin. As a result, there were 16 Ethiopian finalists this year, compared to 20 last year.

However, Sandra Elisa Loofbourow, co-Chair on the GFA’s coffee committee and Tasting Room Director at Royal Coffee, says that wasn’t the only rules change for 2019. The awards also introduced “citizen judges,” she said, or nonindustry people who might prefer different flavor profiles than a coffee professional. “There is something to be said for Genesee Candy Land (Cont’d. from p. 1)

delightfully different delectables to surprise and delight customers every day.

From handcrafting sweet treats in our retail store to becoming a specialty manufacturer famous for chocolate bacon products, we’re attracting attention.

In 2015, I created our signature chocolate-covered bacon, using a corporate marketing background, a fondness for cooking shows plus an entrepreneurial spirit. This led to a manufacturing facility producing innovative wholesale goods – not only chocolate-covered bacon in two varieties but also four types of jumbo decadent cookies, fudge bites and our ‘animal poo’ line of chocolates available online and in select convenience stores.

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

LA: We unified our product line by

calibration within an industry, and the specialty coffee industry does prefer certain flavor profiles, especially people who have been trained as cuppers and tasters,” said Loofbourow. “They might have a preference for certain coffees. We try to get a diverse panel of judges from different regions of the U.S. and different portions of our industry precisely because we don’t want the judges to have a distinct preference for one coffee or another.”

Even so, Loofbourow and a number of GFA finalists say that Ethiopian coffee has a number of advantages that tend to place it higher than coffees from other origins.

Ethiopian coffees tend to land on U.S. soil by July or August, and the cupping ceremony is in September, so those beans tend to be fresher than others that have been stored in warehouses for several months, “slowly aging and losing some of their sparkling acidity,” said Loofbourow.

“The thing that factored in for Folly was, as you’re choosing coffees, freshcrop coffees tend to cup a lot better – especially when you’re blind cupping and evaluating for taste,” said Bathe.

“My hypothesis would be that if that competition was at a different time of the year, you’d probably see increased presence in other origins that have fresh-crop landing around that time.”

On top of that, Ethiopia coffee has a gold-standard reputation in the coffee world, known as the birthplace of coffee, which grows wild there. “I was talking to a producer from Brazil, we were talking about Ethiopian coffee, and he was blown away, speechless, that Ethiopian coffee grown wild can produce a coffee that is significantly better than he can,” said Samuel Sabori, National Quality Control and Roasting Manager, and Buyer, for Intelligentsia Coffee, another GFA finalist. “It’s kind of like asking why pinot noir is so great in Burgundy – it developed there. Though not all Ethiopian beans are heirloom, it has a lot

launching OINKS, a distinctive brand for our chocolate-covered bacon products, including applewood-smoked and jalapeño strips. For bite-sized treats, Chocolate Bacon Bites come in a resealable pouch for grab-and-go snacking. Our newest product, Chocolate Bacon Truffles, features smoked bacon bits combined in a dark chocolate-covered shell for a twist on the classic. We developed new packaging for bacon strips, bites and chocolate truffles.

GN: What makes your company unique?

LA: We’re lucky to have a retail store, which features a chocolate shop in Golden, Colorado. It serves as a product laboratory for the manufacturing business. I feel like I’m in the classroom daily, exploring ways to improve my craft. Everything I’ve done has prepared me for this – I love retail – plus getting daily customer feedback was the ‘a-ha

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of genetic diversity that a lot of coffeeproducing countries in the Americas don’t have.”

Nick Visconti, Founder of Drink Coffee Do Stuff, another GFA finalist, said Ethiopian coffees have a natural complexity of sugar and acidity that’s totally unique, and that those characteristics are more pronounced on a cupping table. “I personally think there are incredible coffees that ought to be highlighted from around the world,” he said.

“However, it’s maybe a little easier to experience the nuances of an Ethiopian coffee than it may be to experience those same characteristics of a Latin or South American coffee. On one hand, Ethiopia produces some of the best coffees in the world, and on the other hand, it’s just that they stand out compared to other coffees.”

Loofbourow said the GFAs took steps this year to mitigate this particular problem, which she calls contextual cupping. “If you were to put a really outstanding washed Ethiopian coffee next to even a superb Guatemalan coffee, it’s likely that the Ethiopian coffee would overshadow it. And it’s not necessarily that the Ethiopian coffee is inherently better than the Guatemalan; it’s that the Guatemalan would taste better paired with another Guatemalan coffee,” she said. “This year, my coChair and I did origin- and processingbased cupping tables for the blind tasting, wherein we put all the Central American coffees together, all the South Americans and all the Indonesians and all the natural Ethiopians and washed Ethiopians all on their own tables. As a result, we got a significant increase in non-Ethiopian coffees in the finalists list.”

So it’s not as if GFA officials are unaware of the problem. “It’s a constant point of contention. Last year, after the tasting, there was a bit of an eruption on social media regarding this issue,” said Loofbourow. “As co-Chair, I and my other co-Chair, Tovara Salley, are working really hard with the means we have to make this a fair and just event. And it’s true that there’s a prevalence of Ethiopian coffees, and it’s true that there’s only so much we can do about it, but we are

implementing as many tools as we can to give all the coffees from all the roasters a fighting chance – and make sure the finalists are some of the best coffees in the nation.”

But again, one of the biggest contributors to this issue is the self-perpetuating factor, that nearly half of all submissions are Ethiopian. If the industry as a whole decided to celebrate non-Ethiopian coffees by submitting two coffees from other regions, then by default there would be more winners from nonEthiopian origins. However, then the world might miss out on fantastic coffees from the very birthplace of coffee.

Therein lies the dilemma.

“It’s a collaborative effort, and I wonder if folks in our industry realize that it’s within their power to help fix this problem,” Loofbourow said. “I hope people who are interested in fixing this problem reach out to the coffee committee, because we’re looking for help!”

Good Food Awards officials and next year’s entrants might look to beer for an example of how to judge and submit coffees. Bathe, who used to sell and judge beer in the craft beer industry, explained that beers are judged per specific style, where coffee is judged as one large category.

“If I submit an IPA and a stout, those two beers are going to be judged very differently. When you submit a coffee, it’s judged against one kind of scale, one platform,” he said.

Whatever the solution may be, it’s still uncertain. “This is a tricky position to put a roaster in – they obviously want to have at least the opportunity to win a Good Food Award, and it feels like if you don’t submit an Ethiopian coffee you’re sort of negating any possibility of placing,” Loofbourow said. Some ideas for next year, she added, include a sustainability committee to address certification requirements regarding Fair Trade and organic labels. “We don’t currently have a solution for that, but we are working on one,” she said. “We’re working actively to improve our system, because it’s not perfect. There are flaws. ...We don’t want to keep upheaving the rules, but we do want to keep improving the system.”

moment’ in becoming a manufacturer.

In addition, Genesee Candy Land is the only food manufacturer in the United States to receive certification from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to process bacon strips enrobed in chocolate. Obtaining this designation was a rigorous process and it sets us apart.

to roll their eyes and think ‘I’ve seen this product four times already this week.’ We strive to create deliciously different delectables with each and every product.

GN: Is there a fun component to your unique product lines?

LA: OINKS is an innovative, playful brand that blends sweet and savory tastes from foods already loved individually to create uniquely sweet treats.

Our chocolate-dipped bacon products have been wildly successful; bringing our best sellers together continues our evolution as chocolatiers. Our broader vision is to continue to disrupt the snacking category by blending loved foods to create new products. I want to dazzle a buyer when they’re introduced to our products. I never want someone

Visit Genesee Candy Land at booth #5027. For more information, go to www.geneseecandyland.com, call 303.526.3073 or email geneseecandyland @gmail.com.

GN: Where is your current product emphasis?

LA: We get two reactions when people try our OINKS products for the first time: ‘You did WHAT to bacon?!’ Or, ‘I love bacon and I love chocolate, so I’ll love this.’ It’s fun to watch this reaction. We’ll see this all day long at our booth.

We are testing other loved food items that can handle the ‘zip’ of bacon, and will be testing these at our exhibit booth.

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Thousands Gather in San Francisco to Talk, Taste and Tout Food

By Lorrie Baumann

More than 1,400 specialty food producers and thousands of retailers, foodservice buyers, chefs and food writers and social media influencers gathered in San Francisco in January for the Specialty Food Association’s annual Winter Fancy Food Show. Among the highlights of the event was a celebration of the association’s seventh annual Leadership Awards, which honor food industry leaders who

create positive social, economic and/or environmental impact through innovation and vision while running successful businesses.

This year’s honorees were Miyoko Schinner of Miyoko’s, which produces Miyoko’s Kitchen vegan cheese-alternative products, currently carried nationwide in 6,000 outlets; Patrick Mateer, the Chief Executive Officer of Seal the Seasons, which produces frozen local blackberries, blueberries, peaches, apples

Allergy-Friendly Food Leader Introduces Protein-Rich Product Line

The Safe + Fair Food Company's latest allergy-friendly product line is Pea Protein Chips. These gluten-free, proteinpacked chips are free from five of the top JOYFULS (Cont’d. from p. 1)

happily sourced from Non-GMO Project Verified and Fair Trade Certified ingredients. Every bag of JOYFULS features individually wrapped chocolates for sharing and easier portion control.

JOYFULS dark chocolate medallions come in three varieties: Cranberries, Almonds and Pink Himalayan Salt; Toasted Coconut, Almonds and Pink Himalayan Salt; and Currants, Pumpkin Seeds and Pink Himalayan Salt.

Love Good Fats (Cont’d. from p. 1)

metabolism and act as super fuel for the brain.

Love Good Fats bars have just 1-2 grams of sugar, 4-5 grams of net carbs and are gluten-free, soy-free, non-GMO, contain no artificial preservatives, no sugar alcohols and are also keto-friendly.

The bars have a truffle-like core that simply melts in your mouth and are offered in six delicious flavors, including Peanut Warrell Creations (Cont’d. from p. 1)

grains, superfruits, nuts and seeds packed with a range of flavors, nutrients and allergy friendly foods. Outcomes are often indulgent treats with a twist of functional capabilities, such as truffles enrobed and coated with cocoa nibs, combinations of tree nuts clustered with dried fruits and ancient grains, protein isolate centers enrobed in proteinenhanced, chocolaty coating rolled in almond pieces and brittles made with granola. Its R&D team is very clever at Abdallah Candies (Cont’d. from p. 1)

break from the day and reseal for another moment of contentment later. The Retreats are brightly colored packages with nine varieties of flavors. Three amazing sorbets: raspberry, orange and lemon, each uniquely creamy and smooth without being too sweet. Two amazing sea salt caramels: one milk and

eight allergens and are made with pea protein and lentil flour.

The new plant-based Pea Protein Chips boast 9 to 10 grams of protein per

With JOYFULS, people can feel good about their indulgence, from the tantalizing taste to the high-quality, properly sourced ingredients to the ability to easily count calories and control portion size. Just the right treat in just the right amount. That is joy. That is JOYFULS. JOYFULS dark chocolate medallions are 65 calories per piece. Each piece is separately wrapped to help consumers avoid the feel-bad experience of mindlessly reaching into a bag and eating too much without realizing it. The individual wrapping also allows people to

Butter Chocolatey, Coconut Chocolate Chip, Mint Chocolate Chip, Rich Chocolatey Almond and new plant-based flavors Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Peanut Butter & Jelly.

The keto diet is a big trend right now. There is a huge white space for convenient high fat, low carbohydrate snacks and foods. In general, snacks need to have only 4-5g of net carbohydrates to be considered friendly for the keto diet. Three of the biggest pitfalls

finding ways to enhance your brand and develop new products.

The distribution division focuses on providing candy and snacks for specialty retailers. It offers turnkey merchandising tools that create an impulse profit center in most any store. The Pennsylvania Dutch Candies quality hanging bag line is now available in private label. The program boasts 12 case assorted minimum orders, seven-day lead time and the best assortment available. Let it help you promote your location.

Warrell Creations is the innovator of

one dark with the famous Abdallah caramel center. Three toffees: English toffee, butter almond toffee and a cashew almond toffee, each with a solid buttery flavor and an awesome bite of crunch.

New to the line is a smooth double dark fudge Retreat. The inspiration for the Retreats was to provide smaller bite sized pieces to broaden the market to the

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and cherries that are sold in more than 3,000 outlets across the U.S.; and Lisa Curtis, Chief Executive Officer of Kuli Kuli, which imports moringa from countries around the world into the American market, where it’s sold in energy bars, teas and shots in flavors like Coconut Lime, Raspberry and Ginger Lemon.

Education sessions for the show included a research roundtable with Mintel Consulting’s David Lockwood with key insights from annual consumer research by Mintel and the Specialty Food Association around key trends in consumer behavior and new possibilities in retail and foodservice. Other education sessions on the main stage included discussions spanning a

range of topics relating to food, foodservice, food retailing and sustainability.

The show’s Incubator Village once again showcased the important role that incubator kitchens play in helping specialty food producers scale their business up from a recipe idea into commercial production and entry into the marketplace. Incubator Village featured seven incubators from around the U.S. that showcased more than 30 companies they have helped launch or grow. This year’s lineup included Chobani Incubator, El Pajaro CDC, KitchenTown, La Cocina, LSU AgCenter Food Incubator, Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Food Center and the OSU Food Innovation Center.

serving and come in three tasty flavors: Hickory BBQ, Sea Salt and Sweet Jalapeño. Additionally, the new product line is certified gluten free, non-GMO, kosher, cholesterol free and vegetarian.

The chips are not fried and are also free from artificial ingredients, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, MSG and trans fat.

The new chips join Safe + Fair's existing offerings of popcorn quinoa chips, cookies, granola, grahams, macaroni and cheese and cake mix.

The new Pea Protein Chips are sold in a 3.5-ounce bag for $3.49.

take JOYFULS on the go – so they can experience a little joy whenever and wherever they wish.

JOYFULS translates the artisanal hand-crafted process of French chocolatiers into an individually packaged portion control item people can really enjoy eating in just the right amount. This is one indulgent snack you can feel good about!

“We are proud to offer a product in JOYFULS of the highest quality ingredients, innovation and heathy characteristics,” said Barry Octigan, President of

most bars on the market have are: they contain too much protein (over 10g per serving) or not enough fat to sustain a keto diet and too much sugar.

Love Good Fats hits the sweet spot.

Of all the bars on the market in North America today, none of them are low sugar (1-2g), high fat (13-14g), and have a moderate amount of protein (9-10g) – except Love Good Fats.

As consumers are seeking to live healthier lifestyles, Love Good Fats

choice in the consumer-packaged goods snack space. Six process kitchens give its dedicated product development team the flexibility to innovate freely. A structured new product development stage gate process, coupled with Rapid Prototyping Methodology, enables customers to accelerate their time to market.

While many CPG companies take 18 to 36 months to launch new items, Warrell Creations has helped customers launch new innovations as rapidly as 6 to 9 months. Its processes include artisanal panning, enrobing, fire roasting, nut clus-

delicious taste of creams and toffees.

These items are intended for personal consumption versus a gift pack, and so smaller sizes and increased items were considered in developing the item’s weight.

The Retreats were recently introduced and have been well received by retailers and consumers alike. Each Retreat package weighs approximately

For more information, go to www .safeandfair.com.

JOYFULS. “This process delivers a chocolate snacking confection that is beautiful in appearance while offering a remarkable eating experience. The innovation will continue as we expand the JOYFULS brand through new product development. Watch for our new line of snacking chocolates!”

For more information, visit booth #1991, go to www.joyfuls.com or call 888.989.9050. Follow the company on Facebook or on Instagram @JoyfulsTreats.

snack bars are a must in your stores.

Whether shoppers are doing the keto diet or just trying to eat healthier in general, Love Good Fats products are a terrific option.

Fat is back. Sugar is out.

Visit Love Good Fats at booth #6033 on the Innovation Avenue. For more information, go to www.lovegoodfats.com, call 888.656.8343 or email info@love goodfats.com.

ters, snack bites and brittle.

With over 50 years of experience behind it, Warrell Creations has forged a go-to-market strategy that has labeled it as Your Partner of Choice™ for private label and contract manufacturing solutions. A competitively advantaged Quality Management System, a breadth of manufacturing capabilities, a demonstrated willingness to invest and a team of dedicated project managers is capped with its cornerstone strength: We Innovate For You™.

For more information, visit booth #2213.

2.75-3 ounces and each is priced at $2.99 suggested retail. Abdallah Candies is a fourth generation, family owned company producing quality confections since 1909.

Visit Abdallah Candies at booth #883.

For more information, go to www .abdallahcandies.com, call 800.348.7328 or email service@abdallahcandies.com.

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SWEETS & TREATS SHOW EXTRA

Shrewd Food (Cont’d. from p. 1)

calorie, high protein snack.

Introducing Shrewd Food Protein Crisps, the high protein, low carbohydrates, low calorie, gluten free version of your favorite cheese puffs you loved as a kid. It’s amped up the original to include three savory favorites such as Baked Cheddar, Brickoven Pizza and Sriracha, as well as two sweet flavors, Strawberries & Cream (90 calories, 12 grams of protein and 4 grams of carbohydrates) and Cookies & Cream (90 calories, 13 grams of protein, 3 grams of carbohydrates).

Each savory serving boasts 90 calories, ChocoMaker (Cont’d. from p. 1)

With eye-catching packaging and high-quality products, ChocoMaker is a fresh alternative for baking, party and bulk sections alike. Using consumer research combined with experienced culinologists, flavor technologists and pastry chefs housed in its new Buffalo, New York-based Innovation Center, the ChocoMaker team continually explores new product concepts and ways in which people celebrate with chocolate.

This year, ChocoMaker is launching three new products – Natural Candy Wafers™ made with no artificial colors, ChocoDrizzlers™ and Sprinkle Variety Packs.

When it comes to a coating, most REAL FOOD (Cont’d. from p. 1)

squash, the newest ingredient base for the brand’s Pretzel line.

REAL FOOD FROM THE GROUND UP launched less than a year ago with a line of cauliflower-based snacks that included crackers and pretzels made from real veggies. Both lines have been celebrated as plant-based, better-foryou versions of familiar formats like the cheesy crackers you ate as a kid and traditional pretzels made from wheat flour.

REAL FOOD FROM THE GROUND UP is expanding the cracker Darrell Lea (Cont’d. from p. 1)

In the U.S., Darrell Lea is known for its world famous soft liquorice which has been available for over a decade. Darrell Lea soft liquorice has fast become a firm favorite with those who prefer a softer, genuine, plant-based recipe as an alternative to brands with a predominantly artificial ingredient list.

Darrell Lea thought the timing was Jake’s Nut Roasters (Cont’d. from p. 8)

snack! Be sure to try some of Jake’s other bold and unique seasoned almond products, “Straight from Jake’s Orchard” to you.

Jasper Specialty Foods is a multigenerational, family-run operation headquartered in Newman, California, speLa Truffe Royale (Cont’d. from p. 8)

anything you would put salt on. Perfect over fries, onion rings, pizza, all burgers, sandwiches, popcorn and so much more. The salt is a perfect blend of truffle essence mixed with a fine imported

14 grams of protein and 2 grams of carbohydrates, which makes this snack the best choice for everyone watching their macros or just watching TV. David Wild, co-President of Shrewd Food, loves to compare his Protein Crisps to the common protein bar.

“They’re about the purest form of protein you can get which is over 65 percent protein and nearly two times that of protein bars.” He explains that the result of taking the highest quality protein isolate, puffing it and adding a special selective seasoning blend is the magic behind these outrageously delicious Protein Crisps.

consumers want wafers that melt and flow easily. ChocoMaker Natural Candy Wafers melt faster and become silkier than other wafers. These non-GMO wafers contain no hydrogenated oils and come in milk/white/dark flavors as well as salted caramel and seven eye-catching, natural colors. They are produced using only natural chocolate cocoas, real vanilla, no artificial colors and pure cane sugars. Whether dipping fresh fruit or pretzels in melted chocolate or glazing a whole cake, ChocoMaker Natural Wafers result in a more uniform, smoother and superior coating.

Next up, ChocoMaker ChocoDrizzlers offer an easy-to-use, ondemand decorating product. Its conventional and brightly-colored Candy Wafer

line with the launch of cauliflower-based star shaped crackers in Cheddar, Pizza and Sea Salt flavors. The brand is also launching cauliflower-based stalks, which are light and airy puff-like tubes, in Cheddar and Sea Salt flavors. The brand’s cauliflower-based Grain Free Tortilla Chips in Sea Salt, Nacho and Lime flavors were also unveiled in March 2019.

Another vegetable taking root this year from the brand is Butternut Squash, with the launch of butternut squash-based pretzels in both sticks and twists shapes.

All REAL FOOD FROM THE

right to launch a major new sub-brand specifically for the U.S. market that it knew Americans would love. Darrell Lea is proud to introduce its newest addition to the lineup, Real Twists in both 10ounce Strawberry and Grape flavors.

This full flavored, fruity confection is in the form of a twisted, soft bite candy without any of the tough bite qualities of those currently sold locally. Each flavor will be available in a very generous 10-

cializing in the production of unique almond related food snacks, confections and other treats for the specialty food market. “From Farm to Market” is a slogan often used to epitomize the philosophy of the company in that, first and foremost, it is farmers seeking to grow and produce the finest almonds in the world by controlling every aspect of the sea salt and truffle pieces.

Black Truffle Tapenade MarDona had many requests for a truffle spread, but the company just never got around to it. Then one day after doing R&D, it worked out this great formula of

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Michael Goldstein, co-President of Shrewd Food, explains their success in the marketplace. "Our main goal in developing this new line of Protein Crisps was to modernize the traditional cheeseball by making it friendly to many lifestyles and diets such as keto, celiac and low calorie.” If you pick up a bag, you can easily tell from the nutritional panel displayed on the front that the owners of Shrewd Food wanted to show off their stats.

Lisa Saffeir, co-President of Shrewd Food, talks about how it’s not just the savory flavors that are gaining a lot of excitement. “We have a new product that

chips are packed into a patent-pending microwaveable pouch. Just warm/melt for a few seconds, snip the tip of the package and decorate. They are perfect for many retail applications, including the baking aisle.

Finally, the ChocoMaker Sprinkle Variety Packs offer a mix of eight beads, shimmies and other shapes in the same package – perfect for all decorating occasions. They are part of a broad baking decorette line featuring beautiful, contemporary shapes and colors, as well as a pleasant taste which does not overpower baked treats. The shimmies and beads are thinner, smaller and more delicate than ordinary sprinkles, and the shimmer coatings add a touch of glamor to any creation.

GROUND UP snacks are certified by the Non-GMO Project, certified gluten-free and made from real veggies and vegan ingredients. The snacks are a fun and tasty way to sneak in some nutrition at snack time.

“We are excited to expand our award-winning cauliflower-based snack line with the launches of Stars, Stalks and Tortilla Chips and to venture into a new vegetable offering with butternut squashbased pretzels,” said Aaron Greenwald, President of REAL FOOD FROM THE GROUND UP. “At REAL FOOD FROM THE GROUND UP, we’re proud to be

ounce bag for launch with a smaller 1.7ounce on-the-go bag available later in the year.

The total U.S. candy market is in slight growth, but who is driving that growth? It is the emerging brands who are innovating for the consumer of 2019. Consumers are seeking enhanced eating experiences and products made with quality ingredients. Darrell Lea Real Twists are a retail solution to a

process, including planting, farming, harvesting, processing, packaging, sales and distribution. Some of its popular brands include Nunes Farms, Jake’s Nut Roasters and Jasper Ranch, to name a few. The company is actively involved in developing new flavors, custom mixes and smart packaging with an emphasis on small batch process and exceptional

black truffles, truffle infused oil along with some TLC, and came up with a great spread. But it’s more than that; this is a tapenade. Use it straight from the jar and spread over some toasted crusty bread, or mix with a mayonnaise and create a wild truffle aioli. Add to hot cooked pasta as a

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just hit two regions of Costco and is blowing out the doors – they’re Protein Croutons!” This phenomenon has the bold flavor of Parmesan Herb while playing the role of healthy Protein Crisp and is changing up salads everywhere.

Shrewd Food’s family of Protein Crisps is growing to include two new savory flavors: Sour Cream & Onion and Nacho. These are available May 2019.

When you try them, you’ll realize how the folks over at Shrewd Food can claim that “snacking just got a whole lot healthier.”

For more information, visit booth #313 or go to www.shrewdfood.com.

ChocoMaker products have long offered consumers a unique opportunity to work with higher quality chocolate and coatings, and with products which are easier to use than conventional wafers or block. ChocoMaker now continues this innovation with its naturally-colored wafers, ChocoDrizzlers and Sprinkle Variety Packs featuring its most popular individual decorette items.

ChocoMaker products are available in grocery stores, party and craft stores, and select national and international retailers.

For more information, go to www .chocomaker.com, call 716.877.3146, email info@chocomaker.com or visit booth #1385.

able to offer snacks, made from real veggies, that taste as delicious as the conventional versions, but deliver high nutrition standards. This is just the beginning for us; with an abundant innovation pipeline highlighting consumers’ favorite veggies, there will be a REAL FOOD FROM THE GROUND UP snack for everyone in the family in 2019.”

For more information, visit booth #1992, go to www.fromthegroundupsnacks.com or call 888.989.9055. Follow the company on Facebook or on Instagram @FromTheGroundUpSnacks.

growing problem. Produced in Sydney, Australia, all Darrell Lea branded items are made with no artificial colors or flavors, no high fructose corn syrup, no preservatives and no GMOs. Keeping with the Darrell Lea promise of high standards, Real Twists does not disappoint on quality, ingredients, softness or flavor.

For more information, visit booth #2427.

quality. California almonds from Jake’s Nut Roasters are the perfect pairing of bold new flavors and traditional, handcrafted production.

Visit Jasper Specialty Foods at booth #894.

For more information, call 800.255.1641 or go to www.jasperspecialtyfoods.com or www.jakesnutroasters.com.

great truffle pasta dish. There is no limit to what you can do with it!

For more information, call 855.OIL SPRAY (645.7772), email info@ mardonaspecialtyfoods.com or go to www.mardonaspecialtyfoods.com.