IDDBA 2023 Preview

we are more than just hummus,” said JP Patchett, SVP for Garden Fresh Gourmet. “We want them to leave knowing that we are their partner across all categories. The plant forward category continues to grow, and we want our customers to know that they can count of us to continue to innovate with quality products that they have come to expect from Garden Fresh and Lantana.”

“Volpi will be showing a variety of charcuterie product formats at the IDDBA in Anaheim,” said Claire Donohue, Product Marketing Specialist for Volpi Foods. “This will include popular products from our sliced line such as Volpi Prosciutto and Genoa Salame. We will be showing our snacking line and chopped items as well! Our big highlights will be our new Eco-Pack that is now made with 80 percent less plastic than traditional deli packaging. We also have a few new snacking items that attendees will be able to view when they visit the Volpi booth that are exciting.”

“At this year’s IDDBA, Cedar’s will be sampling some of our newest flavors, including Topped Organic Grecian Golden Hour (which made its way to shelves at Whole Foods, Sprouts and more this April) and the Topped Organic Hot Honey Hummus (a Kroger exclusive that’s rolling out in Kroger locations and banner stores nationwide in mid-May), as well as our Organic Pumpkin Hommus which is making its way back to shelves this August,” said Aimee Tsakirellis, Executive Vice President of Marketing. “We also recently introduced a brandnew look for our labels that’s inspired by the brand’s roots in the Mediterranean—we can’t wait to share the new look with attendees!”

“Since the company’s founding 82 years ago, family-owned and operated Bake’n Joy has continuously invested in quality innovation and new bakery capabilities,” said Director of Marketing Jayne Kearney. “Today is no different. This year at IDDBA Bake’n Joy is unveiling its brand new exhibit booth, which captures the essences of our brand and expanding product capabilities! With the opening of our state-of-theart bakery and the acquisition of L&M Bakeries, we are thrilled to introduce new packaged, baked, sliced banana bread, loaf cakes and pound cakes! Each package of these labor-free sweet treats contains ten (10) slices per package and boasts center cut slices only. Popular flavors include Banana Bread, Marble, Lemon and Butter Pound Cake, Seasonal Pumpkin Loaf and Blueberry and Apple Loaf Cakes. SRP for 14 oz. packages."

“We are also pleased to announce the introduction of new baked half sheet cornbread!” Kearney added. “Each case contains four, 4.5 lb. golden baked sheets. The premium quality of this thaw and sell cornbread can only come from Bake’n Joy! So rich, moist and loaded with cornmeal for sweet, corn-forward flavor. It is a golden color throughout and has a visibly hearty texture. No labor or waste and so versatile. Retailers cut to any size or shape they choose and sell by the piece or by the pound. Cornbread can be merchandised in bakery, included as a side with prepared meals, at the soup station, next to rotisserie chicken, the food bar station and in-store coffee shops. It offers convenient profitability in every sheet!”

If attendees were left with one message upon leaving Alpha Baking Co.’s booth Lotesto wants “for both current customers and those we haven’t worked with yet, I’d like Alpha Baking to move to the top of their minds as a resource,” he said. “When someone has a need, I want their first thought to be, ‘I bet Alpha can help.’”

Klein wants the takeaway for attendees at the booth to be “Lakeview Farms is a vendor partner they can count on to help grow their business, sales and profits,” he said.

“Fresh, clean, quality ingredients never go out of style,” said Cavanaugh with Gardner Pie Company.

Epicurean Butter hopes IDDBA attendees will understand the company is their partner in both the butter and cream cheese categories. “We can help elevate any meal, side dish, protein, anything that retailer or even a wholesaler, anything people are trying to sell, we help add value,” Phukan said. “We can help create a better tasting dish, a restaurant quality dish for your consumers. How do you elevate your products? You add a little Epicurean butter or Epicurean cream cheese. We want people to take away our best in-class customer service and quality. Obviously it’s a myriad of things but where we can be a best-in-class partner to help elevate your product. We’re excited to talk to people about all the different ways that we can help them with their value-added products and drive convenience and help drive sales ultimately at the retailer.”

“We would like to have our potential customer be amazed at the quality of our products and the thoughtfulness and appearance of our packaging,” said Lyn and Matthew Grogan of Sweet Sam’s. “They would see that we are fanatical about taste and careful in selecting the highest-grade ingredients.”

“When the attendees leave our booth, we want them to know that they can have sustainable packaging, animal welfare standards and artisanal charcuterie items in one easy to merchandise package,” Donohue with Volpi said. “Being a women owned business in the charcuterie space, it is important for us to lead the way in these areas by employing standards that meet the needs of conscious consumers, and we want to highlight that as much as possible.”

“Cedar's has a unique brand story that’s been rooted in family for more than 40 years with recipes that have been perfected and handed down from generations,” Tsakirellis said. “The brand has continued to stay family-owned throughout its nationwide expansion, starting as a local business run by a couple who emigrated to the US from the Mediterranean and quickly growing throughout the country by introducing Americans to a product they hadn’t yet tasted before. We hope people who stop by our booth feel the sense of family our brand evokes and leave IDDBA hungry for more hommus and Mediterranean flavors.”

“Wow! Bake’n Joy is a company on the move with a fresh new look, expanded capabilities, new categories and even more quality bakery solutions!” Kearney said.

“Overall, our goal is always to forge new partnerships and reconnect with current customers,” Lotesto with Alpha Baking Co. said. “We really enjoy the op- r Cont'd on the next page r From the previous page portunity to show that we can be a resource to everyone who stops in (and a few we drag in as they attempt to walk by). In addition, we’re excited this year to introduce our new Italian Panini roll, which we’ll be sampling throughout the show, and a delicious new Tuscan cocktail loaf that we expect to be a strong seller year-round.

“Relationship building with our retail partners, along with the presentation of updated branding and product assortment,” are key objectives for Lakeview Farms at this year’s IDDBA, Klein said.

After a three year hiatus from the show, Gardner Pie Company has a lot to look forward to at this year’s IDDBA. “It will be our first IDDBA since 2019, so we are looking at it like a reintroduction of our products and people,” said Cavanaugh. “We will be introducing an ‘inflation buster’ option and Gourmet PreBaked.”

The Epicurean Butter team plans to convey to retailers that like its flagship butter line, the company’s new cream cheese offering can be used in many ways. “We’re trying to get people to think outside the box,” Phukan said. “The versatility of our products is what we will always preach at these shows. An objective for us is to try to get people to understand that butter and cream cheese can be used in so many ways. The other trend we like to talk about is convenience. The ready-to-eat, readyto-heat and the ready-to-cook sections in every grocery store are starting to expand. Butter and cream cheese can be a big part of that, and we want to continue to help our partners sell those convenient products because we know that’s what is moving at the grocery store.”

“Sweet Sam’s is looking to connect with widest range of customers possible and expand beyond the traditional environments in which our baked goods are found,” said Lyn and Matthew Grogan of Sweet Sam’s. “For this reason, we look forward to partnering with more c-store accounts, digital/fast grocery, and big-box retailers along with more traditional accounts such as conventional grocery and retail accounts.”

Patchett with Garden Fresh Gourmet outlined the following company goals for this year’s IDDBA show: “1. Innovation—not only in hummus, but also in salsa, salads and dips,” he said. “2. We are engaging consumers in new ways and continue to share new recipes and ways for shoppers to engage with our products. Whether they use it as a dip, a spread, an ingredient in their favorite recipe or as a component on their charcuterie or smear board, we want them to see all the innovative ways that they can enjoy the products on their own, to feed their families or to dazzle their party guests with the fund, bold flavors we have to offer. 3. We have some amazing new products that we will be sharing as well as some new packaging on existing products.”

“One of our major objectives this year at Volpi is to showcase the need for sustainability in the specialty deli space,” Donohue said. “We will be highlighting our Eco-Pack to attendees to show that there is no need to compromise when it comes to product quality and sustainable packaging. We do have some new snacking items coming out this summer, and we are so excited to show these at our booth and let the attendees sample these items.”

“We’re excited to offer guests a taste of some of our newest hommus flavors like Grecian Golden Hour and Hot Honey, and showcase our packaging’s brand new look which is bringing modernity and brightness to the Mediterranean food aisle,” Tsakirellis said. “The new labels feature Cedar’s signature green lid, with new designs that feature bolder colors, fresh ingredient photography and updated typography, while staying true to the brand’s authentic Mediterranean roots.”

“Our primary goal is category expansion with new, no labor baked loaves and baked cornbread, as well as higher adoption of limited time only Fall-Winter and Spring-Summer seasonal varieties,” Kearney said. “We are taking orders now for fall flavors! We are also eager to speak to potential new customers about the quality of Bake’n Joy products and our unparalleled customer service, which is so crucial today considering continued supply chain, transportation and labor challenges.”

“We’ve found that the IDDBA show is a great fit for us because the attendees