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GOURMET NEWS AUGUST 2018 www.gourmetnews.com Naturally Healthy NATURALLY HEALTHY 1 4 Chocolate with a Pacific Northwest Vibe from Seattle Chocolate BY LORRIE BAUMANN Seattle Chocolate Company unveiled a brand refresh for its entire line at the Sum- mer Fancy Food Show. The company has had second thoughts about everything from its logo and tag line to the label design for its bars and is now celebrating its Pacific Northwest roots more clearly and consis- tently, said Chief Executive Officer and Owner Jean Thompson. The changes come after the company surveyed its consumers who told them that one important reason they buy Seattle Chocolate Company products is that they come from Seattle, and they think it's im- portant that the products connect them to the place. Among the changes: the Seattle Chocolates logo that formerly graced its bar labels now identifies the company as "Seattle Chocolate," which matches the company's actual name, Thompson said. The company's new tag line alludes to the weather for which the Pacific Northwest is famous as well as to the mood-lifting effects of quality chocolate: "May chocolate be your umbrella." New labels on the bars fea- ture designs by artists from around the country and continue the celebration of color for which Seattle Chocolate has long been known. The bars themselves are a lit- tle wider and a little thinner, to make them fit better on grocers' shelves while keeping their original 2.5-ounce weight. "I actually prefer the new m o u t h f e e l , " Thompson said. "We're 27 years old now, so it was time to take back our trend-setting position that we've always had with our packag- ing." New flavors in- troduced at this summer's show include Hiker's Trail Mix and Tukwila Hazel- nut. The Hiker's Trail Mix bar is a dark chocolate truffle bar with peanuts, raisins and sunflower seeds, while the Tukwila Hazelnut bar is milk chocolate with hazelnut butter and rice crisp. A 72% Dark Origin Truffle Bar is made from a blend of Nicaraguan cacao beans. "We met farmers replacing coffee with chocolate as global warming has displaced c o f f e e , " T h o m p s o n said. From Nicaragua, the beans go to a Portland, Ore- gon, bean-to- bar maker who produces a bar for Seat- tle Chocolate that has a fla- vor profile that's creamy and fruity but still al- lows the cacao flavor to shine through. "We worked with him to produce a unique chocolate to our flavor preference," Thompson said. Each of the bars retails for $4.50. While much has changed as Seattle Chocolate has rethought its brand, the ba- sics of the business itself have not. Seattle Chocolate plans to continue its tradition of creating mini-seasons so retailers have reg- ular opportunities to cycle new products into their chocolate displays at three- month intervals. The company's fall line this year will in- clude Pumpkin Spice, Mexican Hot Chocolate and Peanut But- ter Pretzel bars, each with wrap- pers designed by different artists. The seasonal in- troductions for the winter holiday will be Hot But- tered Rum, Peanut Buddy Crisp and Candy Cane Crisp. The wrappers on the winter bars will feature holiday color but won't call out a reference to any particular holi- day tradition. Finally, the com- pany is also offering bulk caddies of individually wrapped truf- fles in either a single flavor or in assorted flavors, and 4-ounce boxes of individually wrapped truffles that will retail for $6. "With everything we do, we're bringing along the Pacific Northwest," Thompson said. "It really pops off the shelf." GN BY LORRIE BAUMANN DRY Soda Company creates beautifully fla- vored, lightly-sweet sodas, made with just a handful of ingredients. Its cornerstone DRY Sparkling line features lightly sweetened craft sodas with culinary- inspired flavors es- pecially designed to pair with food. The line comes from CEO and Founder Sharelle Klaus, who launched DRY Sparkling in 2005 with a Lavender soda that is today the only flavor from the original collection that's still in produc- tion. It's DRY Sparkling's best seller. "We just had to change the way Americans were thinking about sodas," Klaus said. "They could be elevated; they could be elegant. They could be an experience like having a nice glass of champagne." Over the years since the brand debuted, its distribution has grown, and DRY Sparkling has become known as an option for celebratory occa- sions that don't in- clude alcohol – so much so that DRY Sparkling is now of- fering, in addition to its full line of flavors in 12-ounce cans and bottles, seasonal fla- vors in 750mL bottles labeled with art that celebrates the season. The seasonal flavors for the winter holiday season are Cranberry and Blood Orange. Watermelon and Pineapple are offered for the summer sea- son. "We were looking at more refreshing flavors that would be fun to drink on a hot summer day or bring on a picnic," Klaus said. Like the other flavors in the line, they're flavorful but low in sugar, with about 60 percent less sugar than other sodas. Fla- vors include, in addi- tion to the Lavender, Fuji Apple, Vanilla, Cucumber, Rainier Cherry, Watermelon, Blood Orange and Ginger. Watermelon is available in a 12- ounce bottle as well as the 750mL cele- bration battle. All of the flavors are natural. DRY Soda Co. has also just introduced DRY Zero Sugar sodas, a new line that's or- ganic and sweetened with organic stevia leaf extract for a sugarless soda that con- tains no artificial sweeteners. DRY Zero Sugar is offered in four flavors – two with caffeine and two without. The two flavors that contain caffeine are Cola and Peach Tea, while Island Fruit and Mountain Berry contain no caffeine. "They're a much bolder flavor, but still less sweet than regular diet soda," Klaus said. The entire DRY Soda Co. product range car- ries the Non-GMO Project's verified seal, and they all work as cocktail mixers as well as ready-to-drink sodas. DRY Soda Co. encourages that with a cocktail generator on its website: the visitor to the website can choose a spirit and a DRY Sparkling flavor that's on hand, and the website will offer a couple of different recipes. "Some we create ourselves, but a lot of them came from mixologists from around the country," Klaus said. GN Sodas Worthy of a Celebration

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