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Gourmet News September 2018

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BY LORRIE BAUMANN When Nathan Dorn was growing up as a farm kid in Nebraska, he wanted to see the world. Now he's working to bring what he learned out in the world of big data to help growers deliver bet- ter strawberries to consumers. Can Big Data Make Better Berries? Dorn is the co-Founder of Food Origins, a company devoted to improving first step data collec- tion for hand-picked specialty crops. His vision extends much further than better traceability. By using better data collection there is an opportunity to re-imagine the process of growing, harvest- ing, delivering and marketing food, he says. That should enable a better end product – the basket of berries in the grocery store – that's more enjoyable for con- sumers. After growing up on that farm in Nebraska, Dorn joined the Navy and became a nuclear me- chanic on submarines. Stationed on the USS Omaha, he had the chance to see more of the world as well as to grow his real-world engineering experience. After his military service, he joined Pep- siCo Bottling Group, where he learned about how efficiency in moving a product through the BY GREG GONZALES Facebook and Instagram, among other platforms, are great places to connect directly with your customers. Letting your person- ality shine through in your posts is a great way to attract them and keep them coming back. A mix of storytelling and original content that your customers can connect with puts your store ahead of the retail giants, and shows the on- line community that your store is a destination with a personal touch. Use your voice to build connections, and your page will reach more people, which will translate into more foot traffic. Making the Most of Your Social Media Accounts Continued on PAGE 10 Continued on PAGE 12 Continued on PAGE 8 When getting started with a new Facebook page, or when re- vamping it, the experts recom- mend writing a description in the about section that describes the store well and makes it searchable on sites like Google. "For Insta- gram, it's going to be kind of short, but with Facebook, you want to make your about section really long, to fit a lot of keywords and tell your story," said Social Media Coach Andrea Vahl. "You want to talk about what makes your business unique, why they should come to your store and not another store. You can also in- clude links to your other sites, your Twitter, so people can find you easily on multiple social sites. Copy and paste some sort of tes- timonial in there from a customer, too. But with Instagram, your space is short; you really have to craft your bio, and there I would really focus on what makes your store unique." Vahl also suggests that retailers get to know which platforms their audience uses, to make sure owners aren't spread- ing themselves thin. "It's hard to do it all," she said. "Don't try to do it all, because it's going to end up with you dropping the ball here and there." After getting on the right plat- forms, learning to craft a post that's more than a mere ad is im- portant. "Don't think about fea- tures and benefits [when posting about a new product], think about use occasions and moments you can create, that you can envi- sion in your own life for that product," said Laura Davis-Tay- lor, Co-Founder of High Street Collective, a retail experience de- sign company. "If it looks like an ad, you're out ― no one's going to look at you, no one's going to par- ticipate. Let's say I have this super-amazing, inexpensive Natural Products Expo East Offers Expertise BY LORRIE BAUMANN Harbison from Vermont cheese- maker Cellars at Jasper Hill was named best of show from among 1,954 entries at the American Cheese Society's 2018 Judging & Competition. Cellars of Jasper Hill also took home second place in the competition with Calder- wood, and COWS Creamery in Prince Edward Island, Canada, took home third place for Avon- lea Clothbound Cheddar. "What a thrill!" said Cellars at Continued on PAGE 12 Jasper Hill Cheesemaker Mateo Kehler. "These wins represent the efforts of many dedicated people from our cropping crew and herdsmen, through production and affi- nage, to sales and support. It took a village working in concert to pull this off." The awards were announced at the 35th annual ACS Conference, "Forged in Cheese," held July 25-28 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Of the 1,954 entries from more than 250 companies this year, 350 were named winners in the blind- judging that awards points for aesthetic qual- ities such as taste and subtracts points for BY LORRIE BAUMANN This year's Natural Products Expo East kicks off on Wednesday, Sep- tember 12 with its annual Natural Products Business School day, of- fered to provide learning and net- working for emerging brands. The event will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m and will feature presentations by Adam Spriggs, Founder of Nucleus Maximus, a branding and packaging consult- ant for food brands based in Boul- der, Colorado; Alice Pang, an Associate with law firm McCarter & English; Alex Hanifin, Chief Executive Officer of Alpine Start Foods, which is based in Boulder, Colorado, and makes premium instant coffee; and Tom Spier, Founder & Managing Partner of Boulder Food Group (BFG), a venture capital firm that invests in early stage food and beverage product companies; among oth- ers. Kavita Shukla, Founder and CEO of The FRESHGLOW Co., which offers products for healthy eating and plant-based beauty, will offer the keynote speech. Expo East will be held Septem- ber 12-15 at the Baltimore Con- vention Center, Baltimore, Maryland. Registration is open at www.expoeast.com. VOLUME 83, NUMBER 9 SEPTEMBER 2018 n $7.00 NEWS & NOTES n Las Vegas Market Expands Gourmet Offerings PAGE 6 RETAILER NEWS n Cheese Importers – La Fromagerie French Cafe PAGE 13 SUPPLIER NEWS n La San Marzano Sauces: Made in Italy with Mama's Recipes PAGE 16 HOT PRODUCTS n Alpha Foods PAGE 25 News ..............................................6 Ad Index .......................................26 Calendar.......................................26 www.gourmetnews.com Cellars at Jasper Hill's Harbison Named Best of Show at ACS Awards G OURMET N EWS T H E B U S I N E S S N E W S P A P E R F O R T H E G O U R M E T I N D U S T R Y ® SUPPLEMENT: Recognizing the Good SEE PAGE 22 (Following Naturally Healthy) SUPPLIER NEWS: FINE & RAW Chocolate SEE PAGE 18 (Following Naturally Healthy) HOT PRODUCTS: Lotito Foods SEE PAGE 25 (Following Naturally Healthy)

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