Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/1050089
PRIVATE 2018 www.gourmetnews.com n NOVEMBER 2018 n GOURMET NEWS P 2 2 possible. The process has six stage gates to marshal the innovation from an ideation to a viable new product launch. Structured to ad- dress critical success factors early, the process results in launching innovations to the marketplace quickly. With an uncommon breadth of experience, Warrell Creations can serve as an extension of an organization's Product Development Team. Coupled with its rapid prototyping methodology, skilled staff and dedicated project managers, the organization delivers a mantra differentiated in the contract man- ufacturing market: "We Innovate for You." The Warrell Corporation has been protect- ing national brands since 1992, when it part- nered with its first Consumer Packaged Goods customer to make fire roasted peanuts. Since then, well-established manufacturing practices that protect the largest consumer brands are the secret to its ongoing success. Warrell Creations' manufacturing facilities, conveniently located in central Pennsylvania, have been designed to be audit-ready every day. Let the company show you why it is con- sidered The Partner of Choice for the largest CPG brands in the United States. Visit The Warrell Corporation at booth #F1626. The Warrell Corporation (Cont'd. from p. 1) worked beside his father, learning the trade as well. Doug then started his own operation in the late 1970s, which he grew into a lucrative honey producing business throughout the 1980s and '90s. In the early 1990s, commer- cial agriculture changed the natural landscape and honey production yields decreased every year, as the majority of southwest Iowa was converted to corn and soybeans. To further diversify, Doug and his family turned their attention to packing honey for farmer's mar- kets and craft shows. The packaging busi- ness grew strong through the 1990s, while honey production struggled. Over the 20 years, Smitty Bee grew from a small honey producer and packer to one of the nation's fastest growing honey processors, packaging over 20 million pounds of honey per year. Smitty Bee Honey packages different types of honey for all industry sectors. These markets include commercial food manufac- turing, foodservice and retail. Honeys are carefully selected from specific botanical or geographical areas from around the world and blended to match customer specifica- tions. Exotic and rare varietals such as Wash- ington Raspberry, California Sage and Mex- ican Avocado honey are just a few of the honeys that can be sourced. Recent trends show that customers are looking for new and trendy honey items that will stand out from the rest. Visit Smitty Bee Honey at booth #F2241. Smitty Bee Honey (Cont'd. from p. 1) for a clean label, but also their appetite for a snack with bold and unique flavors. No MSG, artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, sodium diacetate, nor major allergens. Know the no's in your seasoning mix and say "yes" to a clean product your shoppers are de- manding. 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. For more information, visit booth #F1903. Rudolph Foods (Cont'd. from p. 1) Innovation In addition to superior flavor and quality, PCP keeps abreast of innovation and new technologies and continually explores av- enues to enhance production facilities and service. The company has built a rigorous sales and marketing staff and marketing al- liances, allowing it to pack and sell a wider variety of value-added products. Certifications and Sustainability PCP has four locations that are SQF Level III Certified. All other locations are BRC or SGS Certified. It also undergoes ethical and sustainable audits. It has an ongoing commit- ment for sustainable practices on its farms and in its plants. Some of the company's sus- tainability measures include water reduction, greenhouse gas reductions, packaging reduc- tions (tin plate and fiber), boiler efficiencies, recycling and energy reduction. The Customer is First PCP's seasoned, experienced and knowledge- able management group, along with many dedicated and hardworking employees and committed grower-owners, give the company a unique perspective. It strives to be a true part- ner to its customers, and the company believes it shows through its service and reliability. Visit Pacific Coast Producers at booth #F2500. For more information, email sales@pcoastp.com. Pacific Coast Producers (Cont'd. from p. 1) Kroger Names Gil Phipps Vice President of Branding, Marketing and Our Brands The Kroger Co. has named Gil Phipps, for- merly vice president of Our Brands, to Vice President of Branding, Marketing and Our Brands, effective August 15. Phipps joined the company in 2012 and led the transformation of Our Brands by evolving existing brands and introducing new brands that resonate with customers. Through elevating recipes and product for- mulations, inserting personality into pack- aging and more, Phipps has increased customer loyalty and driven record Our Brands sales growth. "We are fundamentally changing how we market to and engage with our customers, and Gil is the perfect talent – a personality full of creativity, imagination and fun who loves food and new meal experiences – to lead the way," said Stuart Aitken, Kroger's Group Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of 84.51°. "Kroger's new marketing approach is more engaging, cross-func- tional, data-driven, and customer-led in support of Restock Kroger. As we redefine the customer experience, we are using com- pelling marketing communications to create uplifting connections with our shoppers that earn even more of their sales, trust and loy- alty." With Phipps' leadership and influence, the Our Brands business has substantially in- creased. If Our Brands were a unique con- sumer packaged goods company on the Fortune 500 list, it would rank number 138. Phipps was instrumental in introducing Sim- ple Truth ® , now the largest natural and or- ganic brand in America with more than $2 billion in annual sales. "The retail industry is dynamic, exciting and changing, and I'm thrilled to take on this role at this very moment to transform the way Kroger connects with our customers to elevate our brand across America," Phipps said. "We will continue to build on how we use data points powered by 84.51° to create marketing communications and experiences that are even more relevant, meaningful and personalized." Phipps started his grocery career in 1987 as a store director for Fresh Plus Grocery in Austin, Texas. Following the role, he became brand manager for Guiltless Gourmet before moving into brand marketing positions at both Michael Angelo's Gourmet Foods and Hormel Foods. In 2001, Gil joined H-E-B as a brand manager before earning a series of promotions that placed him as the leader of H-E-B's store brands program. La San Marzano Sauces: Made in Italy with Mama's Recipes By Lorrie Baumann La Regina di San Marzano has been co- packing pasta sauces in Italy for major U.S. brands for the past decade, but now the company is ready to take off the mask and step into the American market under its own name, the La San Marzano brand. The company introduced six varieties of pasta sauces: La San Marzano Marinara, Tomato Basil, Arrabbiata, Roasted Garlic, Four Cheese and Vodka, into the American market late last year with regional distri- bution in New York specialty retailers and on Amazon. "All of these flavors are made with premium ingredients, fresh ingredi- ents," said Sergio Pagnini, La Regina di San Marzano's North American Area Man- ager for the U.S. and Canada. The com- pany is headed up by Felice Romano, the son of its founder Antonio Romano. The brand is now ready to start expand- ing its reach outside the metropolitan New York City area and expects to be in national distribution within the next five years. Growth will be incremental, with every new retailer starting with in-store demon- strations, according to Pagnini. "It's very important that the consumer taste this prod- uct, because the product is something else," he said. Once consumers have tasted the sauces, sales will follow, he added. "A lot of companies are doing a lot of marketing because 70 or 80 percent of their success is the marketing and 20 percent is the prod- uct. Our case is very different.... It's very important for us that people taste the prod- uct. That's the first thing we do because we don't have to brainwash the consumers be- fore they taste it. They taste it, and then we talk." The La San Marzano sauces are made without tomato paste or sugar, and the fresh tomatoes that go into them are authentic San Marzano tomatoes grown from seed in the company's own fields below Mount Vesuvius. "This sauce is how an Italian mom makes the sauce in Italy," Pagnini said. "We own the seeds. We grow them. We harvest. Everything in the sauce is made by us.... It's a classical Italian family business." Pictures of the fields are posted on the company's website at www.lasan marzano.com, and consumer inquiries that come to the website are all answered, Pagnini said. The tomatoes for each year's batches of sauce are planted in March in the family's greenhouses and transplanted into the field in April. The harvest starts around July 15 and ends in late September. "In those three months, we make all the toma- toes we use all the rest of the year," Pagnini said. The sauces are made in Italy, where it's illegal to use genetically modified ingredi- ents, and exported to the United States, where they're certified to contain no GMOs to reassure American consumers who may not be aware that their Italian origin forbids GMOs. "Everything starts with the tomatoes. We are the tomatoes," Pagnini said. The sauces are also gluten free, and in addition to the San Marzano tomatoes, all other ingredients are sourced in Italy from the region around Naples, including Parmi- giano aged 36 months, Pecorino Romano DOP and fresh basil, garlic and onions picked from fields near the Amalfi coast. "We don't use pre-prepared garlic powder," Pagnini said. "We cut and clean the gar- lic.... The workers in the plant prepare the ingredients as they prepare in their own kitchens." The company has conducted third-party blind taste-testing in which its Marinara and Arrabbiata sauces were compared with other major brands for aroma, chunkiness, flavor and taste. Consumers were asked whether they'd buy it. In those taste tests, the La San Marzano sauces came out on top in each of those categories. The sauces are sold in 24-ounce jars that retail for around $7.99. For more information, visit www .lasanmarzano.com.