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www.gourmetnews.com 10 2019 BUYERS GUIDE • Gourmet News FEATURED PRODUCTS New MarDona Stuffed Olive Collection MarDona has produced a gour- met olive snack to meet any- one's palate. Quality fresh olives are stuffed with the finest gourmet treats. The Savory Blue Cheese is a perfect bal- ance of the olive and cheese. The Turkish Red Hot Pepper is just what the label says, very hot! The Garlic Stuffed Olive is offered two ways: one with a Natural Garlic insert and Italian Style, in which the garlic is en- hanced by spices in the brine. The Jalapeño Stuffed Olive has a good balance of heat and olive. MarDona Specialty Foods 855.Oil Spray (645.7772) www.truffleoilsandmore.com The Future is Now: Bellucci's Take on Food & Tech The food industry may not be the first to come to mind when some- one uses the phrase "disruptive tech." Though many ways in which technology has already shaped our world are obvious, some ways in which the ripple ef- fect of big tech is causing move- ment are just starting to be discovered. Businesses that are leveraging technology in smalls ways can cause big waves in the food in- dustry. The olden days of paper trails and manual processing are giving way to the innovative appli- cation of technologies originally developed for other industries. From the ground up, precision agriculture is leveraging advances in satellite, GPS and even photo- graphic equipment to improve the efficiency of food production. The industry has already progressed from using tech to measure and track crop yields and soil levels, to monitoring weather patterns and water usage and how these fac- tors affect harvest. Now, the agri- cultural industry is beginning to see the positive impact of tech- nologies which use advanced cameras and artificial intelligence to differentiate between crop plants and their neighbors, for in- creased efficiency in the applica- tion of fertilizers and pesticides. Future hopes include the use of this same technology to guide ro- bots or drones designed for smart harvesting. These tools apply advanced al- gorithms to current and historic data, predicting future needs with incredible accuracy. This not only boosts sales precision, it stream- lines transport and distribution worldwide, and helps reduce waste from excess production or over- stock. Health, wellness, and authenticity are a strong pull towards technology for Bel- lucci. As a leader in the production of high-quality extra virgin olive oil, the company launched its Trust Through Traceability campaign in 2014, creating its own consumer application to provide consumers a transparent look into the food supply chain. Using a unique code printed on the label of every bot- tle, consumers can verify the au- thenticity of their extra virgin olive oil, as well as trace their bottle of Bellucci oil straight back to its source in rural Italy. The company goes over and above industry expectation by providing the ability to view the place in which each bottle origi- nated, as well as supplying excel- lent information on the independent growers who form the com- pany's collective. Bellucci has taken it one step further in 2018 by partnering with tech giant Oracle to leverage blockchain technology to provide even deeper insight into their process, through provision of a distributed open ledger. That dig- ital ledger is updated by each partner in the supply chain, allow- ing them to create and share a permanent, unalterable record of the product journey from bottling to distribution. The ultimate goal is to provide future consumers with complete transparency, from grove to grocer. This is just the beginning - but Bellucci is dedicated to bringing food and tech closer together to drive innovation. Bellucci Premium www.belluccipremium.com La Perruche crafts delectable white and golden-brown, coarse cut sugar cubes. They offer all of the flavor and appeal of authentic, 100 percent pure cane sugar. The white lumps are dis- tinguished by their unique shape, and add a touch of elegance and originality to any coffee, tea or cocktail. The en- thusiast seeking the fla- vors of raw cane sugar will likely prefer the warm golden-brown cubes with a delightful hint of caramel. An icon in sugar cane history, La Perruche is now part of France's gourmet and cultural her- itage. Since the brand's recogni- tion award almost 130 years ago, La Perruche has prospered in France and well beyond its bor- ders, sharing the finest quality sugar around the world. The original shape, warm, golden-brown color and unique taste of the coarse cut cubes make it the real emblem of the brand, which over the years has be- come the symbol of a highly sought after art de vivre; art of life. Show your customers and friends the finest sugar on the market, La Perruche. World Finer Foods 973.338.0300 www.worldfiner.com The Sweet Taste of Elegance Country Fresh Food & Confec- tions, Inc. is now offering Country Fresh Fudge in a new 6-ounce, resealable tray. The new trays can be purchased as a case of 12, in a va- riety of flavors, or in an attractive 36- count variety pack. Beside traditional fla- vors such as Choco- late and Chocolate Peanut Butter, counter displays are also available in sugar-free flavors of fudge. Country Fresh Sugar-free Fudge is diabetic safe, reduced in calories, low in net carbohydrates, and has fiber benefits, too. Country Fresh Sugar-free Fudge is a tasty treat for those on low-carb diets, Paleo diets, and other diets such as Weight Watch- ers. The 36-count dis- plays are also available in the Spirit Legends brand of fudge, which mimics the taste of famous spir- its. The assortment con- tains Kentucky Bourbon, Tennessee Whisky, Mexi- can Mudslide, Coconut Rum, Pineapple Rum and Mango Rum Fudge, all of which are non-alcoholic. Country Fresh Food & Confections Inc. 800.545.8782 www.countryfreshfood.com Luscious Fudge from Country Fresh Q Ginger Beer is one of a line of premium mixers from Q Drinks. Q's range includes seven different cocktail mixers, including Q Tonic, Q Indian Tonic, Q Ginger (Ale), Q Club Soda, Q Kola and Q Grapefruit as well as the Q Ginger Beer. They're all crafted with pre- mium ingredients and sweetened with organic agave nectar rather than sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. Q Drinks 718.398.6642 www.qdrinks.com Q Ginger Beer

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