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GOURMET NEWS www.gourmetnews.com n JANUARY 2019 n GOURMET NEWS 1 0 0 portfolio of taste sensations by adding five flavor-packed pickle spears to its line: the signature Original, Classic Dill, Sweet Onion and two new "fire" versions – Garlic Dill Fire and 3-Pepper Fire – made with ha- banero, jalapeño and arbol chiles for some extra kick. These spears are bringing inno- vation to the pickle aisle as never seen be- fore! The gourmet food producer continues its commitment to using only natural ingredi- ents and creating the clean products today's consumers are looking for. By using only the finest cucumbers, SuckerPunch Gour- met is able to create pickles that are crisp with a snap akin to their fresh counterparts found in the deli section. By adding a unique combination of spices that vary by recipe, the portfolio of pickles delivers a bold, elevated taste experience second to none. SuckerPunch Gourmet pickles and Bloody Mary Mixes are available at retailers across the country, including Safeway, Albertsons, New Seasons, Mariano's and Hannaford. Since launching on the retail scene less than two years ago, SuckerPunch Gourmet has become the fastest growing brand within both the pickle and Bloody Mary Mix cate- gories. SuckerPunch Gourmet, LLC is based SuckerPunch Gourmet (Cont'd. from p. 1) out of Bridgeview, Illinois, and was founded in 2011 by artist/stay-at-home dad, David van Alphen. The company is dedicated to creating bold, flavorful food products with clean ingredients and no additives, preservatives, allergens or GMOs. Visit SuckerPunch Gourmet at booth #6673. For more information, go to www.sucker punchgourmet.com. certified organic and kosher with gluten-free ingredients mixed to perfection. The Dark Goji Berry Nut Crunch Bar is a delicious dark chocolate bar featuring co- conut and goji berries with added protein from pepitas, quinoa and almonds. This bar is a much healthier alternative to your tradi- tional dark chocolate candy bar, both in taste and for overall wellness. The Spicy Peanut Butter Crunch Bar stands out with its mixture of milk chocolate, peanuts and sweet peppers. This offers a lighter, sweeter choice over the Dark Goji berry bar. The Spicy Peanut Butter Crunch and the Dark Goji berry bar offer bold fla- vors for both Milk and Dark Chocolate lovers. Both bars are a healthy option that greatly reduce added sugars but do not com- promise on taste. The new FIT candy bars give consumers all the flavor to satisfy their sweet tooth with- out the extra calories. About Sweet Shop USA Sweet Shop USA, celebrating 44 years of handmade chocolates, was founded in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1972 and is a privately- owned chocolate manufacturer dedicated to preserving the craft of American handmade chocolates. Now located in Mount Pleasant, Texas, the 80,000 square-foot factory makes Sweet Shop USA one of the largest hand- made chocolate factories in the country. Sweet Shop USA has received national recognition for creating over 100 varieties of handmade pieces, including various truffles, Famous Brags ® , Nuts and Chewies, and the signature Fudge Love ® . All-natural hand- made products are distributed to over 10,000 retailers nationwide, including gourmet, gift, coffee, floral and specialty retailers as well as major department stores. Branded Collec- tions include the Sweet Shop USA label, Mrs. Weinstein's Gourmet Toffee and Price's Fine Chocolates. Visit Sweet Shop USA at booth #3300. Sweet Shop USA (Cont'd. from p. 1) Southwestern grown and smoked chipotle peppers. Combining the two ingredients cre- ated a sweet and smokey flavor that had to be added to the Bella Sun Luci brand. "Today's foodie culture is looking for authentic flavors to create new cooking ex- periences. Adding this product to our line- up shows how Mooney Farms is constantly listening to our customers and creating unique, but also on-trend products to bring to store shelves. We saw that there was a need for a diverse sauce that would bring flavor to almost any dish. It's not only in- novative, but its also a huge crowd pleaser!" says Mooney Farms President, Mary Mooney. Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomato Chipotle Topper Sauce can be used on vegetables, tossed as a smokey pasta sauce, topped on a taco or a burrito, or simply spread on a sandwich for a deli- cious kick! With this kind of versatility, it's no wonder BSL Sun Dried Tomato Chipotle Topper & Sauce has already been a huge hit. Bella Sun Luci is a line of premium Mediterranean-inspired products created from authentic family recipes. The line in- cludes a variety of deliciously sweet sun dried tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, pasta sauces, Bruschetta spreads, new Chipotle Topper Sauce, estate-grown olive oil, risotto and marinades. Bella Sun Luci is produced by Mooney Farms, a third genera- tion, family-owned company based in Chico, California, that is rooted in quality, integrity and family values. Mooney Farms is the pre- mier producer of sun dried tomatoes in the United States. For more information, visit booth #1543 or go to www.bellasunluci.com. Mooney Farms (Cont'd. from p. 1) Peapod Expands Meal Kit Selection and Distribution Peapod is now offering meal kits as well as all the weekly essentials delivered right to shoppers' doors. With a large selection of meal kits already available, the company is releasing new recipes regularly and has an aggressive pipeline of more than 40 new kits planned for release through spring 2019. "The Peapod customer is busy, and they come to us because they're looking for a con- venient and simplified option for grocery shopping," said Spencer Baird, Senior Vice President of Merchandising for Peapod. "We want to take that a step further by having op- tions to make their lives even easier, and through offering items that simplify the cooking process and provide shortcuts, we're helping them make the most of mealtimes. Customers who shop with Peapod can com- bine their weekly grocery shopping essen- tials with convenience cuts and meal kits, equipping them with everything they need to conquer a busy week." Since spring of 2018, Peapod has intro- duced more than 15 new kits, all containing pre-measured, pre-cut and pre-washed fresh ingredients. Reaction from shoppers has been overwhelmingly positive with kits con- sistently getting four- and five-star ratings. The Peapod meal kit consumer is a heavy user at Peapod, and bas- ket size featuring a meal kit is 11 percent larger than the average basket size. This fall Peapod is expanding distribution of meal kits to shoppers in Connecticut and New England and adding new recipes to its current lineup. Popular recent additions and innovative partnerships have included lim- ited edition Chicken Tinga Tacos by Chef Jon Zaragoza and Diet Coke, Vegan General Tso's Tofu by Chef Chloe Coscarelli and Glazed Beef Tenderloin Skewers, Cauliflower & Tab- bouleh by Wildfire. Peapod has a long history of partner- ing with some of America's most popular consumer pack- aged goods brands from Campbell's and Uncle Ben's to Conagra Brands and Pepsi. "Working with Peapod to create meal kits featuring Seeds of Change and Uncle Ben's has been an amazing way for us to in- troduce our products to new consumers," said Dan Jackson, Vice President of Mar- keting for Mars Food North America. "To- gether we're able to provide recipe inspiration that is convenient, healthy and delivers big on flavor." Meet Mother Nature's Wild Child: wildbrine An interview with Rick Goldberg, co-Owner, wildbrine. GN: Why is the fermented food category ex- ploding? RG: Digestive wellness, a strong and long-lasting trend, has driven much of the category growth and is one key to the suc- cess of fermented foods. Consumers need to 'feel comfortable inside' and are in- creasingly opting for lactose- and gluten- free products. Fermentation also connects to the plant-based foods trend, with wide- spread consumer belief in 'naturally func- tional,' and the need to lower sugar intake. wildbrine delivers on both de- mands. GN: What's wild about wildbrine? RG: Three things, really. One is we pre- pare our products using wild fermentation, meaning we try to channel Mother Nature into helping us create delicious, nutritious, probiotic-rich sauerkraut, kimchi, sriracha and shots. Starting with fresh-picked cab- bage from nearby California fields, we add salt and other vegetables and spices, letting this ancient preservation technique run its course, rather than using lab cultures at any time. Secondly, we're fermented food in- novators, creating flavors and products that are wildly delicious and often unexpected. Finally, we're wildly committed to product quality and customer service, which ac- cording to those who work with us, speaks for itself. GN: What's so important about wild fermentation? RG: Studies have shown the link be- tween probiotic-rich foods and over- all well-being. Eating fermented foods introduces beneficial bacteria into your digestive system and then helps to balance the bacteria there. Naturally occurring probiotics have also been shown to help slow or re- verse some diseases, improve bowel health, aid digestion and improve im- munity. Having the proper balance of gut bacteria and enough digestive enzymes helps absorp- tion of more of the nutrients in food, what nutritionists refer to as 'increased bio-avail- ability.' Supplements and vitamins become less important as consumers return to eating real food, which is considerably less artifi- cially processed. GN: What's new with wildbrine? RG: We're introducing three new fla- vors, including Organic Mushroom & Turmeric Kraut, White Kimchi with Turmeric and Korean BBQ Kimchi. Not only are these products unusually delicious, they are on-trend, featuring additional ingredients with powerful nutritional properties: turmeric (anti- inflammatory and anti-oxidant) and mushrooms (anti-inflammatory and immune boosting). We've also got a couple of undercover products we're work- ing on in the fermented foods category, but beyond the bounds of our existing product groups. For more information, go to www.wild brine.com, call 707.657.7607 or email Ren Lawrence at renl@wildbrine.com.

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