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GOURMET NEWS www.gourmetnews.com n JANUARY 2019 n GOURMET NEWS 9 0 Snack Options from Glacier Ridge Farms Dairyfood USA is taking full advantage of anticipated sales growth in the snack food category by launching a new product line of snacks under its Glacier Ridge Farms brand. Dip into deliciousness with two new Grab n' Go snack-pack varieties, including Smoked Gouda and Cheddar Cheese spreads paired with pretzel chips. The smooth, creamy spread is conveniently packaged and shelf stable up to six months. Made with 100 per- cent natural cheese, 7 grams of protein with only 220 calories, Glacier Ridge Farms Grab n' Go satisfies the needs of active consumers by providing a savory, convenient to eat, healthier snack option. The "Sweet and Savory Snacks Market: Global In- dustry Analysis, Trends, Market Size and Forecasts up to 2024" predicts the snack market to grow with a CAGR (compound an- nual growth rate) of 6.17 percent over the forecasted period of 2016- 2024. The global market size of snacks was worth USD 114.0 billion and it is projected to reach to USD 219.6 billion in 2024. The growth in this market is primarily driven by factors such as changing lifestyles of con- sumers worldwide, increasing snacking and new product launches, among others. For more information, call 608.437.5598, email bthompson@dairyfoodusa.com or go to www.dairyfoodusa.com. How to Have Your Paleo and Your Pancakes Too By Lorrie Baumann Birch Benders recently launched frozen Toaster Waffles as the latest extension to the company's range of just-add-water pancake and waffle mixes, adding convenience to the breakfast menu for a fan base that includes Paleo eaters and gluten-free followers as well as those who just want the comfort of Saturday morning breakfast eaten at the kitchen table in jammies and fuzzy slippers. The new Birch Benders Toaster Waffles are offered in four varieties from the freezer case: Homestyle, Buttermilk, Paleo and Pro- tein. All inspired by Belgian waffle recipes without being too thick to fit into the toaster, they're crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and they can be enjoyed with or without a hearty glug of maple syrup. They add extra convenience while keeping Birch Benders' insistence on feeding a crav- ing for a tall stack with clean ingredients and the respect for structured eating plans that or- dinarily don't allow carbohydrate-heavy glu- tenous breakfast options. The line of just-add-water mixes includes familiar American flavors: Classic Recipe, Butter- milk, Chocolate Chip and Blueberry for those who crave comfort but are not tied to the rigors of a structured diet plan. They're Protein, Peanut Butter Protein, Paleo, Pump- kin Spice Paleo, Banana Paleo and Gluten Free for those who are following Paleo or gluten free regimes, and Pumpkin Spice and Six Grain Cinnamon for those who have something else in mind. They're all the brainchildren of Birch Benders co-Founders Lizzi Ackerman and Matt LaCasse, wife and husband who started their company in Boulder, Colorado not long after they graduated from college. "The orig- inal idea of Birch Benders stemmed from hunger. Matt opened his fridge one day, crav- ing pancakes, and all he had was eggs. So he thought, 'What if I could crack an egg over a griddle, but instead of getting an egg, I could get a pancake?'" Ackerman said. From there, the idea took charge, and the two went to work to figure out how they could package pancake mix into an egg-shaped package and then discarding that idea in favor of putting a mix into a glass jar that was, in spirit, an egg shell, and finally deciding to let go of the eggshell idea altogether in favor of a profes- sionally designed stand-up pouch. That evolution took them about three years from the time they incorporated their company in 2011 until they launched their brand into the national mar- ket at Natural Prod- ucts Expo West in 2014. Their 2014 national launch at Expo West garnered interest from the market and some funding that allowed them to rebrand a bit, but the product line of just-add-water mixes was essentially as it is today. "After Expo West, things really took off – it was a rocket ship," Ackerman said. "One of the areas where we've seen incred- ible success is with our functional mixes, in- cluding our Paleo, Protein and Gluten Free varieties. We were first to market our Paleo pancake mix and Paleo toaster waffles." Paleo has turned out to be more than the flash-in-the-pan it seemed when it was pop- ularized by Loren Cordain in 2002, and Ack- erman says that the trend shows no sign of fizzling and Birch Benders' sales of the Paleo pancake mixes are strong and still growing as they're picked up by mainstream grocers. "Consumers are looking to enjoy their favorite foods and not feel guilty after- wards," Ackerman said. "As a brand, we're trying to let you eat like a kid again by offer- ing delicious foods that are truly guilt free. Everyone loves pancakes or waffles, but as adults, we feel the need to cut back on them for health reasons. Now we don't have to cut back." The same sensibility is be- hind this year's frozen waffles launch. "In this busy day and age, convenience is every- thing. We've had a lot of cus- tomers tell us that they love our mixes but only eat them on weekends because they don't have time to make them on weekday mornings. Our frozen waffles are even more convenient than our mixes – you just pop them into the toaster and you're good to go," Ackerman said. "It's been really exciting to watch those take off. The frozen waffle cat- egory was one that we thought was really ripe for innovation. The space is dominated by local legacy brands, and we saw an excit- ing opportunity to come in with more deli- cious classic and functional varieties. We're shaking the category up, the same way we did with pancakes." Birch Benders just-add-water pancake and waffle mixes are sold in pouches that range in weight from 10 ounces to 16 ounces, de- pending on the variety, that retail from $4.99 to $5.99. A few staple varieties are offered in 24-ounce pouches that retail for $3.99 on the shelves of conventional grocers. Birch Ben- ders Toaster Waffles are sold in boxes that contain six or eight, depending on the flavor, and retail at $3.99. They're currently sold by more than 8,000 retailers across the country. Bubba's Offers Paleo Snacks in Single Serve Packets Bubba's Fine Foods new release of single serve packets hold a snack that will appeal to paleo eaters because they're gluten-free, grain-free and free of refined sugars. Bubba's Fine Foods is all about delivering simple real-food ingredients with an addictive crunch and taste. Bubba's single serve packets satisfy the pickiest eaters, provide balanced energy and manage portion sizes. The packets include three of Bubba's best-selling products within each product line: Savory Original Snack Mix: a twist on the classic snack mix with pecans, cashews and dried green bananas with a buttery blend of olive oil and spice; Blazing Buffalo 'Nana Chips: crunchy low- sugar banana chips fla- vored with real buffalo wing spices; and Bour- bon Vanilla UnGranola: non-GMO coconut flakes, cashews, and sliced almonds, a kick of Bourbon vanilla and a subtle touch of honey. Bubba's Fine Foods snacks are proudly made in America in the heart of Loveland, Colorado, and are paleo, grain-free, gluten- free, soy free, dairy free, non-GMO and free of refined sugars and arti- ficial flavorings. They're available for purchase at www.bubbas foods.com, Amazon, Nat- ural Grocers, Sprouts, Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, King Soopers and more national retail- ers at a retail price of $1.99 each. For more information, visit www.bubbas foods.com. Warm Up Your Winter with Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomato Chipotle Topper Sauce Mooney Farms, the original California Sun Dried Tomato Company, recently in- troduced Sun Dried Tomato Chipotle Top- per Sauce to its line of Bella Sun Luci products. The new product has been a huge success at trade shows and tastings around the country and is shaping up to be a great addition to Mooney Farms' prod- uct lineup. Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomato Chipotle Topper Sauce has infinite culi- nary uses. It can be used as a dip, a spread or a sauce – on vegetables, hamburgers, tacos, sandwiches, pastas and more. This year at the San Francisco Winter Fancy Food Show, Mooney Farms corporate chef, Richard Hirshen, is demonstrating the many uses for this new sauce for atten- dees to taste. "The versatility of this sauce is unparal- leled," says Chef Richard. "We have tried it on vegetables, pasta, hamburgers, fish tacos, in dips, as a spread, on top of grilled steak, on chicken and more; these dishes were all enhanced by the mouth- watering flavors of this new sauce." Chef Richard and Mooney Farms have been producing recipe videos to help con- sumers see the many ways in which this sauce can be used. These top-down videos are a large part of the Bella Sun Luci mar- keting, and have made a huge impact on helping educate customers about its prod- ucts' uses. Be on the lookout for more videos about the chipotle sauce soon. Bella Sun Luci is a line of premium Mediterranean-inspired products created from authentic family recipes. The line in- cludes a variety of deli- ciously sweet sun dried tomatoes, sun dried toma- toes 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.

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