Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS www.gourmetnews.com n JANUARY 2019 n GOURMET NEWS 3 0 The Asaro Family from Sicily: More than 100 Years of Olive Oil Excellence Since 1916, the Asaro family has harvested and crushed the best olives the Belice Valley has to offer. Located in Partanna, Sicily in the province of Trapani, the olives benefit from the environment around them. The Mediterranean Sea, the Sicilian soil and the salinity from the air transforms the olives and olive oil into balanced, unique products. Today, the fourth generation of the Asaro family is continuing its commitment to bringing its customers the highest quality natural and organic Sicilian olive oil, olives and other specialty foods. Thanks to the company's deep knowledge of specialty foods production, the Asaro fam- ily seeks to satisfy the needs of both its cus- tomers and farmers. United Olive Oil Import Corp. is an exclu- sive importer and distributor for the Asaro Family brands. The strong passion for the Mediterranean diet with an increasing mar- ket demand for natural and organic foods have brought the com- pany to expand its line of imported products, be- coming the perfect part- ner for small and medium Italian specialty food pro- ducers. Tommaso Asaro, United Olive Oil Import Corp Founder and President, is continuing the commitment to bring customers the high- est-quality Sicilian foods. Its brands include NYIOOC award winners Partanna, Paesanol, Green Gold and many more. The latest line, the ASARO ORGANIC FARM brand, brings the most delicious Si- cilian gourmet specialties. The line includes ancient grain Busiate Pasta artichoke cream, roasted artichoke hearts, oven roasted cherry tomatoes, mar- inated olives, Castel- vetrano olives spread and olives salad, raw honey from orange blossom and natural Si- cilian sodas. United Olive Oil Imports Corp. brings the best, healthiest, natural products Sicily has to offer to the USA – from the Asaro farms to your table. For more information, visit booth #1931. White Coffee Celebrates 80 Years of Custom Coffee Service and Products Founder David White's interest in food and beverage distribution came at a tumultuous time in U.S. history. It was 1939, and Amer- icans were still suffering through the Great Depression. Government officials contem- plated entry into WWII after Germany in- vaded Poland. Citizens were seeking comfort in movies such as "The Wizard of Oz" and hit songs like "When the Saints Go March- ing In" by Louis Armstrong and Kate Smith's rendition of "God Bless America." In those days, coffee's appeal was prima- rily for its stimulating effect. The depression years had elevated coffee to a necessity for enduring long hours of work at low pay – if one could find work. By the late 1930s, cof- fee had become so entrenched as one of the few affordable, simple pleasures that em- ployers were increasingly providing coffee breaks for their employees. Initially, White operated through a partner- ship, White-Kobrick, that worked specifi- cally in office coffee supply. When David White branched out on his own, his company became White Coffee Corporation. In the 1950s, as coffee consumption climbed, David's son, Irwin White, (father of the cur- rent managers, Gregory and Jonathan White) joined the company. Success was first real- ized in the office coffee supply business and soon their reputation carried the firm over to foodservice. Coffee consumption peaked in 1962 and began a slow decline in the 1970s when it appeared that Americans were losing their taste for the brew. Instead of "packing it in," the Whites – Carole, Irwin's wife, at the helm as president, and Jonathan and Gregory – doubled down. The family provided educational seminars to customers around the country and at their plant located in the Astoria section of Queens. White Coffee believed its early focus on "specialty coffee" helped everyone and was out-front of a wave that swept the industry. Moreover, the White's in- novated. During the 1970s, they imported Swiss Water for chemical-free decaffeination. White Cof- fee was one of the first companies to use vac- uum packaging for extended shelf life. It offered organic and produced it in a unique format, "BioCup," which sold over a million single cups in the first month. After Irwin's passing in 1992, the staff under Carole White's leadership grew to over 100-plus employees that proudly work to offer 300 varieties of coffees, custom roasted with four-stage quality control accu- racy. "You don't keep customers for 10, 15, 20 years or more unless you keep them very satisfied," says Jonathan White, Executive Vice President. In the 2000s, White Coffee's customer base transitioned from smaller local businesses to re- gional and national chains, both in foodservice and retail. The White's licensing pro- gram of national brands launched with "Kahlúa" in 2009 and quickly led to Enten- mann's ® and Jim Beam ® , among others. Numerous awards and accolades followed, including being named one of the top licensees in the world in 2017 by License Global Magazine and several nods from the World Beverage Innovation Awards and a 2018 feature in the Wall Street Journal. White Coffee is recog- nized in the industry as a leading "bespoke" producer for prominent brands and by name to its adoring consumers. White Coffee's products are available in retail outlets and online. Visit White Coffee at booth #627. For more information, go to www.whitecoffee.com or call 800.221.0140. Sea What's New from Legal Sea Foods and Stonewall Kitchen For over 60 years, Legal Sea Foods has de- lighted guests with its ocean-fresh fare and New England-inspired menu. Now, Stonewall Kitchen is proud to lend its spe- cialty food expertise to bring signature sauces, condiments and more from Legal Sea Foods' kitchen to your customer's table. For this initial product launch, Stonewall Kitchen focused on creating ex- ceptional versions of classic seafood ac- companiments, taking inspiration from the recipes that Legal Sea Foods crafted for its menu. Famous for its jumbo shrimp, lump crab cakes and New England clam chowder, among many other delicious dishes, Stonewall Kitchen created comple- mentary condiments for pairing with at- home versions of these restaurant favorites. This includes new pantry staples like the House Tartar Sauce, House Cock- tail Sauce and House Vinaigrette. The House Tartar Sauce features tangy pickle relish, notes of dill and a creamy, aioli- like texture that's perfect with just about any fried food, while tomatoes and horse- radish give the House Cocktail Sauce a light, zingy flavor for an excellent dip to serve with chilled shrimp or dollop on top of freshly shucked oysters. A garden salad drizzled with the ex- pertly balanced House Vinaigrette makes for a win- ning side to complete any meal. Of course, with Stonewall Kitchen at the helm, this line also contains a few surprises. Take the Chipotle Tartar Sauce, which adds spicy, smoky peppers into the mix for a product that imparts a Southwestern kick to everything from fish sandwiches to French fries. Or, try familiar flavors in a new way with the Lemon Dill Aioli. It's creamy, herba- ceous and tangy from the inclusion of both lemon juice and oil, replicating the typical squeeze of citrus and sprinkling of dill that finishes off fish, only in a dippable, spreadable form. Rounding out the launch is the two-for- one Lemon Dill Marinade & Dressing, the Spicy Cocktail Sauce, which has an extra dose of horseradish plus jalapeños and chili powder for heat, and the simple-yet- sensational Oyster Crackers that go swim- mingly with any chowder, soup or stew. Tasty and quality made, these products will have your customers hooked from the very first bite! For more information, visit booth #5327. Jan is Ready for Her Close Up By Kris Mason, Director of Brand Innova- tion, Just Jan's Up until now, when customers pick up a jar of Just Jan's they have no idea who Jan is. Even at in-store appearances, people are often shocked to find out that the person they are talking to is actually the Jan behind Just Jan's. Over years of being in business, Jan has enjoyed this small bit of anonymity. Never one to toot her own horn, Jan liked the idea that despite having created some of the best spreads on the market and having product in stores nationwide, she was still just Jan. While she's still just Jan, more people may begin to recognize her at those in-store ap- pearances. They may have seen her in a YouTube commercial, 19,000 views, or per- haps they saw her featured on an episode of "Meet Your Maker," with over 25,000 views, as of this writing, on Facebook. Wherever they saw Jan, customers are going to be able to put a face to the brand Just Jan's, and that's most impor- tant. Following a 20 year plus film career, Jan is no stranger to working behind the scenes. In fact, it's where she's most comfortable. Over the last few years, though, Jan has under- gone a bit of a transformation. Beginning with a baptism by fire on QVC, Jan has been get- ting more and more comfortable being the face of the brand. In 2018, she was able to make use of a number of multimedia oppor- tunities, with appearances on a food podcast as well as a food radio show. 2019 will be another step in that direction as Just Jan's looks to ex- pand its partnership with longtime digital content partner, SideChef. While expanded use of media to enhance consumer engagement will increase and improve over time, Jan still enjoys going out and meeting people face to face ... only now people may recognize her first. Visit Just Jan's at booth #6259.

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