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Food Equipment News Saturday, February 9, 2019 3 8 Washington State Launches New Apple Variety Washington state apple growers have launched a new variety of apple into the market. The Cosmic Crisp ® apple is a bi-colored yellow and red apple bred – not genetically engineered – to satisfy consumers who might be a little bored with Washington's Red Delicious apple, a long-time traditional variety for school lunch boxes that has been declining in popularity over the past several years. Cosmic Crisp has been in develop- ment for more than 20 years with excel- lent storage capability as well as a sweet, juicy flavor with a lot of crunch to it. The skin is thick enough to protect it from being easily bruised but thin enough so it's not too tough to eat. It's considered to be an excellent variety for snacking and slicing as well as baking, with chef tests showing that it has the sweetness and tex- ture that comprise good characteristics for baked goods and pairings. Washington state grow- ers, who collectively produce about 72 percent of the coun- try's apples, are collaborating to grow this new cultivar, with over 6 million trees planted in the state already and another 5 million expected to be planted in 2019. That's expected to make enough of the Cosmic Crisp apples avail- able to the American market to fulfill expected consumer demand and to pro- vide apples for export. The apple has already been shown at Fruit Logistica and Asia Logistica. The Cosmic Crisp apple should start show- ing up in the retail mar- ket next fall. The nation- al launch, orchestrated by Proprietary Variety Management, a com- mercialization company that specializes in new fruit varieties, will include packaging, in-store marketing and digital marketing through social influencers. The launch is on track to be the largest investment in consumer mar- keting ever for a single apple variety, with a campaign cost expected to come in over $10 million. Honey Mama's Sweet and Soft By Lorrie Baumann Christy Goldsby knew she had a product she loved in her hands the first time she tasted the results of a test batch of what has become her Honey Mama's Cacao- Nectar Bars. "The second I ate the first bite of the bar, I saw the packaging in my mind and knew it was going to be a great idea," she said. "I took it to my dance class, and they loved it, and then I took it to my mom because I have so much respect for her as a baker.... It has an Old World rustic appeal that kind of reminded me of a panforte or a wonderful Italian Torrone." Goldsby is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Honey Mama's, which launched in 2013 at the Portland Farmers Market with four flavors of her raw bars. Almost six years in, her compa- ny now employs 32 full-time staff and Honey Mama's is sold in 1,700 grocery stores nationwide. The idea for the bars came after Goldsby had begun suffering from food allergies that brought home to her that what she ate had a profound effect on how she felt. "It was a huge moment for me," she said. "How I ate absolutely affected my state of health." At the time, she'd left behind the fam- ily baking business in which she'd been working for the past few years, and she was looking for another business that she could start on her own. "I wanted some- thing to do with food, but I wanted to intersect it with wellness because both of those things were very meaningful to me," she said. Then, while she was searching for that next great idea, a friend of hers offered, "this wonderful little treat with- out the cheat, which was a raw-food, coconut oil-laden protein bar with nour- ishing, delicious ingredients," she said. "I ate it, and knew this was close to the idea I wanted to do." She didn't want to copy that product exactly, though – she just wanted to bor- row some of the important concepts behind it. "It was too protein-focused for me," she said. "I wanted to do something that was more on the indulgence side." That was in 2009, and that moment launched Goldsby into product develop- ment for a raw bar that would be sweet and creamy and delicious. "I always knew that honey was going to be the pri- mary sweetener because it was the thing that my body loved the most," she said. "I combined honey with cocoa powder with some coconut oil for creaminess...." By 2013, the first four Honey Mama's products were ready for the Portland Farmers Market. Today, the line includes eight flavors of the fudgy treats, including Peruvian Raw, CocoNoNut, Lavender Red Rose and Nibs & Coffee, with Ginger Cardamom Cacao-Nectar Bar the newest. They're all honey-cocoa bars made from five whole foods: virgin coconut oil, cocoa powder, Himalayan pink salt and either sprouted almonds or shredded coconut along with a few fla- voring ingredients. They're each 2.5 ounces and retail for $5.99 from the refrigerated grab and go shelves at gro- cery markets. A smaller single serving size bar is in the next offering in line. "They're in the refrigerated section because we use coconut oil, so they fit into the fresh snacking area," Goldsby said. "We are one of the few brands that sits on the grab and go shelf that repre- sents a clean label indulgence.... It's a very unique, whole food, luxurious treat." New Jams from Stonewall Kitchen The specialty food experts at Stonewall Kitchen have been jammin' away to create new spreads guaranteed to sweeten your shelves. Intense, fruity flavors are front and center in the latest offerings, inspired by classic treats like cherry cobbler, baked pears and the simple, refreshing bite of watermelon at the end of a warm summer's day meal. Bada Bing Cherry Jam is a vibrantly hued spread featuring American-grown bing cherries, a sprinkling of pure cane sugar and a splash of lemon juice. Each spoonful packs the perfect punch of stone fruit flavor, adding a delicious, deep cherry taste to scones, muffins and toast. Or, customers can use it in baked goods to create winning fillings for cookies and crumbles or warmed and drizzled over vanilla ice cream for an à la mode dessert. Another spread that gives pie-in-a- jar vibes is the Cinnamon Pear Jam. Juicy, fragrant pears are perfectly matched with cozy cinnamon spice in this sweet, well-balanced jam. With a rustic texture that's like homemade, it's delightful when used in tarts, swirled into yogurt or dol- loped over a fluffy stack of pancakes and waffles, imparting a comforting fla- vor that's rainy-day approved. Stonewall Kitchen's sunny Watermelon Jelly is made with fruit juice to taste like the real deal, delivering the same thirst-quench- ing flavor that until now only a slice of perfectly ripe watermelon could deliver. Try it on toast or serve it along- side classic cookout fare like cornbread. The spread can also be turned into a syrup for cock- tails or paired with feta cheese for a salty-sweet appetizer. Each of these three spreads is crafted in the same tradition as Stonewall Kitchen's earliest jams and jellies, using only quality ingredients and the ripest fruits so that every bite is burst- ing with flavor. For more information, call 888.326.5678 or go to www.stonewallkitchen.com. Crounons Add Crunch Carrington Farms has just launched Crounons. Crafted with organic, gluten-free puffed quinoa, the Crounon adds the per- fect crunch to a lunch, dinner or snack, taking all the great cues from its salad and soup topper predecessor, the crouton, but in a new, nutrient-packed form. A satisfying upgrade to any meal, Crounons are avail- able in four tasty flavors: Garden Herb, Garlic Parmesan, Cracked Pepper & Sea Salt and Butter & Roasted Garlic. For more information, call 201.261.5517, email sales@carringtonfarms.com or go to www.carringtonfarms.com.