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GOURMET NEWS FEBRUARY 2019 www.gourmetnews.com SUPPLIER NEWS 1 2 Alter Eco Offers Innovative Plant-Based Superdark Truffles Alter Eco ® , a chocolate-centric, sustain- ability-directed food company, debuted its new plant-based Superdark Truffles at 2019 Winter Fancy Food Show. Featuring premium ingredients like silky-sm ooth 80 percent Swiss-made cocoa and nour- ishing coconut oil, the Superdark Truffles expand Alter Eco's popular line of fair- trade, organic truffles by bringing a deca- dent, vegan option to the chocolate aisle. The new truffles boast a mere three grams of sugar per truffle, making them a per- fect low-sugar, low-carbohydrate treat, paired with the powerful antioxidant benefits associated with super dark 80 percent cocoa. Alter Eco is the number-one truffle brand in the natural channel and has nine flavors in the top 10. Featuring six simple ingredients, the new Superdark Truffles complement Alter Eco's success- ful line of bite-sized truffles, making them accessible to all consumers regard- less of dietary restrictions. The midnight- dark truffles are keto- and paleo-friendly, and free from artificial flavors, dairy and gluten for a guilt-free treat crafted with premium ingredients for conscious consumers. "With plant-based diets on the rise and consumers look- ing for low-sugar options to satisfy their sweet cravings, we saw the perfect opportu- nity to launch our new Su- perdark Truffles," said Mike Forbes, Chief Executive Offi- cer of Alter Eco. "Combined with the pop- ularity of our best-selling truffle line and the widespread popularity of our Deepest Dark Super Blackout Bar, it was clear that uniting these two concepts would provide a revolutionary, irresistible treat. We're ex- cited to expand our truffle portfolio to in- clude the new vegan option and to continue making our organic, fair trade treats and snacks accessible to as many consumers as possible." Alter Eco will also ex- pand its line with new Su- perdark Double Chocolate Coconut Clus- ters and a 90 percent cocoa Superdark Crisp Mint Bar. These addi- tional Superdark items boast 85-90 percent cocoa and are uniquely crafted with high-quality ingredients like fruity cacao beans and nourishing coconut oil. The new Superdark truffles, clusters and bar join Alter Eco's existing portfolio of decadent dark chocolate confections and snacks, and are all certified organic, Fair Trade and carbon-neutral. In addition, they carry the Non-GMO Project Verified seal, and they're certified gluten free. The entire new Superdark collection is vegan and paleo-friendly. Alter Eco's new Superdark Truffles will be available in May 2019 online and in Fairway, NGVC, NCG and INFRA with additional retail availability to follow. Su- perdark Truffles will be sold in 10-count and single varieties for $7.99 and $0.89, Double Chocolate Coconut Clusters for $4.79/3.2-ounce pouch and Superdark Crisp Mint for $3.99/2.65-ounce bar. Alter Eco products are available nation- wide at major natural food retailers and grocery stores, including Whole Foods Market, Wegman's, Sprouts, Kroger and Publix. For more information, visit www.alterecofoods.com. GN Drink Coffee Continued from PAGE 1 ting professional snowboarding?'" he said. "I mean, I left at the top of my game. I had multi-year contracts with 10-plus sponsors, endorsements, I was traveling the world nine months out of the year, making great money, so from everybody else's perspective I had made it in life." Visconti, however, had other ideas. "From my perspective, I had accomplished my goals and was ready to set on a new path with new goals," he said. "A lot of people challenged my every thought process ― which was great because that became a refinement tool for my business and the brand. But there was a lot of prov- ing to other people and to myself that this was the right idea, that we had advantages in the market and that we had opportuni- ties." Now, Visconti says Drink Coffee Do Stuff is seeing month-to-month growth, and ap- preciates the kudos from Good Food Awards. His coffee owes the flavor that im- pressed the judges to its own career in the heights, he says. Drink Coffee Do Stuff 's GFA-finalist Ethiopian Guji was grown at 6,700 feet, and it's roasted at 6,000 feet. "There's al- ways this really cool mountain-altitude connection with our coffees," said Visconti. "I think people were able to taste the results of that in our Ethiopia Guji, particularly because roasting at altitude means we begin caramelizing sugars earlier in the roast process." Higher altitude, he said, peaks caramelization while preserving palatable acidity compared to sea level. The brand's new Peruvian Rutas del Inca is grown at 9,000 feet in the Peruvian Andes, and has flavor notes of brown sugar, molasses, toffee and candied almonds. Also new to the lineup is a Colombian, El Obraje, and a peaberry coffee called Iyenga, a coffee made from a bean that only has one seed instead of two, which is said to have more sugar, among other benefits. And it's not just the coffee itself that ben- efits from the el- evation ― even its packaging is about the terrain. The gloss on the bag features mountain icons like skis, peaks, bears and coffee tools. Visconti calls the design mountain-mod- ern, and says the speckles and color make it stand out on the shelf. "We felt like the name is really unique, and love it or hate it, you pick the package up," he said. "We didn't want to hide who we were, but be proud of it, and do whatever we could to share that lifestyle quickly." Visconti also sees his brand as a chance to provide premium coffee at a competitive price. "While we want to honor the supply chain, the farmers, our buying habits and our selling habits, the general public is not ready to pay premium prices on coffee," he said. "So we take a margin hit in the middle to provide these coffees at a compet- itive price. That's been huge from the beginning ― we want to make spe- cialty coffee more acces- sible ― but that shouldn't come at the ex- pense of the farmers or the customer." He says his business takes a hint from the craft beer industry to understand that life can be pretty serious, but that it's important to have a good time too. When it snows and it's not busy, Drink Coffee Do Stuff provides season passes so employees can hit the slopes. "By merit of where we live, every- body loves something outdoors. Nobody chooses to live in Tahoe if they're not ob- sessed with something," Visconti said. "For some people it's mountain biking, for oth- ers it's snowboarding, for others it's photog- raphy, hiking, exploring ― we try to facilitate a healthy work-life balance for that." "I never understood why making gour- met foods and roasting specialty coffee can't be fun," he added. "We have a creative culture that's more enjoyable, and how that translates to marketing and social media, customer engagement and brand name and packaging ― if people aren't enjoying it throughout the whole brand experience, I feel like we didn't do our job. Our brand position is truly to get people out, whatever they're doing, whether they're going to work or the next alpine adventure or the party that night. We like to say we drink coffee and then drink beer after." As for his passion in coffee, Vis- conti said he's loved the personal, social aspect of specialty coffee since that first day sweeping up the cafe. "Coffee is a connection point, a conduit to people," he said. "For most people, coffee is the first expe- rience they have in the day. You start your day out with coffee; going to the shop can be your first human interaction of the day, so however you look at it, coffee initi- ates your day. So I very much believe that if your first experience of the day is extraor- dinary, that's going to give you an attitude shift or paradigm shift that today's a good day, not a bad day." GN

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