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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2019 n GOURMET NEWS N H 2 8 La Preferida: 70 Years Later, Still Going Strong From its humble beginnings as a small fam- ily grocery store in 1930s Chicago to the na- tionwide brand La Preferida is today, one thing remains the same – listening to its cus- tomers. In the age of consumer transparency, La Preferida is proud to showcase its new eco- friendly packaging, as well as line expan- sions in key categories, such as organic, low sodium, vegetarian and kosher while main- taining its commitment to authentic Mexican ingredients. By offering competitively priced organic products and alternative packaging, La Preferida's goal is to empower the con- sumer to have healthier choices without pay- ing more to do so. At the forefront of La Preferida's eco- friendly packaging initiative is its Tetra Pak ® line, featuring pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans and lentils, available in organic and low sodium options. The beans in Tetra Recart ® packaging are the first of their kind in the Hispanic food cat- egory in the U.S., following the trend in Latin and Central American countries. The unique packaging boasts: recyclable mate- rials made from renewable resources; easy- open and reclosable packaging; improved shelf utilization by 30 percent; and it is lightweight. La Preferida's recently launched Organic Seasoning line includes Organic Al Pastor Seasoning, Organic Taco Seasoning and Or- ganic Fish Taco Seasoning, which have proven to be an e-commerce hit with sales increasing ex- ponentially month over month, followed by Organic Salsa Verde and Organic Pico de Gallo. All products are free of MSG, additives and artificial preservatives. Spearheading this surge in product devel- opment is La Preferida's corporate chef, who is hands-on in the manufacturing process and also creates recipes for health-conscious con- sumers. His adaptations on traditional Mex- ican dishes focus on fresh produce, lean proteins and low-fat alternatives, helping to breathe new life and flavors into these old classics. You can find his many innovative ideas like piña colada rice pudding and baked fajita wings on the company's web- site. Despite bouts of economic uncertainty in the CPG business, the resiliency of La Preferida continues to shine through. Its Spanish Rice (canned) and Organic Diced Green Chiles are a No. 1 seller on Amazon and its canned bean business continues to be a high volume category for the brand. The versatility of La Preferida's products as ingredients means customers can incorporate these items into a variety of dishes outside the Mexican food realm. Building upon its strong roots in the Mid- west, La Preferida is continually working to strengthen its relationships on the East and West coasts, so distributor/broker inquiries are always welcome. The company is grate- ful and excited to be celebrating 70 years in the food industry in 2019 and looks forward to many more to come. Visit La Preferida at booth #1912. Alove Aloe Vera Yogurt Achieves Coast-to-Coast Distribution After launching on the West Coast in late 2017, the first Japanese-style yogurt to reach these shores is now available to consumers across the country, being featured in over 1,000 stores from Los Angeles to New York. "We are excited by the wonderful recep- tion we have received from U.S. consumers, distributors and retailers for our unique style of yogurt – Japanese-style yogurt with re- freshing aloe vera gel cubes," said Hiroyuki Imanishi, President and Chief Executive Of- ficer of Morinaga Nutritional Foods, Inc. in Torrance, California. "Starting from our base of local Asian and Hispanic supermarkets in California, we now have distribution across this great country in everything from major grocery chains to neighborhood ethnic gro- cery stores, so American consumers every- where are now enjoying the taste of Alove Japanese-style yogurt." While yogurt with aloe vera may be new to U.S. consumers, Morinaga pioneered and introduced this refreshingly delicious yogurt 25 years ago in its home country of Japan, a country well-known for its inno- vative cuisine and healthy lifestyle. After Morinaga introduced it, aloe yogurt be- came so popular that it is now Japan's No. 1 fruited yogurt. Following its popularity in Japan, Morinaga decided to offer its special treat to U.S. consumers under the brand name Alove. What is "Japanese-style" yogurt? Mori- naga Senior Director of Marketing, Colleen Sherfey, explains. "Japan- ese-style yogurt is smoother and creamier than other yo- gurts. It's more of a refresh- ing snack than a heavier, thicker yogurt. And it does- n't have the aftertaste con- sumers dislike with many other types of yogurt." Rather than a fruit-on-the- bottom yogurt, Alove's aloe vera is mixed throughout, "which consumers love, along with the smooth but crunchy texture of the aloe vera gel cubes," adds Sherfey. Alove is made with the same dedication to quality control for which Morinaga has been famous for over 80 years. The aloe vera used in Morinaga's Alove Aloe Vera Yogurt is grown on specially selected farms in Thailand. Only one or two of these carefully grown leaves are removed from each plant per month and cut into bite-sized chunks while still fresh – ensuring only the most delicious and highest quality aloe vera gel cubes are added to the silky-smooth yogurt. Alove comes in six flavors – strawberry, kiwi, blueberry, peach, vanilla and "original" aloe vera, all featuring Mori- naga's succulent, delicious aloe vera gel cubes. Alove is made with Grade A milk from California, is non-GMO, kosher, has no artificial flavors, no high-fructose corn syrup and is certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO). The result is a refreshingly deli- cious yogurt with all the goodness of Mother Nature. Say aloe to goodness! Visit Morinaga at booth #1605. For more in- formation, go to www.aloveyogurt.com. Altramed Products Formulated for Pets, Too Since 1996, Altramed ® Health Products Inc. (AHP) located in Quebec, Canada, has been a distributor of ESSIAC ® prod- ucts in North America. To this day, the company's aim is to create the ultimate client experience. AHP works closely with all retailers and distributors and takes pride in excellent communications, ac- count management and executive abilities in order to offer clients a better way of purchasing. ESSIAC is an herbal formula that has been available since 1922. The formula was given to nurse Rene Caisse from a Canadian Ojibwa Indian. Nurse Caisse pre- pared her original herbal formula into an herbal tea named ESSIAC, which is her last name spelled backwards. ESSIAC is sold in powder, liquid and capsule formulas. The ESSIAC powder will need to be brewed and prepared the old fash- ioned way. The herbs in ESSIAC are grown specifically for ES- SIAC from Canada and are harvested at peak times in order to ensure maximum botanical potency. ESSIAC for Pets is also made from Nurse Rene Caisse's original proprietary herbal for- mula, which contains a quality blend of pre- mium burdock root, sheep sorrel, Indian rhubarb and slippery elm. ESSIAC for Pets is available in a con- venient vegetable capsule. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For more information, go to www.essiac.info or call 888.900.2299. BRIANNAS Introduces New Organic Dressings BRIANNAS proudly announces the intro- duction of five new organic dressings. Cre- ated with the same unwavering dedication to quality and rich delicious taste, the five fla- vors are sure to please consumers who are looking for healthy, on trend, flavorful choices in the salad dressing aisle. BRIANNAS Organic Rich Poppy Seed, Real French Vinaigrette, Red Wine Vinai- grette, Honey Ginger Vinaigrette and Mango Vinaigrette contain no gluten, no HFCS and no MSG. The Real French Vinaigrette is sugar free. Four flavors are kosher and all five flavors are certified organic by the USDA and the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). Jeff Sadler, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for BRIANNAS, said, "All of us at BRIANNAS are excited about our forth- coming organic introduction. We're proud of the on-trend flavors and cutting-edge pack- aging design BRIANNAS is bringing to the market. BRIANNAS Organics will surely be a continuation of our successful performance in the shelf stable salad dressing category." The new line is available as of February 1, 2019. Also available is an organic Five Flavor Ship- per, Poppy Seed/Mango Shipper and a Poppy Seed/Red Wine Vinaigrette Shipper. For more information, contact Jeff Sadler by emailing jeff@briannas.com or calling 979.836.5978. Since 1982, BRIANNAS pre- mium salad dressings have served retailers, distributors and foodservice clients throughout the U.S. and the world. The line of gourmet dressings continues to grow in popularity among consumers who value food products made in small batches with pre- mium ingredients. BRIAN- NAS delectable dressings have won numerous first place awards for their spec- tacular taste, and have been featured in Real Simple, Southern Living, Food & Wine, Women's Health and on NBC's "The Today Show." For more information, visit booth #N1702, go to www.briannas.com or follow the com- pany on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram @BRIANNAS_Salad.

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