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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2019 n GOURMET NEWS N H 1 2 0 The Future is Now: Bellucci's Take on Food & Tech The food industry may not be the first to come to mind when someone uses the phrase "disruptive tech." Though many ways in which technology has already shaped our world are obvious, some ways in which the ripple effect of big tech is causing movement are just starting to be discovered. Businesses that are leveraging technology in smalls ways can cause big waves in the food industry. The olden days of paper trails and manual processing are giving way to the innovative application of technologies orig- inally developed for other industries. From the ground up, precision agricul- ture is leveraging advances in satellite, GPS and even photographic equipment to improve the efficiency of food production. The industry has already progressed from using tech to measure and track crop yields and soil levels, to monitoring weather pat- terns and water usage and how these fac- tors affect harvest. Now, the agricultural industry is beginning to see the positive im- pact of technologies which use advanced cameras and artificial intelligence to differ- entiate between crop plants and their neigh- bors, for increased efficiency in the application of fertilizers and pesticides. Fu- ture hopes include the use of this same technology to guide robots or drones de- signed for smart harvesting. These tools apply advanced algorithms to current and historic data, predicting future needs with incredible accuracy. This not only boosts sales precision, it streamlines trans- port and distribution worldwide, and helps reduce waste from excess production or overstock. Health, wellness and au- thenticity are a strong pull to- wards technology for Bellucci. As a leader in the production of high-quality extra virgin olive oil, the company launched its Trust Through Traceability campaign in 2014, cre- ating its own consumer application to pro- vide consumers a transparent look into the food supply chain. Using a unique code printed on the label of every bottle, con- sumers can verify the authenticity of their extra virgin olive oil, as well as trace their bottle of Bellucci oil straight back to its source in rural Italy. The company goes over and above indus- try expectation by providing the ability to view the place in which each bottle origi- nated, as well as supplying excellent infor- mation on the independent growers who form the company's collective. Bellucci has taken it one step further in 2018 by partnering with tech giant Oracle to lever- age blockchain technology to provide even deeper insight into the process, through provi- sion of a distributed open ledger. That digital ledger is up- dated by each partner in the supply chain, allowing them to create and share a perma- nent, unalterable record of the product journey from bottling to distribution. The ultimate goal is to provide future con- sumers with complete transparency, from grove to grocer. This is just the beginning – but Bellucci is dedicated to bringing food and tech closer to- gether to drive innovation. Visit Bellucci Premium at booth #5132. For more information, go to www .belluccipremium.com. OKF Aloe Vera King, a Premium Aloe Drink Better known as an emollient for sunburn, aloe vera can also be consumed, and it's tasty as well as healthful. The OKF Aloe Vera King drink was born in 1997 and has been a No. 1 sales brand ever since then with 76 percent of aloe drink market share, and holding a patent in 180 countries. Aloe Vera King has won PROD- EXPO Golden Award, American Masters of Taste, Beverage Innovation Award, Golden Europe Award, and also Monde Selection Gold Award and Superior Taste award. OKF Aloe Vera King is a premium aloe drink with 30 percent aloe. It is made from freshly cut aloe vera chunks and juice, with no preservatives, no fat and is naturally fla- vored. You and your customers can enjoy nine different flavors: Orig- inal, Mango, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Gold Kiwi, Grape, Peach, Strawberry and Watermelon in 1.5L and 500ml. OKF Corporation is South Korea-based and ex- ports to 160 countries in- cluding America, Europe, Asia and Africa. The drinks are made in an advanced automatic factory with nine main production lines where it produces 8 million bottles a day and 3 billion bottles a year. You can enjoy a full variety of healthy drinks from OKF, following the success of the brand's Aloe Vera King cre- ation. Enjoy drinks that are way beyond refreshing! For more information, visit booth #5011, call 201.941.7900, or visit www .okfamerica.com. Follow the company on Instagram and Facebook. New Product Launches at Divine Chocolate An interview with Liz Miller, Senior Market- ing Manager, Divine Chocolate. GN: Tell our readers about Divine Chocolate and what makes the company so unique. LM: Divine Chocolate is the only Fairtrade chocolate company that is co-owned by cocoa farmers. Members of the farmer co- operative own 44 percent of the business and gain the benefits of ownership. As owners, they get a share in the profits, a say in the company and a voice in the global market- place. GN: Last year, Di- vine Chocolate intro- duced quite a few new products. Can you tell our readers about the snack bar line? LM: We redesigned our four 1.2-ounce snack bars to match our latest packaging refresh and ensure the bars stand out on shelves. The collection includes Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate with Caramel, and Dark Choco- late with Caramel. The Milk and White Chocolate Cappuccino bar is a new flavor variety – and my personal favorite! It's made with a blend of milk and white chocolate along with real pieces of Fairtrade coffee from Machu Picchu, Peru. GN: What drives consumers to choose your snack bars? LM: Divine Chocolate appeals to the con- sumer in two ways. First, the snack bars match the high quality standards consistent across our entire range. The bars are Cer- tified Fairtrade, contain no artificial fla- vors or ingredients and are made without palm oil or soy. Additionally, chocolate lovers looking for a pick-me-up snack pre- fer the rich taste of Divine Chocolate. They want a product that doesn't compro- mise on flavor because they seek a truly delicious treat. GN: You also introduced the baking choco- late line last Fall. What makes the baking line special? LM: With the introduction of the Divine baking collection, we've created another way for chocolate lovers to discover our delicious products and the story behind our brand. In ad- dition to Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, our high-quality bak- ing collection include three baking bars: Semi-Sweet 55% Cocoa, Bit- tersweet 70% Cocoa and Unsweetened 100% Cocoa. Offering a range of cocoa percentages makes it easy for home bakers to customize the type of taste they prefer in their recipes. We also know that great care and thought goes into the selection of recipes. As such, it's important to consider the quality of each ingredient. This launch taps into a new baking trend: bakers and foodies looking for high quality ingredi- ents when making treats at home. We're pleased to offer a collection to meet that need. GN: How do these baking chocolates differ from conventional baking chocolates? LM: The Divine Chocolate set of baking bars is Fairtrade and Vegan Society certified, kosher and Non-GMO Project Verified. Di- vine Chocolate only uses natural ingredients and 100 percent pure cocoa butter for an ex- quisite melting point that creates smooth and satisfying desserts. When incorporating Di- vine into their recipes, bakers truly delight in sharing their treats with loved ones. Visit Divine Chocolate at booth #5443. For more information, email sales@divine chocolateusa.com.

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