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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2019 n GOURMET NEWS N H 1 3 0 and clocking in at only 180 calories per serv- ing, there's no need to hold back cravings for this chocolatey indulgence. The products' velvety texture and captivating taste make them a great dip for berries, swapped in for frosting, spread on toast or drizzled over frozen yogurt. Try it with blackberries, close your eyes, and your taste buds will think you've bitten into a rich blackberry pie! Planned to start rolling into local co-ops and natural food stores this Spring for an SRP of $9.95 per 12-ounce recycled glass jar, the new Amoré products are also certified organic, part of the brand's Honest in Trade program, Non-GMO Project Verified and Gluten-Free Certified. Shared Gael Orr, Once Again Nut Butter's Marketing Communication and PR Manager, "The response from those who taste our Amoré products has been amazing, and we're super excited to add these white cocoa flavors to the lineup. Both products provide just the right amount of sweet decadence paired with nutritious nut butter to satisfy sweet tooth cravings guilt-free." Spreading integrity for over 40 years, Once Again Nut Butter Collective, Inc. is a 100 percent employee-owned company with a passion for doing things the right way for its people, products and the planet. Founded by a husband-and-wife team with an entre- preneurial flair, Once Again has grown from a company run out of an 800-square-foot basement into a thriving business that pro- duces millions of pounds of organic and nat- ural nut and seed butters. In 2016, Once Again expanded into a new SQF Level 3 Certified, 40,000 square-foot facility in rural upstate New York where it produces its peanuts. The company's tree nuts and seed butters are produced in a sep- arate facility nearby. Recognized as a leader in ethical and sustainable business practices, the company founded its Honest In Trade program to define the team's efforts and take them to the next level. In addition to its sup- port of farmers in underdeveloped countries, initiatives to protect the environment, and unsurpassed safety and quality standards, this fun-loving family of 86 employees also actively supports its community and non- profit organizations. The brand's mascot, Rocky-Roo the raccoon, symbolizes their wholesome nature and deep responsibility to the earth and their products. In addition to Once Again Nut Butter's Amoré spreads, the company's product of- ferings include organic and natural peanut, almond, cashew and seed butters, and honey and packaged nuts for retail and foodservice customers. Visit Once Again Nut Butter at booth #1915. For more information, go to www.once againnutbutter.com and follow @Once AgainNutButter on social media. Once Again Nut Butter (Cont'd. from p. 1) eight years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Crunchies Natural Food Company, where he grew the company to be the No. 1 freeze dried snacks company in the U.S. The company was sold at the end of 2014. Preceding his tenure at Crunchies Natural Food Company, Lacey served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Weider Nutrition International, Inc. Lacey's main contribution while at Weider was to overhaul the sales and marketing team and reposition the Schiff Brand to profitability – all while achieving market share dominance. In turning around Weider, Lacey drew from experience as Chief Operating Officer for Everlast Nutritional Products, a start-up company founded in 1998 in Dublin, Cali- fornia. As a member of the strategic manage- ment team, he was responsible for raising venture capital, sales, marketing, distribu- tion, operations and research and develop- ment. During his time with Everlast, Lacey grew its sales to $3 million. Preceding his tenure at Everlast, Lacey was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at PowerBar, a $220 million specialty foods company headquartered in Berkeley, Califor- nia. While there, he exceeded national sales goals by close to 25 percent, while growing the foundational infrastructure of the organ- ization into mass and grocery channels. For six years prior to his work with PowerBar, Lacey steadily advanced his ca- reer and increased sales revenue for the $600 million Oral-B Laboratories, a division of Gillette. Recruited as Western Regional Manager, he built a sales force that over-de- livered every brand objective. As a result, he was soon promoted to Manager of Strategic Business Planning, where he developed a forecasting system that eliminated $20 mil- lion in inventory and improved customer service levels by 22 percent. Lacey's next advancement within Gillette was as Product Manager of selected Braun/Oral-B toothbrush products. There, he grew the product line from $5.5 million to $12.2 million in business and increased its market share from 38 percent to 49 percent in less than a year. Lacey's previous senior management ex- perience includes Nestle and Smith Kline- Beecham. At each company, he proved to be highly adept at improving sales, distribution, revenue, customer service, efficiency, cost savings and growing market share. Today, Jim Lacey's strategic leadership ex- perience and history of both problem-solving and innovation – along with his commitment to a healthy lifestyle – is leading Berry Sleepy/Awake, LLC. through its most signifi- cant, global expansion to date as he sets the company for long-term growth for years ahead. For more information, visit booth #N947 or go to www.berrysleepy.com. Berry Sleepy/Awake (Cont'd. from p. 1) around 1987, while he was trying to copy his mom's recipe for a western North Carolina- style barbecue sauce. Phil came up with an incredible barbecue sauce that had people asking for more! It was made from tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, honey, molasses, mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, onions, garlic, peppers, natural hickory smoke, nat- ural spices and salt. GN: How did you come up with the name? SF: While driving to Charleston, South Carolina, to find my youngest son, Patrick, an apartment for college, I was trying to come up with a name for the sauce. I thought about how good it was and how it made me do something I had never done before – suck on the bones to get the last little bit of flavor. This reminded me of my mom also when something was really, re- ally good. GN: When did you realize you had a win- ning product in Bone Suckin' Sauce? SF: I realized we had a winning product when customers started being repeat cus- tomers. Repeat customers are the biggest compliment you can have with any service or product. Customers were buying it for themselves and also buying Bone Suckin' Sauce and shipping it all over the world to share it with their family and friends. GN: Has Bone Suckin' Sauce won any com- petitions? SF: Bone Suckin' Sauce entered the North Carolina Battle of the Sauces in 1994. Bone Suckin' Sauce took first place in the Battle of the Sauces, which drew more than 10,000 people. With increasing rave reviews, the sauce won best in sales records every year in the Winner's Circle, the elite category of past 1st Place Win- ners. Bone Suckin' Sauce was off to the races and grocery and specialty store shelves from there! GN: How do you decide to add items to your product line up? SF: We only add items that taste great and have clean ingredients. GN: How many items do you have now? SF: We have quite a few amazing items in the Bone Suckin' line up. We have four types of Bone Suckin' Sauce (Original, Hot, Thicker Style and Hot Thicker Style), two Mustards (Original & Sweet Spicy), Wing Sauces (Garlic & Honey and Honey & Ha- banero), Seasoning & Rubs (eight varieties including Original, Steak, Chicken, Veg- etable, Lemon Pepper, Cajun, Seafood & Hot), our version of Teriyaki which we call Bone Suckin' Yaki, Steak Sauce, three Or- ganic Seasoning & Rubs (Original, Cajun & Lemon Pepper) and Hiccuppin' Hot Sauce. For more information, visit booth #5381 (Hall E), call 919.833.7647 or email sales@bonesuckin.com. Ford's Gourmet Foods (Cont'd. from p. 1) enjoying our products, because they are good and good for you. Muffin Flavors: Wild Blueberry, Carrot Raisin, Chocolate Chip, Cranberry Orange, Apple Cinnamon and Hawaiian Pineapple. Brownie Flavors: Chocolate, Toasted Co- conut, Dark Cherry, Cappuccino and new Chocolate Mint. Granola Flavors: Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate Chip, Pineapple Coconut & Mango, Banana Coconut and Cranberry Or- ange. Toaster Bun Flavors: Original, Everything and Cinnamon Raisin. Cake Flavors: Chocolate and Carrot. Visit Flax4Life at booth #1582. For more in- formation or to order a sample, visit www.flax4life.net, call 360.715.1944 or email customerservice@flax4life.net. Follow the company on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Flax4Life (Cont'd. from p. 4) revealed that a high percentage of the im- ported olive oils on American supermarket shelves continually fail to meet the sensory criteria for being officially classified as "extra virgin" as defined by the International Olive Council (IOC) and European Union (EU) standards. Therefore, with an earnest desire to craft and provide domestic con- sumers with the finest oil, the Ricchiutis founded ENZO Olive Oil Company in 2008. From its inception, the Ricchiutis adopted the highest quality standards into their olive oil operation to earn the certification of "extra virgin" from the California Olive Oil Council. Patrick and Vincent are also active stewards in the American Olive Oil Produc- ers Association, a collective voice to ensure the integrity of olive oil production. Unlike many other olive oil producers, ENZO Olive Oil Company is vertically inte- grated, which means the entire growing, har- vesting, milling, bottling and shipping process is completed from start to finish on- site, producing one of the freshest oils avail- able with superior quality and taste. The olive trees – planted in an optimal climate, similar to the Mediterranean region – are carefully nurtured year-round. Once picked at prime conditions, the olives are then trans- ported immediately from the grove to the Ricchiuti's mill where the crush begins. When the milling process is complete, the olive oil is then bottled and ready to be en- joyed by all. Another unique aspect of ENZO Olive Oil Company is Patrick and Vincent's commitment to producing only the highest quality of certified organic and kosher extra virgin olive oil. Knowing the health and nutritional advantages of organic foods, Patrick and Vincent decided from the onset to subscribe to stringent organic and kosher farming and processing stan- dards and principles. Drawing upon their farming expertise, Patrick and Vincent meticulously monitor each phase of the growing, harvesting and milling process. This hands-on approach has proven to be a difference-maker in producing award- winning organic and kosher extra virgin olive oil. For those oil enthusiasts looking for a na- tionally and internationally acclaimed line of organic, kosher, 100 percent estate-grown, fresh-tasting, high quality extra virgin olive oil, ENZO Olive Oil is the right choice for you. For more information, visit booth #5654, call 559.299.7278, go to www.prfarms.com or www.enzooliveoil.com, or email info@ prfarms.com or info@enzooliveoil.com. ENZO Olive Oil (Cont'd. from p. 1)

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