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GOURMET NEWS MARCH 2019 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 8 Alter Eco Continued from PAGE 1 Eco is known primarily as a producer of chocolate, backed by a strong environ- mental philosophy, and was originally founded in 2005 by Senard and Rollet as a venture into social entrepreneurship with a humanitarian mission in economic and social justice. The company's first range of products, introduced to the mar- ket in 2008, included quinoa, rice, tea and coffee as well as cacao – all sourced from farmer-owned cooperatives practic- ing sustainable agriculture. Over time, the company's product range has evolved away from other products to focus on its chocolate bars,truffles and co- conut clusters, all of which are certified non-GMO, organic and Fair Trade. Accord- ing to Forbes, its environmental and social ethics have remained, even through the company's acquisition by NextWorld Ever- green,who first met Senard and Rollet through their common membership in OSC2, a San Francisco-based community of sustainability-focused natural products industry executives. The Climate Collabo- rative is an offshoot of OSC2 in partnership with the Sustainable Food Trade Associa- tion that's specifically focused on leverag- ing the power of the natural foods industry to reverse climate change. Both Alter Eco and California Olive Ranch are donors to the organization, as well as members, pledging concrete actions within their own companies to address the problem. In addition to its commitment to environ- mental sustainability, Alter Eco remains committed to the social values with which it was founded, and that will not be chang- ing under Forbes' leadership, he said. "We're not going to waver from that path," he said. "That is in the DNA of the company." Alter Eco does plan to grow its operations, but will continue to focus on chocolate, but NextWorld Evergreen is committed to scaling its growth in a way that stays true to the com- pany's core values, according to Forbes. "NextWorld is a very patient investor," he said. "They want to do it the right way.... Hav- ing been at California Olive Ranch, I have seen what growth looks like. You want to keep your values the same, but so much about how you do business as you scale has to change." As the company grows, Alter Eco will be working on how to introduce sustainability to more people; both the consumers who purchase its products and those who are in- volved in the company's supply chain, in- cluding its cacao farmers in Ecuador who may be urged to think beyond their current organic farming practices. "Organic is much more familiar, but how do we go be- yond that? We intend to look at regenera- tive organic," Forbes said. Alter Eco is also pursuing development in its product line, including product innova- tion in its truffle line, starting with the intro- duction of a plant-based Superdark Truffle this year at Natural Products Expo West. The new Superdark Truffles will be offered in 10- count and 60-count packages as well as sin- gle-count packaging," Forbes said. "Retailers love to put those by the cash register so cus- tomers can pick them up and start eating them while their groceries are being bagged," he said. "I always buy their truffles at Whole Foods. I am that customer." GN New York Dairy Farmers Launch Craigs Creamery Craigs Creamery, founded by eight local farm families with support from Dairy Farmers of America, is a new cheese brand with a direct connection to the farm. From fresh milk that goes from cow to creamery within hours, to modern farming that fo- cuses on environmental responsibility, the family-run farms of Craigs Creamery are committed to providing the best, freshest, New York dairy. Every Craigs Creamery slice, shred, bar and chunk is crafted with high-quality milk, all-natural ingredients and no added hormones. "With Craigs Creamery, consumers get to know where their food comes from and can have confidence it was sourced re- sponsibly — features that are highly im- portant to today's consumer," said Frank Mariello, General Manager at Craigs Creamery. "Now they can experience farm to table cheese and the goodness of family farming in the convenience of their gro- cery store." Made with only locally sourced milk from the family farms, Craigs Creamery be- lieves the purity and freshness of its milk is critical to producing a higher quality cheese. "Within our close-knit group of family farms, we deliver our cows a special diet of primarily locally-sourced feed to en- sure they produce only the highest-quality milk, which results in our great-tasting, award-winning cheese," said Chris Noble seventh generation Farmer at Craigs Creamery farm, Noblehurst Farms. "Fresh milk is picked up from the farms daily and delivered to the creamery, which is located just a few miles from where the cows are milked." The farm families maintain the tradition of family farming while incorporating the forward-thinking, innovative practices of modern agriculture. One of the farms fea- tures a state-of-the-art bio-digester that powers the creamery — it is the only di- gester in the U.S. that fuels an on-site plant. The digester is powered by animal waste, which is also used to fertilize the fields, and expired food from the local community; in the past five years it has upcycled nearly 20 million pounds of food scraps that other- wise would have gone to a landfill. "At Craigs Creamery, we're focused on the future of farming, which is why we're constantly seeking new methods to reduce our carbon footprint," Noble said. "From the bio-digester to solar panels to recycling water waste, we are investing in sustainable methods and working towards becoming a zero-waste operation." Craigs Creamery offers a variety of product options including Whole Milk Mozzarella, Swiss, Mild/Medium/Sharp Cheddar and Muenster cheese, which are available in slices, shreds, chunks and snack bars. Craigs Creamery cheese products are currently available at Giant Landover, Stop & Shop and ShopRite stores in New York, New Jersey, Pennsyl- vania, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Wash- ington D.C., Virginia and Maryland. GN California Milk Advisory Board Presents Award The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) has presented a Golden Seal Award to Mark Finocchio, President of Pinnacle Food Sales of Florida, in recognition for out- standing achievement in sales and promo- tion of California cheese in the Southeast. The award, which recognizes individuals and partner organizations for contributions "above and beyond" to the California dairy industry, was presented in the CMAB's booth during the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. CMAB Chief Executive Officer John Talbot presented Finocchio with a wooden plaque featuring a three-di- mensional depiction of the Real California Milk seal. "We appreciate Mark's hard work and dedication to building a home for California cheese and dairy products in the Southeast," said Talbot. "His relationships with retailers like Harris Teeter, Lowes, Publix and Winn Dixie are key to the continued growth in de- mand for Real California dairy in the east." The Golden Seal Award was launched in 2017 to recognize California dairy proces- sor partners for their rapid and generous response to hurricane victims in Texas and Florida. The award is presented annually to individuals and organizations for outstand- ing contributions to California dairy farm families and the promotion of California dairy. Past recipients include Cacique, Inc., the California Dairy Quality Assurance Pro- gram (CDQAP), FitPro, Pacific Cheese, Rizo Lopez and Super Store Industries. California is the nation's leading milk producer. It also produces more butter, ice cream and nonfat dry milk than any other state. The state is the second-largest pro- ducer of cheese and yogurt. Dairy products made with Real California milk can be identified by the Real California Milk seal and are available throughout the U.S. and around the world. GN San Joaquin Valley Olive Oil Competition Entries Open Entries are now being accepted for the fifth annual San Joaquin Valley Olive Oil Com- petition (SJVOOC); extra virgin olive oil and flavored olive oil entries from produc- ers in the state of California are eligible, and olive oil must be made from producers' most recent olive harvest. This year's awards include the new "Best of the Valley" award category that recognizes the olive oil with the highest score from a ranch or of- fice located in the San Joaquin Valley. Dead- line for entries is March 22, 2019. "The overwhelming response we continue to have year after year from olive oil produc- ers throughout California has been amazing," said Stacy Rianda, Deputy Manager II at The Big Fresno Fair. "We are excited about the new 'Best of the Valley' award to specially honor our local San Joaquin Valley olive oil producers – as well as continue to honor all of California for the quality olive oils being produced and shared with the world." Participating producers must enter their harvest into one of two different classes: Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Flavored Olive Oil. Competition categories in the Extra Vir- gin Olive Oil class include: Spanish Blends (arbequina, arbosana, etc.); Spanish Singles; Italian Blends (ascolano, etc.); Italian Sin- gles; Other Blends (picholine, barouni, etc.); Other Singles. Competition categories in the Flavored Olive Oil class include: Citrus; Herbal (rosemary; basil, etc.); Pepper (chile, jalapeno, habanero, etc.); and Other Flavors (garlic, truffle etc.). Producers may submit multiple entries under one category but may not submit a particular entry to more than one category. All entries must be available for commer- cial sale at the time of entry. Entries are due by March 22, 2019. Judging will be held on April 2, 2019 and winners will be an- nounced on April 10, 2019 by 5:00 p.m. Gold medal, best of the valley and best of show winners will all have the opportu- nity to have a booth in the Wells Fargo Agricultural Building on one day during the 2019 Big Fresno Fair where they can taste, display and sell their award-winning product. Additionally, educational informa- tion will be set up so that fairg attendees can learn more about the art of making olive oil, its health benefits and more. Each submission must include an entry form, at least two 250 ml bottles of the olive oil with retail labels attached and a $60 non- refundable fee per entry. Each entry must also contain a third party chemical analysis in order to verify extra virgin status. Entries can be dropped off at The Big Fresno Fair Administration Office or can be shipped to SJVOOC – The Big Fresno Fair, 1121 S. Chance Ave. Fresno, CA 93702 no later than 4:30 p.m. on March 22, 2019. Any entry delivered by mail, freight or ex- press must be prepaid. The Administration Office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for drop offs. GN

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