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GOURMET NEWS APRIL 2019 www.gourmetnews.com Supplier News SUPPLIER NEWS 1 0 BRIEFS Oregon Coast Wasabi Expands to Offer Seasoning Salts Oregon Coast's wasabi is grown in Tillamook County on the largest wasabi farm in North America. Bloeser and her husband, Markus Mead, started the com- pany back in 2010 as Frog Eyes Wasabi, but the name changed when the company rebranded last year. Bloeser said she liked the fun name, but people had a hard time remembering it. "Oregon is getting re- ally known for food, so we wanted to place ourselves for people," she said. "And we had a few people over the years think we were doing some really bad things to frogs." At the same time, the re-branded Oregon Coast Wasabi introduced a new product: seasoning salt. Bloeser said it's not difficult to grate wasabi and enjoy it fresh, but some customers wanted something even easier to use, something that was a little more ver- satile in a pinch. "We have people putting it on all kinds of things, like popcorn, eggs, proteins like fish and chicken, not just raw products," she said. "We have people who've made homemade truffles with the salt sprinkled on top. It's just really easy and accessible for folks." She also said it mixes well into some cocktails, and works great as a rim salt with a kick. In addition to the wasabi and seasoning salts, the company sells flowers, leaves and stems. The leaves are large, great for a gar- nish, and chefs she sells to commonly use it to replace spinach or kale, whether it's in a salad or steamed and stuffed with smoked salmon and crème fraîche. The stems have a similar consistency to celery and flavor like asparagus, making them great for stews. The flowers make a good garnish or tea. Shelf life for wasabi is similar to car- rots, according to Bloeser – as long as it's kept moist and cool, it should be fine. However, the hot item at Oregon Coast this year is the seasoning salt. "It's a new prod- uct, and people who like wasabi ― they re- ally like wasabi," Bloeser said. "They're really excited for a new product with wasabi in it." GN Bakkavor USA Launches Breadeli Bread with Artisanal Rustic Flats Breadeli, a new brand of artisanal breads, launched its Artisanal Rustic Flats at the 2019 Natural Products Expo West. Headed by Bakkavor Bread USA, Breadeli is the company's first foray into the U.S. bread arena. Already the clear leader in the UK's chilled bread space, Bakkavor dominates the industry with an 81 percent share, and growing, in the UK market. Breadeli's Rustic Flats are baked using a day-long process at the new 35,000 square foot Bakkavor USA manufacturing site in Charlotte, North Carolina. "Bakkavor decided to invest in the US bread market to spice up a category that hasn't been overly innovative in recent years. In a somewhat stagnate industry, we are confident that our Breadeli Rustic Flats will reignite the consumer's love for bread. We built Breadeli around the current trends and understanding that people want better-for-you ingredients and versatile products that take you from breakfast to dessert. Our Rustic Flats do just that," said Ben Waldron, Bakkavor USA President and Chief Executive Officer. True Salt Closes Funding for Business Expansion and Retail Launch True Salt, a company that is dedicated to bringing to market a cleaner, tastier, and better sea salt, has announced the close of its seed round of capital. Led by Strand Venture Partners, Landshark Ventures and other notable industry angels, this funding will enable True Salt to further develop its product line of all natural sea salt and continue to fuel its market expansion in both its hospitality and food service businesses, as well as its upcoming launch into national grocery retail. Founded by serial entrepreneurs Brian Pierce and Kelly Egan, True Salt has been growing rapidly as leading chefs, restaurants, and home cooks are seeking better, cleaner all-natural ingredients for their kitchens. Already a staple in restaurants and hotels throughout the Southwest and southern California, the company has aligned with the leading health- inspired, clean-living national restaurant chain, True Food Kitchen. The funding round will also enable the company to accelerate the upcoming launch of its Cocktail Salt, designed specifically for bars and beverages, and its Flake Salt, a hand-harvested artisanal finishing salt. Stacy's To Award $200,000 In First-Ever "Stacy's Rise Program" In honor of Women's History Month, Stacy's Pita Chips continued its commitment to stand with women with a pledge to try to raise $200,000 during March to support United Way's efforts to reduce the funding gap for female- founded businesses. Stacy's has also launched its inaugural Stacy's Rise Program, extending the brand's support of female entrepreneurs by awarding another $200,000 to help women nourish their food business ambitions. Together, the two efforts have potential to result in a total of $400,000 committed to support female- founded businesses in 2019. Forno de Minas Introduces Brazilian Staple Snack to USA Mertens, Marketing Coordinator for Forno de Minas USA. "The family was not happy with that, and they bought it back. They changed it back to the original formula and was once again an independent company." The recipe is simple, and, because it doesn't involve wheat, the bread is natu- rally gluten-free. Ingredi- ents include milk, cage-free eggs, Minas cheese, tapioca flour, vegetable oil, butter and whey powder. The tapi- oca is made in-house. Back in Brazil, Forno de Minas also offers an assort- ment of dairy products. The Minas cheese the company makes at its own dairy, which is kind of like Asiago, is the same cheese it uses for its pão de queijo. "Talk to any Brazilian about Forno de Minas, and they will know what you're talking about," said Mertens. "We don't want to lose that. It's a big name that we carry." Now the company has ventured into 70 countries. Forno de Minas opened its U.S. headquarters in Coral Springs, Florida, back in 2014, and its products can now be found in grocery stores, restaurants and movie theaters. Forno de Minas pão de queijo is great for consumers who want to cook at home without taking much time to do it. Just re- move from the bag, bake for five minutes and take the rolls out when they're golden-brown. Once baked, pão de queijo is a roll that's golden and crispy on the outside but soft and fluffy on the inside. It's typically served as a breakfast item, but it's a versatile food that's great as a snack or appetizer. The rolls can also be used to make small sandwiches, great as finger foods. Forno de Minas also makes an effort to be sustainable. All wastewater and organic waste in the pro- duction facility is treated; fats and oils are stored in compliance with environmental regulations and water is reused for garden- ing. Its industrial waste and garbage collec- tion system recycles and reuses unused materials as well. The product has a suggested retail price of $3.50 for a 12-pack of frozen rolls. For more information, email sales@fornode minasusa.com. GN BY GREG GONZALES In the late 19th Century, the Afro-Brazilian community finally got access to milk and cheese, giving rise to new foods in South America. One of the foods to come of that was a fresh take on a century-old recipe, called pão de queijo, which translates di- rectly to cheese bread. Forno de Minas, a brand familiar to most Brazilians, makes its own little cheese bites based on a family recipe. The story of the bread starts in the 18th Century, when African slaves in Brazil learned how to make bread by soaking cas- sava root to make tapioca. About 300 years later, the recipe is a staple in Brazil, com- mon among street vendors and also in gro- cery stores. In 1990, Forno de Minas Founder Dona Dalva made a business of her family recipe, selling out of a small shop in the state cap- ital. She used ingredients from local pro- ducers from the very beginning, aiming to produce a flavor authentic to her family and the surrounding region. Her shop grew into a full-scale industrial business. The company changed briefly in 2004, when General Mills took note of her suc- cess and bought the company. "But they changed the formula," said Ricardo BY GREG GONZALES Most wasabi in the West isn't wasabi at all, but instead a mix of horseradish and mus- tard with green dye. A farm in the Pacific Northwest, Oregon Coast Wasabi, grows real wasabi right here in the United States, giving everyone a chance to try the real stuff, fresh. It's ex- panding this year to meet increased de- mand and get going on a line of versatile seasoning salts. "The fake stuff, what people are re- ally used to, you have this immediate nose rush," said Jennifer Bloeser, co-Founder of Oregon Coast Wasabi. "That's what people remember, and they don't think wasabi tastes really good. Fresh, real wasabi actu- ally tastes good ― it has some sweetness to it, some floral components to it, vegetal fla- vor." The real stuff is still spicy, she ex- plained, but the complexity makes it stand out from the fakes.

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