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Supplier News BRIEFS GOURMET NEWS MAY 2019 www.gourmetnews.com SUPPLIER NEWS 1 3 Bottled Water You Taste Through Your Nose While they wanted their beverage to have authentic flavor, the partners were du- bious about the 'natural flavors,' they were finding on the market, which seemed somehow less than natural to them. Then they thought about the widely observed phenomenon that much of what we taste when we eat food ― perhaps as much as 75 percent to 90 percent, al- though around 80 per- cent is the figure most used ― actually derives from olfaction. Some neurophysiologists be- lieve it's possible that only about 5 percent of what we experience when we're eating is actually coming from our sense of taste. That being the case, SZENT's partners de- cided to capitalize on the phenomenon by supplying aroma rather than ingredients in their bottled water. The scented ring is in- fused with natural oils and remains around the bottle's neck after the cap is removed. "Every time you take a sip of water, we can channel that sensory experience by using the sense of smell," Grandbois said. "Any flavor you experience is coming through your nose." SZENT launched its product on Amazon in October, 2018 with still water in the bot- tles and scent rings with five flavors around their necks: Passion- fruit, Tangerine, Tropi- cal, Pineapple and Mint. The products are just starting to roll out in Southern California grocers, with a national roll-out forthcoming. SZENT is currently offering the still water varieties in 20-ounce single-serve bottles packaged in a case of 12 that retails for $24. Single bottles retail at $2.25 apiece. "It's been really fun. It's a blessing and a curse to be first to market," Grandbois said. "It's really exciting, but you have to carry the weight of consumer education." GN SaltWorks Featured in Local Press SaltWorks was profiled with a cover feature in 425 Business, a monthly business magazine published in Washington by the Premier Media Group. The publication noted that Woodinville, Washington-based SaltWorks, headed by Mark Zoske, has grown exponentially and gone international since its 2001 beginnings in its founders' home. Nonni's Foods Fights Childhood Cancer with Donation Nonni's Foods has entered into a partnership with Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF). To support the mission of ALSF in the fight against childhood cancer, Nonni's is making a $25,000 donation to drive forward life-saving research. Nonni's is also celebrating the partnership by highlighting the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation logo on Nonni's limited-edition Limoncello Pistachio Biscotti and longtime fan- favorite Limone Biscotti, available year-round. Sara's Cosmic Cookie Dough Launches Cookie Dough On The Go Sara's Cosmic Cookie Dough has introduced its Cookie Dough On The Go healthy energy snack. Because Sara's Cosmic Cookie Dough is egg-free and made with almond flour instead of all-purpose flour, there's no hazard in enjoying it raw and now on the go. The product is shelf stable – it's stored in the refrigerator for shelf life longevity but it can be enjoyed four days outside the refrigerator. Full Fat Whole Milk Sheep Yogurt from Bellwether Farms Bellwether Farms sheep milk yogurt can be enjoyed by many people who are intolerant of cow's milk, and want a yogurt that tastes like cow's milk but doesn't have a soy or goat milk aftertaste. When compared to cow and goat milk yogurts, Bellwether Farms sheep yogurt has 70 percent more protein, 70 percent more fat and 50 percent more calcium. The yogurt is available in plain, vanilla, strawberry, blueberry, blackberry and spiced apple. Atlantic Natural Foods Introduces TUNO Seafood Alternative This year at Natural Products Expo West, Atlantic Natural Foods, LLC showcased its new lineup from Loma Linda, shelf-stable, heat-and-eat plant-based meal solutions and meal starters, as well as TUNO™, a new plant-based, canned seafood alternative. Made with non-GMO plant- based protein ingredients, this protein-rich, gluten-free food features the light, flaky texture of seafood and is packed with nutritious omega- 3s but is completely fish-free. TUNO was created in collaboration with seafood industry experts from around the world to help address the growing crisis of global fish stocks being overfished and depleted. TUNO offers a delicious, ocean safe and mercury-free creation that tastes like real tuna while providing its versatility in a more sustainable form. Nori Chips Coming from gimMe Snack style snack cooked in avocado oil. The tem- pura batter is made with cassava flour, so it'll be, not just gluten free, but entirely grain free and therefore keto-friendly, Broad said. Packaging is still in development, but the company is considering gusseted bags in two sizes — one a 45-ounce package that will retail for around $3.99 and a single- serving 20-gram package that will retail for about $1.99. Like all gimMe Snacks products, the packaging will attest that the product is certified non-GMO by the Non-GMO Proj- ect. Annie Chun is well known to the natural foods community as the co-Founder along with her husband, Steve Broad, of the Annie Chun's brand of all-natural pan- Asian foods. She was born in Korea and came to the U.S. in 1976. When the couple decided to start a food company in 1991, they thought about specializing in Korean dishes, but they quickly realized that Amer- ican consumers weren't yet very familiar with Korean cuisine, so Annie Chun's be- came a brand of pan-Asian cuisine made with healthy ingredients in a convenient format. After they sold that company, she and Broad decided that they still wanted to be in the food business. "I wanted to do some- thing that would make Korea very proud," Chun said. The two of them recalled their expertise in making flavored seaweed snacks for Annie Chun's and decided that was a good place to start at gimMe Snacks. "That was the first time in seaweed snack history. We were the first to make seaweed snack fla- vors," Chun said. With that experience as a starting point, the pair began thinking about ways they might be able to elevate the category for their new venture. "It was- n't easy; it took a while," Chun said. "We created the category of organic seaweed. Now organic seaweed is very popular in Korea and in the U.S. That was my goal." Seaweed is an important component of both Japanese and Korean cuisine, but while Korean cooks typically serve it as a vegetable side dish, Japanese cooks often prepare it as a tempura. "It's super-addictive because it's savory; it has umami. It's light and has a crunch. I wanted to do this but add a little more healthy attributes," Chun said. So while she and Broad decided to emu- late the Japanese tempura tradition for their gimMe Snacks Nori Chip, they also chose to use avocado oil for a crunch that's also light and airy, organic seaweed and cassava flour to keep it grain free. "We do use far superior ingredients," Chun said. "We are very excited to introduce this to U.S. con- sumers." GN BY LORRIE BAUMANN gimMe Snacks gave Natural Products Expo West attendees a chance to weigh in with their thoughts about the company's plans to launch a new Nori Chip, a Japanese-style seaweed tempura chip. gimMe Snacks handed out samples of the new chips from its booth, and based on the response, the company plans to launch the product onto the American market sometime in the second half of this year, according to Steve Broad, the com- pany's Chief Executive Officer and Annie Chun, company co-Founder. At launch, the company will offer at least a couple of different flavors of Nori Chips. Those are now being finalized, Chun said. "We're really taking our time to make sure that we can go to market with more pre- mium and healthy attributes and to be more healthy," she added. "I think our calo- rie count will be better also." Meanwhile, gimMe Snacks has also launched its new premium-grade Sushi Nori — sushi-grade nori sheets in half-size sheets that will make it easier to handle for those who are making their own hand rolls. The Sushi Nori will be shipping this sum- mer in packages of 30 half-sheets that will retail for $5.99. The new Nori Chip will be a tempura- BY LORRIE BAUMANN SZENT is a new brand of bottled water with a twist ― a scent ring affixed to the neck of the bottle that's infused with natu- ral oils carry the aroma of natural flavoring to the drinker's nose. What's actually inside the bottle is just water purified by reverse osmosis ― all the flavor is in the scent ring. "What you're ingesting is the water," said Maddie Grandbois, SZENT's Chief Creative Officer and one of the three company co- Founders. "Your brain believes that you're getting a hit of flavor, but you're not ingest- ing any flavor, any artificial ingredients. We're not adding anything to our water." The company was launched in October of 2018 after four years' worth of research and development looking into ways that they might be able to disrupt the beverage category. "It took a group of people outside that industry to shake it up. We were able to think about the beverage category in a different way," Grandbois said. "We were looking for a product that had flavor, but we didn't want to compromise."

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