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GOURMET NEWS JUNE 2019 www.gourmetnews.com SUPPLIER NEWS 2 0 North Country Smokehouse Offers Certified Humane Pork Products Satzow was an early adopter of Certified Humane labels for his products, but this year, Corbett and his team are putting extra effort into redefining North Country's role in the sustainable food movement. "All of our organic products are Certified Humane Raised & Handled ® ," Corbett said. "We be- lieve that ensuring an animals right to fair and adequate treatment is in line with the true spirit of organic. These values signifi- cantly impact our future direction." Just in the last three years, North Coun- try Smokehouse's supply chain and its product line have both evolved toward spe- cialty products made from premium or- ganic and Certified Humane pork, primarily from Duroc swine. "We're com- mitted to hand-crafting small-batch recipes with premium ingredients, exceptional fla- vor, respect for livestock and the land," Corbett said. "We feel that we offer the en- tire package, and that our values align with those of our customers." The evolution faces some economic hur- dles, both for duBreton and for the small farmers who supply that portion of the meat that's not produced by duBreton itself. A transition from conventional agriculture to organic is a three-year process that re- quires an up-front conversion to organic methods and then a three-year period while those organic methods are practiced before the operation can achieve organic certifica- tion. During that time, the farming opera- tion usually has to absorb the extra costs of organic production without getting the price premium that comes along with the certification that it hasn't yet achieved. The farmers who sell their swine to duBreton don't face that particular hurdle, according to Corbett. "One thing that's unique about duBreton – rather than putting the financial strain on the farm, they fund that for them over the three-year certifica- tion period," he said. DuBreton doesn't base the price it pays those farmers on market rates – instead, it buys its meat for a price that ensures that its farmers can afford to stay in business regardless of what the over- all market is doing. "No matter what, that guarantees that they're getting a fair price for every hog they raise," he said. "They wanted to make sure that the network they've cre- ated is sustainable for everyone involved." North Country Smokehouse now has an extensive range of organic and Certified Humane deli meats, sausages, ham and turkey as well as the bacon on which the company built its reputation. "We're really proud of the bacon," Corbett said. "We now have a Sugar-free Bacon in both or- ganic and humane. We also have a lot of re- ally unique products: Smoked Duck Breast, Smoked Skin-On Chicken Breast – we take pride in the products we make, and we be- lieve pace, patience and our relentless focus on flavor set us apart." The company's two newest products, launched this year for Memorial Day, are Jalapeno Cheddar Sausage and Harpoon IPA Beer Bratwurst, which are both all natural and Certified Humane. For the Jalapeno Cheddar Sausage, North Country partnered with Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company to produce a special cheddar. The pork is antibiotic free, vegetarian-fed and all natu- ral, and the sausage is applewood-smoked. The Harpoon IPA Beer Brat comes as a result of a partnership with Boston, Massachusetts, brewery Harpoon, and it will be a year- round offering. Both sausages are offered in a 12-ounce package with four 3-ounce links that retails for around $5.99. Corbett's personal favorite of the North Country Products is its Pit Ham. "It's cover- cured in a maple syrup-based brine and then smoked for 12 hours. It's phenomenal. You can't beat it in terms of flavor, texture, every- thing," he said. "For sausage, it's the Jalapeno Cheddar. I think that's going to be a big hit." For more information about North Country Smokehouse, visit www.ncsmoke house.com or visit its booth at the Summer Fancy Food Show. GN BY LORRIE BAUMANN North Country Smokehouse is focusing its creative energies this year on its transition to Certified Humane and organic status. "We want to be true to our roots," said Chief Operating Officer Aaron Corbett, who joined the company in 2015 following its acquisition by Canadian firm Les Specialites Prodal Ltee. Previous to the acquisition, the Claremont, New Hampshire-based com- pany had been family-owned, but when third-generation owner Mike Satzow wanted to retire, he picked the buyer he wanted for the company, and that was an- other family-owned company that shared his values. "It was a third-generation fam- ily-owned smokehouse that evolved from an old-style butcher shop to a smokehouse in the '70s," Corbett said. "It went from a third-generation family-owned company to a fourth-generation family-owned company. It's a different family, but it's all about fam- ily-owned." Les Specialties Prodal sister company Les Viandes du Breton produces Certified Hu- mane and organic pork and supplies much of the pork that goes into North Country Smokehouse bacon, sausages and hams. That existing commitment to organic meat as well as Satzow's desire to transition his products to Certified Humane meat that predated his sale of the company were al- ready driving changes at the company – Briton Brings Taste for Bangers to American Shores volve stepping back into the corporate world and that would take advantage of Chicago's strength as a manufacturing and trade center for the food processing indus- try. "Nothing is easy, but I thought I'd start with something that, on the surface of it, sounded rather simple," he said. "I was in the right place." He'd already realized, over the few years he'd lived in New York with Connie, that he was missing the good British food that he'd enjoyed in London. The "British food" he'd been offered in the United States re- minded him of the nation's historical cui- sine – the stodgy "meat and two veg" that had come to characterize cooking in the British and Irish isles after World War II's deprivations and rationing had come to an end but the post-war hardships remained. But over the past few decades, Britain has seen a culinary revolution led by chefs pas- sionate about resurrecting British culinary traditions with fresh ingredients and supe- rior technique. "It was getting really, really good," Spencer said. "The presentation and quality of food that's either British or Irish that's available in the American market does- n't reflect the modern version of home." Spencer decided that his new business would introduce Chicagoans to the modern British take on a couple of foods already fa- miliar to them – sausages and bacon. He made some bangers and took them out to farmers markets, then opened a little gro- cery store in 2012, then a little cafe and then a bigger restaurant near Wrigley Field. "We were having kids at the time – we now have three," he said. "We decided to get out of the restaurant business and focus on the wholesale business, which is now the full- time effort." His Jolly Posh product line comprises five products - two flavors of Bangers, a Back Bacon made with pork loin, and Black Pudding (blood sausage) and White Pud- ding (pork and oatmeal sausage). His banger sausages come in two different fla- vors: the classic Traditional Pork Bangers seasoned with white pepper, nutmeg and ginger and a Pork and Herb Banger that's seasoned with sage, thyme and parsley. "We stuff them in natural pork casings, and when you cook them, they're plump, juicy and nicely sized," Spencer said. "When you cook them, it's just like buying them from your local butcher back home." The fully- cooked bangers packaged for retail sale have five links in a 12-ounce package that retails for $7.99. "Microwave it, fry it, bake it – whatever you fancy," Spencer said. "All you have to do is warm it up." Jolly Posh also offers Back Bacon, bacon that's made from the loin of the hog – es- sentially a thinly-sliced pork chop – so it's a lot leaner than American bacon. "It's cured and not smoked for a lovely, meaty texture and flavor," Spencer said. The 8- ounce package retails for $6.99 to $7.99, and a larger foodservice pack is also avail- able. The final two products in the range include the Black Pudding and White Pud- ding, which are generally eaten as part of a full Irish breakfast, Spenser said. "One fun fact about the bangers is that in Britain, we don't really have a concept of the breakfast sausage, so we'll eat bangers for breakfast, lunch or dinner," he added. For breakfast, the main item on the plate might be bangers, while at lunchtime, the bangers might appear in panini or sand- wiches. At dinner, the meal might consist of bangers and mash, which is bangers served with a generous helping of mashed potatoes, garden peas and gravy. Bacon is likely to appear on the table in sandwiches, in a pasta carbonara or even on top of a hamburger or a dish of macaroni and cheese, Spencer said. Jolly Posh Foods products are distributed nationally by European Imports and Sysco, in the Midwest by Fortune Gourmet and Great Western Beef and by Food Innova- tions in Florida. For more information, email nick@jollyposhfoods.com or visit in the European Imports booth throughout the Summer Fancy Food Show. GN BY LORRIE BAUMANN Jolly Posh Foods got started in the early years of the 21st century (2009) with a trans-Atlantic love story. Nick Spencer, the company's owner, was born and raised in the United Kingdom, grew up and started working for Ernst & Young in London. That's what he was doing when he met Connie, a Chicago native, in a London bar. Sparks flew. The couple dated long-distance for three years until Spencer could persuade Ernst & Young to transfer him to New York. Connie moved there from Chicago to join him, and they eventually married. Then, late in 2009, in the midst of the Great Recession, Spencer's New York as- signment with Ernst & Young had ended, and the couple decided that they'd move back to Chicago to be closer to Connie's family and to start a little family of their own. "It wasn't the best year for either of us to be looking for work, so we decided to start our own companies," Spencer said. Connie opened an independent law practice, and Spencer started thinking about what he could do that wouldn't in-

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