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Convenience Retailer Show Daily 1 5 Friday, October 4, 2019 Golden Valley Natural's HERO Line a True Gem in the Meat Snack Aisle An interview with Diana Laris, Corporate Trainer, Golden Valley Natural. CRSD: In a world where many startups come and go and longevity is rare, how does Golden Valley Natural differ? DL: Golden Valley Natural is unique because it is still a private family-owned organization that is based in a small city in Southeast Idaho that initiated in 1968 by Roger Ball. CRSD: What distinguishes Golden Valley Natural's new HERO ® line of meat snacks from the competition? DL: Apart from having military-inspired flavor names that are catchy, such as Old Glory Original, Pathfinder Peppered and Tactical Teriyaki, there are also different snack portion sizes. For example, there are 3-ounce and 10-ounce bags of beef jerky as well as 1-ounce and 2-ounce beef sticks in the three flavors men- tioned. CRSD: What makes HERO a true gem in the meat snack aisle? Why should con- sumers make the purchase? DL: In addition to some delicious tasting products with a moist and tender bite, HERO Beef Jerky and Beef Sticks are the only brand that gives back to our American heroes. CRSD: In what way does HERO accomplish its trans- parency when giving back? DL: A portion of every purchase of HERO branded meat snacks is donated to an organization called Fisher House Foundation, which is a direct supporter of U.S. military mem- bers. It also appears in the Military Makeover with Montel series. The more than 86 million viewers understand the mission and can attest to its validity. CRSD: For those that are not familiar with the Fisher House Foundation, can you elaborate on its mission? DL: Fisher House Foundation has pro- vided nine million days of lodging in 84 differ- ent locations across the United States to the families of injured U.S. military veterans that are receiving medical care. This has allowed more than 368,000 families to be with their loved ones that are getting the medical care they need, and it has saved them more than $451 million in lodging costs. This is not a promotion. This is a full-time pledge by Golden Valley Natural and HERO. For more information, go to www.golden valleynatural.com, call 208.227.9000, email sales@goldenvalleynatural.com or stop by booth #5843. Mix It Up It can be hard to mix things up in your convenience store. Nowadays, con- sumers are looking to customize their drinks wherever they go, which means providing specialty coffees and teas along with flavor options. So how can you offer your customers the unique drink experience that they crave? Finding the Right Brewer In order to give your customers what they want, you first need to find a brewer that can deliver multiple beverages. Coffee machines like the Newco Bistro Touch deliver specialty drinks consumers are looking for by combining on-demand coffee with powdered milk and choco- late. Or a bean-to-cup coffee maker, such as the VKI Momentum, which offers wide variety of regular coffees and spe- cialty beverages for a high-volume envi- ronment. Or find a brewer that can make high volumes of fresh drinks, such as Newco's GXF8D-TVT tea machine. The GXF8D- TVT's three brew buttons can be pro- grammed for three independent brew volumes and tea profiles. This allows three independent temperatures for brew- ing your teas to perfection. To increase your c- store's beverage offer- ings even further, pair the Bistro Touch, VKI Momentum or the GXF8D-TVT with the Flavor Shot Dispenser. The Ultimate Flavor Shot Dispenser The latest in flavor shot dispensing technology has arrived! Instantly expand your menu, increase sales and offer your customers an exciting bever- age experience with no equipment cleaning or operational complexity. 10- bottle automatic Flavor Shot Dispenser from Zavida and Newco flavors foun- tain sodas, iced teas, brewed coffee, hot chocolate, lattes and more at the touch of a button. Add flavor without adding sugar, sweetener or calo- ries – just flavor! Breathe new life into your c-store hot and cold beverage offerings. For more information about Newco Bistro Touch, Newco GXF8D-TVT, VKI Momentum or the Flavor Shot machine, go to www.newcocoffee.com, call 800.325.7867 or stop by booth #8625. Meeting the Rising Demand for Clean, Premium Burritos Food made with clean, simple and real ingredients is becoming more synony- mous with fresh. We see this emerging trend in restaurants and the supermarket deli, but what about convenience store foodservice? It turns out that this is also very important to a segment of conven- ience store consumers. In a proprietary research study conducted by Ruiz with 1,900 convenience store consumers, there lies a segment that wants healthier prepared food options and showed strong interest in clean label claims, like no arti- ficial colors or flavors. This consumer segment skews younger and Hispanic. Recognizing these growing trends, Ruiz Foods committed to removing tar- geted ingredients like artificial color and flavors from its portfolio by the end of 2017. The company didn't stop there. It solicited consumer and retailer input to develop and bring to market new, great tasting premium burritos. Three Bold Brothers burritos introduces a new quali- ty tier and brand for Ruiz Foods. It aims to meet expectations of growing con- sumer interest for higher quality and real ingredients. Three Bold Brothers burritos feature either grilled prime rib beef or grilled white meat chicken. They also have real Monterey Jack cheese, whole black beans and cilantro lime rice all wrapped in a fresh- ly baked tortilla. These large, 7-ounce burritos are hand-wrapped in brown butcher paper packaging which add to its premium and freshly-made position. The burritos can be mer- chandised in the refrigerated case or heat- ed up and served in the hot case. Both flavors received strong scores among convenience store consumers and outperformed a competitive offering in overall liking and purchase intent. These burritos are targeting the Millennial male who frequently visits convenience stores and is looking for high quality foods. Ruiz Foods is excited for the new intro- duction, and is confident that Millennial consumers will be satisfied with the qual- ity and proven great taste. Visit booth #7443 to sample its premium burritos. Ruiz Foods has been making great tasting, quality bur- ritos since 1964. With more than 50 years of experience and success, Ruiz Foods has developed several winning brands, namely El Monterey in retail, and Tornados on the roller grill. Ruiz Foods is excited to have Three Bold Brothers join the ranks of these leading and beloved brands. For more information on Ruiz Foods, go to www.ruizfoodservice.com/convenience- stores, call 559.591.5510 or stop by booth #7443. Protein Crisps from Shrewd Food Shrewd Food has launched the perfect snack to satisfy the traditional cheeseball lover, with a modern twist boasting out- rageous flavors and amazing nutritionals. Based in Long Island, New York, Shrewd Food has developed its new line of Protein Crisps with the health-conscious snacker in mind. The Shrewd Food line of Protein Crisps caters to those who are critically thinking about their food choices, whether they are keto, celiac or just want to stay on track with their daily macros, by driving the consumer to expect more from a snack. Shrewd Food hits the bet- ter-for-you snacking initiatives by offer- ing a powerful punch of crunch that has 65 percent protein, which is nearly two times the percent of regular protein bars but with the added benefits of being low carb, low calorie, low sugar and gluten free. The savory Protein Crisps are puffed using the highest percentage of protein isolate and then coated in real cheese and spices. The end result is a snack that resembles the old-time cheeseball snacks, but with 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of sugar. This, along with its inten- tion to create flavors that are top notch quality, are what's mak- ing this company stand out in the world of snacks. There are three savory and two sweet flavors of Shrewd Food Protein Crisps that have taken the healthy snacking world by storm: Baked Cheddar, Brickoven Pizza, Sriracha Cheddar, Strawberries & Cream and Cookies & Cream. In addition, the line's newest phe- nomenon, Parmesan Herb Protein Croutons, is changing up salads like never before with 10 grams of protein per serving. Each of the savory flavors ring in at 14 grams of protein per serving while the sweet flavors tout 12 grams and 13 grams of protein per serving, respectively. The family of Protein Crisps is growing to include two new savory flavors: Sour Cream & Onion and Nacho. These are available May 2019. When you try them, you'll realize how "snacking just got a whole lot healthier." For more information, go to www.shrewdfood.com.