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Gourmet News October 2019

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BY GREG GONZALES Convenience stores are making strides to catch the attention of health-conscious consumers, and specialty food producers are headed to NACS, the show by the Association for Convenience and BY LORRIE BAUMANN Zia Pia imports & Italian kitchen is a link to the authentic taste of Italy for residents of Charlotte, North Carolina, and for its wholesale and online customers across the U.S. "The idea behind the business was to source unique Italian foods that were difficult to find – those foods you ex- perience when you travel to Italy," said Victoria Custodi Zia Pia imports & Italian kitchen Purveys Authentic Flavor Continued on PAGE 6 Continued on PAGE 9 Continued on PAGE 9 Zabel, who founded Zia Pia im- ports & Italian kitchen six years ago. "We wanted to bring in au- thentic flavors that were hard to find – flavors that were represen- tative of the regional traditions of Italy, striking a balance of unique foods with foods that people will buy at an appropriate price." That's still a good description of the products she's bringing into the U.S. from Italy today. Her product range now includes egg pastas from An- tica Pasta di Campofilone, which makes its range of pasta shapes according to a centuries-old tradi- tion in the small medieval town in the Le Marche region and pastas from Gragnano, a hilltop town overlooking the Gulf of Naples that has a unique microclimate particularly well suited for grow- ing the grain. Sauces from Zia Pia are equally authentic, from Perche Ci Credo and Italianavera, both made from premium ingredients and traditional recipes. Chocolate is imported from Sicily and made according to the Modica cold working process; olive oil comes from Frantoio Galantino in Puglia and Terre di Grifonetto in Um- bria. "Galantino has a range of fused extra virgin olive oils, in- cluding lemon, basil and peper- oncino and extra virgin oils in artisan handmade ceramics," Zabel said. She started her business after growing up spending time in Italy with her Italian family members and then going on to study inter- national business studies at the University of South Carolina, where her masters degree pro- gram required her to live and Grocery Retailers Talk Tariff Troubles Specialty Food Brands Pursue Potential in Convenience Channel Fuel Retailing, to show buyers in the convenience channel that spe- cialty foods can work for them too. The show floor will host 1,200 companies on 420,000 square feet of exhibit space at the Georgia World Congress Center in At- lanta, October 2 through 4. The show features education sessions on subjects like unique consumer experiences and hiring in a tough labor market, showcases like the Cool Products Preview, introduc- tions to subjects like CBD prod- ucts and regulations, and guests such as Daymond John of "Shark Tank." Sugar Bowl Bakery will be at the show for the first time this year, says Pete Thomsen, the brand's Director of Sales and Strategy. He said his company's team has been surprised with how BY GREG GONZALES Six marathons over six days on six continents ― that's the bang with which Joe Gagnon wanted to end his book, "The High Per- formance Life." The bodily strain combined with little sleep and an irregular schedule required something to keep him feeling ready and refreshed every day, so he brought along a loose-leaf tea that would later inspire an in- stant tea mix called Energy, a sta- ple product of his Performance Tea brand. By the end of his chal- lenge, he said, he felt great, de- Continued on PAGE 12 Consumers Seek Functional Benefits From Teas spite nearly a full week of intense exertion and stress, and credited the tea in part for his well-being. Gagnon isn't alone in wanting this kind of effect from tea. A growing segment of tea consumers are looking to tea for more than caffeine, and they're part of a lucrative functional beverage market ― a $27.2 bil- lion market, according to a SPINS infographic on functional bever- ages published in June. A func- tional tea, specifically, fills a specific need ― more energy, added nutrition, improved focus, relaxation, gen- eral health, gut health or even beauty ― that goes beyond the bene- fits traditional teas are known for. These teas contain botanicals, spices, mushrooms and extracts, often with BY GREG GONZALES Specialty Food Retailers are keep- ing a weather eye on the news as the U.S. Trade Representative's of- fice waits for a World Trade Or- ganization arbitrator to put a value on the damage done to the U.S. by illegal EU subsidies to Airbus. The USTR has announced that, once that number has been decreed, it's planning to slap tar- iffs on a wide range of specialty foods imported into the U.S. from Europe. Those tariffs are widely expected to be imposed this fall. Rich Rogers, Owner of Scardello Cheese, says he's pre- pared to persuade some of his shoppers scared off by higher prices for imported cheeses to give domestic products a try. "The good news for us is that we're a small shop and we hand-sell everything that walks out the door," Rogers said. "We'll be able to promote our domestic produc- ers, which we care a lot about as well." Even so, he added, his shop will probably not fare well in this trade war. "If our Parmigiano goes from $28 a pound to $40 a pound, that would be a lot less parm sold," Rogers said. "I think we'll sell a lot less imported cheese. We'll sell more domestic VOLUME 84, NUMBER 10 OCTOBER 2019 n $7.00 www.gourmetnews.com SUPPLEMENT: Beverages SEE PAGE 13 HOT PRODUCTS: Vital Farms SEE PAGE 20 NATURALLY HEALTHY: Southern Sisters SEE PAGE 11 NEWS & NOTES n CPG Industry Veteran Michael Fox to Helm California Olive Ranch PAGE 6 RETAILER NEWS n Expanded Local Offerings Enhance Oakville Grocery PAGE 8 SUPPLIER NEWS n Seasonings and Garden Kits for Enjoying the Outdoors PAGE 10 NATURALLY HEALTHY n Urban Farmer Gets Pickled in South Carolina PAGE 12 SUPPLEMENT n Beverages PAGE 13 News ..............................................6 Ad Index .......................................22 Calendar.......................................22 G OURMET N EWS T H E B U S I N E S S N E W S P A P E R F O R T H E G O U R M E T I N D U S T R Y ®

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