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Supplier News BRIEFS GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2019 www.gourmetnews.com SUPPLIER NEWS 1 2 Rustic Bakery Gains Mainstream Popularity around for 14 years. It's really what we started with." The company expanded its lineup this year to capture the attention of the on-the- go snacking crowd. Originally, its single-serve products were only available for airlines, but Rustic Bakery and its retail partners saw an opportunity to appeal to a new crowd. They're now available in 0.7-ounce packages for a sug- gested retail price of 99 cents. Along with the single-serve packages, Rustic Bakery also launched its Everything Spice Flatbread Crackers, which the brand introduced at the 2019 Summer Fancy Food Show. It also refreshed its packaging in recent years. "We do a really good job on our packag- ing, letting the consumer know what's in- side that box," Frank said. "We have a lot of photography on our packaging now." In addition, the design team refreshes the hol- iday packaging frequently. That includes designs for Valentine's Day, Easter, Hal- loween and Christmas. "It's not the Rustic Bakery image you see on our everyday line, which is very clean, elegant and sophisti- cated," Frank said. "Our holiday lineup is really fun." For more information, visit www .rusticbakery.com. GN BY GREG GONZALES Rustic Bakery, which started 14 years ago as a small operation in the back of a wine bar has expanded into four upscale cafes and a national wholesale operation with a 35,000 square-foot production facility and more than 300 em- ployees. It produces flatbread crackers, artisan crisps, cheese coins and shortbread cookies in a variety of flavors. According to Scott Frank, Rustic Bakery's Vice President of Sales, the company's success comes from strong attention to quality and detail. "We really follow our recipes," Frank said. "If it's not perfect, it doesn't go out the door, whether the prod- uct is just a bit too dark or does- n't have the right texture or flavor." The bestseller ― a 2019 Good Food Award Winner ― is the Olive Oil & Sel Gris Flatbread. "That's our number-one seller by far," said Frank. "It's been Acme Smoked Fish Balances Trends With Heritage Fish. "That's a combination of having the widest array of products available, making our customers happy and doing what we can to keep up with consumer demand." To meet the differing expectations from a vari- ety of consumers, Acme's four brands each offer something unique. Acme is the flagship brand, concentrated more on the East Coast; Blue Hill Bay is a pre- mium brand with the widest array of prod- ucts. Ruby Bay is a regional brand for select markets, and Great American Smoked Fish Company serves the Florida- based foodservice side of the business. Last year, Acme caught the Hawaiian poke bowl wave by offering its own take: Blue Hill Bay Smoked Salmon Poke Bowls. "We put our twist on the trend — it's usually made with fresh fish and vegetables and seasonings and a starch, but we used our smoked fish," Lee-Allen said. "Not only did it get a smoked fish taste, it also had a longer shelf life, so we were able to introduce it as a packaged product... We're trying to expand the eating occasions of smoked fish." To further achieve that end, the com- pany introduced its version of salmon candy, a brown-sugar cured Atlantic salmon that's double-smoked. It's a sweet and savory snack on its own that also works as a replacement for bacon. "Back in the day, there were a good number of Brooklyn smokehouses, and we're one of the last standing," Lee-Allen said. "Cus- tomers who have known Acme, they trust our heritage. We've been around a long time, and we're still Brooklyn based. That sets us apart." GN BY GREG GONZALES More than a century ago, Harry Brown- stein emigrated from Russia to Brooklyn, where he first began selling smoked fish. That business grew steadily over the next few decades, and officially became Acme Smoked Fish in 1954. Despite several setbacks, including a 1966 factory fire, Acme has grown into arguably the largest fish smoker in the U.S., a fourth-genera- tion family business boasting four brands and five production facilities — two on both coasts of the U.S. and one in Chile. "We want to be the leading smokehouse in the category," said Ellen Lee-Allen, Sen- ior Marketing Manager of Acme Smoked Jersey Tomato Company Correction A Hot Products item in the October issue of Gourmet News suggested that the Jersey Tomato Company makes six pasta sauces. The company does make six tomato sauces, but only three are pasta sauces. The others are salsas and a pizza sauce. True Salt Introduces Environmentally Friendly Packaging True Salt is launching a new environmentally friendly 3-pound box for both retail and hospitality distribution. Furthering its commitment to sustainability and environmentally friendly operations, the company chose 100 percent recyclable cardboard for its new packaging. New Ownership Grows Better 'n Peanut Butter Brand Wonder Natural Foods Corp., which makes Better 'n Peanut Butter, has undergone a change of hands over the past year that has brought a focus on increasing distribution of the peanut spread products at new retailers and online. Better 'n Peanut Butter products can now be purchased in over 2,500 stores nationally with the goal of being available in upwards of 3,000 stores by year end. Better 'n Peanut Butter peanut spreads contain no palm oil, are gluten and dairy free and are available in Original, Low Sodium, Chocolate and Banana flavors. Mary's Organic Crackers Launches New Line Mary's Organic Crackers has launched the brand's REAL Thin Crackers, which hit store shelves at national Canadian grocers during Canada Organic Trade Association's (COTA) Organic Week. Mary's Organic Crackers also sponsored COTA's Organic Week, held from September 9-15, 2019. Hain Celestial Appoints New Independent Directors The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. has appointed two new independent directors. Veteran consumer packaged goods executives Richard Beck and Michael Sims will join Hain Celestial's board of directors, effective immediately. Beck will also serve as a member of the audit committee and the corporate governance and nominating committee of the board and Sims will serve as a member of the audit committee and the compensation committee of the board. These appointments increase the Hain Celestial's board to nine directors. Maria Stipp Joins California Olive Ranch Board California Olive Ranch has named Maria Stipp, Chief Executive Officer of Lagunitas Brewing Company, to its board of directors. Prior to Lagunitas, Stipp was president of ecoATM, an automated kiosk business that enables consumers to sell or recycle their electronics for instant cash. Before joining ecoATM, she was the executive vice president of the Owned Properties Business Unit at Activision, making Stipp responsible for the Call of Duty, Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk franchises.

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