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Gourmet News December 2019

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BY LORRIE BAUMANN Back of the bread is the flour, and back of the flour is the mill. Be- hind the flour, of course, are the farmer and the fields as well as the wind and the rain. Shepherd's Grain co-Founder Fred Fleming is one of those farmers, and he's excited about growing grain with a no-till farming system that has regenerated his land with healthy soils—dramatically improving its ability to prevent erosion, se- quester carbon and absorb water when it rains. "Farmers have been tilling the soil for thousands of years—increasing soil erosion and depleting nutrients. Our BY LORRIE BAUMANN Regatta Craft Mixers has launched a retail line of premium cocktail mixers with a brand that already has customers behind the bars in 25 states across the coun- try. The line, now packaged in carefully designed cans illustrat- ing the brand's aspirational ap- peal, has a following wind from consumers who favor clean in- gredients and complex flavors, even when they're indulging. "Gone are the days, in my opinion, of people ordering generic cocktails with low-end mixers. The spirit game has ele- vated significantly in the last 10 Regatta Craft Mixers Sets Sail in Retail Channel Waters Continued on PAGE 13 Continued on PAGE 6 Continued on PAGE 12 years toward premium and pre- mium-plus spirits. For the most part, the mixer side hasn't evolved that much, and is just now catching up," said Sam Zarou, Re- gatta Craft Mixer's Chief Executive Offi- cer. "We're looking to complement the trend on the spirit side by offering a pre- mium experience to the consumer from start to finish." When Stan Rottell founded Re- gatta Craft Mixers in 2006, he just wanted to make a classic Bermuda stone ginger beer, with a balanced flavor that was a little more citrus-forward than a spicier Jamaican-style ginger beer. He built a business around the bever- age that's now Regatta Craft Mix- ers' Classic Bermuda Stone Gin- ger Beer, which has become pop- ular with bartenders, especially those along the East Coast, for its small batch quality and natural ingredients. Zarou and his part- ners bought the thriving com- pany in 2016 with the intention of expanding the product line and going deeper into the retail chan- nel. To accomplish this, they would build on the market strength of consumers who had already been introduced to Re- gatta by their favorite bartenders and who were receptive to the Rogue River Blue Named Best in World Shepherd's Grain Flours Bake in Sustainable Agriculture soil-regenerating process means today we are actually protecting the land and allowing Mother Nature to re- plenish the earth," he said. "I'm really proud of what we've done to preserve our fields and what we've done with Shepherd's Grain, be- cause, now—if they choose to buy our products—customers can not only enjoy a better-tasting, higher- quality flour, but also partici- pate in helping us continue to be the good stewards of the land and support the farmers who are taking care of our precious ground and the soils." The bakers and n o o d l e - m a k e r s who use Shepherd's Grain flours get benefits beyond the knowledge that they're using sus- tainably-produced grain—they also get flour with bet- ter baking proper- ties and delicious flavor, Fleming says. With an existing line of seven non-GMO verified wheat BY LORRIE BAUMANN A Dozen Cousins offers ready-to- eat bean dishes seasoned with the Creole, Caribbean and Latin American flavors of the ethni- Continued on PAGE 11 Soulfully Seasoned Beans on the Table in a Flash cally diverse Brooklyn neighbor- hood that brand Founder Ibra- heem Basir grew up in. "Food was a joyful, cultural experience," he says of that neighborhood. "I grew up in a Black and Brown melting pot. I can remember eating jerk chicken, empanadas, black- eyed peas. It was a re- ally interesting mix of flavors that I wanted to bring to life with this brand." Coming from a background as a brand manager for a natural foods manufacturer, where he fell in love with the ethos of healthy eating and re- sponsible business practices, Basir has founded his own line with a vision of eventually ex- tending it with other dishes cre- ated at the intersection of healthy food, convenience and bold fla- vor. "Beans is just first. Dinner- time is such a joyous time for people, and you want to put something healthy on the table Rogue Creamery's Rogue River Blue Cheese has been named World's Best Cheese at the 2019 World Cheese Awards in Berg- amo, Italy. Expert judges from around the globe tasted 3,800 of the world's most distinguished cheeses to choose Rogue River Blue as the world champion. This is the first time an American- made cheese has received this top honor. Rogue River Blue Cheese is made by Rogue Creamery, a small, artisan cheesemaker in Southern Oregon that has been in business since 1933. It is an or- ganic, cave-aged blue cheese that is wrapped in Syrah grape leaves that are soaked in pear spirits. "I am humbled and filled with gratitude. This is the greatest dis- tinction a cheese can receive," commented Rogue Creamery President David Gremmels. "What extraordinary validation of our commitment to quality, of the place that inspires our cheese – Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley – and of the excellence of the grow- ing American artisan cheese in- dustry." Rogue River Blue is made ex- clusively with milk from Rogue Creamery's certified organic VOLUME 84, NUMBER 12 DECEMBER 2019 n $7.00 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES n United Fresh to Honor Lazopoulos with Lifetime Achievement Award PAGE 6 RETAILER NEWS n Specialty Food Retailers Make Memories PAGE 7 SUPPLIER NEWS n XBono Extra-Virgin Olive Oils Offer Quality, Transparency PAGE 10 NATURALLY HEALTHY n New Coffee Creamers Appeal to the Dairy-Cautious PAGE 13 SUPPLEMENT n Breakfast PAGE 15 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 ® RING IN THE NEW YEAR: 2020 Buyers Guide SEE INSERT SUPPLEMENT: Breakfast SEE PAGE 15 SUPPLIERS NEWS: Hickey Bottom SEE PAGE 11

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