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News & Notes BRIEFS GOURMET NEWS DECEMBER 2019 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 6 United Fresh to Honor Lazopoulos with Lifetime Achievement Award Idaho Potato Commission Swears in New Commissioners During the Idaho Potato Commission's (IPC) October meeting three new Commissioners were sworn in. Grower, Julie VanOrden of Garth VanOrden Farms in Pingree; processor Paul Sato from McCain Foods, USA, Inc.; and shipper Bryan Wada of Wada Farms will each serve three-year terms. Nick Blanksma of Legacy Farms and Todd Cornelison of High Country Potatoes were appointed Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively. Nine Commissioners represent Idaho ® potato growers, shippers and processors. They are nominated by industry peers and selected by Governor Brad Little. Emmi Roth Takes Home 12 Awards at 2019 World Cheese Awards Emmi Roth received 12 awards for Wisconsin- made and Swiss-imported cheeses at the 2019 World Cheese Awards in Bergamo, Italy, including two super gold awards for the company's signature Alpine-style cheeses. Super gold medals went to Wisconsin-made Roth ® Grand Cru ® Surchoix and Emmi Le Gruyère ® AOP, handcrafted in Switzerland. Out of 3,804 entries, only 84 cheeses were awarded a super gold title. 2019 Canadian Independent Grocer of the Year Awards On October 23, at the Grocery Innovations Canada annual industry event gala dinner, awards were presented to outstanding Canadian grocers. The Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers awards program recognizes the success of outstanding independent retailers. Each store entered is evaluated for retail excellence and is rated on its customer service, staff, department management, store layout, merchandising, creativity, cleanliness and community involvement. Choices Markets Yaletown Team, Choices Markets Yaletown, Vancouver, British Columbia, took home the David C. Parsons Award for Excellence in Specialty Store Retailing. Meinhardt F. F. S. Grandville Team, Meinhardt Fine Foods - S. Grandville, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Choices Markets White Rock Team, Choices Markets White Rock, South Surrey, British Columbia, also took home awards in the specialty category. Alter Eco Appoints New Vice Presidents Alter Eco ® , a sustainability-directed chocolate company has appointed two new vice presidents to its executive team: Alex Schildmeyer as Vice President of Sales and Pilar Ochi as Vice President of Marketing. With over 13 years of demonstrated leadership in the consumer packaged goods industry, Schildmeyer brings expertise in planning and executing sales strategies, cross-channel sales growth and team management to his role overseeing sales at Alter Eco. Ochi, with expertise in product innovation, brand strategy, marketing and sales execution, and general management, brings over 11 years of experience in growing emerging and established brands to her position leading Alter Eco's marketing team. United Fresh Produce Association will present its Lifetime Achievement Award to Emanuel Lazopoulos, former Senior Vice President of Del Monte Fresh Produce, Inc., at the 2020 FreshStart Conference's gala dinner, Wednesday, January 15, at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona. "Emanuel has been the consummate pro- fessional role model in the produce indus- try, not only in advancing Del Monte during his tenure there, but serving as a leader throughout his career to move the industry forward," said Tom Stenzel, United Fresh President and Chief Execu- tive Officer. "We are delighted to celebrate Emanuel's decades of impact, and I encour- age the industry to help us honor him at the FreshStart Conference in January." Lazopoulos joins a distinguished group of past recipients, including Ron Carkoski, Hugh Topper, Bruce McEvoy, Rick and Tonya Antle, Mike Cavallero, Joe Procacci, Reggie Griffin, Frieda Caplan and Bob Grimm (posthumously). Lazopoulos started at Del Monte Fresh Produce in 2003 as vice president, value- added/fresh cut, and after 18 months, was promoted to senior vice president, North America. During his tenure, Lazopoulos was instrumental in growing all aspects of Del Monte's North American business, in- cluding banana and pineapple sales, expan- sion of the company's fresh-cut operations across the region, growth in avocados and the recent acquisition of Mann Packing. Lazopoulos has held numerous industry leadership positions, serving as chairman of the United Fresh Board of Directors, and a member of the United Fresh Start Foun- dation's Board of Directors, the Produce Marketing Association's Retail Board, and the Produce for Better Health Foundation Board of Directors. In addition to the gala dinner, the United Fresh Start Foundation's annual event will once again feature the Growing Up Fresh golf tournament, the Bids for Kids silent and live auction and a half-day of educa- tion. The FreshStart Conference will take place January 14-16, 2020, at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona. United Fresh will also hold all of its com- mittee, council and board meetings at the conference, which are open to all members to observe. FreshStart Conference registration, in- cluding the gala dinner, is $295 for mem- bers, or $495 for non-members. Registration for the Growing Up Fresh Golf Tournament is $300, with proceeds going to support the United Fresh Start Foundation. To register, visit www.unitedfresh.org. GN Bradshaw Home Celebrates 50 Years Housewares manufacturer Bradshaw Home celebrates 50 years of innovation, from the company's start as Bradshaw International in 1969 to its current position as an indus- try leader in kitchenware and cleaning products as Bradshaw Home. Started as a family owned food broker- age, the company grew and evolved into a consumer brand business in the 1970s, es- tablishing relationships in both Asia and the U.S. over the next decade. "Those were our entrepreneurial years," said Douglas Bradshaw, the driving force behind Brad- shaw International during its formative pe- riod. "We realized early on that opportunities existed in marketing house- wares to the U.S. consumer." Prior to the 1980s, consumers purchased their kitchen gadgets, pots and pans, and bakeware at de- partment or hardware stores. Bradshaw's model was to sell their kitchen products in supermarkets, alongside the food where consumers shopped. 1988 saw the launch of Bradshaw's first consumer kitchenware brand, GoodCook, which would become the turning point in establishing the company's import opera- tion in the supermarket trade. "Being a brand-new concept at the time, we wanted the retailers to realize how profitable this new category could be, and we knew con- sumers would love the convenience of shopping for both food and food-related kitchen gadgets in one place," Bradshaw said. "This was also the first time a retailer could purchase this high SKU category from a single supplier, allowing for economies of scale and better profit." The company has seen consistent and steady growth since then, both in market share and through partnerships and acqui- sitions. Obtaining the Bialetti license brought the world of Italian coffee and cookware to American consumers, while the acquisition of the SHYE food storage business has increased the company's foot- print in this category, which promises to play an important role in today's house- wares market. Cleaning products became an integral part of Bradshaw when Butler Home Products was acquired in 2003, and, along with it, Butler's family of household brands in various cleaning categories. The Butler division expanded with the addi- tion of the oneCARE personal care com- pany, which included Evercare lint rollers, a major acquisition that effectively dou- bled its size. More recently, renowned designer clean- ing brand Casabella was also added to the portfolio. With a family-run business at its roots and the founders' basic core princi- ples of placing the most value on its people as its greatest asset, Bradshaw Home con- tinues to lead the industry. GN Rogue River Blue Continued from PAGE 1 dairy farm, where cows graze on pastures bordering the Rogue River. A seasonal product, Rogue River Blue is only made in the fall, beginning on the autumnal equi- nox, when cooler temperatures bring re- newed growth to the pastures and the cow's milk becomes richer and higher in butter- fat. Gremmels considers this to be the best milk for expressing the unique attributes of their region. First created in 2002, Rogue River Blue wowed the cheese world by winning best blue cheese and reserve champion at the 2003 World Cheese Awards – cementing it as one of the United States' most celebrated cheeses in a growing artisan and farmstead cheese market. "This is the product that put American cheese on the map," continued Gremmels. "As a result of that 2003 award, we pursued the first American raw milk cheese Health Certificate for export. We are grateful for our customers and the support of legisla- tors and sponsors like USDEC who have helped bring this product to fine cheese shops and restaurants in Europe, the U.K., Australia and beyond." "Now, to have Rogue River Blue recog- nized again, 16 years later, and this time crowned world champion – what a tremen- dous honor," he continued. "Rogue River Blue's recognition today reinforces the qual- ity of our raw milk cheesemaking tradition in America." Hosted by the Great Taste Awards, the 32nd annual World Cheese Awards gath- ered more than 3,800 cheeses from 42 countries on six continents for tasting by a panel of 260 expert jurors. Receiving 100 points at this year's judging, Rogue River Blue tied for top honors with an Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano. A tie-breaking vote crowned Rogue River Blue as the 2019 world champion. GN

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