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BY LORRIE BAUMANN Market strength created by con- sumers who are seeking plant- based foods because they think they're better for their health, for animal welfare and for the health of the planet is motivating gro- cers to make room on their shelves and in their cases for a rapidly expanding range of these products. Catering to these prod- ucts' popularity, though, comes at a price. According to market research firm SPINS' data, dollar sales of plant-based foods grew 11 per- cent in the past year and 31 per- cent over the past two years, and the retail market for plant-based BY LORRIE BAUMANN Co-Op Sauce has just launched five sugar-free hot sauces onto the market. They include The Barrel, Carrot Habañero, ChChCherry Bomb, Chi-Racha and Jalapeño Lime and are intended to appeal particu- larly to consumers pursu- ing a keto diet regimen as well as other adventurous eaters looking for a unique condiment. "We are excited to make our 'OG' sauces with new sugar-free formulations for long-time fans, and to in- troduce new converts to Hot Sauces Flavor Ambition Continued on PAGE 8 Continued on PAGE 10 SEE PAGE 12 (Following Naturally Healthy) our small-batch, wild-fermented style of hot sauce," said Mike Bancroft, Co-Op Sauce's Founder. "They're built for flavor – not for pain." All five sauces are vegan. They start with probiotic bases and non-GMO produce sourced from small farms in Illinois and Michigan. They're the latest releases from a company that got its start as a fundraiser for a Chicago, Illinois, non-profit youth program that taught high-risk youth how to apply their talents in entrepre- neurship to a business that could lead to a career. Bancroft had originally enlisted with the program to share his skills in video production with the youth. In the course of teach- ing video production, he and the students decided that they'd produce a cooking show for broadcast on a local public-access station. That proj- ect evolved into a take-over of a plot in the community garden next to the art center where they were making their cooking show so they could grow the produce they needed for their recipes. Once they had crops coming in, the teens started selling the pro- duce at farmers markets to raise money to continue their program. Once they figured out that they were having a hard time compet- ing on the open market with the Geekery Grows the Chocolate Market On Beyond Animals: Consumers Flock to Plant-Based Alternatives foods is now worth almost $4.5 billion, said Julie Emmit, Director of Retail Partnerships for the Plant-Based Foods Association. The trade association, founded in 2016 and now comprising 166 member companies, defines "plant-based foods" as those that are substitutes for animal-based meat and dairy products rather than as any foods made from plants, she said. The growing market strength of plant-based foods isn't taking sales away from grocers' meat cases, according to Erin Ransom, Vice President of Marketing for Tofurky. Bill Puza, Category Man- ager for Meat at Hannaford mar- kets, an Ahold Delhaize banner based in the northeastern U.S., agrees. Hannaford caters to a de- mographic whose median age is older than the average American, but the chain is responding to its shoppers' demands for alternative proteins with plant-based sets throughout its stores, he said. Be- yond Meat's market success last year has helped drive the market for plant-based burger products, so the chain is expanding that set and has placed the plant-based product next to the ground beef, which is a staple for the chain's shoppers, he said. BY LORRIE BAUMANN The Inspired Home Show 2020, the newest iteration of the show formerly known as the Interna- tional Home + Housewares Show, will be held March 14-17 at Chicago's McCormick Place Complex, and will feature more than 2,200 exhibitors from around the world, including 400 new companies exhibiting for the first time. More than 52,000 total attendees, including buyers from 130 countries, are expected. In line with the new, more con- sumer lifestyle-focus of the event, Continued on PAGE 8 The Inspired Home Show Plans to Amaze The Inspired Home Show has reimagined its display areas to better align with the needs of re- tailers seek- ing to meet the emerging needs of their cus- tomers. By creating new experiential and dis- play areas, and enhancing those that already exist, the Interna- tional Housewares Association plans to shine a spotlight on new products and innovations and connect them directly to con- sumer and retailer trends. Inventors Corner will be located in the Level 3 Lobby of Lakeside Center, which will also house the new IHA Market Watch, a display that features products leading the way on emerging con- sumer trends. It's a companion of BY LORRIE BAUMANN The American market has its oenophiles, its curd nerds and its coffee snobs. Now, a similar form of connoisseurship is forming around chocolate. "Chocolate is in the throes of a craft movement, sort of a chocolate renaissance," said Jean Thompson, Chief Exec- utive Officer of Seattle Chocolate Company. Chocolate geeks are now willing to pay more than $25 a bar for the elite chocolates that meet their demands for flavor and quality and satisfy their environ- mental and social justice values. "There has to be a bit of a wow factor," said Brad Kintzer, Chief Chocolate Maker for TCHO. "The flavor has to say something differ- ent, something unique." Matt Caputo, the Chief Execu- tive Officer of Caputo's Food Mar- ket & Deli in Salt Lake City, Utah, operates in this fine chocolate realm. In his stores, a $20 choco- late bar is medium-priced, and customers can pay twice that for a single bar of chocolate. For that price, a consumer will expect a single-origin chocolate bar hand- crafted by a trusted bean-to-bar maker, personal service from a monger who can advise on the likelihood that the bar will appeal VOLUME 85, NUMBER 3 MARCH 2020 n $7.00 www.gourmetnews.com News ..............................................6 Ad Index .......................................19 Calendar.......................................19 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 ® SPECIAL ISSUE INSIDE: NATURALLY HEALTHY CHECK IT OUT! UPDATE: Fancy Food Show Wrap-Up SEE PAGE 13 (Following Naturally Healthy) HOT PRODUCTS: Tillamook SEE PAGE 17 (Following Naturally Healthy) SUPPLIER NEWS: Van Leeuwen SEE PAGE 12 (Following Naturally Healthy)

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