Oser Communications Group

NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2020 n GOURMET NEWS N H 6 0 Jake's Nut Roasters Almonds Jake, a fourth-generation member of the Jasper Family, is proud to continue the farm- ing traditions of his great-grandfather that have been passed down for over 70 years. Since 1948, a commitment to quality and in- novation has propelled many fine Jasper Specialty Foods products into the hands of health-conscious almond lovers around the world. Jake's Nut Roasters is a creative line of specialty almond snacks with distinctively bold flavors. These almonds are in fact "Straight from Jake's Orchard" showcasing the company's vertical integration and com- mitment to sustainable growing practices. Jake's almonds provide an unparalleled snacking experience, and make eating this healthy snack both fun and satisfying. Pro- duced in a dedicated peanut-free facility, these premium California almonds are dry roasted and seasoned in small batches to de- liver exceptional quality. Jake's 7-ounce can has a cool, classic appearance that looks great on store shelves, kitchen counters or table centerpieces. Take them on-the-go or conveniently fit them into the cup holder of your car. Almonds are an essential plant-based snacking alternative providing numerous health benefits with key protein, vitamins and minerals, which should always be part of a healthy diet. Be sure to try some of Jake's bold and unique sea- soned almond products, "Straight from Jake's Or- chard" to you. Jasper Specialty Foods is a multi-gener- ational, family-run operation headquar- tered in Newman, California, specializing in the production of unique almond related food snacks, confections and other treats for the specialty food market. "From Farm to Market" is a slogan often used to epito- mize the philosophy of the company in that, first and foremost, it is farmers seek- ing to grow and produce the finest al- monds in the world by controlling every aspect of the process including planting, farming, harvesting, processing, packaging, sales and distribution. Some of its popular brands include Nunes Farms, Jake's Nut Roasters and Jasper Ranch, to name a few. The company is ac- tively involved in developing new flavors, custom mixes and smart packaging with an emphasis on small batch process and ex- ceptional quality. California almonds from Jake's Nut Roasters are the perfect pairing of bold new flavors and traditional, hand- crafted production. For more information, call 800.255.1641 or go to www.jasperspecialtyfoods.com or www.jakesnutroasters.com. Associated Buyers Expands into New York City In June 2019, Associated Buyers, Inc., of Bar- rington, New Hampshire, purchased specialty distributor, Gotham Artisanal, of Maspeth, New York, and thus expanded its territory into the five boroughs of New York City, as well as Hudson Valley and Long Island. Gotham Artisanal's focus was hospitality. It provided many of the best restaurants and bars in the NYC area with bitters, specialty sodas and concentrates, cocktail mixers and ingredients, olives, cherries and various other specialty items. Associated Buyers has worked hard to rebuild what Gotham Arti- sanal supplied to its customers, as well as grow and improve upon the product offering and customer service. It is now serving the NYC area with a limited but exceptional cat- alog of products. Associated Buyers is a family-owned, cer- tified organic distributor of natural, organic, specialty and local foods to the Northeast market from its warehouse and offices in Southern New Hampshire. Over the years, it has grown from just a few people serving local markets to a small company serving a diverse account base across New England. Since the mid-70s, its cus- tomers have come to the company for its friendly, reliable customer service and diverse product mix. It distributes to a wide vari- ety of accounts, including retail grocery stores, co- ops, restaurants and cafes, colleges, institutions, hos- pitality establishments and buying clubs across the Northeast. The company delivers to Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and now the five bor- oughs of New York City, Hudson Valley and Long Island. It is slowly expanding into the New York City area and bringing with it over 40 years of experience in natural, organic and specialty food distri- bution across the Northeast. The company has always and will al- ways pride itself on providing per- sonal, caring and innovative service to all its partners, and both its customers and vendors. The company looks forward to continuing to serve all of its loyal customers, and welcomes its new customers. If you are interested in becoming a customer in the New York City area, email gotham@assocbuyers.com or call 603.664.5656. For general information, email info@assocbuyers.com. New Plant-Based Jerky from Bella Sun Luci Mooney Farms and the Bella Sun Luci brand, well known for their sun dried prod- uct line, recently launched a new sun dried tomato product, Plant-Based Tomato Jerky. Made with moist and delicious sun dried tomatoes, this savory snack is sure to satisfy your salty cravings. With only 90 calories per serving, it's sensible, too. Bella Sun Luci's plant-based jerky line is vegan, non-GMO, kosher and contains a good source of fiber, iron, Vitamin C and Vi- tamin K, and an excellent source of potas- sium. There will be two delicious flavors derived from traditional jerky favorites with a sun dried tomato twist: Hickory Smoked and Sriracha. "We're excited to bring sun dried tomatoes to the snack market in this new and innova- tive plant-based jerky," says Mary Mooney, Owner of Mooney Farms. "As with all of our products, we're only using the highest quality ingre- dients to create a snack that customers can enjoy without any guilt. We be- lieve that this delicious, plant-based alternative to high-fat, high-calorie, no nutrition chips and salty snacks is just what the market needs." Bella Sun Luci is a line of premium Mediterranean-inspired products created from authentic family recipes. The line in- cludes a variety of deliciously sweet sun dried tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, sun dried tomato chipotle sauce, pasta sauces, bruschetta spreads, estate-grown olive oil, risotto, mari- nades and new vegan jerky. Bella Sun Luci is produced by Mooney Farms, a third generation, family-owned company based in Chico, Cal- ifornia, that is rooted in quality, integrity and family values. Mooney Farms is the premier producer of sun dried tomatoes in the United States. For more information, go to www.bella sunluci.com. RLA Collective Goes Big with Integration, Small with Targeting An interview with Alyson O'Mahoney, Man- aging Director, RLA Collective, a Ruder Finn Company. GN: Tell our readers about RLA Collective and why it's unique. AO: RLA Collective is a data-driven brand marketing agency that uses audience target- ing data within multiple integrated platforms to move the needle for consumer brands. These can be dietary supplements, medical foods, OTCs, healthy/functional foods, pet health, medical devices, personal care, etc. This intense focus means we understand the various sides of marketing consumer brands, from compliance behavior to regulatory, re- tail or ecommerce concerns. We know what works to drive sales in all the channels con- sumers are using, while minimizing risk. GN: How do you approach brand strategy? AO: We know it's never one size fits all. With the plethora of channels in which con- sumers receive information 24/7, it's easy for a brand to create white noise. Strategy de- pends on the brand, the category, the situa- tion. For example, are you new to market, facing declining sales or potential delisting at a retailer, adding SKUs? Whatever the case, we look at your goals, sales data and trends, what's been working or not, audi- ences, competition, timing and budget. We then custom design a campaign based on your situation, budget and available data. GN: What's different about your approach? AO: For most brands, it's difficult to go after a broad audience and still be competitive. We prefer to focus on a subset of your audience that will engage with your brand ... then test, learn and scale, looking at data points at every step. We use evolving digital platforms, such as our artificial intelligence (AI), then layer on data that helps us to micro-message the brand story. We focus on your target consumer rather than the channel, educate through storytelling, and get them into the purchase funnel. Consumer research is part of our approach when devel- oping an unbiased strategy. We have a great research tool in-house that helps get insights in real time. GN: What does 'integrated marketing' mean? AO: That term is thrown around a lot, but for us it means a good campaign will be multi-faceted, much like today's consumers and the varying ways they receive informa- tion. Each facet works together with the oth- ers to strengthen the whole. Whether it's our AI digital advertising platform, influ- encer activation, targeted content part- ners, PR, CRM, video, promotions, it all works together with unified messag- ing and a strong brand strategy. Every- thing has a purpose. GN: What's your advice to brands? AO: Don't assume you know your audience. Do objective research that provides unbiased insights for audiences and messaging. Part- ner with an agency that understands the evolving digital landscape and has capabili- ties that have been successful for other clients, one that understands what keeps you up at night and is willing to set measurable, meaningful goals for your brand. Listen to their counsel and give the marketing the time it needs to work. Brand building is a process that takes commitment and time. For more information, email aomahoney@rlacollective.com or call 914.241.0086.

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