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GOURMET NEWS APRIL 2020 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 8 about what to do." Oats are a resilient grain that also provide excellent soil erosion control and require less water than other crop plants that are frequently used to make plant-based milks. In Scandinavia, oats are grown without ir- rigation, depending only on natural precip- itation to fulfill their water needs. Upstate New York, where the High Meadows farm is located, has similar rainfall, so there's reason to suppose that the right oat va- riety can grow there without ir- rigation, Lumme said. If that's the case, High Mead- ows will be in a position to help solve a critical supply chain issue for Hälsa. Lumme and her fel- low co-Founder Mika Manninen have spent four years creating a clean non-dairy manufacturing platform to transform oats into oatgurt that's made without artificial ingredients and that maintains the benefi- cial nutrients of the grain. But once they had the process worked out, they had trou- ble finding a local supply of oats to feed their plant. "Either the texture was not right, the nutritional profile is not what we are looking for, or something else," Lumme said. "They just don't fulfill our quality standards." The company's short-term solution has been to import oats for its Hälsa Or- ganic Oatgurts from Scandinavia, but that burdened the opera- tion with freight costs and a larger car- bon footprint. "We thought, why not come up with a solution that benefits both of us and our planet," Lumme said. "We think this is a way we can do it because it's clear that oat-based milks are growing very fast, and we think this can be a source of revenue for the farm- ers.... We think that what we're doing here has meaning on a global scale, because farmers elsewhere are looking for alterna- tives, so we can probably shed some light and help them elsewhere around the globe as well." The Ziehms will continue to operate their 300-acre dairy farm while they're working with Hälsa on the pilot project. "This is an experiment, so ob- viously we cannot guarantee the outcome," Lumme said. "We want to offer an alterna- tive which also includes a plan for crop rotation, so this is not a quick fix. The Ziehms gen- erously offered to be our pilot farm, and the fact that they are currently earning a living from their organic milk en- ables them to commit to this without risking their liveli- hood." The first oats will be planted this spring, and as the crop grows, Hälsa will be putting together a guidebook and a video to document every step in the process for other farmers who may sign up to grow oats in years to come. Already, the company has been approached by other dairy farmers who are interested in the ap- proach, Lumme said. "The more informa- tion we have, the better, so that's what we're in the process of doing," she said. "When you're an entrepreneur farmer, you always have to be looking to the future." GN Plant-based Dairy Continued from PAGE 1 Change is constant, and we all have to sup- port each other, and we think this is a way we can do it." Eric and Jamie Ziehm, who own the High Meadows of Hoosick farm in Hoosick, New York, have signed on to grow oat seed pro- vided by Hälsa using farming methods used in Scandinavia. They're hoping that their organic dairy farm will be able to continue earning a livelihood for them even if the demand for fluid milk continues to decline. Hälsa has assembled a team of specialists who have experience growing oats in Scandi- navia to match the seed with the growing conditions on the Ziehms' farm and to as- sist the Ziehms as they grow their crop. "We are trying two or three different vari- eties with about 20 acres per variety," Lumme said. "That way we learn more TASTE Opens 10th Store TASTE, a specialty foods market and café based in coastal Virginia, celebrated the grand opening of its 10th location, along with Mayor Bobby Dyer and Virginia Beach City Council members, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on February 28. Founded in 1973, TASTE is known for its made-to- order salads, sandwiches and soups; small batch, from scratch housemade prepared and packaged foods, boutique wines and craft beers, specialty food and gift items, culinary events and catering. GN Packaging Veteran Offers More Sustainable Solutions Having supplied wholesale distributors across the country with thousands of pack- aging products for more than 50 years, one Los Angeles-based maker has shifted its focus to meet increased demand for more sustainable options. Just added to its more than 2,500 SKUs is a full line of themed packaging for the super- market perimeter that empowers category managers to locally pack fresh, convenient meal solutions. Some of the new packaging is both recyclable and compostable, requir- ing no separation – an industry first. Elkay ® Plastics Co, Inc. is rebranding it- self as part of what the company called, "a renewed commitment to core capabilities and customer engagement." Given the new range of food packaging products the company recently introduced, its new brand, LK ® Packaging, also reflects its long-standing strategy of energizing the packaging supply chain with readily avail- able, state-of-the-art packaging solutions. "We understand packaging can be the best tool to attract and engage the consumer, while also driving product and store differ- entiation," said LK's Food Packaging Direc- tor, Matt Banghart. "That's why we continue to help brands and retailers build greater cus- tomer loyalty, and ultimately, greater revenue with packaging programs, not just products." One such program, called #ReadyFresh™, arms grocery-category and even conven- ience-store managers with a way to present a continuous theme for their freshly pre- pared, on-the-go eats. Another similar pro- gram from LK, called Ready. Chef. Go! has been a popular feature in many supermarkets across the country for locally packed, ready- to-cook meals. Both packaging programs now include non-plastic options that are either recycla- ble or compostable. "Plastic is still, in many ways, the best way to protect and preserve food at an af- fordable price," said LK's Product Manager, Doron Chertkow, "but for those looking to align their value proposition with their cus- tomers' Earth-first motivations, we're proud to be able to offer FSC-certified, recyclable paper-board packaging and our new COM- POSTA™ [compostable] products." For more information, contact Matt Banghart, Director of Food Packaging, LK Packaging at m.banghart@LKpkg.com or 800.809.8393. GN

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