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SWEETS & TREATS SHOW EXTRA www.gourmetnews.com n MAY 2020 n GOURMET NEWS ST 2 2 Bison Bites Makes Inroads into Jerky Market By Mary Kuder Bison Bites, a bison meat snack, are made from 100 percent grass-fed bison meat that comes from bison that are free- roaming and wild and are free from hor- mones, antibiotics and medical interven- tion. The Bites are also sugar free, soy free and naturally gluten free. Bison Bites are made by Brittany Masters and Jon Sepp, co-Founders of Roam Free Ranch in Hot Springs, Montana. Roam Free Ranch is a small, family-owned, sustainable bison ranch on which Masters and Sepp use holistic Belle Chevre Launches Single-Serve Cream Cheese for Foodservice Belle Chevre has added a convenient, 1.5- ounce single-serve package to its roster of chevre cream cheese products for foodser- vice operators. Two of the brand's favorite cream cheese fla- vors at retail, Original and Fig, are now available in this smaller format. Belle Chevre's handy 1.5-ounce portion cup will maximize conven- ience and eliminate waste for bakeries which provide cream cheese with their freshly-baked bagels, while hotels with breakfast bars which will be delighted to distinguish themselves by offering their patrons a hip and healthy alternative to regular cream cheese and butter. The fresh tang of Belle Chevre's Original cream cheese and the brand's Fig flavor made with real fig puree, combined with the products' ultra-creamy texture, make them perfect for spreading on bagels, toast, muffins, or even on pancakes. "With the tremendous popularity of cream cheese for bagels and other classic breakfast items, it made sense to offer our 'better cream cheese' in a portion size for those vendors seeking a healthier and tastier alternative for their cus- tomers," says Tasia Malakasis, Belle Chevre Chief Executive Officer and Chief Cheese. Belle Chevre's full line of all-natur- al cream cheeses for foodservice profes- sionals also includes 4-pound and 8- pound tubs of its Original product. As with all Belle Chevre cream cheeses, these products have 2.5 times more pro- tein, less fat, less cholesterol, and are easier to digest than regular cheese. practices and a whole-animal approach: any parts of the animal not used by Roam Free Ranch are sold to other vendors. "Our mission is the preservation of bison, the grasslands, and the ecosystem; we want [the bison] to live as close to wild as possible," Sepp said. Although he'd never lived on a ranch, Sepp began to look for ways to make his fascination with bison a way of life after his military service. That fascination eventually grew into a passion for land stewardship and for restoring bison to their former native roaming grounds in Montana, he said. Meanwhile, Masters had been pursu- ing a successful career in marketing, working as an executive for a large avia- tion company in Seattle. At the same time, she was developing a passion for healthy eating, and she pursued and received a certificate in sports nutrition. Eventually, the two combined their pas- sions for land and animal welfare and healthy eating practices and began build- ing Roam Free Ranch, a sustainable 10,000-plus acre ranch that currently hosts 150 head of bison that Sepp and Masters manage with regenerative agri- culture methods. "We measure for biodi- versity, water, soil microbiome, and soil carbon content to ensure we are adding more back into the land than we are using," Sepp said. Bison Bites are made with only pre- mium bison meat: no domesticated pork and beef are added. "Bison Bites are the only 100 percent grass-fed bison meat snacks that are also sugar-free," Masters said. Each batch of Bison Bites is fla- vored with organic spices and herbs and is naturally smoked using hickory wood chips, not artificial smoke flavoring. Bison Bites are paleo-friendly and high in protein – each two-ounce package pro- vides 24 grams of protein and zero carbo- hydrates. Bison Bites come in four fla- vors: Wood Fired Pizza, Moroccan Heat, Thai Chili Ginger, and Original and have a shelf life of 12 months. Retailers should look for new flavors in the summertime. "I can't tell you the names of the flavors yet, as the FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] has not yet approved them," Masters said. Fresh frozen meat, will also be intro- duced soon. A package of Bison Bites retails for $9.99. For more information, email info@goroamfree.com or visit www.goroamfree.com.

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