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GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2013 www.gourmetnews.com SPECIALTY DISTRIBUTORS & BROKERS 15 Specialty Distributors & Brokers BRIEFS Artisanal Brands Forms Marketing Partnership with Admiral Imports Artisanal Brands, Inc., a marketer and distributor of specialty, artisanal and farmstead cheese products and other specialty food products, entered into a marketing partnership with Admiral Imports, a New Jersey-based importer and marketer of premium wines and spirits. Admiral and Artisanal are now cross-marketing cheeses and wines using Artisanal's four-color, consumer-friendly Artisanal CheeseClock™ pairing system. Retailers will be offered 12 different wines, ranging from lighter to stronger, to help consumers pair them with the range of Artisanal cheeses with flavor profiles of mild to strong. Through email campaigns and in-store demonstrations, both companies will promote this new wine and cheese experience that engages customers and helps them recreate exceptional culinary experiences at home. Artisanal Brands markets its products to food wholesalers and retailers and directly to consumers through its catalog and website at www.artisanalcheese.com. Cargill Invests $48 Million in Kansas Beef Plant To better serve its customers and meet their needs for beef produced at its Dodge City, Kan., processing facility, Cargill is investing $48 million in a new automated order distribution system at its plant there. Construction will begin in late 2013, with the new system scheduled to be operational by spring 2015. The new order distribution system, capable of holding approximately 155,000 boxes of beef, will be housed in a new 62,000-squarefoot building specifically constructed for that purpose. This will increase boxed beef capacity at Dodge City by 130,000 boxes. The new system uses Retrotech automation and Viastore equipment, and replaces a system that has served the plant since the 1980s. Strategically located in the western Kansas, the Dodge City plant supplies beef products to retail, foodservice and processed foods customers throughout the United States and internationally. Vasinee Food Corp. to Distribute FOCO 100 Percent Pure Coconut Water Vasinee Food Corp., an importer of Thai and Asian food products on the East Coast, in conjunction with Thai Agri Food Co., a major Thailand-based food processing company, recently announced a major deal with Golden Country Foods to distribute their FOCO 100 Percent Pure Coconut Water brand. Golden Country is recognized as the Midwest's leading Asian, African and Caribbean food distributor and one of the few full line distributors still operating in the region. Golden Country's customer base includes independent supermarkets, key regional supermarket chains, food service outlets and other independent stores. With a 215,000-square-foot. distribution center, the company is an ideal partner in Vasinee's plans to become a dominant coconut water brand in the Midwest. Golden Country plans to begin immediate distribution of the popular coconut water in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and Minnesota. KeHE Distributors Unites Suppliers, Retailers at Intimate Asian Supplier Carousel BY LUCAS WITMAN On Monday, Sept. 16 and Tuesday, Sept. 17, KeHE Distributors, distributor of natural and organic, specialty and gourmet, international and multicultural and fresh products to more than 35,000 retail outlets throughout North America, hosted its first Asian Supplier Carousel event in Los Angeles. The invitation-only event served to bring together suppliers and retailers in an effort to promote sales of Asian foods, the second largest segment within the larger ethnic foods market. "The goal was to bring those people together from both sides—vendors and retailers—and get them to focus on the category," said Jim Stange, Category Director at KeHE. According to Stange, KeHE chose to focus this special event specifically on the market for Asian foods, as this category has shown remarkable growth over the past several years. Between 2010 and 2012, the category experienced a 10.2 percent dollar sales increase. This growth has been driven both by the influx of Asian immigrants into this country as well as by the burgeoning interest among the larger U.S. consumer base in multicultural foods and flavors. At the Asian Supplier Carousel, KeHE focused on two areas of Asian cuisine: authentic and mainstream. Stange argues that it is important to differentiate be- tween these two types of Asian foods brands if retailers are to effectively target their customer base. "The difference truly is in the brand. Mainstream are the kind of brands more designed for the U.S. market or well established with mainstream America. When you go overseas, you might not see these brands," said Stange. "When you go authentic, these are brands that truly exist in Asia." Among popular authentic brands, Stange cites Lee Kum Kee, the popular brand of Asian sauces, and Huy Fong, the omnipresent sriracha mainstay. Subcategories of the Asian foods marketplace featured at the Supplier Carousel included Chinese and Japanese, but also other growing areas of Asian cuisine like Vietnamese and Filipino. Stange described the Asian Supplier Carousel as similar to "speed dating," with vendors and retailers rotating around the room for brief 20-minute one-on-one meetings. "If you're looking at it as speed dating, we paired the right people together," he said. The unique event, however, did not stop at simply introducing vendors of Asian foods to interested retailers. KeHE's intimate Asian Supplier Carousel featured both educational and immersive elements. As true experts on the category, KeHE has conducted extensive research on the current Asian foods market, and it was able to share this data with those in attendance. In addition, organizers of the event took attendees on a field excursion to two of the biggest Asian grocery stores in the country, 99 Ranch and H Mart, in order to show them the business in action. Jim Stange "It was very interesting to see how they merchandise things differently," Stange said. The Asian Supplier Carousel was the second event KeHE has organized in a continuing series of category-specific meetings. Four months ago, the distributor held a successful Hispanic Supplier Carousel. "This is a great tool to help retailers support their consumers effectively," Stange said. Both the Asian and Hispanic events have been a hit with attendees who love the intimate setting and immersion experiences. "They really liked the format—how it was small and intimate," Stange said. "They were able to meet with key retailers." KeHE is currently planning future Supplier Carousels, and, according to Stange, these events will not be limited to ethnic categories. The format is easily transferrable to any number of categories within the larger food marketplace. GN US Foods Takes Cue from Chefs in Its Fall Product Line Leading food distributor US Foods introduced its latest product line filled with the favorite flavors, dishes and ingredients of professional chefs. Centered on "What Chefs Eat," the fall product line features more than 25 chef-inspired and on-trend items that restaurant operators everywhere can easily incorporate into their menus. "We have no shortage of creative and talented culinary stars in our customer base, and to find inspiration for our latest product line we tapped into their professional taste buds to identify on-trend and flavorful items that restaurant operators everywhere will want to put on their menus," said Pietro Satriano, Chief Merchandising Officer for US Foods. Sweet potatoes account for 80 percent of all fry growth over the past year and are quickly becoming the preferred fry flavor for both chefs and diners. To capitalize on this growing trend, the new line includes a Sweet Potato House Fry from Monarch. Chefs love to prepare and eat food that features flavors found around the world. The new product line features a Premium Falafel Mix from Monarch that cuts the prep time for this classic Middle Eastern street food significantly, while maintaining its rich, authentic flavor. In addition, a new Roasted Red Pepper Hummus from Chef's Line pita pockets from Hilltop Hearth are also available. To satisfy Mexican cuisine cravings, there are new offerings from Gran Sabor Del Pasado. The Shredded Chicken, Shredded Pork and Fire Roasted Poblano Pepper and Panela Cheese Tamales are all made with ground white corn and authentic ingredients. Two new cheese offerings, Queso Menonita Melting Cheese and Queso Cotija round out the new offerings from this brand. In addition to these new product offerings, US Foods is also reaching out to contemporary diners with more American classics, sandwich ingredients, desserts and side dishes. By offering a wide selection of distinctive products, US Foods ensures its customers are able to serve mouthwatering meals time and time again. To see the full fall product line and learn more about the product offerings from US Foods, visit www.usfoods.com. GN

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