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4 GENERAL NEWS GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2013 www.gourmetnews.com World Dairy Expo Announces Grand Champion Dairy Product Winners The World Dairy Expo, sponsored by the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association, announced the winners of the 2013 Championship Dairy Product Contest. This year, the competition received a record 820 entries. All category first place winners were auctioned off at the World Dairy Expo, held Oct. 1-5 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis. Among the winners, Sartori Company, based in Plymouth, Wis., was selected as the Cheese and Butter Grand Champion. Upstate Niagara Co-op, based in Buffalo, N.Y., was selected as the Grade A Grand Champion. And Gifford's Dairy, based in Skowhegan, Maine, was the Ice Cream Grand Champion. This year's contest judged the best of the best in a number of dairy categories, including cheese, butter, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream, sour cream, sherbet, cultured milk, sour cream, whipping cream, dried whey and creative/innovative products. Dairies from across North America submitted their products for consideration. Emmi Roth USA received two awards at the 2013 Championship Dairy Product Contest, including a first place win for Roth Hot Chili Gouda in the Flavored Natural Cheese category. Roth Hot Chili Gouda is a new introduction for the company and will be available to customers in the coming months. This rich, buttery Gouda is infused with a special blend of three peppers for just the right amount of heat. "As consumers continue to look for bold flavors, Emmi Roth USA is excited to offer another specialty cheese with a spicy kick," said Linda Duwve, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Emmi Roth USA. "It is amazing how dairy manufacturers have embraced this contest," said Brad Legreid, Executive Director of WDPA. "Due to the tremendous support from dairy companies throughout North America, the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest has averaged a 15 per cent annual rate of growth over its first eleven years. This is unprecedented growth for a dairy product contest. This growth is a direct reflection of the high level of interest that dairy processors have in entering the only judging contest of its kind in North America. Because this contest is all-encompassing, dairy manufacturers have the unique opportunity to compete in a prestigious, all-dairy national contest." The contest's auction was held at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, where all category first place winners were auctioned off. A portion of the proceeds from the auction were donated to be used to fund various scholarships. A number of scholarships are awarded annually to deserving students pursuing careers in the dairy industry. For more information on the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest and to inquire about submitting products for the 2014 contest, contact the Association by email at info@wdpa.net. GN Gourmet Snacks It is not just the growth in private label options that is driving more and more consumers to convenience and drug stores today, however. As these stores offer an increasingly high end food and beverage selection, they are able to compete with grocery stores even when it comes to things like fresh and prepared foods. Walgreens has been successfully running UpMarkets since January 2012, combining the usual drug store experience with higher end food options. Walgreens UpMarkets feature the chain's private label brands Delish and Nice!, as well as freshly prepared in-house items ranging from pre-made Italian dinners to sushi options, green juices and smoothies. According to Joe Magnacca, President of Daily Living Products and Solutions for Walgreens, these options are making the companies' stores "the first choice for health and daily living throughout neighborhoods nationwide." Magnacca added, "Our fresh food offerings provide customers with easier access to a greater selection of fresh foods and beverages." 7-Eleven is another company working hard to carve itself a place in the gourmet and private label marketplace, offering an increasingly high end selection of healthy snacks. "Better-for-you is one of the fastestgrowing segments of the snacking cate- gory," said Rebecca Frechette, Vice President of Merchandising for 7-Eleven. "People are snacking throughout the day, and they're looking for ways to improve what they eat without sacrificing taste." 7-Eleven's premium snack section features both the company's own private label snacks such as trail mixes and veggie chips priced from $2.49 to $3.99, as well as high-quality, name-brand snacks more commonly found in gourmet and organic grocery stores, selling from $1.49 to $4.99. One gourmet snack brand consumers are likely to find on the shelves of their local 7-Eleven is Sahale Snacks, maker of snack and nut mixes, including Honey Almonds, Pomegranate Pistachios, Maple Pecans and Cashews with Vanilla. Sahale Snacks' Vice President of Marketing Erika Cottrell said that carving out a place in several different arenas helps the brand stay constant in both the marketplace and the minds and hands of consumers. The partnership with 7-Eleven was perfect timing, she said. "This trend, of consumers seeking out good-for-you options and looking for them at quickpurchase locations, continues to grow and shows no sign of slowing down. It definitely helps Sahale Snacks as a brand to be available at the locations our customers visit most frequently," Cottrell said. "People are going to convenience and drug stores more and more to make many of their home and pantry-filling snack purchases. It's important for our brand and to our customers that they can find Sahale Snacks where those decisions are being made. When people want to snack, why shouldn't they have great tasting, better-for-you options no matter where they shop?" The team at Sahale sees great growth potential in convenience and drug stores. The company has not limited itself to marketing its products at 7-Eleven convenience stores alone. Sahale Snacks are now sold at QuickCheck, Wawa, Sunoco, Maverik, Plaid Pantry, Tedeschi, Hess and Royal Farms stores as well. GN Continued from PAGE 1 represent different aspects of the same solution," said Private Label Association President Brian Sharoff. According to research group IRI, 80 percent of shoppers see private label brands as equivalent to or better than the goliath brands on the shelves. This is true when it comes to both the contents on the inside and the way they are packaged on the outside. Thus, by offering more private label goods, convenience and drug stores are able to gain a greater share of those shoppers not committed to name brand labels. According to Sharoff, the key to being a successful retailer is to set yourself apart from the competition with your own private label offerings. "How can I maximize profits if I'm a retailer? The answer is to have your own brands," Sharoff said. "[This is] the thing that binds them all together and the product [that] will eventually be sold under that retailer's own brand name. Whether that's an upscale product that will be bought [at] Trader Joes or a downscale product that will be bought [at] 7-Eleven, it's all about getting your own brand out there." Trade Show Buzz BY JAZMINE WOODBERRY The Private Label Manufacturers Association's Private Label Trade Show comes to Chicago this month, allowing private label to take the public stage as supermarket buyers, importers and wholesalers get the scoop on new products and new suppliers. "The trends inside the private label industry have been set by the high end, premium food categories and the center store in the supermarket and what everyone is interested in. It's the indulgent, wonderful flavors and the international tastes which have become part and parcel of what the supermarket sells today," said Brian Sharoff, President of PLMA. It is the product rather than the brand focus that sets the Private Label Trade Show apart from other food and beverage industry tradeshows. "Most of the other PLMA's Private Label Trade Show Proves Power of Private Label shows are focused on individual manufacturers who are making a well known brand or an unusual or unique product that's handed down by family recipe. Most of those other shows are devoted to brand building and brand promotion," Sharoff said. "The private label show is about products as opposed to brands, and it's about products that retailers can carry under their own brand. It's much more product-centric." PLMA's annual trade show has been in operation for three decades. However, over the years, the products that have been at the center of the show have certainly evolved. At its origin, the show was more commodity-based, showcasing basic private label products. Today, the show now emphasizes prepared and upscale foods. This year's Private Label Trade Show will host more than 1,000 companies from 35 countries around the world— filling 15 international sections of the show with foods, housewares and health and beauty products. According to a recent study conducted by PLMA for its 2013 Private Label Yearbook, private label gains were observed in 18 of 20 countries surveyed. This growth in private label is bolstered by the fact that many shoppers create lists, but then search through the variety of products a store offers before making a final decision on precisely what to purchase. In addition, with more consumers eating meals at home rather than taking trips to restaurants, private label products are filling the food needs of home cooks, looking for affordable, but high quality gourmet meal solutions. "The emphasis is based on what the retailers are looking for, and the retailers include the Walmarts and the Krogers, but they also include Whole Foods and Trader Joe's," Sharoff said. In addition to the regular exhibitors and the international pavilions, PLMA also features a 60-gondola Idea Supermarket®, which invites show attendees to see an assortment of global products available to both wholesalers and retailers. This year, PLMA is also honoring 50 products with Salute to Excellence Awards. PLMA's Private Label Trade Show will be held Nov. 17-19 in the Rosemont Convention Center in Chicago. For more information on the Association, the Private Label Trade Show or to see a full list of Salute to Excellence Award winners, visit www.plma.com. GN

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