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SUPPLIER BUSINESS GOURMET NEWS JANUARY 2014 www.gourmetnews.com 13 Supplier Business BRIEFS Cake Boss Cake Mixes and Frostings Available Nationwide Now, fans of the Cake Boss can bake like the Boss himself, Buddy Valastro, in their own kitchen. It is easier than ever to bring out your inner baker with Velastro's irresistibly delicious cake mixes and frostings now available at retailers across the country. When it comes to a great tasting cake, it starts with the right ingredients. Each cake mix comes with a pouch of bakery crème, Velastro's secret to making velvety, moist cakes. The cake mixes are available in six delicious varieties, including Red Velvet, Confetti, Devil's Food, Chocolate, Yellow and White. The premium frostings give you a taste experience you would expect to find at Velastro's bakery. Made with high quality ingredients and zero trans fats, the frostings pair perfectly with Cake Boss cake mixes. They are available in four indulgent flavors, including Double Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Vanilla and Cream Cheese. Birnn Chocolates of Vermont Awarded Business of the Year Birnn Chocolates of Vermont was presented with the Business of the Year award by the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 12, 2013 at the 103rd Annual Business and Community Awards Dinner. Jeff Birnn, co-owner and President, accepted this award with his daughter Julia Birnn-Fields, fourth generation chocolatier. "You are hard working and honest people and you make it easy and fun for us to do business with you," said Birnn in his acceptance speech. Each year, The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce recognizes businesses and individuals who make a positive difference in the Vermont community. The Business of the Year is awarded to a company that contributes to the local economy through consistent growth, public involvement, and philanthropy. For more information on Birnn Chocolates of Vermont, visit www.birnn.com. NestFresh Awarded Non-GMO Project Verified Seal for Full Line of Egg Products NestFresh Cage-Free Eggs is the first nationally distributed egg line to receive the Non-GMO Project Verified seal from the Non-GMO Project, a third party certification program that assures a product has been produced according to consensus-based best practices for GMO avoidance. NestFresh is also the only egg brand to offer liquid and dry egg products that are also Non-GMO Project Verified. To achieve non-GMO egg status, NestFresh chickens are fed non-GMO feed consisting of corn and soybeans, which are the most at risk for GMOs. The non-GMO corn and soybean feed is costly due to the limited amounts available. There is a routine schedule for the non-GMO feed to be tested and approved by the Non-GMO Project. This unprecedented commitment to nonGMO verification by NestFresh is currently impacting approximately 400 acres of nonGMO corn and 380 acres of non-GMO soybeans. Gordy's Pickle Jar Packs the Flavors of the Season into Every Jar BY LUCAS WITMAN "We can pickle that!" This slogan was coined by Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein in their sketch comedy show "Portlandia," a virtual compendium of all things hipster. In the world of food and lifestyle trends, it is clear that something has hit the big time when it shows up on "Portlandia." And in season 2, when Fred and Carrie started pickling everything from eggs to parking tickets, it became obvious: pickling is huge. "We're all sort of getting back to our roots in terms on knowing where our food is coming from," said Sheila Fain, co-owner with Sarah Gordon of Washington, D.C.-based gourmet pickle company Gordy's Pickle Jar. For Fain and Gordon, the business of pickle-making is one of getting back to basics, getting in touch with one's ingredients and preserving the flavors of the season to be enjoyed all year long. "My own personal [food] philosophy is food is always more enjoyable when you know where it comes from," said Fain. Gordy's Pickle Jar was founded just two years ago, when friends Fain and Gordon branched off from their careers in sales and marketing to pursue their culinary dream. "We had a mutual interest in mastering a craft and celebrating a farmer's harvest," said Fain. Just two years after the friends introduced their first jars of gourmet pickles to the specialty food marketplace, Gordy's pickles and preserves are now available at Whole Foods stores throughout the D.C.-area, as well as in 50 mid-Atlantic Harris Teeter stores and in West Elm Market stores nationwide. Gordy's Pickle Jar currently offers five different products. The company's signature Sweet Chips introduce garlic and ginger to briny cucumbers, the original flavor pairing that launched Gordy's initial success. Gordy's also offers tangy, spicy Hot Chili Spears, sweet and savory Sweet Pepper Relish and Thai Basil Jalapeños. Recently, the company introduced a fifth product that is just now becoming available in some markets: Cherry Pepper Spread. With the wealth of gourmet pickles and preserves currently on the market, Gordy's sets itself apart from the pack by carefully choosing the vegetables it uses in its products. Whenever possible, all of the produce used by Gordy's Pickles is sourced from local farmers in Maryland and Virginia. Fain and Gordon know the farms from where their vegetables come and they strive to develop relationships with the farmers that grow them. In some cases, such as with the Cherry Bomb peppers used in the company's Cherry Pepper spread, Gordy's has even contracted farmers to grow specific crops just for them. Gordy's attention to detail also carries over to the company's signature recipes. Balance of flavor is categorically important to these pickle makers. Each small jar combines a carefully concocted balance of tangy, sweet, salty and spicy tastes. Recently, Fain and Gordon were immensely pleased to be able to introduce their pickles to the nation's foremost kitchen, after the chef for the White House picked up some Gordy's pickles at D.C.'s Union Market. "The chef came through there on a tour. Sarah was able to have her sample the products. They were able to send her back some Sweet Chips," said Fain. Burgeoning quickly in its relatively short twoyear life span, Fain and Gordon are already at work planning the next stage of the company's expansion. "We're just right now working on expanding our production. We have some things in the works," said Fain. Retailers can expect further news of the company's expansion later this year. For more information about Gordy's Pickle Jar or to purchase the company's pickles and preserves, visit www.gordy spicklejar.com. GN Saffron Road Awarded Best Halal Food Company at the Global Islamic Economy Summit 2013 Saffron Road, the packaged food brand of American Halal Co., has been awarded Best Halal Food Company in the World at the prestigious Global Islamic Economy Summit in Dubai. The award celebrates global emerging companies that have demonstrated significant social and business impact and have inspired a new generation of leaders. Saffron Road was selected from a competitive list of applicants from over 30 countries. Saffron Road's mission is to offer all-natural Halal-certified and gluten-free foods, which are also holistic, sustainably farmed, and antibiotic-free. Saffron Road's products are sourced from livestock which is fed only 100 percent vegetarian feed and are humanely treated. All of Saffron Road's Products are Halal-certified by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America and are the only premium, Halal-certified and allnatural brand available in U.S. grocery stores. "We are so honored at American Halal to achieve the utmost level of global accolades by His Highness Sheikh Maktoum and the Global Islamic Economy Summit. I am so proud of our team at Saf- fron Road for our dedication to Halal values that not only meet the needs of the wider Muslim community, but are also being applauded around the world for our steadfast purity and excellence," said company representative Adnan Durrani. "On the heels of Saffron Road winning Best Halal Product in the World at the World Halal Forum in 2011, in just a short period of time our impact on the global stage has been remarkable." For more information on Saffron Road, visit www.saffronroadfood.com. GN

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