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C o n v e n i e n c e R e t a i l e r S h o w D a i l y Tu e s d a y, O c t o b e r 1 5 , 2 0 1 3 4 4 GE'S LUMINATION BT SERIES LED LIGHTING FIXTURE COST EFFECTIVELY REFRESHES COMMERCIAL CEILINGS GE Lighting's new point-of-entry Lumination™ BT Series LED Luminaires broaden the universe of retail and commercial building space that's ready for a switch to high-quality, long- lasting LED-based general lighting. The Lumination BT Series lighting fixtures deliver uniform light distribution across the face of the luminaire, filling the entire T-grid ceiling frame with a pleasing, even light that reduces glare common in office and retail lighting. "Many businesses desire the effi- ciency and aesthetic benefits of LED lighting technology but have been on the fence about an upgrade given its higher investment cost," said Eric Stevenson, Global Project Manager of GE Lighting. "GE's new Lumination BT Series recessed troffer is an afford- able, all-in-one lighting system that still boasts a modern, fashionable fix- ture design—helping today's architects and lighting designers achieve their goals for maximum workplace produc- tivity, energy efficiency and mainte- nance savings." GE's Lumination BT Series Luminaires offer superior LED perform- ance for illuminating mid- and modest- scale projects. The thin, 3 ½-inch recessed ceiling troffer is ideal for retro- fits, easily fitting into existing drop ceil- ings and allowing designers to quickly switch out inefficient fluorescent lamps for more energy-efficient LED light sources. With a 50,000-hour life rating, improved L70 lumen maintenance and the elimination of added labor costs from ballast installation, GE's newest LED troffer also helps building owners signif- icantly reduce maintenance costs. The Lumination LED lighting fix- tures' high-quality color consistency makes them highly suited for office and retail environments. A product of GE ecomagination™, GE's Lumination BT Series LED Luminaire meets stringent standards for efficiency and reduced impact and contains no lead, mercury or glass, making handling and disposal less of a concern. GE's Lumination BT Series LED solution is available in 2'x2' and 2'x4' formats, and in warm and cool color tem- peratures (3500K and 4000K) to provide a variety of indoor lighting options. To learn more about Lumination LED lighting technology and fixture solutions, call 888-MY-GE-LED or visit www.gelighting.com/lumination. Read more about GE's commitment to innova- tive solutions to today's environmental challenges at www.ecomagination.com. NEW GLUTEN-FREE BURRITOS ENTER THE COMPETITIVE BURRITO MARKET Burrito Kitchens is formally introducing its new line of gluten-free burritos at the National Association of Convenience and Fuel Retailing (NACS) Show. The new gluten-free line consists of four delicious flavors made with ultra-clean ingredients such as cage-free eggs, free range chick- en, locally grown vegetables and other quality fillings. The all-natural tortilla that is used in the production of Burrito Kitchens pre- mium burritos has been replaced by a certified gluten and wheat free tortilla consisting of potato and tapioca flour. "This tortilla is truly the cleanest and best-tasting gluten free tortilla on the market," says Darin Lucas, Vice President of Burrito Kitchens." Lucas continued, "We searched and sampled gluten free tortillas from around the country before deciding on which tor- tilla to go into production with. Many of the tortillas we sampled just didn't hold up when folded and wrapped to form a burrito." Established in 1999, Colorado-based Burrito Kitchens manufactures premium, all-natural, USDA inspected frozen burri- tos and Baninis ® . Burrito Kitchens prod- ucts are wholesaled primarily through major distributors to food service chan- nels, convenience stores, coffee houses and caterers as well as natural and inde- pendent grocers. So far the samples of the new gluten- free burrito line have received rave reviews from buyers and brokers. The Burrito Kitchens Gluten Free burrito actually has much of the same character- istics and flavor profile as our premium burritos quality and without the flakey, dry, cardboard-like tortilla used in many gluten free products on the market. "I think our waiting to find a premi- um gluten free tortilla that actually tastes as good, if not better than an all flour tor- tilla has actually worked to our benefit," Lucas said. "Buyers and consumers are almost expecting gluten-free products to be bland and somewhat on the dry side, but when they try one of our new GF bur- ritos they really seem to be pleasantly surprised with the consistency and flavor of our product." NACS show attendees can be among the first to sample the newest line of Burrito Kitchens Gluten Free burritos. If you're lucky enough to be within the service area of Burrito Kitchens direct business delivery along Colorado's Front Range then you prob- ably have already gotten your hands on this hot new line of gluten-free burri- tos. If your business is outside of Colorado then you will just have to wait until the official national launch at NACS this October. Burrito Kitchens has also added their new line to their website at www.burritokitchens.com and will ship direct to the consumer via their online store. For more information on Burrito Kitchens, visit www.burritokitchens.com. BALLANTYNE BRANDS LAUNCHES MISTIC E-CIG AT MORE THAN 1,500 KANGAROO EXPRESS STORES Continuing to strengthen its presence in the growing electronic cigarette (e-cig) market, Ballantyne Brands, LLC, announced an agreement with The Pantry, a convenience store operator, to distribute its Mistic™ brand of e-cigs in more than 1,500 Kangaroo Express stores across the Southeast. "The Pantry will be taking a more dominant position as it relates to the exposure we give e-cigs. It's a growing category, and we want to make sure we capitalize on the brands that make sense," said Jen Eaton, Category Manager at The Pantry. "Mistic was a very clear decision in this category, espe- cially to leverage their growing user base and capitalize on Mistic™ residual car- tridge sales in our stores." This agreement between Ballantyne Brands and The Pantry is beneficial to both parties with Mistic products that fit the e-cig needs of Kangaroo Express cus- tomers. The Pantry is the among the first national retailers to offer a Mistic BLACK soft-tip disposable e-cig, which will be offered in both tobacco and menthol in all stores at a retail price point of $5.99. "The Pantry has been a phenomenal company to work with, and it's exciting for us to work with a company that is engaging in the category and wants it to succeed," said John Wiesehan III, Vice President of Sales for Ballantyne Brands. The number of retail outlets nation- wide carrying Mistic e-cigs since the beginning of 2013 has grown from slightly more than 3,000, to in excess of 15,000. Ballantyne Brands said it expects Mistic to be carried in more than 25,000 retail locations by the end of this year. Bonnie Herzog, Managing Director of Beverage, Tobacco, and Convenience Store research at Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, said she expects consumption of e-cigs to surpass that of traditional cigs in the next decade. She has said that the e-cig category is mar- gin-enhancing to retailers, whereas in the traditional tobacco market, there is currently margin suppression. For more information, visit www .ballantynebrands.com. BLENDTEC, LANCER TEAM UP FOR AUTOMATED BLENDED ICE BEVERAGE STATION Blendtec ® , a top manufacturer of high- end blending equipment and Lancer ® , a leading manufacturer of beverage dis- pensing systems, have entered into a joint development agreement which debuted a prototype back at the National Restaurant Association show in May. The new platform is an automated blended ice beverage station for making smoothies, frozen coffee drinks and other beverages using refrigerated bag-in-box (BIB) ingredients. This gives restaurants and other foodservice operators a fast, efficient fully-contained system to expand their menus with popular smoothies and other frozen beverages. When released, the beverage station will be commercially available for a unit price of under $9,000 with qualifying volumes. "Smoothies are seeing tremendous growth in the beverage category, and are becoming a mainstream offering in fast- food chains and restaurants," said Reed Beus, CEO of Blendtec. "We're excited to partner with Lancer to provide a complete solution that lets chains offer high-quality fruit and dairy-based drinks to their guests." The new beverage station holds up to eight different refrigerated BIBs, which can include fruit purees, smoothie bases, coffee and dairy ingredients, etc. The unit will feature simple touchscreen controls for selecting the flavor and size, and the cabinet will have refrigerated storage space for whipped cream and other add-on ingredients. It will also have a built-in jar rinsing station, jar storage, and cup and lid dispensers. Key features of the unit include that it can store up to eight refrigerated BIBs, uses all-natural fruit purees, syrups, cof- fee, yogurt, etc. and has simple visual touchscreen controls. It also can cus- tomize drinks with onboard program- ming with a powerful 15-amp Blendtec blender to handle tough blends or add- ins, has a built-in jar rinsing/drying sta- tion and 25-pound insulated ice hopper, as well as refrigerated storage for whipped cream and add-ins. Some other benefits are that the plat- form: provides healthy, all-natural fruit and dairy-based beverages; comes with a fully contained system, simplifying installation and increasing speed of serv- ice and drink consistency while also reducing waste. The competitively-priced unit is expandable and customizable for future menu items with simple controls to minimize user error, and its no-tend oper- ation allows for multitasking. For more information go to blendtec.com/commercial, or call Blendtec directly at 800-BLENDTEC or head to lancercorp.com.