Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/264043
P r o d u c e S h o w D a i l y T h u r s d a y, M a y 1 6 , 2 0 1 3 3 0 ucts can help prevent foods that are about to spoil from getting to consumers. Also, by providing actionable data as the goods move through the supply chain, logistics decisions can be made such as adjusting the storage temperature or moving certain products to the head of the distribution queue. This also enables users to identify where in the cold chain process the tem- perature abuse occurred, allowing compa- nies to make corrective actions to prevent future degradation. PSD: What distinguishes Pimware from other data loggers? GP: Wireless loggers can be expensive, costing typically more than $100. Our Product Integrity Monitors (PIMs) are priced under $20, and our hand-held read- ers are only $60. Our PIMs are reusable and have an unlimited memory capacity, unlike other loggers which significantly limit the ability to store temperature read- ings. Also, traditional loggers only tell you that certain temperatures have been exceeded, but do not tell you to what effect that excursion has had on a prod- uct's integrity. Our monitors are opti- mized for computing shelf-life. Furthermore, Pimware products upload accurate data 30 times faster than tradi- tional loggers and offer track-and-trace capabilities such as documenting custody changes, inspection results, and way- bills, enabling companies to make logis- tics decisions in "real-time." PSD: How have you achieved an unlimit- ed memory capacity and what are the implications? GP: Because memory space in traditional data loggers is limited, many users choose to sample at a slower rate to avoid exhausting memory. However, if you sample too slowly you may miss signifi- cant temperature excursions. PIMs by default sample every minute. When log- ging memory is full, Pimware's compres- sion technology makes more room by combining adjacent samples into min/max temperature ranges. You never run out of memory and you never miss a temperature excursion. Each PIM can store up to 16 million samples in his- togram form. PSD: What software solution is available to users? GP: Pimware provides free software to be used in conjunction with our data log- ging products. Pim Control is an easy-to- use, highly customizable user interface, which allows users to define and program "missions" for each PIM to execute, review data collected, generate graphs and compute shelf life calculations, as well as share data company-wide via a global "cloud." Other data loggers do not offer such powerful software solutions. PSD: Why has Pimware chosen to utilize infrared technology rather than radio fre- quency? GP: Infrared signaling allows hand-held readers to be very inexpensive. Also, a common problem experienced with RF is the inability to discern which tag is being read in an area containing multiple tags. Our readers only read the tag they are pointed toward, offering a more direction- al thus accurate method of collecting data. Furthermore, RF waves are often distort- ed in close proximity to certain metals and liquids in the cold chain environment, and infrared technology experiences no such limitation. For more information, visit booth 1338 at United Fresh 2013, go online to www.pimware.com, call 866-256-0905 or email sales@pimware.com. Pimware (Cont'd. from p. 1) years, but today we focus on four primary business units: Our Dry or Powdered Products Division packages a wide range of products such as sweeteners, non-dairy creamer, salt/pep- per, parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper, and dry dressing mixes. Our Bakery Division produces, packages and markets croutons, stuffing and coatings. Our Innovative Ingredients Division grew out of the Bakery Division and brings products such as tortillas, fried vegeta- bles, wonton strips, dried fruit and nuts and other toppers to the general markets that we service. Our Allied Division is comprised of products that we do not pro- duce, but bring to market for other manu- facturers. These are relationships that have grown out of supply situations, mar- ket and other business related activities, and/or our general market awareness and relationships. PSD: "Sugar Foods"―that seems like an odd name for a company that makes crou- tons. How did that happen? TH: As I mentioned earlier, our company was founded in the 1940s by a gentleman named Harry Tober. Harry was a sugar broker in New York and sold bags of sugar, and later, sugar packets to restau- rants in the New York market. Harry's son Donald, and his partner Stephen Odell, later took our business focus from the restaurants to the foodservice distributors. Donald and Stephen ―who today sit as Co-Chairs of Sugar Foods―directed Sugar Foods to a place of prominence in the foodservice community. We achieved that position under the Sugar Foods ban- ner and the distributor community came to recognize us by that name, regardless of the products we might bring to market. In 1996, we acquired a Los Angeles-based crouton manufacturer―Prepco Company. Prepco's primary business was sales of croutons to foodservice distributors. We simply combined the product lines and started shipping to distributors. From that point, our company has emerged to include focused sales efforts to all seg- ments of the food industry. PSD: What would you say makes your company unique? TH: Several years we set out to define and communicate our mission statement. Like many companies, we struggled a bit trying to get a grasp on the idea until one day Odell pointed out that the answer was easy―Sugar Foods' mission statement, approach to the market, and corporate mantra could be summed up in four words―"The customer is king." With this focus as our driving force, Sugar Foods produces some 350-plus new items per year―basically a new item every day―and most driven by specific cus- tomer requests. As a result of these efforts, we were recently recognized by IFDA (International Foodservice Distributors Assn) as the No. 1 supplier partner in the category of product innovation. So, what makes us unique? We listen to our customers and their needs are what drives our innovation efforts. For more information, visit booth 348 at the United Fresh Show, go online to www.sugarfoods.com, call 865-548- 1041 or email tharmon@sugarfoods.com. Sugar Foods (Cont'd. from p. 1) last fall at the Natural Products Expo in Baltimore. Along with adding four new veg- etables to the Munch Pak line, there are seven new flavors for the Crunchies Veggie line. These great new vegetable flavors are the perfect savory replacements for high-calorie nuts and chips, keeping you healthy without sacrificing that much-needed crunch. The new line of Veggie Crunchies® includes the Power Veggie line: Buttered Power Veggies® and Herbed Spiced Power Veggies®. These power mixes feature flavorful blends of corn, edamame, peas and carrots, perfectly seasoned with natural spices, flavorings and sea salt. Crunchies' popular Roasted Veggies, bursting with corn, peas, car- rots, tomatoes and red bell peppers, teams up with all natural spices and flavoringsin the long awaited BBQ Roasted Veggies. This blend of vegeta- bles and spices will turn eating your vegetables from a chore into an addic- tion. Crunchies Corn Snack also is get- ting a flavorful upgrade with two new tasty flavors: Spiced Ranch Corn Snack and BBQ Corn Snack. Two additional flavors, Buttered Sweet Corn and Sugar Snap Peas round out the all-new Veggie Crunchies line, where they will sit on retail shelves next to the company's already famous, protein-filled Edamame line, made up of Edamame, Salted Edamame and Grilled Edamame with Wild Rice. Veggie Crunchies are not only incredibly wholesome, but they are also rich in fiber, protein and isoflavones, and they contain relative- ly little fat. Veggie Crunchies provide you with a nutritional burst of energy that's available anywhere, anytime, all thanks to Crunchies'convenient re- sealable pouches. All of Crunchies delicious flavors are made in the United States through a unique freeze-drying process. Individually frozen fruits are placed in a refrigerated vacuum chamber that removes up to 97 percent of their mois- ture. This special process gives Crunchies their crunchy texture and allows them to retain a high percentage of the nutritious enzymes that are invariably lost through traditional heat drying. This makes them both nutri- tious and delicious. Crunchies (Cont'd. from p. 27) With more than 400 items, including the unique and versatile Micro Basil Nutmeg TM , Micro Mint Lavender TM and Micro Tangerine Lace TM , Fresh Origins has been providing chefs and restaurants with small botanical innovations for robust culinary dif- ferentiation for more than 18 years. "We work hard every day to provide products that are delicious, beautiful, whole- some, and inspiring," said David Sasuga, founder of Fresh Origins. "And it is an honor to see them truly come to life in the hands of the best chefs in the world." Sasuga and his family operate their 24- acre farm in the picturesque rolling hills of San Diego County, Calif., where the near- perfect weather allows for production and harvest almost every day of the year. Committed to food safety, Fresh Origins is dedicated to providing its customers with safe, high-quality products. In 1995, Sasuga had been growing flow- ering plants for 20 years, when a local chef came by his greenhouse and grew excited at the sight of basil seedlings, inspired to incor- porate them into his dishes. This motivated Sasuga, who began experimenting with these and other varieties of tiny, fresh-cut seedlings. Soon enough, his tiny crops were destined for more restaurants nearby as demand for these flavorful young edibles grew and Fresh Origins was born. Today, David and his family are America's leading producers of MicroGreens and Edible Flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins prod- ucts are robust, healthy, and highly flavored and sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs. They are hand-harvested to order at the peak of freshness and shipped overnight to arrive the next morning to all parts of the country. Fresh Origins prides itself on providing the most consistent supply available while also creating a steady stream of original MicroGreen and Edible Flower varieties to chefs and mixologists alike. The company's innovations also include PetiteGreens TM , TenderGreens TM , MiniCrowns TM , MicroFlowers TM , TinyVeggies TM , Shoots, Crystallized Flowers, and Herb and Flower Crystals TM . Fresh Origins products are available to professional fine dining foodservice venues through specialty produce and food distribu- tors nationwide. In 2013, Fresh Origins will be also partnering with U.S. retailers to offer select products for home cooks to enjoy as well. Visit www.freshorigins.com for more information and recipes, and find the brand on Facebook and Twitter. For more information, please visit booth 628 or go online to www.freshorigins.com. Fresh Origins (Cont'd. from p. 1)