Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS MARCH 2014 www.gourmetnews.com Supplier Business SUPPLIER BUSINESS 1 1 BRIEFS Robert Rothschild Farm Celebrates 30 Years of Specialty Food Robert Rothschild Farm, the nationally recognized gourmet food manufacturer is celebrating 30 years of innovative, award- winning specialty foods in 2014. Robert Rothschild Farm began as a pick-your-own raspberries business in 1976. During the 1984 harvest, the decision to create Red Raspberry Preserves from the excess berries launched the enterprise that still flourishes today. From Red Raspberry Preserves to dips, sauces, condiments, spreads, mustards, pasta sauces, baking mixes and dessert toppings, Robert Rothschild Farm is a leader in unique flavor combinations with a variety of product offerings. "We are incredibly proud to celebrate 30 years in this business," said Jim Gordon President of Robert Rothschild Farm. "2014 marks a milestone for us to reflect on our past 30 years, but also to explore and imagine the possibilities for the next 30 years." For more information on Robert Rothschild Farm, call 800.356.8933, email info@robertrothschild.com, or visit www.robertrothschild.com. Sartori Celebrates 75 Years of Cheesemaking Sartori Cheese is celebrating 75 years of handcrafted award-winning cheese making this year. Founded in 1939 by Italian immigrant Paolo Sartori, the company is now in its fourth generation of family ownership and operation. Current CEO Jim Sartori is thrilled to continue his family's tradition of using the freshest, highest quality ingredients to make world class Sartori cheese. Throughout 2014, Sartori will be celebrating its 75th anniversary with support and volunteering throughout the communities of Plymouth and Antigo, Wis. and across the country. The company will be making multiple charitable contributions, and Sartori team members will be volunteering at local food shelters throughout Wisconsin. In addition, the company plans to continue its partnerships with the Wisconsin Make-A-Wish Foundation® and the MACC Fund. For more information, visit www.sartoricheese.com, or call 800.558.5888. Cereal Giant Post Rolls Out Non-GMO Verified Grape Nuts An iconic American cereal brand is going non- GMO, as Post has announced it is rolling out non-GMO verified Grape Nuts in the U.S. marketplace. "We have an exciting update for you," the company recently announced. "Post has released a non-GMO verified Grape Nuts that is on the store shelves as of January, 2014. Also, we are exploring some of our other cereals to see if there is potential going forward to add more non-GMO verified products to the Post Foods product line. We are always listening to our consumers and looking for ways to provide a good variety of products." Post's move closely follows that of General Mills, which released non-GMO original Cheerios in early January. BY LORRIE BAUMANN The Clean, Lean and Sexy line of snack foods friendly to those with food sensitivi- ties, intolerances and allergies began with a mother concerned about helping her daughter enjoy her life while protecting her from foods that might cause her digestive distress. Suzie Carpenter, the founding owner of Clean, Lean and Sexy began looking for convenient food treats that her daughter Kelly could enjoy after Kelly was diag- nosed with celiac disease at age three. "My daughter was diagnosed with Celiac disease 15 years ago, and that's how the journey began with gluten-free liv- ing," she says. "We have a lot of the same food sensi- tivities, and so it was a matter not just of finding food for her but of finding food for myself." Carpenter found early on that keeping her daughter and herself healthy meant cooking everything from scratch, since more convenient op- tions taken for granted by most Americans simply were not available. "We're talking 15 years ago, and there weren't a lot of options. She has other food sensitivities as well. There wasn't anything she could eat from a box or a bag," Carpen- ter says. Eventually, Carpenter turned the knowl- edge she had gained about preparing and eating healthful meals into a career. "I went back to school to study nutrition and even- tually started a business developing a pro- gram for people for healthy weight loss based on principles that I'd developed for myself and for my daughters," she says. Now, Carpenter is making products for others who need to be careful about what they eat but still occa- sionally want to enjoy a delicious snack. The Clean, Lean and Sexy line of snack foods in- cludes Air Popped Popcorn, Coconut Cashew All Natural Whole Food Energy Bars and Honey Al- mond All Natural Whole Food Energy Bars. "My intention is to make gluten-free products with all healthy ingredients, no hidden ingredients, but it's fun," Carpenter says. "There will be more products in the future. We're currently looking for new fla- vors to do [a] line extension for the bars. There are no grains in them, no processed sugars and no grains." "The popcorn is made with high-oleic ex- peller-pressed sunflower oil, so it's got a little bit of a different flavor—a richer flavor than some of the traditional snack food oils," she adds. "We're getting comments from people who are wondering how we make this taste like butter when there's no butter or butter flavoring in the ingredients." The newest product in the line is a gluten-free, corn-free, soy-free and sugar- free pretzel that debuted at Natural Prod- ucts Expo East last fall and is now coming to the market after being in development for more than a year. "The response to everything was phenomenal, but the re- sponse to the pretzel was really super," Car- penter says. Clean, Lean and Sexy popcorn and pret- zels are made in a dedicated gluten-free, nut-free facility. Snack bars are made in a separate facility to sequester the nuts from the popcorn and pretzels. But for all the meticulous attention that goes into making sure that the products are free of ingredi- ents that may cause pain, Carpenter says that even more attention goes into making them delicious as well as nutritious. "For years we suffered with very few options for something to eat, so it's nice to have some- thing fun that tastes good and is in a cool package and people are talking about it." For further information, visit www.clean- leansexy.com. During the Natural Products Expo West show, stop by for a taste at booth #7206. GN "Clean, Lean and Sexy" and also Delicious: Company Brings Tasty Snacks to Those with Food Sensitivities The "Perfect Bite" at the first West Coast Cheesemonger Invitational held at Public Works in San Francisco on January 19 was an unlikely, but delicious combination of flavors and textures. The winner, dubbed "The Perpetual Goatstopper," was the cre- ation of Cheesemonger Perry Soulos of Ar- rowine and Cheese in Arlington, Va. Soulos paired award-winning chèvre from Red- wood Hill Farm with grapes, candied gin- ger and Burstin' Berry Poppin' Pebbles™ breakfast cereal to create a uniquely deli- cious, eye-catching bite. Soulos was awarded $1,000, as well as an all expenses- paid trip to the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival this summer. "I really wanted to do something differ- ent and fun with my perfect bite," said Sou- los. "When we first received the list of cheeses to choose from, I went right for Redwood Hill Farms' Traditional Plain Chèvre. I knew the product very well from my years behind the cheese counter and thought it would be the perfect choice for a California-in- spired cheese bite. Its decadent and rich flavor and clean lemony tang make it very versa- tile in the kitchen." Redwood Hill Farm owner Jen- nifer Bice said, "We were thrilled to be one of the hometown hosts of the first West Coast Cheesemonger Invitational. It was wonderful to see how Perry used our fresh chèvre in such a sur- prisingly delicious way." At the Cheesemonger Invitational, more than 30 of the best cheesemongers competed in an intense day-long series of cheese challenges. Par- ticipants from San Fran- cisco, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boulder, San Diego, Florida and Toronto were put through a series of tests. From blind cheese tastings and a grueling written exam to sales-under-pressure and the perfect cheese cutting, the day-long event chal- lenged the mongers' skills, knowledge and creativity. Following the private day- time competition was an evening party attended by 800 members of the cheese- loving public. GN Winner of First West Coast Cheesemonger Invitational Features Redwood Hill Farm Chèvre

• Cover