Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS MARCH 2014 www.gourmetnews.com WFF SHOW WRAP-UP 1 6 2014 Winter Fancy Food Show Promotes the Craft, Care and Joy of Gourmet Food BY LUCAS WITMAN The 2014 Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco was not without its minor hic- cups, most completely unrelated to the show itself. The playoff defeat of the 49ers to the Seattle Seahawks midway through the first day of the show derailed some booth traffic, and inevitable soured the moods of many native Bay Area residents in attendance. And a winter storm on the East Coast forced many to leave earlier (or stay later) than anticipated. But for the 1,300 exhibitors in attendance, the show was an invaluable experience, renewing their relationships with buyers, distributors and their fellow exhibitors and providing them an outlet to share with their fellow foodies their passion for food and the gourmet industry itself. The 39th annual Winter Fancy Food Show was a sold-out event that took place Jan. 19-21 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The show covered a record 212,000 square feet of exhibit space and featured 1,300 exhibitors from 35 coun- tries and regions, displaying 80,000 spe- cialty food and beverage products. In addition, a slate of educational seminars provided show attendees with industry ex- pertise on a number of important topics from stewardship to branding to customer engagement. "The show went fantastic for us. We had a wonderful time," said Deanna Godsey, owner of gourmet salsa manufacturer Okie Joe's. "We made wonderful connections. We got to meet other producers, other manufacturers that are at the same stage we are. And we were able to make those connections not just with brokers and dis- tributors and retailers but with our other fellow exhibitors, small food companies that share our passion for food, for making wonderful products for the consumer. It's just been a really wonderful time." "This was our first year," said Cliff Fish- man of Bacon Hot Sauce, a brand new company. "We're just launching, so this is our first show, and it's been terrific for us. Asked on the show's last day how the event was going for his company, Seth Greenberg, founder and Vice President of Operations of Seth Greenberg's Authentic New York Brownie Crunch answered with- out skipping a beat: "Best day we've ever had at a show." "I had people who in June roller skated past my booth. This time they came in, stopped. They brought their distributor with them," said Greenberg. Although he expressed his gratitude re- garding how warmly his company was re- ceived by attendees at the show, Martin Koffman, President of Pearl River Pastry Company had a slightly less enthusiastic response to the overall level of actual buy- ing he saw going on around him. "One of the things is that every- body's budget has been cut back," he said. "We used to meet all of the Whole Foods buyers from all over the country. Maybe one buyer was here [this time]. I know all of the guys I deal with—they didn't come. It's not in their budget anymore." The team at Seth Greenberg's Authentic New York Brownie Crunch had a completely differ- ent response however. Stephen Fass, the company's President and CEO said that, for him, this show marked the first time he has personally observed an industry-wide economic uptick. "I've done every show for 38 years … and every show sort of has a feeling," he said. "The last four years have been a depressed show, meaning buyers were more concerned about the dollars and how they were spending it—how they were going to get through. This is the show where you really get the feeling that we've turned the corner. We're not a de- pressed country anymore." Fass and Greenberg predict that 2014 will be a year of economic growth within the specialty food industry. They argue that this is the time when retailers will be pulling out all the stops to differentiate themselves from the competition. "Last year [retailers] didn't know if they were going to sell the Hellman's that they sell every day of the week or the Heinz or the Kellogg's. This year, they know they have those sales, and they're saying I have to differentiate my store again," said Greenberg. "It's not a matter of selling the staples … Now it's—they're buying those. How do I get them to buy it here? What else do I have to do?" "The buyers are looking now for some- thing to differentiate themselves from their competitors," Fass agreed. "People are looking for new things to introduce to broaden what they're selling. We think what we're doing is exactly that. And that is what we will continue to do in our future plans." This year's Summer Fancy Food Show will take place June 29-July 1 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. The 2014 Winter Fancy Food Show is al- ready scheduled to take place Jan. 11-13 in San Francisco. GN MarDona Specialty Foods: Born in Italy, Produced in America MarDona Specialty Foods and Wild Forest Products bring you the finest imported in- gredients in their truffle products. The companies are all about great taste, great value, convenience and consistency. MarDona Spe- cialty Foods and Wild Forest Prod- ucts import pure olive oil and truffle essence from Italy and combine them to produce their highly re- garded, best tasting, most sought after truffle products. The companies' truffle products come in all shapes and sizes for use by everyone from the home cook to the gourmet restaurant chef. MarDona Specialty Foods and Wild For- est Products offer great tasting truffle oil in a number of sizes from the smallest elegant taste in a 1.75-ounce diamond pack to the companies' largest 5-gallon food service pails. The products are also available to the retail trade in 8-ounce Dorica bottles and 4- ounce sprays, packaged 6 per case. Mar- Dona Specialty Foods and Wild Forest Products have something for everyone. For the food service sector, MarDona Specialty Foods and Wild Forest Products provide 1-gallon jugs and 5-gallon food services pails. Many establish- ments from the neighborhood burger shop to gourmet fine dining restaurants are using the companies' great tasting truffle oils to create dishes such as truffle fries, truffle burgers, truffle pizzas, truffle pastas and so much more. MarDona has become fa- mously known for its inventive presentation in a 4-ounce truffle oil spray, available in both black and white truffle. The sprays were designed not only for convenience but also to dispense a pre- determined amount of olive oil that deliv- ers only 2.5 calories per spray. MarDona and Wild Forest Products be- lieve in consistently making a high-quality product with only the highest quality ingre- dients. It is the companies' mission to bring to the American people the best in quality truffle products at the most reasonable prices possible. You can find the compa- nies' products in some of the finest of gour- met shops and natural shops, including Whole Foods, as well as online at www.truf- fleoilsmore.com. Call 855.OIL SPRAY (855.645.7772) for more information.

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