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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2014 n GOURMET NEWS N H 1 2 4 crackers in the marketplace that are heavily processed or rely on rice fillers," said Marian Harris. "Our new gluten-free crackers are made from cassava root flour and a blend of five ancient grains: amaranth, quinoa, millet, sorghum and teff. It's a flavorful cracker that by virtue of its ingredients, happens to also be gluten-free." Made without corn, soy, rice or artificial flavors, these non-GMO, gluten-free crack- ers are available in three of Partners' most popular flavors: Roasted Garlic & Rosemary, Olive Oil & Sea Salt and Olive Oil & Herb. Retailers now have an elegant, delicious, worry-free option to showcase their favorite cheeses, and consumers have an elegant, de- licious, worry-free option to serve to all of their guests. "Three years ago, Marian and the Partners family recognized the importance of produc- ing a gluten-free line and we have been dili- gently working ever since," said Cara Figgins, Vice President and daughter of Mar- ian. "It took time, but we're proud to say we've developed a delicious, gluten-free al- ternative that doesn't compromise on taste, nutrition or quality." Look for Free for All Kitchen Gluten-Free Crackers in 5.0-oz snack cartons, 5.5-oz cel- lophane wrapped deli trays and 0.75-oz in- dividual snack packs. Free Your Taste Buds™ and drop by booth #4478 to experience how Partners is revolu- tionizing gluten-free snacking one cracker at a time. About Partners Since 1992, Partners, A Tasteful Choice Company, has created delicious gourmet products using all-natural ingredients while supporting the sustainability of the environ- ment and fostering an atmosphere of family, integrity, trust and compassion in the com- munity. All Partners products are non-GMO, certified kosher, and contain no hydro- genated oils, artificial flavors or preserva- tives. Partners is also certified as a women-owned business enterprise by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). For more information about Partners, A Tasteful Choice Company, and its product lines, visit partnerscrackers.com or face- book.com/partnerscrackers, or contact Cara Figgins at 800-632-7477 or cfiggins@ partnerscrackers.com. Be sure to stop by booth #4478 at Expo West. Partners (Cont'd. from p. 1) quality, most ultra-premium popcorn on the market. While many of POP!'s com- petitors offer "cheese" flavorings, confec- tionary chocolate coatings and caramel mixes, POP! Gourmet offers ultra-pre- mium, all-natural non-GMO popcorn with real, award-winning, Rogue Creamery ® Blue Cheese, authentic Brown and Haley ® Almond Roca ® Buttercrunch, and the highest quality handcrafted caramel and chocolate. POP! Gourmet is proud to announce the launch of new co-branded products: Brad's Raw Kale Popcorn, in partner- ship with Brad's Raw Foods, is launching at Expo West. This innovative kale pop- corn is crafted using the highest quality, all-natural non-GMO popcorn and Brad's Raw ultra-premium kale resulting in a gourmet and healthy popcorn snack. The Original Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce Popcorn, in partnership with Huy Fong Foods, is made with the original Sriracha Hot Chili sauce, creating a spicy popcorn that packs a kick. This popcorn is launch- ing in a sharing size as well as a smaller convenience size foil bag. Wakaya Perfection Popcorn, in partner- ship with Wakaya Perfection by the own- ers of Fiji Water, combines hand cultivated, 100 percent organic ginger from the Pink Fijian Ginger seed with ultra-premium gourmet popcorn to create extravagant ginger popcorn snacks. Wakaya Perfection popcorn is launching in three flavors at Expo West: Pink Fijian Ginger, Cane Sugar & Orange Zest Pop- corn, Pink Fijian Ginger & Garlic Popcorn and Pink Fijian Ginger, Sea Salt & Caramel Popcorn. Tony Little's Diet POP! Popcorn, in partnership with international fitness celebrity Tony Little, is a delicious, lower calorie alternative to standard popcorn snacks. Tony Little's Diet POP! features four low-calorie flavors: Sunflower Oil & Sea Salt, Natural White Cheddar, White Truffle and Butter & Sea Salt. With dedication to quality, value and in- novation, POP! Gourmet Popcorn has el- evated its brand to the highest caliber and earned recognition from celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, as well as many presti- gious and significant awards. POP! Gour- met is the only popcorn to win the internationally renowned sofi award for "Most Outstanding Snack" at the Fancy Food Show NY 2013 and POP! Gourmet's Fire Corn™ won the "Most Innovative New Product" at the 2013 Sweet and Snack Show in May. The future for POP! Gourmet Popcorn is bright as it continues pioneer quality and innovation, paving the way for a new standard in the growing premium popcorn industry. For more information, visit www .popgourmetpopcorn.com, email info@ popgourmetpopcorn.com call 425-277- 5225 or stop by booth #6909. POP! Gourmet (Cont'd. from p. 1) sprang from discussions with two very im- portant audiences: moms and natural foods retailers. It is clear that parents and retail- ers alike want Crunchies' new line for chil- dren to be pesticide-free, and USDA certified-organic. As always, Crunchies listens to its customers! On shelves nationwide this spring, the Or- ganic Little Crunchies line will feature four freeze-dried fruit flavors – Strawberries, Strawberries & Bananas, Apples & Bananas and Strawberries & Mangoes – each featur- ing a distinct Looney Tunes character, in- cluding Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Daffy Duck and Taz. A fun, tasty and irresistible way to intro- duce nutritious fruits into a young person's diet, Organic Little Crunchies live up to their name by featuring little pieces, perfectly sized for the small hands and mouths of kids. While children will invariably be drawn to Little Organic Crunchies' colorful and cre- ative packaging featuring their favorite Looney Tunes characters, parents will appre- ciate the new line's powerhouse nutrients, 100 percent organic fruit, and convenient re- sealable 1-ounce packages. Like all Crunchies products, Organic Lit- tle Crunchies' freeze-dried fruits are all-nat- ural with no added sugars or preservatives. Gluten-free, kosher, vegan and non-GMO, Crunchies' products provide an incompara- ble blend of taste and nutrition. Crunchies are made in the U.S. through a unique freeze-drying process, in which indi- vidually frozen fruits are placed in a refrig- erated vacuum chamber that removes up to 97 percent of the moisture. This special process gives Crunchies their crunchy tex- ture and allows them to retain a high percent- age of the nutritious enzymes that are invariably lost through traditional heat drying. Commenting on the partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Crunchies' President and CEO Jim Lacey said, "We are thrilled to join with such beloved and timeless Looney Tunes charac- ters to help young people discover the fun and appeal of healthier eating. Given the widespread popularity of Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes family, we feel confident Organic Little Crunchies will quickly be- come one of the most successful product launches in Crunchies' history." "Whether it's the classic Looney Tunes shorts that moms and dads know and love or today's popular The Looney Tunes Show on Cartoon Network, which is intro- ducing a new generation to the antics of Bugs Bunny and his gang, we know these characters are relevant to the entire family. We are proud to be partnering with Crunchies to bring the ingredient of fun to these healthier snacks," said Karen Mc- Tier, Executive Vice President of World- wide Marketing and Domestic Licensing, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. About Crunchies Food Company, LLC Founded in 2006, Crunchies Food Company, LLC has created a nationally distributed line of freeze-dried fruits and vegetables that are redefining healthy snacking for the 21st cen- tury. For more information, visit www.crunchiesfood.com or call 888-997- 1866. About Warner Bros. Consumer Products Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world. Looney Tunes and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and ©Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Be sure to stop by booth #4038 to try the new line with Bugs Bunny and some of his pals. Crunchies (Cont'd. from p. 1) limited and began baking new gluten- free products for the customers in the store, and it expanded from there. I loved creating great-tasting gluten-free food that made our customers smile. Making people happy with gluten-free products that taste great and have health benefits became Bakery On Main's mission. Our mission has ex- panded beyond that to spreading a little bit of happiness to everyone we meet and work with. Today, Bakery On Main develops, man- ufacturers and sells certified gluten-free, non-GMO project verified, Kosher parve granola products at our production facility in East Hartford, Conn. Although our bak- ery is bigger and will be expanding to an even larger production facility this year, we still bake in small batches. NH: Where did the inspiration for your gluten-free granola come from? MS: The inspiration for our original line of gluten-free granola came when I was sitting at my desk one day at my natural foods store about 10 years ago. I had this "aha!" moment when I realized that there were no granola options for my gluten- free customers. I gathered all of the ingre- dients from my store's shelves and baked the first batch that day. The rest, as they say, is history. NH: To what do you attribute your com- pany's success? MS: Bakery On Main is successful be- cause as we have grown, we have stayed true to our mission of making our cus- tomers happy by giving them great-tast- ing, gluten-free products. NH: What types of gluten-free products do you offer? MS: Bakery On Main offers our customers gluten-free granola products, in- cluding Granola, Instant Oatmeal, Granola Bars, Soft and Chewy Bars and Truebars. All of our products are third party certified gluten-free, non-GMO project ver- ified, casein- and dairy-free, trans fat and cholesterol-free, as well as low in sodium and saturated fat and Kosher parve. NH: How can grocers merchandise your products better? Should they be with other cereals and bars, or still in a gluten-free specialty aisle? MS: Gluten-free consumers do not want retailers to mix gluten-free with the other products on their shelves. Recently as part of a Bakery On Main's company wide Gluten-Free Challenge, I ate gluten-free for a week and quickly re- alized how time consuming it is to try and shop for gluten-free products. It takes a lot of time to search through and read every label in the store to find products that are gluten-free. I recommend that any retailer who wants to create a gluten-free business should group gluten-free products into one section or in large subsections to make it easy for gluten-free consumers to find the products. For more information, visit www.bakeryon main.com, call 860-895-6622 or stop by booth #4140. Bakery On Main (Cont'd. from p. 1)