Oser Communications Group

NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2014 n GOURMET NEWS N H 1 3 0 specialty food brands focused on develop- ing and marketing high-quality innovative products that are differentiated in their categories by their quality ingredients, product attributes and being unique in their simplicity. PANOS Brands selected its name to convey its core offerings – Premium, Authentic, Natural, Organic and Specialty. Our brand range includes shelf stable and perishable cheese and cheese alternative products. We have invested in perishable brands because it has allowed us to expand our messaging to consumers beyond the center store to the perimeter areas. NH: How long have you owned the An- drew & Everett brand? SG: Just over a year ago, PANOS Brands purchased Andrew & Everett, a pioneer in the rBGH-BST hormone-free cheese cat- egory. Andrew & Everett was founded in 2002 in central Pennsylvania by an entre- preneur with a pretty simple vision: pro- viding his family with the healthiest, freshest cheese at an affordable price. NH: What would you say makes your An- drew & Everett brand unique? SG: Andrew & Everett is truly an exciting brand, as we differentiate our products in many ways. First, our cheese and butter products are produced from milk supplied by a proprietary network of U.S.-owned family farms that allows us to call out our primary claims on the front of every pack- age we sell – rBGH-BST hormone-free, no animal by-products, no antibiotics and no additives, including binders or fillers. Second, we utilize a 'best in class' ap- proach to selecting our cheese varieties and are proud that all of our products are made in the United States by third or fourth generation cheese makers. Third, our strict sourcing and production stan- dards ensure that our product attributes carry over to taste by delivering premium, fresh, clean cheese products that make the consumer's choice an obvious one. NH: What was the most surprising and worthwhile thing that you learned about Andrew & Everett during its first year as a part of PANOS brand family? SG: In addition to the claims we make, Andrew & Everett is an authentic Farm to Table brand. Andrew & Everett's supply chain was designed around the belief that the freshest cheese is the best cheese. Our cheese is produced first run of the day eliminating any cross contami- nants. We source the freshest rBGH-BST hormone-free milk and produce small batches of cheese. In essence, each one of our products is the result of a 48 hour process that begins with rBGH-BST hor- mone-free cows and ends with a product ready for specialty, natural and grocery stores. The result – the freshest and clean- est cheese, made by cheese makers whose craftsmanship embodies farm to table quality. NH: What is your outlook for the Andrew & Everett product line? SG: Andrew & Everett is the leading rBGH-BST hormone-free cheese in the marketplace today. Integral to our growth strategy in 2014 will be continued innova- tion. To build upon our presence in the natural deli, specialty cheese and dairy sections, we have launched fresh moz- zarella, available in whole milk and part skim. You can expect to see further intro- ductions as the year progresses. For more information, visit www .andrewandeverett.com, call 201-843- 8900, email info@andrewandeverett.com or stop by booth #2562. PANOS Brands (Cont'd. from p. 1) across the globe, making an excellent cup of tea accessible to all. We at IMMC Group partnered with Expolanka Teas of Sri Lanka to market t-sips natural and organic tea products in North American markets. Expolanka Teas [Pvt.] Ltd is a full house company that owns Expolanka Plantations. The tea is grown at its own plantation and processed at its Galaxy Tea Factory. Ex- polanka was established in 1989, and pro- duces a wide range of all varieties of Pure Ceylon Tea products, in bulk, tea bags and in silken pyramid sachets. The main brand of t-sips has been known as one of the best quality teas selling in many countries of the world except in the United States. The in- creasing awareness and appreciation of consumers to the many benefits of natural and organic tea products is a great advan- tage to us and we are confident our prod- ucts will be received very well by the U.S. consumers. Aside from great attention in selecting our tea blends and ingredients, we pay much attention to creating attractive and quality packaging. NH: Describe your company's current mar- keting strategy. MQ: We launched the new t-sips Artisan Luxury tea blends last year in the Australian markets. It is packed in colorful fine quality tins in orange and black colors. We were very please with the results and the cus- tomers were very pleased with the fine qual- ity of our unmatched tea blends. Due to the great success we had in the Australian mar- kets, we decided to exhibit at NPEW. We contracted with JMB Food Sales in Oct. 2013 and are working closely together to penetrate the U.S. and Canadian markets. We are communicating with major distributors and chains across the country and are very focused getting our share of the market. NH: What distinguishes your products from the competition? MQ: Since we are a full house supplier, we start from Expolanka's own plantations and process tea in its own facility under close supervision and quality control. We deliver products that are carefully selected, grown and processed in natural ozone-free cli- mates, according to our stringent quality control and made available at affordable prices that are uninflated. We use whole leaf teas, rough-cut herbs, fruit pieces and flowers in our blends. Watch as the ingre- dients unfurl in the unique triangular struc- ture of these silken bags, which allow for the tea to move around freely inside, re- leasing their goodness, color and exquisite aroma. Consumers will be pleased to expe- rience our new t-sips Artisan Luxury tea in orange and black tins, and the t-twists are of unmatched quality. In our organic prod- ucts, we use 100 percent premium organic whole leaf black and green tea. NH: Are you introducing any new prod- ucts? MQ: During this show we will be introduc- ing t-sips premium organic whole leaf fam- ily packs in re-sealable bags that contain 50 silken pyramid sachets. We are also introducing the new t-sips Artisan Luxury tea blends, with herbs, fruits and spices, packed in orange and black tins. The black tins contain 20 silken sachets, a pyramid mesh sachet that allows better saturation of the tea through holes for water to infuse more tea surface, releas- ing wholesome taste and character into the cup. It comes in a variety of flavors, includ- ing Ceylon Black Tea, Earl Grey Tea, Clas- sic Green Tea, Mango Green Tea, Ceylon Cinnamon Spiced Tea, Hibiscus Rosehip Strawberry Tea, Vanilla Mint Tea, Tropical Grass Tea, Ginger Peach Tea and Green Jasmine Pear Tea. The orange tins contain 3.5-oz of loose tea and the black tins con- tain 20 silken pyramid sachets in the same variety as the orange tins. We are also introducing Artisan Luxury gift packs of assorted flavors of sachets rolled individually in colorful wrappers, and it comes in two sizes – 10 rolls or 20 rolls in a pack. This product is created with the hospitality industry in mind and makes a healthy gift. NH: How do you see the next year in terms of economy, sales and product evolution? MQ: The U.S. economy continues showing signs of recovery and the increased aware- ness of the many benefits of tea will help our sales. We are looking for 2014 to be a healthy and prosperous year and we remain committed to introduce healthy and quality products to our consumers. NH: To what do you attribute your com- pany's success? MQ: Our business is built on relationships – relationships with our customers, partners, investors, employees and the communities in which we live and work. Contributing to the social welfare of our communities is a vital part of our work ethic. We aim to partner with and assist those who are less fortunate than ourselves, making a direct impact in their every day lives. NH: How can our readers find out more about your company? MQ: Please come have a cup of tea at booth #5015 during NPEW or visit our websites: www.t-sips.com and www.Ex- poteas.com. For more information, please email info@immcgroup.com call 703-303- 4462 or stop by booth #5015 at Natural Products Expo West. IMMC (Cont'd. from p. 1) "Filtering your tap water is the first step to protecting your family from toxins on a daily basis, whether it's for drinking, showering or cooking," said Amy Myers, MD, an Austin-based physician specializ- ing in functional medicine. "Government regulations focus on protecting us from the big health risks like waterborne bacterial diseases. The long-term health effects of chronic exposures to trace elements of contaminants in our drinking water are something we all need to take personal re- sponsibility for." Indeed, a three-year investigation by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) of the country's drinking water found that water flowing to about 85 percent of the population contains 316 contaminants. Over 60 percent of these have no safety standards and are not regulated by the En- vironmental Protection Agency. In addition to the myriad of pollutants and chemicals that unintentionally find their way into drinking water, there are those that are intentionally added. Water treatment plants use chlorine and chlo- ramines – a combination of chlorine and ammonia – to disinfect the water we drink. This process results in toxic disinfection byproducts (DPBs) far more toxic than chlorine itself. "At Aquasana, we believe everyone should have access to clean, healthy water," said CEO Todd Bartee. "Our goal is to remove the contaminants and leave the good minerals in, just as nature in- tended. When we discovered that many cities were turning to chloramines as a sec- ondary disinfectant, we immediately went to work to find a solution that would re- move this toxic chemical from drinking water. Now, all Aquasana drinking water systems are NSF tested to remove 96 per- cent of chlorine and chloramines, in addi- tion to 58 other common water contaminants." Finding everyday ways like water filtra- tion to offset our toxic load is the best de- fense against these chronic exposures. According to the 2010 President's Cancer Panel Report, "filtering home tap or well water can decrease exposure to numerous known or suspected carcinogens." "To avoid potential heavy metals or other contaminants in water, I personally drink and shower in filtered water," con- tinued Myers. "In my home, I use Aquasana, a local Austin-based company whose filters are designed to remove heavy metals, chlorine, chloramines, pesticides and herbicides from water." Known for its advanced filtration sys- tems, Aquasana recently launched a groundbreaking innovation in the category, offering filtration quality never before available in a pitcher. The new Aquasana Powered Water Filtration System filters in seconds and reduces 10 times the contam- inants of the leading drip pitcher filter. For more information, visit www.aquasana.com, call 866-662-6885, email pr@aquasana.com or stop by booth #7313 at Natural Products Expo West. Aquasana (Cont'd. from p. 1)

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