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Food Magic Daily June 23, 2014

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Fo o d M a g i c D a i l y M o n d a y, J u n e 2 3 , 2 0 1 4 1 0 WINE AND FOOD LOVERS SLOW DOWN TO SAVOR SELECTIONS AT WINESTYLES TASTING STATION By Lucas Witman In 2002, WineStyles' founder Brigitte Baker was enjoying a casual backyard barbecue with friends, when the con- versation turned to wine. Baker was surprised to find her friends unaware of the wealth of high quality, low cost wines available today. It was in this moment that Baker first got the idea to open a shop that featured reasonably priced wines and educated consumers on how to get the most for their money when it comes to the sought after liba- tion. A little over a decade later, WineStyles has evolved to include 26 stores in 12 states across the country. In 2012, Iowa-based WineStyles franchisees Bryan and Andrea McGinness took over for Baker, when they purchased the company. The pair immediately set about reinventing the store concept and diversifying the product offerings. "We've grown and expanded over the past year and a half, going into gourmet foods and cheeses and chocolates, all of the things that pair nicely with wine," said Bryan. "The whole rebranding of the company has been very important to us." Today, WineStyles customers will still find an expansive wine selection, but they can also shop for cheese, spe- cialty food, chocolate, coffee, tea, beer, accessories and more. The com- pany's gourmet food offerings have been instrumental in bringing a whole new customer base into its stores. Shoppers are now loading up their carts with products from some of the most popular specialty food companies in the business, including Sweetshop USA, Bissinger's, The French Farm, Robert Rothshild Farms, Gourmet du Village, Rishi Tea, American Vintage Biscuits and Jennifer's Homemade. WineStyles also treats shoppers to a variety of specialty prepared foods, as well, some made with gourmet ingredients that are available in store. Prepared food offerings include pizzettes, olives and cheese boards, and the menu is expanding. In many of the stores, customers can also enjoy wine served by the glass. Wine may still be the star attrac- tion at WineStyles, but it is not the only beverage getting customers' attentions. The newly reinvented WineStyles stores are also focusing on offering extensive selections of craft beers as well. "The craft beer has brought in a totally new customer base," said Bryan. "We keep about 200 different craft beers in the store at any given time, and they rotate seasonally." WineStyles Tasting Station sets itself apart from other wine shops in a number of ways, but the most striking may be way that the wine itself is mer- chandised in store. Whereas most wine shops divide up their selection based on varietal or regionality, WineStyles opts to organize its bottles by style. When it comes to whites, customers can choose from crisp, silky or rich offerings. The store's reds are broken up into fruity, mellow and bold bottles. WineStyles is also unique in its focus on offering its customers locally sourced regional selections. Each store brings in craft beers from local brew- eries, and stores located in wine grow- ing regions also have selections of local wines. "Different stores around the country are offering different beers. Craft beer is still so regional that there is a different flare in differ- ent parts of the country." The McGinnesses' Des Moines store, for example, treats its customers to Toppling Goliath's Tsunami Pale Ale, Madhouse Brewery's Imperial Red and Confluence Brewing Company's Des Moines IPA. Reaching out to wine aficionados and newcomers alike, WineStyles' pop- ular wine club is a great way to broad- en one's knowledge and try some great new bottles on a regular basis. "We're the only wine club with a clubhouse," said Andrea. By signing up for the monthly wine club, customers will take home two new bottles of wine each month. WineStyles also offers a variety of similar clubs, where members have the opportunity to try new beers, chocolates, cheeses, teas and coffees. Catering to a diverse clientele with varying degrees of wine knowledge, WineStyles strives to staff its stores with knowledgeable experts in the field, trained to guide customers through their purchase. However, for Bryan and Andrea, personality is just as important as expertise when it comes to bringing new staff into the business. "When we hire, obviously we want them to have some knowledge," said Andrea. "Customer service is huge for us. The training is geared toward customer service…but personality is also key." When reinventing the WineStyles concept, the most important thing for Bryan and Andrea was to create stores where customers felt free to browse the shelves for an extended period of time, perusing bottles, learning about wine and picking up a few things along the way. To get the full experience of the store, the pair hopes that customers will hang around for at least 45 min- utes or more. This is what ultimately sets WineStyles apart from other wine and specialty food shops around the coun- try: a welcoming atmosphere where customers feel free to shop, drink, snack and peruse the products at their leisure. "What sets us apart is the look feel and fit of our stores. We are set up like an old world wine cellar where cus- tomers can come and try wines from all over the world," said Bryan. "The fit and finish of the store is very cozy." To learn more about WineStyles Tasting Station or to view a complete list of stores, visit www.winestyles.com. alternative for food companies and the food service industry who need a highly stable liquid oil. QUALISOY booth 4051 will sample fresh mini donuts prepared in high oleic soybean oils. Our industry partner USB's Soy Connection (booth 2049) is sponsoring sessions centered on high oleic soybean oils: Cooking Up Science Soybean Oil Showcase, Sunday, June 22, 3:30 – 4:00 p.m., booth 5647. High Oleic Soybeans Turn 2 Years Old in 2014: Performance and Outlook, Tuesday, June 24, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., room 394. High Oleic Vegetable Oils: Functional and Physiological Benefits, sponsored by the QUALISOY Health Research Working Group, Tuesday, June 24, 1:15 – 2:45 p.m., room 291. FMD: What is the supply outlook for high oleic soybean oils? RG: Among oilseeds suitable for cultiva- tion in North America, soybeans thrive over a much more diverse geography and on over three times the available acreage available for other oilseed crops in North America. This means high oleic soybean oils provide food companies and the food service industry with: a domestic high stability oil with a shorter supply chain; more economical freight from farm to table; more supply certainty regardless of the crop growing season; oils that con- tains no trans-fat; oils totally denominat- ed in U.S. dollars. QUALISOY ( Cont'd. from p. 1) Today, U.S. soybean farmers are col- laborating with seed technology compa- nies to ramp up crop production and accelerate the supply of high oleic soy- beans. Quantities are increasing and expected to reach an estimated 900 mil- lion pounds by 2017. The goal is to have 18 million acres planted by 2023, and 9 billion pounds of available high oleic soybean oils in 2024. In short, high oleic soybean oils pro- vide our product end users with an eco- nomical solution to their high stability liquid oil needs with supply security from crop year to crop year. FMD: Tell our readers about QUALISOY. RG: QUALISOY is a collaborative industry-wide initiative to deliver new and improved soybean traits to the mar- ketplace. The current focus is on high oleic soybean oils. The diversity of the group behind QUALISOY ensures the entire soybean value chain is involved in the development of trait-enhanced U.S. soybeans as a solution for soybean prod- uct end users. The role of the QUAL- ISOY board is to set research priorities, evaluate existing and emerging technolo- gies, and determine which traits, prod- ucts and processes are the most beneficial for the soybean industry and for end users. QUALISOY serves as an inde- pendent, third-party resource for infor- mation on the latest soybean oil traits. Visit Qualisoy at booth 4051. For more information, visit www.qualisoy.com, email info@qualisoy.com. experienced fresher, more natural and intense flavors – unless, of course, you taste the fresh foods themselves. PowderPure prides itself on high-qual- ity and tight controls during every step of the process. It locally sources raw materials whenever possible, from certified kosher, organic farms in the Pacific Northwest, the region it is proud to call home. As a made to order manufacturer, one of the company's strengths is found in its research and development team, which painstakingly creates custom blends for its customers according to their unique goals, whether it is in offer- ing whole food nutrition or in simply meeting flavor or color profiles. PowderPure's new patented process creates particles that solubilize extremely well. If you have ever tried mixing freeze- dried fruit or vegetable powders into water, you have seen the little particles float on the surface, stubbornly suspended like they would never be able to mix in. As an answer to this nagging problem, PowderPure has created the only process PowderPure ( Cont'd. from p. 1) through which dry beverage blends are pro- duced that can be added to water creating delicious, nutritious, fresh tasting juices which you can simply stir and enjoy! PowderPure can help solve your ingredient needs; this is what the compa- ny does best. It will provide you with the highest quality, perfectly in-spec product delivered on time, every time. Fresh and made in America, you will not find any- thing else on the market that even comes close to PowderPure. Currently using juice concentrates or purees? An added bonus to PowderPure products is a long shelf life, not to mention that shipping foodstuffs without the water weight is a whole lot cheaper. When sourcing powdered fruits, super fruits and vegetables, be they con- ventional, organic or even wild harvest- ed, look to PowderPure. Standing out as a true original pioneer in the dehydration business, you are sure to have excellent results with PowderPure products. For more information, visit booth 1049, go to www.powderpure.com, call 541-298- 4800 or email sales@powderpure.com. turn Maple Run Emporium into an impor- tant part of the community. The store par- ticipates in many local events like Potsdam's annual Summer Fest and First Saturday for college students. In addition, various community gatherings are hosted in the store. "I do events because they are an opportunity to showcase the shop and Maple Run Emporium ( Cont'd. from p. 7) attract new customers. They keep the shop active and vibrant," said Hilton. What ultimately gets customers in the door of Maple Run Emporium, how- ever, is the delicious smell of maple constantly wafting out the front door, as well as Hilton's contagious personal passion for maple. "I always loved the flavor of maple," said Hilton. "It is very important to me."

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