Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/386443
C o n ve n i e n c e Re ta i l e r S h o w D a i l y 4 1 Fri d a y, O c to b e r 1 0 , 2 0 1 4 emblazed with the brand logos and of course, cases of product to distribute on their college campuses. To the delight of the student ambas- sadors, the products were received so enthusiastically by their fellow students that the N.J. beverage manufacturer had to make many trips to the ambassadors' respective colleges to replenish their drink supplies throughout the semester to keep their fellow students from knocking down their doors! A social media component was included with the program with each ambassador posting photos weekly on the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages of the all-natural iced tea and cof- fee-infused energy drink. The social media pages provided a live-feed to the product websites for all to enjoy. The program increased brand aware- ness and helped develop a loyal follow- ing for both beverage brands, in-turn increasing sales and product demand. Loaded with natural antioxidants and metabolism-boosting qualities, pre- mium- brewed TEAse Iced Tea bever- ages have no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Sweetened with only 100 percent pure, all-natural honey and organic cane sugar, the TEAse line of beverages provides amazing taste with all-natural ingredients. TEAse Iced Tea is available in three tingling flavors: Berry-Blended Black Tea, Honey & Ginseng Green Tea and Honey, Pomegranate & Aḉai Green Tea, all in 16-ounce bottles. CAF Fusion coffee-infused energy drinks are delightfully creamy and deli- Cold Star ( Cont'd. from p. 1) cious featuring an energy boost with a great, emboldened taste. CAF Fusion has the taste of an iced-coffee, but with a great- tasting energy kick unlike most others. CAF Fusion is available in three deli- cious flavors: Java Jolt, Mocha Blast and Vanilla Vortex. Each features CAF Fusion's obvious energy-boost advantage, unique qualities and unrivaled great taste. The wide array of CAF Fusion flavors ensures that consumers will get the energy lift they desire in an outstanding grab and go, great-tasting beverage. They are avail- able in eight-ounce single serving cans. The Cold Star student brand ambas- sadors will be back in action when class- es resume. Check the websites and social media pages to see which college cam- puses the beverages will appear on! Cold Star, Inc. is an independent builder of bulk liquid dispensing systems and delivers one of the best light creams, half and half, whole milk, two percent milk and non-dairy French vanilla cream- er available to the foodservice industry. The company produces well-known Café Chiller Iced Coffee, its refreshing iced- coffee drinks is dispensed in C-stores and foodservice markets nationwide. Based just outside of Philadelphia, Cold Star is dedicated to consistently improving its services and products to meet or exceed customer expectations. For more information on TEAse Iced Tea, visit www.teaseicedtea.com. For more information on CAF Fusion visit www .caffusion.com. Ask a distributor for all- natural TEAse Iced Tea and creamy, cof- fee-infused CAF Fusion or contact Cold Star, Inc. directly at 800-269-4052. Stop by booths #737 and #5559 to learn more. CSRD: What would you say makes your company unique? JF: What makes us unique is that we've developed something that appeals to a segment that nobody's targeting right now – women. Both men and women need energy, we know that. If you look at the current market, most of the products really cater toward men. We wanted to create something that was great tasting, low calorie, as natural as possible; some- thing that's portable and can also provide a little bit of an indulgence. It was very important for us to use real milk choco- late; it's one of the fastest growing seg- ments, and it's something that we knew would appeal to women. Energems com- bine all of these elements; it's an energy product in a form that didn't exist, and that's why it's doing so well. CSRD: The product comes in different sizes, right? JR: We have several different SKUs. We have a three-serving box, and single- serve bags that are new and have been in- market for about three months now. Both come in a 24-count caddy, 36-count grav- ity feed and a very popular cooler door display. All are available in mint choco- late, peanut butter chocolate and milk chocolate. CSRD: What has been the response to the single-serve bags? JF: This is why we really know our product has legs. The single-serve bags launched in July, so they've been out for about 90 days. There was immediate Energems ( Cont'd. from p. 1) interest from the market. Numerous retailers around the country, some with several thousand stores, picked us up before we even formally announced the single-serve launch. These bags retail at around $1.19, this is something that is priced right for a grab-and-go item; we've seen a lot of people actually get coffee for their morning energy and then Energems for the rest of the day. It's something that's not a "me-too" product and builds a whole different revenue stream for retailers. It's portable, you can put it in your purse or your pocket, and at this price point it really resonates. CSRD: How do Energems fit into the overall direction of the convenience store industry? JF: It's interesting; if you look at the market right now, look at retailers. You see press releases all the time, and what these stores are doing is they're using bigger windows, brighter light, wider aisles, fresher food, cleaning things up; and they're doing that because they're try- ing to appeal to a broader market, they're trying to get people in the stores that typ- ically didn't go. They're trying to get women in the stores. So we're falling right in line with the business model of convenience stores, getting people with a more sophisticated palate, those that maybe pay a little more attention to what they're consuming. What we're really doing here is driving incremental rev- enue to our retailer partners. For more information, visit www.energems.net, call 866-205-3653, email sales@energems.net or visit booth #569. Bananas and Strawberries & Mangoes – each featuring a favorite Looney Tunes character, including Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Daffy Duck and Taz. These organic, kid-sized treats come in a re- sealable one-ounce Grab-n-Go bag as well as a lunchbox-sized 0.33-ounce Munch Pak, sold in a 5-Pak variety box. A fun way to introduce nutritious fruits into a young person's diet, Organic Little Crunchies are a bite- sized, better-for-you alternative to everyday snacking. While children will be drawn to Organic Little Crunchies' colorful, Looney packaging, parents will appreciate the new line's nutrients and convenience. Organic Little Crunchies' freeze-dried fruits are all- natural and gluten-free, also containing no added sugars or preservatives. They are the perfect snack to ensure children get their all-important 5-a-day. Crunchies are made through a unique freeze-drying process in which frozen fruits are placed in a refrigerat- ed vacuum chamber, removing up to 97 percent of the moisture. This process gives Crunchies their crunchy texture and allows them to retain about 90-94 percent nutrients and virtually all the nutritious enzymes, compared to average 45 percent nutrients with heat drying. Commenting on the partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Crunchies' President and CEO Jim Crunchies ( Cont'd. from p. 1) Lacey said, "We are thrilled to join with such beloved and timeless Looney Tunes characters 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 become 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 introducing 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 McTier, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and Domestic Licensing, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. About Crunchies Food Company, LLC Founded in 2006, Crunchies Food Company's leading line of all-natural, nutritious freeze-dried fruits and veg- etables are redefining healthy snacking for the 21st century. With a satisfying crunch of delicious concentrated fla- vor, Crunchies are free of preservatives and chemicals, plus they're gluten-free and kosher. For more information, visit www.crunchies food.com or call 888-997-1866. BARRY'S GOURMET BROWNIES REPRESENTS A SWEET TAMPA SUCCESS STORY America has long embraced a love affair with chocolate, especially chocolate brownies. Specifically, fudgy chocolate brownies. Count the namesake behind Barry's Gourmet Brownies among these chocolate enthusiasts. Around 40 years ago, he estimates, Barry (the man behind the company name) created a made-from-scratch brownie recipe that drew rave reviews from family and friends whenever he baked a pan of the homemade treat. Yet he never marketed the delicacy until the response it received at a special event in January 2013. Fast forward to today, and Barry's Gourmet Brownies represents one of the nation's most remarkable business sto- ries. The company now makes four delectable flavors. Its brownies are cur- rently being sold on QVC, and Barry's Gourmet Brownies can also be found in restaurants, grocery stores and conven- ience stores around the world. This growth explosion was launched after Barry received a call from a Festival of Chocolate representative. The woman from the Tampa-based event said she was told that Barry was "the king of brown- ies," and asked if he could send her sam- ples and serve them at the MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry) event. Barry called longtime friend Doug Byrd, who is a veteran sales and market- ing executive, and asked for his help in preparing brownies for the MOSI event. They appeared at the festival with a four- ounce double chocolate chunk brownie, and the response was phenomenal. In fewer than 10 months, Barry's Gourmet Brownies has evolved from a man with a homemade recipe to a bustling global company that expects to have more than 200 employees by the end of 2014. The company is seeing a grow- ing presence in restaurants and through- out the country in all avenues for distribu- tion. Byrd says he is especially excited about the 9.2-ounce brownie that will be available in hotels and restaurants in the very near future. For more information, visit www .barrysgourmetbrownies.com.