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GOURMET NEWS OCTOBER 2014 www.gourmetnews.com COOKING SAUCES 1 4 BY DAVE BERNARD A jar of fine gourmet cooking sauce offers the home chef a chance to create a memo- rable meal with the twist of a top and just a pinch of preparation. And now gourmet food producers are spicing up the category by adding organic to the mix. From Robert Rothschild Farm's tangy and sweet Blue- berry Balsamic Sauce to a spot-on Tikka Masala from Seeds of Change, retailers are finding an increasing array of organic op- tions from which to give customers the per- fect meal starter. The cooking sauce and marinade cate- gory has seen a 25 percent growth in sales in the United States over the last nine years to $4 billion, according to Mintel Interna- tional. The sub-category of natural cooking sauces has increased from 7.9 percent to 20 percent of the market since 2007, and Mintel forecasts that clean labeling and healthy sauces will continue to grab a greater percentage of shelf space in coming years. Producers have identified organic as an important piece of the natural sauces market, and a slew of new products have debuted recently to much success. Robert Rothschild Farm knows sauces. One of the country's top producers of gour- met ready-to-eat foods, the Urbana, Ohio- based company helped celebrate its 30th birthday this year by launching a line of six organic sauces to complement its already robust line of conventional gourmet sauces. Having won numerous sofi and Scovie Awards for its conventional sauces, Robert Rothschild Farm covers the gamut with its new organic sauces. The versatile Organic Blueberry Balsamic Sauce uses the tasty vinegar along with notes from shallots, basil and black pepper to complement sweet blueberries in a sauce that works equally well when pan frying a steak, bast- ing chicken or pork or preparing a goat cheese flatbread. Spicing things up with a completely dif- there are so many opportunities, so many unique delicious sauces from around the world, from Australia, to Brazil. It's unlim- ited what we can do, we're very excited." With American consumers' increasing interest in Indian food, the hallmark cook- ing sauces of this ethnic cuisine would seem ripe for organic versions as well, and Seeds of Change Foods in Rancho Dominguez, California has done just that with a line of four delicious sauces. Con- sumers can serve a complex creamy, spicy chicken dish with next to no effort with the company's organic Tikka Masala sauce. Manish Amin, Associate Brand Manager, pointed out that while consumer interest in organic foods is increasing across all food categories, cooking sauces in particular are primed for organic to take hold. He notes that, in addition to great taste and the healthful benefits of organic foods, there is a cost savings component as well. "Cooking sauces are fairly complex," he said. "They require a good variety of ingre- dients, and if the vast majority of those in- gredients are organic, as required for the product to be certified organic, it's of value to the consumer to have available these de- licious ready-to-eat sauces." By avoiding the need to buy a variety of premium- priced organic ingredients to make a sauce from scratch, consumers save money as well as time when they choose ready-to-use organic sauces. Seeds of Change also offers organic mild coconut-and-ginger Korma sauce, medium-hot bell pepper Jalfrezi sauce and hot pepper Madras sauce to go along with its mild tomato-and-onion Tikka Masala. These simmer sauces work well with meat and fish as well as vegetables and tofu. The company also produces a delicious line of heat-and-eat rice and rice and grain blends, in addition to full-cook rice and grain blends to complement dishes prepared with its organic Indian sauces. GN ferent flavor profile, Robert Rothschild Farm's tomato-based Organic White Wine Creole Sauce makes for instant and excel- lent Southern-inspired dishes like black- ened catfish or meatloaf. It also serves as a perfect pour-over for shrimp. Rounding out the company's line of organic sauces are Citrus Chardonnay Sauce, Pineapple Ha- banero BBQ Sauce, Sriracha Teriyaki Sauce and Whiskey Pepper Cream Sauce. Robert Rothschild Farm's inspiration for its new organic sauces was simple. "The consumer speaks," said Kim Maalouf, Mar- keting Director for the company. "Con- sumers are doing their homework. They're educating themselves about the foods they eat, and they're really looking for organic. And that's according to both our research and the research that's out there." While working to meet its loyal cus- tomers' desire for organic sauces, Robert Rothschild Farm looked to inspire with hot trending flavors and also surprise with new ones. Whether taking a traditional teriyaki base and spicing things up to cre- ate its Sriracha Teriyaki Sauce or giving balsamic lovers a fruity surprise in the Blueberry Balsamic Sauce, the company has given customers the healthy compo- nent they seek while also delighting with flavor – and doing it all under the rubric of convenience. "It was about, 'How do we create an en- vironment where that person who is cook- ing – whoever it is – has the tools to quickly create a gourmet meal,'" said Maalouf. "Whether it's creating a meal for the family or an appetizer for a party, with these sauces you have gourmet everyday. Just open them. Pour over meat. Use as a topping for appetizers. There are so many ways to use it and no extra preparation steps needed. It's all ready to use." The new sauces have been a hit, and Maalouf reports that the company is excited about expand- ing the organic line. Robert Rothschild Farm organic sauces and other products are available at gourmet retailers across the country as well as on the company's web- site. Consumers are looking for bold new fla- vors as well as the traditional sauces they grew up on – just with a clean ingredient profile. "In addition to new and unique sauces such as our organic miso glaze and marinade, people are looking for main- stream favorites," said Rachel Kruse, Pres- ident of Sky Valley Foods. "There's a desire for healthier organic options. For example they would like a plum sauce but don't want to purchase a plum sauce that has certain ingredients in it, such as high fruc- tose corn syrup. We offer a healthy or- ganic version." Sky Valley Foods offers 10 organic cook- ing sauces, mixing in some new flavors to go along with traditional favorites. "We wanted to offer delicious, super-clean in- gredient profiles for our customers," Kruse said. "In the category of international sauces, there weren't a lot of organic op- tions. We wanted to offer products that were organic, non-GMO, vegan, and gluten-free." Under its namesake brand, Sky Valley of- fers organic Thai Peanut Sauce to go along with its organic Plum Sauce and Korean BBQ Sauce, as well as organic Miso Glaze & Marinade and Teriyaki Glaze & Mari- nade. The company also offers two organic barbecue sauces, original and tangy; two organic teriyaki sauces, sesame and the pineapple-inspired Island; and an organic chili sauce under its Organicville brand. Sky Valley and Organicville organic cook- ing sauces debuted on Whole Foods shelves in May and have been selling briskly. Not surprisingly, Sky Valley, headquar- tered in Yanceyville, North Carolina plans to expand its organic line. "The exciting thing about the international line is that Diverse and Versatile Organic Cooking Sauces Gain Foothold in Rapidly Growing Category Litehouse Expands Award-Winning Consumer Favorite Opa Line Litehouse ® Foods, maker of salad dress- ings and dips, recently announced three extensions to its OPA by Litehouse line of Greek yogurt salad dressings. The new items pull from global flavor inspirations to add interesting, palate- pleasing flavors to con- sumers' favorite dishes. The new flavors include Kalamata feta, roasted pepper and jalapeño ranch. Utilizing Greek yogurt as a salad dressing base provides a lower- calorie dressing with twice the protein of a traditional dressing. OPA dressings are free of trans fats, have no MSG or artificial preservatives and less than a gram of sugar per serving. The new flavors provide a balance of creaminess with a layer of spicy richness. Kalamata feta (60 calories per serving) provides a burst of Mediterranean flavor with the rich tanginess of handcrafted feta cheese. Roasted pepper (50 calories per serving) offers a sweet, smoky pepper flavor blended into smooth creaminess. And jalapeño ranch (50 calories per serv- ing) contains a cool blend of garlic and onion with the right amount of kick The new flavors join the existing Opa line of ranch, blue cheese, Caesar and feta dill. The dress- ings are available at an SRP of $4.49 for an 11-ounce jar. For more information, visit www.litehousefoods.com Make Your Next Meal Memorable with Gourmet Sauces from Robert Rothschild Farm Consumers today are rushed and have limited time to prepare a meal. If your cus- tomers desire more from their dinner – something truly flavorful and in- spired by the finest gour- met foods – they need Robert Rothschild Farm's Gourmet Sauces. Enjoy a mouthwater- ing, easy-to-prepare dinner with Robert Roth- schild Farm's open and serve sauces. A bottle of Hot Pepper Raspberry Chipotle Sauce can be used to baste chicken or ribs. This spicy sauce can also be paired with meatballs. Blend Pineapple Coconut Mango Tequila Sauce into chicken salad or brush on salmon, chicken or pork. Sweet & Spicy Bourbon BBQ Sauce has a splash of bourbon with sweetness from honey that creates tasty pulled pork sandwiches everyone will enjoy. Robert Rothschild Farm's Gourmet Sauces are created with em- phasis on great taste. The company focuses on creating products that not only taste deli- cious, but make meal preparation simple and sophisticated. For more information about Robert Rothschild Farm products or recipe ideas, call 800.356.8933, email info@robertrothschild.com, or visit the company's website at www.robert rothschild.com. You can also find Robert Rothschild Farm online at Facebook, Pin- terest, Twitter and on their own blog.