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GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2014 www.gourmetnews.com Specialty Distributors & Brokers SPECIALTY DISTRIBUTORS & BROKERS 1 1 BRIEFS US Foods Kicks Off Fall with New Lineup of Family-Friendly Foods Nothing brings families and friends closer together than a great meal, and this fall, US Foods is introducing a new product line, featuring creations that are rich in tradition and full of fun. From Metro Deli ® Kettle Cooked Chips and Chef's Line ® All Natural Bratwurst to Multipurpose Pumpkin Spice Baking Mix by Monarch ® and Chef's Line Craft Artisan Sodas, the new items feature seasonal flavors that will score with con- sumers across the country. US Foods' new Chef's Line Craft Artisan Sodas include flavors like Mexican Cola and Ginger Beer. Also joining US Foods' fall lineup is Chef 's Line All Natural Braised Beef Chuck Short Ribs with tender and juicy meat that delivers fall-off-the-bone goodness. For a tasty pairing of two classic favorites, Monarch ® White and Sweet Po- tato Frites combines julienne cut white flesh potatoes and sweet potatoes, giving diners the best of both worlds. Molly's Kitchen ® brings the flavors of the South- west with its Premium Cowboy Beer and Bean Chili, loaded with warm ingredients that family and friends can enjoy together. "Mash-up" desserts are one of the most popular trends hitting menus this fall, and Devonshire ® is offering two new premium desserts: Lemon Raspberry Layered Cheesecake and Sweet Potato Maple Lay- ered Cheesecake. Each dessert gives diners decadent bites of cake, cheesecake and pie wrapped in one slice. This fall, US Foods' also continues its ex- clusive relationship with famed meat pur- veyor Pat LaFrieda, who is serving up tasty game day favorites with a twist for football fans. The Chef's Line All Natural Bratwurst, Italian Style Meatball and Jalapeno Ched- dar Meatball all pack great flavors and are sure to be a hit during football season. In addition to great comfort food, US Foods is also introducing three new tapas dishes that were selected straight from Barcelona. Molly's Kitchen Premium Chopped Ham Croquettes and Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Chicken and Harbor Banks ® Calamari Rings and Tentacles are small, shareable bites that pack authentic, Spanish-inspired flavor and are perfect for appetizers or small plates. Learn more about US Foods' new product offerings for fall at www.usfoods.com. GN Unique Growing Solutions to Acquire All-Natural Grocery Distributor Zaycon Foods Unique Growing Solutions Inc. recently signed a letter of intent for the acquisition of Washington-based Zaycon Foods, a lead- ing distributor of fresh meats in the all-nat- ural and organic grocery industry. Richard Braddock, a renowned Fortune 100 execu- tive, has been chosen as Chairman of the Zaycon Foods brand. "Unique Growing Solutions congratu- lates and greatly looks forward to the addi- tion of Richard Braddock to the Zaycon Foods team," said Unique Growing Solu- tions CEO Richard Johnson. "Braddock's dynamic track record of providing insight for growing brands like Priceline, as well as industry-leading food delivery company Fresh Direct, is invaluable as Zaycon and Unique Growing Solutions move forward together. We are confident that his leader- ship will assist Zaycon in our mutual goal of cost-efficiently providing all-natural and organic food to families, while in turn im- proving distribution and driving revenue for the company." Zaycon Foods, which will generate nearly $18 million in gross revenues in 2014, allows consumers to place pre-paid online orders for caseloads of fresh meat, seafood, dairy and produce. The company dispatches refrigerated trucks filled with farm-fresh foods to designated "event" lo- cations on specific days and unloads orders directly into customers' vehicles. "Zaycon has created a unique and viable business model that has all the ingredients for substantial growth, including online or- dering, farm-fresh foods, significant con- sumer savings, and the ability to avoid the overhead associated with building physical infrastructure in hundreds of cities," said Braddock. "In the past 18 months, with limited resources, the company has tripled its customer base, tripled the number of de- livery sites and expanded its product mix. Zaycon is also one of the most effective users of social media marketing to build its loyal customer base." Now delivering to nearly 400,000 reg- istered users at more than 1,400 loca- tions across 48 states, Zaycon Foods offers families a better way to save on fresh meat, fish, produce and dairy items by selling in bulk, directly from refriger- ated trucks. Founded in 2009, Zaycon Foods is headquartered in Spokane Val- ley, Washington. For more information, visit www.zayconfoods.com. GN Innovative Food Acquires Gourmet Meal Delivery Company The Fresh Diet Inc. Innovative Food Holdings Inc., a leading nationwide provider of specialty foods, healthcare foods, gluten-free foods and di- rect-from-source artisanal foods recently announced that it has acquired Gourmet Meal Delivery Company The Fresh Diet Inc. The Fresh Diet is the nationwide leader in freshly prepared gourmet specialty meals, using the finest specialty, artisanal, direct-from-source ingredients, delivered daily, direct to consumers. "We believe that the expansion of In- novative Food Holdings' platform to in- clude the capabilities of The Fresh Diet's platform is an extraordinary opportunity for the Company," said Sam Klepfish, CEO of Innovative Food Holdings. "As evidenced by our recent strong second quarter financial results, we are focused on executing and delivering on a spe- cialty-food-platform-based strategy which has the capability to expand sales with low fixed infrastructure costs. We further believe that the Fresh Diet plat- form, which includes both daily prepared specialty foods and leading last-mile ca- pabilities, is a platform which is uniquely positioned to complement the existing platform of Innovative Food Holdings, enabling us to leverage the rapidly chang- ing specialty food market and provide unique source-to-table capabilities and dramatically enhance our direct-to-con- sumer infrastructure and capabilities." Justin Wiernasz, President of Innovative Food Holdings, added, "In addition, we welcome the deep industry knowledge and food operations expertise which the exec- utive team at The Fresh Diet brings to the table. We look forward to working with the entire The Fresh Diet team of professionals as we build upon their more than 100 com- bined years of operations, process manage- ment, marketing, franchising, logistics and distribution excellence to drive future growth for Innovative Food Holdings and The Fresh Diet." Innovative Food Holdings Inc. enables, through direct distribution and through an industry-leading fully managed specialty food platform, the nationwide, efficient, seamless, transparent and cost-effective dis- tribution of high-quality, direct-from- source foods, artisanal foods, gluten-free, allergen-specific foods and other high-qual- ity, niche, specialty food products across multiple food distribution channels in the United States. The company offers products directly to consumers through its website at www.forthegourmet.com. GN Urban Barns Foods Teams Up with Hector Larivee Inc. Urban Barns Foods Inc. recently announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hector Larivee Inc. The purpose of the MOU is to establish a framework whereby Urban Barns and HLI will work together to distribute Urban Barn's fresh produce to upscale restaurants and other foodservice industry participants in Quebec and eastern Ontario. Urban Barns uses patent pending proprietary equipment to produce affordable vegetables in a secure and controlled indoor environment. By setting up subsidiary facilities and growing locally, Urban Barns can focus on supplying any community, irrespective of the regional climate, effectively reducing shipping times and related spoilage costs. Urban Barns has the unique ability to scale and cater to the demands of all major communities. The company's commitment to consumers is reflected through its motto: "Purely fresh, naturally tasty and completely healthy." Cal-Maine Foods to Acquire Specialty Egg Franchise Cal-Maine Foods Inc. recently announced that Southwest Specialty Eggs LLC, the company's joint venture with Hickman's Egg Ranch Inc., has acquired the Egg-Land's Best Inc. franchise for southern California markets, including Clark County and Las Vegas, Nevada. As a result of this transaction, Southwest Specialty Eggs LLC, will have licensing agreements for the sale of Egg-Land's Best ® and Land O' Lakes ® branded specialty eggs, as well as 4Grain ® , Farmhouse Eggs ® and other premium brands in this market region. Mississippi-based Cal-Maine Foods Inc. is primarily engaged in the production, grading, packing and sale of fresh shell eggs, including conventional, cage-free, organic and nutritionally-enhanced eggs. The company is the largest producer and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the United States and sells the majority of its shell eggs in approximately 29 states across the southwestern, southeastern, mid-western and mid-Atlantic regions. C&S Wholesale Grocers to Purchase Associated Wholesalers Associated Wholesalers Inc., a regional cooperative food distributor, recently announced that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement with C&S Wholesale Grocers pursuant to which C&S will acquire substantially all of AWI's assets, including its White Rose distribution business. The agreement is subject to higher and otherwise better offers, among other conditions. To facilitate the transaction process, AWI and its subsidiaries, including White Rose, recently filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. This action is expected to provide for an orderly sale of the AWI businesses. AWI and White Rose are expected to continue operating in the normal course during the sale process. Court documents and additional information can be found online at www.dm.epiq11.com/awi.

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