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GOURMET NEWS APRIL 2015 www.gourmetnews.com Supplier Business SUPPLIER BUSINESS 1 0 BRIEFS John Heath Joins Mediterra's Advisory Board John Heath, the former Senior Vice President of Innovation at CHOBANI, is joining the corporate advisory board of Mediterra ® . "It's a privilege to have John join our advisory board," says Telemaque Lavidas, founder of Mediterra. "As an accomplished innovator and marketing expert, John's expertise is highly coveted and he is a stellar addition to our team." Heath was among the first few executives hired early on at CHOBANI and in his time he helped grow the brand to number one in the category with more than $1 billion in sales. He handled many responsibilities at CHOBANI that spanned consumer insights and innovation strategy, to product/packaging/design development and commercialization. During his tenure, Heath helped to conceive, commercialize and launch more than 50 new products including four new product platforms and many different packaging formats. Prior to CHOBANI, Heath worked with top communications and advertising agencies helping clients to solve business problems, position brands, create new products and develop advertising communications. He has consulted with some of the most prestigious brands in the world including ABSOLUT, AT&T, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, Lindt Chocolate, MasterCard, Nabisco, Newman's Own, Nikon, and more. Heath joins other Mediterra advisory board members who possess a wealth of knowledge in different areas related to food and wellness. Other advisory board members include Connie Diekman, RD, Chef Diane Kochilas and Inventor Spiros Fotinos. Mediterra is growing quickly and in seven months since its launch, already has national distribution in several retailers. Most recently, Mediterra was named one of Grocery Headquarters' "2015 Selling Trailblazers," an annual award competition that recognizes innovation in the grocery segment. For more information, visit www.mediterranutrition.com. BY DAVID BERNARD "We were the company that had the 'weird' fruits and vegetables," explained Melissa's Produce Director of Public Relations, Robert Schueller, describing the company's early years in slightly amused tone. Whether the thorn-covered durian fruit from Thailand, or 60-pound jackfruit from Mexico and Costa Rica, Melissa's prides it- self on always offering customers some- thing new and unique, a feature particularly prized by the company's gour- met clientele. The company, founded by Joe and Sharon Hernandez, has a catalog of approx- imately 1,200 items, many offered season- ally. The selection includes conventional and organic fresh specialty produce, as well as dried items. One of the first national or- ganic brands to begin selling 15 years ago, Melissa's variety is among the U.S. leaders for both organic and conventional specialty produce, as well as Hispanic and Asian spe- cialty produce. While Melissa's – named for the Hernan- dez's daughter – distributes to the nation's top 20 retailers as well as independent gourmet markets, it started out catering to local specialty ethnic food retailers. First delivering traditional favorite items to His- panic markets and shoring up supply chains that had left stores with inconsistent stock, Melissa's soon branched out to bring original, sometimes unusual produce to a range of retailers. While many distributors source quality produce both locally and globally, Melissa's prides itself on pioneering a path for Amer- ican consumers to taste new fruits and veg- etables. When the company identifies an item it thinks would go over well stateside, but for one reason or another cannot be im- ported – often due to the lengthy regulatory process required to clear international pro- duce – Melissa's innovates by bringing new farming to the U.S. "Ten, 15 years ago, peo- ple would visit Southeast Asia, or Central American, and taste the delicious dragon- fruit," explained Schueller. "Then we started getting emails and calls, with people say- ing, 'I had this terrific new fruit, how can I get it? You guys are the company to get it!' But 15 years ago, we couldn't get it. It wasn't yet legal for im- port into the U.S." Knowing that dragonfruit is in the cac- tus family, the company approached one of its growers, a cactus fruit producer in Fallbrook, California, to attempt cultiva- tion of the plant. The crop was a success, and that producer now turns out 80 per- cent of all domestically grown dragonfruit. Still a relatively expensive item, due to the plant's sensitivity to swings of cold and hot weather, Melissa's now has a source of dragonfruit for late summer and fall, which it pairs with Florida-grown fruit that became available in 2010. When the USDA finally approved Melissa's import of year-round Vietnamese dragonfruit in 2011, this completed the company's move to supply American consumers with a de- licious new exotic fruit whose sales con- tinue to increase. While some of the company's unique fruit offerings catch consumer eyes, its flag- ship product is actually the routine-looking Dutch Yellow Potato, sold in retail stores and also favored by gourmet chefs for its buttery flavor. This creamer potato, grown in Idaho and often referred to (erro- neously) as 'Baby Yukons,' is uniquely re- sistant to toxic greening, a common problem with creamer pota- toes. Other proprietary items offered by Melissa's, of which there are many, include kale sprouts – imagine a Brussels sprout appearing plant that produces miniature kale sprouts instead of balls of Brussels sprouts – and Mus- cato grapes. While Joe Hernandez has brought Melissa's a long way – he continues to serve as CEO and Pres- ident of a company whose staff includes 25 family members, and the company has evolved to include the most exotic of pro- duce from around the globe, Melissa's re- mains true to its roots, covering those same – and some new – Hispanic staples that gave the company its early success. Known for its variety of both fresh and dried chile peppers, one of the company's exclusive partner farmers will begin grow- ing the new world's hottest pepper – the Carolina Reaper at 2.2 million Scoville heat units – this summer in California, to pair with the dried product the company currently sources from Mexico. The pep- per will be one of many produce varieties that Melissa's procures as exclusives from its growers. For more information on Melissa's Pro- duce, visit www.melissas.com. GN Melissa's Produce: From Local to Global in a (Sugar) Snap Alter Eco™, a pioneer of globally-crafted organic foods with full-circle sustainability, has appointed former Vice President of Sales, Kate Tierney, as President of Alter Eco, PBC; and Co-founder, Edouard Rollet, who previously held the position of Presi- dent, as co-CEO alongside Co-founder Mathieu Senard. The change was made by the Alter Eco board of directors as a way to further strengthen the company's trajectory as one of the fastest growing brands in the natural foods industry, and is effective im- mediately. "We're thrilled and honored to congrat- ulate Kate as she steps into her new role," said Senard. "She's been an integral part of our leadership team for several years, dur- ing which she's made significant strides in expanding national sales and our retail footprint. This reorganization better fo- cuses our executive management teams' skills and resources, positioning Alter Eco for sustained growth while ensuring our commitment to full-circle sustainability." Under Tierney's leadership, Alter Eco has grown from annual sales of $2 million to $16 million in a short five-year time frame. In her new position as President, she will play an elevated role in team management and preparing the company for continued double digit growth. Tierney joined Alter Eco in 2007, as the company's first board member, and was instrumental in develop- ing a diverse board through 2009, bringing on several experienced industry experts to further nurture the company's progression. Tierney officially joined the Alter Eco team in May of 2009 to lead sales. A veteran of the natural products indus- try for 24 years, Tierney has served in many capacities including retail and brokerage management. She also held several roles at UNFI for more than 15 years, where she last held the position of Western Vice Pres- ident of Sales in 2008. Alter Eco's high-quality, farmer-grown or- ganic foods are USDA Organic, Fair Trade Certified, Carbon Neutral Certified, Non- GMO Project Verified and Certified Gluten- Free. For more information on Alter Eco, visit www.alterecofoods.com. GN Alter Eco Announces Reorganization of Executive Management Team New CCOF Certification Seal Highlights Non-GMO Status of Organic Food Certified organic food is by definition non-GMO, and a new seal spells that out. California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) offers a new "Non-GMO & More" seal for its certified members. The seal underscores the prohibition of GMOs in organic and recognizes the many contributions of organic to a healthier world. "CCOF firmly believes that organic is the champion of non-GMO and is committed to working with the organic community to ensure the integrity of organic food," stated Philip LaRocca, Chairman CCOF Inc. Board of Directors. CCOF-certified members may use the "Non- GMO & More" seal in any setting where they currently use the CCOF seal. For more information on the seal or CCOF – a leader in organic certification, advocacy and education – visit www.ccof.org.

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