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R e s t a u r a n t D a i l y N e w s 7 5 M o n d a y, M a y 1 8 , 2 0 1 5 NUTPODS NON-DAIRY CREAMER SECURES NON-GMO VERIFICATION PRIOR TO LAUNCH Green Grass Foods, Inc. recently secured Non-GMO Project Verification for its first product, nutpods. The clean label dairy-free creamer made from almonds and coconuts will launch in late spring of this year. The product also carries vegan, gluten-free, and OU kosher certifica- tions. Green Grass Foods founder, Madeline Haydon, launched the compa- ny in November 2013 with a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $30,000. She has since won the Dream Big America competition and the Zenith Award for people's choice for best investment opportunity at the Zino Society, an angel investment group in Seattle. Madeline decided to produce nut- pods after carrying a homemade concoc- tion of almond and coconut milks in her purse for years to use in her coffee. "I kept looking for the perfect rich and creamy dairy-free coffee creamer at the grocery store and never found it. After waiting three years, I decided to explore the idea of launching my own brand." The product is part of a growing demand for milk alternatives; many cof- fee shops now offer both soy and almond milk for their customers. Industry-leaders Dunkin' Donuts and Peet's Coffee have recently introduced almond milk in their stores, and Starbucks now serves coconut milk at some locations. nutpods, unlike other alternative creamers, is unsweetened to let consumers "create their perfect cup" with their preferred sweetener at their own sweetness level. It also differs from the competition due to its richer, creami- er texture and balanced taste. SEE HOW DYNAMIC WOMEN LEAD THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY In celebration of Women's History Month, the National Restaurant Association is recognizing the contribu- tions of many dynamic women, who through their vision, hard work and dedi- cation, have achieved success in restau- rants and made the industry a leader in the national economy. As the nation's second largest pri- vate sector employer, restaurants are driving our nation's economic recovery — and women are leading the way. "Restaurant jobs provide opportu- nities for women of all backgrounds and experience levels, helping them gain the experience they need to jump- start careers," said Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO, National Restaurant Association. "In restau- rants, women have the ability to advance toward management or execu- tive positions more quickly than most other industries." "We are enormously proud of the leadership role that women play in the restaurant business, showcasing our industry as one of endless opportunity," she continued. "We salute the leaders who have helped build this industry, as well as every woman working in the industry today who is making a positive impact on her community." The National Restaurant Association is recognizing women leaders through a series of videos, profiles and social media and digital content, all housed on the newly launched www.americaworks here.org/women site. ROGUE CREAMERY WINS GOLD AND SILVER AT THE US CHEESE CHAMPIONSHIP Rogue Creamery's Rogue River Blue and Smokey Blue won first place Gold and second place Silver respectively in the Blue Veined Cheese category at the 2015 United States Championship Cheese Contest. The largest cheese, butter and yogurt competition in the nation was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; the contest featured a record 1,892 entries from 28 states. On top of winning Gold at the US Cheese Championship, Rogue River Blue has also won Best American Cheese and Super Gold at the 2012 World Cheese Awards in London and is a two time winner, 2009 and 2011, of the Best of Show Award at the American Cheese Society Competition & Judging. Rogue River Blue is produced at the turn of the season, made with late-season milk produced after the autumnal equi- nox. At this time, the cows graze on grasses renewed by cooler temperatures and make milk that is richer and higher in butterfat due to the advanced stage of the lactation cycle. It is this special milk, reflective of the unique seasonal influ- ences of the Rogue River Valley, which is the very essence of terroir. This is the French concept that well-crafted foods represent a certain special essence of a region: the soil, the climate and the inter- action of herd and pasture. In addition to Smokey Blue's sec- ond-place finish at the US Cheese Championship, it has also taken home Best American Cheese at the World Cheese Awards, first place at the 2009 American Cheese Society Awards, and second place: Open Cow's Milk, at the 2013 ACS Awards. A long, gentle cold-smoking over shells from Oregon hazelnuts infuses Rogue Creamery's Smokey Blue cheese with an added layer of rich flavor. Sweet cream flavors and caramel notes balance earthy flavors of smoke and hints of roasted nuts. The result is a cakey yet smooth blue cheese reminiscent of can- died bacon. Smokey Blue's sweet, nutty, and savory flavors envelope the sweet, rich milk creating a crème brûlée with a hint of the toasted, sweet richness of a campfire. YACON AND BAOBOB JOIN THE NATURAL FOODS LEXICON AS TWO HEALTHFUL FOOD ADDITIVES TO WATCH Natural foods retailers and health-con- scious consumers are delighting in two relatively new-to-market fruit- and veg- etable-based natural food additives, each offering a broad range of potential appli- cations: yacon and baobob. Both long- treasured foodstuffs in other countries, for the first time, American consumers are taking notice of these healthful ingre- dients. Yacon, a potato-like vegetable, seems an unlikely source of a delicious sweet syrup, but that is precisely what it produces. The brownish root produces a molasses-like syrup with caramel notes that is low glycemic and carries a host of health benefits. It works as an all-purpose sweetener and contains half the calories of honey. The syrup can be used in bak- ing, as a dessert topper, or it can be mixed into smoothies and other drinks. In addi- tion, it works perfectly in soups and sauces. "Our Yacon syrup is selling well," said Zach Adelman, CEO and founder of Navitas Naturals, a Northern California- based producer of organic superfoods and alternative sweeteners. Adelman noticed a spike in demand for the syrup about a year ago after Dr. Oz featured it on his show. "Yacon is out there, and awareness has grown," Adelman contin- ued. "We have been doing more store trainings than ever. Retailers want to know more about how to use the syrup in recipes, so they can assist their cus- tomers." As consumers become more educat- ed about healthful foods, some seek out yacon for its unique digestive and immune system-boosting properties. The root packs the world's highest content of FOS or fructo-oligosaccharides, starches that are only partially digested in the upper intestine but serve as ready food for the health-enhancing microflora or "good bacteria" of the colon. Yacon is also a source of protein, antioxidants, potassium, vitamins A and C, calcium, phosphorus and fiber. Navitas Naturals, which also sells packaged yacon slices (the raw root is likened to an apple in consistency and taste) enjoyed a further boost in sales after it debuted its syrup squeeze bottle last year. The company supplies retailers ranging from Whole Foods and other nationals to smaller specialty food stores and independent health food stores. Just as yacon packs nutrition- al punch into a delicious and ver- satile ingredient, so does the coconut-like fruit baobob combine great taste with good health-promoting properties. Baobob is often made into tasty chews that best power fruits like açai and goji berries on many nutrient measures. The fruit is also available in a powdered form. Bellevue, Washington-based Baobab Foods Inc., the world's largest processor of baobab fruit powder, has seen its ingredient sales triple in the last year, with the antioxidant, fiber, vitamin C and mineral-packed ingredient being used in cereals, granola clusters and nutrition bars, as well as in powdered drink mixes. Baobab contains twice the antioxidant activity of goji berries, three times the fiber (baobab fruit is a whopping 50 per- cent fiber), four times the vitamin C, twice the potassium, three times the cal- cium and 36 percent more magnesium. The fact that this single ingredient brings high levels of a variety of nutrients makes baobob particularly attractive to manufacturers, retailers and consumers who promote the consumption of foods in their natural state. "It's the synergy of getting all these nutrients together instead of tak- ing something and separating it, as you tend to have with man-made vita- mins and nutrients," said Baobab Foods General Manager Stephan Broburg. "You have something that's been eaten for thousands of years, and manu- facturers take the nutrient value of baobab powder and work with it, whether it's one of 30 different ingredients, or it's the star of the show." Baobab Foods calls its tasty snack chews the "queen of superfruits." It offers the chews under both the compa- ny's own label and under various private labels. The snacks are available at a wide range of national, regional and local retailers, spanning several categories. Flavors range from mango and raspberry to pomegranate, Meyer lemon and tart cherry. Having just opened a new Missouri production facility, the compa- ny will expand significantly on its nine chew flavors this year as it begins new partnerships, and it plans to introduce the chews to new products like trail mixes.