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R e s t a u r a n t D a i l y N e w s 6 3 Tu e s d a y, M a y 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 HOW TO BE SURE YOU HAVE FOUND THE REAL GRUYÈRE AOP When you want the real Gruyère AOP, there are a few things you can look for to guarantee that you have found the one cheese that can deliver the signa- ture taste and consistency you expect from Gruyère AOP. However, you have got to know where to look and what it means. During production, each wheel of Gruyère AOP is marked with the num- ber of the mold and code of the cheese dairy that is producing it, along with the day and month of production. These black markings are made with casein, the milk protein. (Even here, there are no additives involved.) From this point on, the name "Gruyère AOP" and the code of the production facility appears on the heel of each wheel. This is an effective way of guaran- teeing authen- ticity. Still, in ensuring that the cheese in front of you is truly Gruyère AOP, you can even take it a step further. You can go to www.gruyere.com and, using the cheese dairy's unique code, dis- cover which dairy pro- duced the cheese you are about to eat! For more information, recipes and photos of the only region that can produce Le Gruyère AOP, visit www.gruyere.com. JUST DESSERTS DOUBLES PRODUCTION SPACE WITH MOVE TO FAIRFIELD San Francisco Institution and award- winning baked goods producer, Just Desserts, will open a new, 75,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in Fairfield, California this month. The plant, which includes some administra- tive offices, will take over production from the company's previous facility in Oakland. Just Desserts will maintain a presence in San Francisco, retaining its innovation center – including the com- pany's test kitchen – and some adminis- trative offices. "Our business enjoyed double digit growth in 2014 through the introduction of our new organic and vegan product offerings," says Michael J. Mendes, CEO of Just Desserts. "With the intro- duction of new products, our new pro- prietary-packaging platform and expanded production facility, we expect accelerated growth in the future." The company, which produces cakes, including single serve cakes; cup- cakes, and brownie and cake bites, is moving from Oakland because of its need for a larger facility. The Fairfield site is double the size of Just Desserts' current bakery in Oakland. It has been designed and equipped to handle the company's new organic and premium vegan baked items and will have enhanced production capabilities, as well as an in-house quality control labo- ratory. Mendes says the company conduct- ed an exhaustive search for a new site, scouting out possible locations as far away as Nevada and Texas. "We chose Fairfield because of the value of real estate, the city's business-friendly envi- ronment, and the fact that the trans- portation lanes are attractive for ship- ping and transporting product," says Mendes. "We also found that the access to skilled workers in the area is well- suited to our needs." At full production, Just Desserts estimates it will create over 100 new jobs at the Fairfield facil- ity. "We are pleased that Just Desserts will be joining our community of top food and beverage companies that have found a sweet spot in Fairfield," says Ken Cantrell, Senior Economic Development Project Manager with Fairfield's economic development department. "We have attracted compa- nies because of our commitment to building a strong infrastructure that includes an ample supply of water and a state-of-the-art wastewater system." SPECIALTY FOOD ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL INDUCTEES TO INDUSTRY'S FIRST HALL OF FAME Honoring the pioneers of an industry that stretches back decades into the 1950s, the Specialty Food Association announced the inaugural inductees into its newly formed Hall of Fame at this year's Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. The first 114 members of the Hall of Fame represent a vast cross section of the industry and include a diverse collection of manufacturers, retailers, distributors, industry leaders and assorted visionaries, all of whom helped build specialty food into an $88.3 billion industry. "The mission of this Hall of Fame is to honor individuals whose accomplish- ments, contributions, innovations and successes have significantly impacted the specialty food industry and are deserving of our praise and truly our recognition," said Shawn McBride, Vice President of Foah International and current Chair of the Specialty Food Association Board of Directors. The induction ceremony was one of the highlights of this year's WFF show. The inductees were lauded on the first evening of the show, kicking off an event that also included the presentation of the annual Leadership Awards as well as a keynote address from Seth Goldman, cofounder and CEO of Honest Tea. An overarching theme of the evening's festivities was the focus on how specialty food professionals are in a unique position to contribute to the bet- terment of their world through shaping the ways in which people eat. In his keynote presentation, Goldman recount- ed the peculiar career arc he went through, beginning as a political activist and campaigner and eventually transi- tioning into the world of tea. He said that it would come as a complete surprise to his younger self that he would end up having a greater impact on society as a tea professional than he ever could have hoped to achieve as a politician. "There's nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America," said Goldman, par- aphrasing Bill Clinton. "I've come to the conclusion that our government, our sys- tem is not what's right with America. I'm a big believer in the democratic system, but I would argue that the people in this room – the people who shape our diets, who shape what we grow and how we consume it – have at least an important a role as any elected official." Seeking to inspire those in atten- dance as they move forward to focus on how they can be a positive force for change in their communities and in the world, Goldman urged companies to work social and environmental goals into their business model, not just for the good of the planet, but for the good of their bottom line as well. According to him, by creating Honest Tea as an aspira- tional company, the result has been a net benefit to the company as a whole. "Our society is at an unprecedented and exciting moment where the passion to improve the health of our population and the health of our planet coincide into amazing business opportunities," said Goldman. "You can make a financial and social impact by helping people live longer, better lives, lives that are more in harmony with the natural world." Illustrating Goldman's point, each of the recipients of the 2015 Specialty Food Association Leadership Awards seems to fit into the business model promoted by the tea CEO. That is, each of these com- panies incorporates aspirational social and environmental goals into their pro- fessional plans. This year's award win- ners included Adnan Durrani of Saffron Road and David Gremmels of Rogue Creamery in the Business Leadership category, Ahmed and Reem Rahim of Numi Organic Tea and Sara Holby of Ajiri Tea in the Citizenship category and Jeni Britton Bauer of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream and James May of Wisdom Natural Brands in the Vision category. In his acceptance of the award, Durrani echoed Goldman's keynote, cit- ing Saffron Road's aspirational qualities as an important contributor to the compa- ny's overall success. "A mission-driven business or enterprise can have stronger social impact and an impact on producing progressive values for the betterment of humanity than any governmental, reli- gious or political institution can have," he said. Several of the award recipients specifically referenced their companies' accomplishments in bettering those around them as they accepted their awards. Ahmed Rahim, for example, explained how Numi Organic Tea, by sourcing fair trade tea, has been able to create a positive symbiotic relationship with the farmers on which it relies. "These farmers have actually helped us create our vision," he said. "Through the efforts and the collaboration and all the time we spend with our farmers, it has nurtured us so much as a company. It's taught us how to be better citizens." Britton Bauer similarly referenced her company's efforts to support the communities in which Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams operates, arguing that having a social purpose has actually benefited the quality of the product. "We believe that business and entrepreneurship can help solve complex social problems," she said. "It used to be that a company had to sacrifice quality in order to be a company who chose to create social change … but that has changed. In fact, today it's quite the opposite. The best products are coming from companies who believe in paying a living wage, in working earnestly to lower our environ- mental footprint, in fair trade and better direct trade." Perhaps none of the Leadership Award recipients better epitomizes the values of a social mission-driven busi- ness than Sara Holby of Ajiri Tea. The team at Ajiri works tirelessly to improve lives in rural Kenya. The company pur- chases tea at fair prices from a co-op of small-scale Kenyan farmers. It employs 63 local women to hand make labels for the products from the bark of banana trees. And it operates a non-profit that pays the school fees for 25 orphan chil- dren. "I think what's wonderful is that all of you in this room are so supportive of us and of companies that can make a dif- ference in the world," said Holby. "Every time a store chooses to take Ajiri Tea and give it a chance and put it on our shelves, and the consumer comes in and looks at it and chooses to buy it, they are making a difference in people's lives in Kenya. By making a choice here to do something like that, you're giving stu- dents in Kenya opportunity."