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GOURMET NEWS JULY 2015 www.gourmetnews.com SUPPLIER BUSINESS 1 9 KeHE Distributors (KeHE) now provides route visibility through KeHE Connect™. This industry-first capability sends real- time order status to any device. "This is an exciting time for KeHE and our retail customers," said Scott Cousins, Chief Information Officer, KeHE. "The KeHE Connect platform was proven with show technology last year. Route visibility is a valuable addition to our KeHE Connect platform. It's an im- portant step towards making it easy to do business with KeHE. We listened care- fully to our retail customers and under- stand that in-store efficiency is essential to their bottom line. KeHE Connect de- livers opt-in information that matters. Route visibility provides valuable infor- mation by text or email at critical points in the fulfillment lifecycle." Transparency is vital in today's supply chain. Retailers need to know when orders will be delivered and alerted to any changes in estimated time of arrival. Now KeHE Connect provides real-time visibility. KeHE Connect is a proprietary platform that ac- celerates engagement between retailers, vendors, and KeHE. GN KeHE Enhances Customer Experience Via Route Visibility Uncle Mike's Meat Snacks has just launched Jerky Naturals at the Snacks and Sweets Expo, a new line of meat snacks that continues its standard of quality prod- uct while growing in distribution. Jerky Naturals are whole muscle jerkies that are produced without MSG or added nitrites that meet customer expectations without consuming ingredients that are considered objectionable. Uncle Mike's Naturals have been able to maintain its much-acclaimed flavor profiles from its regular jerky line with all new flavors for its Jerky Naturals line. Jerky Naturals come in Spicy Teriyaki, House Blend, Raspberry Jalapeno and Teriyaki Turkey. The new flavors garnered rave reviews from current customers who previewed them during the company's Spring Show with Raspberry Jalapeno prov- ing to be a customer favorite. Uncle Mike's Meat Snacks is partnered with Walnut Creek Foods, its parent com- pany that has direct store deliveries to 2,000 retailers and distributors. Founded in 1977, Walnut Creek Foods has primary product lines that include cheese, meats, bulk and snack foods. Uncle Mike's Meat Snacks manufac- tures Uncle Mike's Beef and Turkey Jerky, along with beef and snack sticks, in Holmes County, Ohio. Located in the cen- ter of the world's largest Amish commu- nity, the company has adopted the princi- ples of the local community of integrity and work ethic whose qualities are re- flected in every product Uncle Mike's Meat Snacks makes. "We are only successful if our retailers are successful," said Mark Coblentz, CEO, Uncle Mike's Meat Snacks. "We've had 38 years of unbroken growth because we serve our retailers and our team in the manner we want to be treated." GN Uncle Mike's Meat Snacks Launches New Jerky Line as It Expands Kathie Pelliccio got the idea to roast and season no-shell pumpkin seeds as a healthy snack for her five kids. That was years ago; now SuperSeedz ® products are sold nation- wide in retailers such as Sprouts, Whole Foods, Safeway/Vons, Stop & Shop and many more specialty, natural and grocery stores. What started in the kitchen with a cast iron skillet is now one of the fastest growing snacks in the category. Kathie attributes the success of her Su- perSeedz to four primary factors: amazing flavors, an extraordinary nutrition profile, natural and safe ingredients and award- winning packaging. Her nine addictive flavors – Sea Salt, Super Spicy, Somewhat Spicy, Tomato Ital- iano, Original Curry, Coco Joe, Sugar & Cinnamon, Really Naked and Maple Sugar & Sea Salt – have been recog- nized nationally and have received awards for the product and packaging including the nationally coveted Gallo Family Vineyard gold medal. In addition to award-winning flavor, SuperSeedz are also gluten-free, peanut- free, tree nut-free and vegan so just about anybody can enjoy them. And if that isn't enough to pique your interest, Super- Seedz also features a nutrition profile unri- valed by most other snacks. In fact, SuperSeedz are a plant-based protein pow- erhouse with seven to nine grams of com- plete protein per ounce. They are also a good source of iron, zinc, heart-healthy electrolytes and are free of cholesterol and trans fats. Kathie and her SuperSeedz have been featured in numer- ous articles, including Deli- cious Living, Good Housekeeping, the Los Angeles Times, Family Circle, Good Morning America and more. "The most explosive growth in food today is in healthy snacks," said Pelliccio. "People want to eat healthy, but they don't want to sacrifice flavor. Unfortunately truly healthy snacks have very little in the way of great taste and flavor. SuperSeedz has changed that in a big way. I have worked very hard to ensure every SuperSeedz seed is bursting with flavor." SuperSeedz is now available nationally in natural foods, specialty and grocery stores across the country. The seeds are packaged in a five-ounce bag and a brand new one- ounce grab-and-go size. SuperSeedz is on its way to becoming Americas tastiest healthy snack. For more information, call 203.407.0546, email joe@superseedz.com or visit www.superseedz.com. GN The SuperSeedz Story: From Cast Iron Pan to National Brand Quality Candy Company is a leading man- ufacturer and distributor of both high qual- ity hard and soft sugar candy. In addition to being a leader in the foodservice market, Quality Candy also markets two distinct lines of branded products: King Leo ® , the oldest continuously sold brand of pepper- mint candy, dating back to 1901; and Gilliam ® , a brand of colorful stick candy and high quality hard candy dating back to 1927. Combined, the two brands make Quality the leading manufacturer of stick candy in North America. Quality Candy also provides contract manufacturing services to leading mar- keters of both mass and niche product lines. It also produces all-natural sugar can- dies and its plant is GFSI Compliant, with an SQF Level 2 Certification. Quality Candy manufactures and mar- kets the King Leo brand, featuring Soft Peppermint in both Puffs and Sticks as well as in a variety of flavors, both in retail- friendly packs as well as bulk. Since 1901, King Leo, originally from Nashville, Ten- nessee, has been synonymous with the word Peppermint. The renowned soft pep- permint sugar sticks are still made from the original recipe: 100 percent natural pepper- mint oil, and old-fashioned care. Com- mencing in 2009, King Leo crushed peppermint bits became available to the in- gredient market and quickly established it- self as the market leader. In 2003, Gilliam brand candy, estab- lished in Paducah, Kentucky, in 1927, was added to the already impressive ros- ter of fine Quality confections. Gilliam is the premier brand of old-time nostalgic hard candy and can be found across the United States. The Gilliam line features brilliantly colored, hand-striped artisanal candy sticks, as well as Discs, Lollipops and nostalgic Sanded Drops in old time flavors. Quality Candy, based in Henderson, Nevada, is a privately held business man- aged by its owners Pierre Redmond, Chairman, Co-DEO and Laurie Redmond, Co-CEO and President. The manufactur- ing plant, which has just been expanded to accommodate sales growth, operates 24 hours a day with a base of approximately 300 employees and 14 production lines. Now the 100,000+ square foot factory is producing over 20 million pounds of candy annually, maintaining vigilant at- tention to high food safety standards and quality assurance programs. Quality Candy Company, founded in 1986, has al- ways maintained its commitment to qual- ity manufacturing, superior ingredients, exceptional personnel and the ability to keep costs competitive. It is this combi- nation that has contributed to its fast paced growth and success. For more information, call 702.565.4711 or visit www.qcandy.com. GN Quality Candy Continues to Grow with King Leo and Gilliam Brands Dorval Trading Co., Ltd. will be celebrating its 50th year in business in 2016. President Roberta Cappel said she has a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment in reaching such a milestone. Cappel's parents, Jack and Florence Cappel, founded the company in 1966. "My parents started out with a vision that was based on a strong commitment to bring quality products to consumers. We've maintained this com- mitment throughout our near 50-year history. It is that vision as well as our in- tegrity with respect to our cus- tomers, sales associates and our manufacturer partners which has al- lowed us to not only endure, but also continue to grow as an organi- zation." While the importing business can be chal- lenging and competitive, Cappel stresses that they are very selective when it comes to choosing with whom they do business. "It never made sense to us to just partner with any manufacturer looking to get their foot in the door in the U.S. marketplace. We only establish relationships with those companies that we believe are reputable and offer only the highest quality products. We're very proud of the relationships that we've formed and we look forward to many more produc- tive and profitable years to come." Dorval has its own line of products under the Sour Power ® brand, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, as well as its newest brand Dorval Premium Collection ® Chocolates and Cocoa, Top Pops ® and Choice Confections ® . Other brands represented under the Dorval umbrella include Rade- maker ® Hopjes, Rendez Vous ® and King ® . For more information, contact Dorval Trading Co., Ltd. at 800.367.8252 or at info@dorvaltrading.com. Visit www.dorval trading.com. GN Dorval Trading Will Soon Celebrate Its 50th Anniversary

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