Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2015 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 1 1 Since 1992, Partners, A Tasteful Choice Company, has been making wholesome and delicious crackers made ex- clusively with high quality ingredients. One of the com- pany's top selling lines is Partners Artisan Hors D'Oeuvre Crackers. Approximately 2 inches by 3 inches in size, these hearty crisp crackers are excellent for pairing with toppings and spreads and are often used when creating elegant party platters. Partners Artisan Hors D'Oeuvre Crackers are available in a variety of flavors, including customer favorites Roasted Garlic & Rosemary and Olive Oil & Sea Salt and the most recent addition to the line, Everything & More. The Roasted Garlic & Rosemary crackers combine freshly roasted garlic, made by hand at Partners, with a sprinkle of rosemary to create the mild garlic taste that cus- tomers crave. Try pairing these crackers with goat cheese and fig jam for a delectable flavor combination. The Olive Oil & Sea Salt crackers are seasoned with the perfect amount of sea salt, making them an excellent platform for every topping, from hummus to the most extravagant cheeses. The Everything & More crackers consist of a touch of olive oil, a blend of organic whole grains: stone ground wheat, dark rye, sprouted wheat, ama- ranth, and quinoa; six different types of seeds: chia, poppy, white sesame, black sesame, flax, and caraway; along with freshly roasted garlic and onion. These crackers truly are Everything & More! Partners Artisan Hors D'Oeuvre Crackers are packaged in cellophane trays in approximately five ounce cartons, six cartons per case. The cartons feature two front facing sides, allowing for both vertical or horizontal display. As with all Partners products, these hearty crackers are non- GMO, certified kosher, and do not contain any artificial fla- vorings or preservatives. GN Partners Artisan Hors D'Oeuvre Crackers Klondike Cheese Company of Monroe, Wisconsin, is proud to announce the launch of refreshed packaging for its Odyssey ® brand feta cheese. It showcases Klondike's masterfully authentic cheese with Greek-inspired imagery, emphasizing the authentic Greek tradition used by Klondike's five master cheese makers. The eye-catching new packaging is designed to appeal to customers and increase retail sales velocity. "Our new Odyssey packaging highlight Klondike's com- mitment to both state-of-the-art cheese making while re- maining true to authentic recipes and tradition," said Teena Buholzer, Marketing Director at Klondike Cheese Com- pany. "We understand what our feta cheese customer likes and responds to, and we designed our Odyssey feta packaging to appeal to that demographic." For more information about Klondike Cheese and Odyssey, including detailed information about retail and food service bulk products, visit www.klondikecheese.com. GN Klondike Cheese Launches Refreshed Packaging for Odyssey Feta Convenience stores are poised to capitalize on the growing trend of consumers seeking healthy, more convenient prod- ucts, according to a new Hudson Institute report. "Consumers' desire for convenience is a growing trend and a notable convenience store opportunity," according to "Health & Wellness Trends and Strategies for the Con- venience Store Sector," a report commissioned by the Na- tional Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). To grow sales, the 152,794 convenience store operators in the U.S. should look beyond simply meet- ing the needs of their tradi- tional customers and embrace the growing de- mand for more better-for- you items that can be conveniently purchased, ac- cording to the report, au- thored by Hank Cardello, Senior Fellow and Director of the Hudson Institute's Obesity Solutions Initiative, and Steve French, Managing Partner and Co-owner of the Natural Marketing Institute (NMI). Convenience retailers should place a focus on two pri- mary consumer segments to grow sales: continuing to serve their traditional core consumer segment of "Eat, Drink & Be Merrys" and the growing segment characterized as "Fence Sitters," who represent 38 percent of convenience store shoppers and typically spend more, yet are often un- sure where they can find convenient, better-for-you op- tions. Overall, 34 percent of Fence Sitters say there are "no convenient locations nearby" to purchase healthy foods. In particular, easy-to-access prepared foods present an opportunity for convenience stores with foodservice oper- ations to capitalize on this customer's desire to eat healthier more often. Foodservice sales are 19 percent of the indus- try's $213.5 billion in in-store sales. "Convenience stores have an opportunity to bridge this gap and own convenient food- service—especially breakfast— when nutrition is considered most important and Fence Sit- ters are currently eating health- ier options during this meal occasion in particular," accord- ing to the report. There also is considerable op- portunity to grow sales through education—both by communi- cating the availability of better- for-you products and by highlighting taste and quick and easy preparation for on-the-go consumption. "By focusing on products and messaging that meet the need for healthier products—on-the-go, breakfast and kid- targeted convenience—convenience stores can drive sig- nificant, new growth in this emerging category," the report concluded. The insights in the report were based on the proprietary Health & Wellness Trends Database managed by the NMI, which has analyzed and compiled more than 80,000 con- sumer surveys since 2001. GN Convenience Stores Poised to Grow Better-for-You Sales, Study Says

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