Oser Communications Group

This year's 2016 Winter Fancy Food Show, being held in the Moscone Center in San Francisco, will include a signed partner coun- try looking to bring more specialty food to US consumers and a cu- rated educational program to teach new specialty food produc- ers how to make it in the industry. "We have a pass that provides access to the full education pro- gram, with 17 hours of insights from experts across eight sessions designed to appeal to industry newcomers and veterans," says Louise Kramer, Communications Director for Specialty Food Asso- ciation. "We also are having a part- ner country – something we will be doing in the future." Italy will be the show's partner BY LORRIE BAUMANN It was 2008, and Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell had a problem, and it was a big one. In 2007, they'd fallen in love with, and then bought, the historic Beekman Man- sion and its surrounding farmland in tiny Sharon Springs, New York, about 180 miles north of New York City, intending to use it as a week- end getaway spot. They could af- ford it then – Ridge was Martha Stewart Omnimedia's Vice Presi- dent of Healthy Living, and Kilmer- Purcell was a well-paid advertising executive. And then the Great Re- cession came for them, and both of them lost their jobs. Beekman 1802 Farm Pantry Goes On Beyond Local Continued on PAGE 6 Continued on PAGE 6 What they had at that point was a farm with a mortgage; not a whole lot of experience in actual farming, although both had grown up in rural America and knew more than many Americans about the intimate connection between food and dirt; their educations; creativity; and the drive to make their situation work. "We were kind of thrust into making the farm work," Ridge said ruefully. Kilmer-Purcell wrote a book that details some of this, "The Bucolic Plague," which became a best-seller on the strength of mak- ing it all sound very jolly. They got some goats and started making goat milk soap along with a more experienced farmer that they call Farmer John. They invested the profits from their goat soap business into qualifying as a Grade A dairy, so that they could eventually make and sell cheese. They grew produce and took it to the farmers market. Then in 2012, they took some of their Mortgage Lifter tomatoes, named because the varietal was so delicious that it became known as a sure-fire seller that could help a farmer pay off the mortgage, and turned them into Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato Sauce, and Beek- man 1802 Farm Pantry was born. Early on, they dedicated up to 25 FDA Threatens to Wound Salt Business 2016 Winter Fancy Food Show Spotlights Italy country, and food companies from nearly all regions of the country will be presenting the best in pasta, cheese, olive oil and more under the banner, "The Extraordinary Italian Taste." "What it means is that Italy is stepping up its game in marketing efforts by having a really large Ital- ian presence," Kramer says. An es- timated 60 different Italian food companies will be exhibiting, mak- ing Italy the largest international exhibitor, followed by strong pres- ences from Japan, France, Ger- many and Mexico. California will be the show's single largest ex- hibitor, but it's a larger New York presence that is garnering whispers of anticipation, according to Kramer. "We have a lot of Brooklyn exhibitors coming. They are a hotbed of food innovation and have a robust entrepreneurial scene," she says. At least a dozen companies under the umbrella "Brooklyn Goes Global" are coming to this year's show. Winter Fancy Food Show is catering to food industry start-ups with its customary boot camp for beginners. "We have a lot of peo- ple coming into [the food indus- try] who don't know its complexities. This is real, roll-up- your-sleeves education," says Kramer. "This workshop is great for anyone wanting to learn more information on [the food indus- try]. It goes over product pricing and getting into retailers." GN BY LORRIE BAUMANN After its first year in operation in the United States, Boundary Bend is well on its way to achieving its objective of changing Americans' ideas about olive oil and what it can do for them. "We're absolutely trying to introduce Americans to the concept of fresh, more robust oils, which have the double advantage of more flavor and more health benefits," said Continued on PAGE 8 Boundary Bend Seeks to Shape American Tastes Boundary Bend Co-founder and Executive Chairman Rob McGavin. Boundary Bend started its U.S. op- erations in Wood- land, California, right around the beginning of last year and within months was win- ning awards at the New York Interna- tional Olive Oil Competition with four Cobram Estate oils made in the U.S. – two silvers and two golds. Trees for future olive supplies were or- dered last spring and will be planted this spring in western Yolo County, with more trees ordered for the upcoming year. The American operation is being headed by fifth- generation California farmer Adam Engle- Hawaiian red salt and charcoal black salt could be disappearing from interstate sales because the Food and Drug Administration is calling the red clay in Hawaiian salt and the charcoal in black salt adul- terants. With their businesses in jeopardy, salt producers are con- fused and angry about the potential losses if the FDA decides to prohibit them from selling their salt across state lines. The FDA is saying that red alea salt gets color from added clay, and since the clay is not an approved color additive, the salts are consid- ered adulterated. The FDA has reg- ulations specific to this issue, stating in the Code of Federal Regulations that even if an additive's primary purpose is not as a color, it can only be considered exempt if "… any color imparted is clearly unimpor- tant insofar as appearance, value or marketability, or consumer accept- ability is concerned." Naomi Novotny, President of SaltWorks, questions whether this guidance even applies to her product. "If you're using it for pork, that clay re- ally seals the moisture in," says Novotny. "The clay has a functional use. The way I read that document, it doesn't really apply to Hawaiian VOLUME 81, NUMBER 1 JANUARY 2016 n $7.00 RETAILER NEWS n Green Turtle Market Serves up Freshness in the Subtropics PAGE 10 SUPPLIER BUSINESS n Authentic Greek Freshness in an Extra Virgin Olive Oil PAGE 12 NATURALLY HEALTHY n Frontier Soups Introduces Two New All-Natural Mixes PAGE 14 WINTER FANCY FOOD PREVIEW n PAGE 15 HOT PRODUCTS n PAGE 9 SMALL ELECTRICS n Blenders PAGE 22 News & Notes.................................5 Ad Index .......................................23 Smorgasbord ................................23 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES: SEE PAGE 5 HOT PRODUCTS: Heartland Gourmet SEE PAGE 9 G OURMET N EWS T H E B U S I N E S S N E W S P A P E R F O R T H E G O U R M E T I N D U S T R Y ® SUPPLIER BUSINESS: Marin French Cheese SEE PAGE 13

• Cover