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GOURMET NEWS www.gourmetnews.com n JANUARY 2016 n GOURMET NEWS 5 2 Sarabeth's International Expansion Sarabeth's Kitchen has been known in the specialty food industry for over 35 years as a manufacturer of award-winning jams and other specialty food products. Sarabeth and Bill Levine, its founders, were honored to be inducted into the SFA Hall of Fame at the 2014 Winter Fancy Food Show. Sarabeth runs the wholesale and retail bakery opera- tion at the Chelsea Market in Manhattan and Bill is the Chief Executive Officer of SBK Preserves Inc., the manufacturing arm of Sarabeth's Kitchen Inc., located in the Bronx. Lesser known, at least in the specialty food industry, is the fact that there are presently 16 Sarabeth's restaurants under the Sarabeth's banner. Of these, there are 10 lo- cated in the U.S., five in Japan and one in South Korea. The first Sarabeth's Korea opened in the prestigious Hyundai Depart- ment Store, Pangyo (suburb of Seoul) in Au- gust 2015. Both Sarabeth and Bill establish, control and oversee the licenses for all of these operations. Contracts are already in place for addi- tional restaurants in Taipei, Taiwan; Nagoya, Japan and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, all of which are scheduled to open in early 2016. Negotiations are under- way for additional locations in Hawaii, Singapore and Shang- hai. The most important factor in creating a successful restau- rant in foreign territory is se- lecting the right operator/licensee. Sarabeth's was fortunate to team up with an international company that manages over 200 restaurants, mainly in the Far East, but also with a presence in the U.S. and Europe. Sarabeth's products enjoy the tremendous synergy created by the Sarabeth's restaurants nationwide and abroad. All of Sarabeth's products are carried in each of the restau- rants, under the licensing agreements, where they are used for food- service and for retail sale. A large percentage of Sarabeth's customers in New York are tourists and know the restaurants from the locations in their home country or by seeing the products in their local store or on QVC and then making the connection upon visiting New York. The products help populate the restaurants and the restaurants foster the sale of the products. A win-win situation. For more information, visit www.sarabeth. com or stop by booth #422. Le Gruyère AOP is Champion at the 2015 World Cheese Awards The Interprofession du Gruyère is pleased and proud to congratulate the winners of the 2015 World Cheese Awards, which took place on November 26th in Birmingham, England. This includes the "Champion of All Categories," the award for the cheese with the highest over- all point total in the competition, which went to a Le Gruyère AOP aged 14 months from Cremo Von Mühlenen. This cheese drew ab- solute raves, with Mexican Judge Carlos Yescas from the Oldways Cheese Coalition saying, 'You're transported – this is a wonder- ful representation of this type of cheese and you can really taste the terroir,' while Italian Judge Davide Fiori, from Luigi Guffanti 1876, said, 'I love this cheese because it's not just for eating – it's for talking about with friends. The taste tells you so much about the pastures it comes from.' Indeed, these comments repre- sent the very essence of Gruyère AOP, which has taken the top prize a record four times. More than 2,700 cheeses from all over the world participated in this contest and were judged by 270 international cheese experts, with many productions of Gruyère AOP win- ning top awards: Champion, All Categories, 2015 World Cheese Awards Le Gruyère AOP aged 14 months, Châton- naye cheese dairy, Alexandre Guex family, re- fined by Cremo Von Mühlenen. Super Gold Medal Le Gruyère AOP aged 14 months, Châton- naye cheese dairy, Alexandre Guex family, re- fined by Cremo Von Mühlenen. Gold Medal Le Gruyère AOP aged 14 months, Lanthen cheese dairy, M. Markus Sturny, refined by Cremo Von Mühlenen. Silver Medal Le Gruyère AOP aged 14 months, Nieder- muhren cheese dairy, Adrian Scheidegger fam- ily, refined by Cremo Von Mühlenen. Le Gruyère AOP aged 12 months, Bouloz cheese dairy, Roland Pittet family, refined by Lustenberger und Dürst. Bronze Medal Le Gruyère AOP aged 9 months, Nieder- muhren cheese dairy, Adrian Scheidegger fam- ily, refined by Cremo Von Mühlenen. Le Gruyère AOP aged 9 months, Strauss cheese dairy, Franz Jungo family, refined by Cremo Von Mühlenen. Le Gruyère AOP aged 9 months, Cremo cheese dairy, refined by Cremo Von Mühle- nen. By winning these medals in an international competition of this quality, especially the "Champion of all Categories," for a record fourth time, Le Gruyère AOP has once again demonstrated the very high quality of its cheeses, which is achieved through the excellence of its skilled and knowledgeable craftsmen. The Interprofession wants to thank and to congratulate all of its partners in production – these outstanding results would not be possible without excellent milk, a cheese maker with enduring skill and longstanding know-how and a refiner that takes proper and round-the-clock care of the cheeses. These medals reward the work of the entire Gruyère AOP community. The respect for the heritage of Le Gruyère AOP is indeed the reason for all of its success. For more information, contact Laure Rousseau, Interprofession du Gruyère, at laure.rousseau@gruyere.com or 0041.26. 921.84.10, or visit www.gruyere. com or stop by booth #5042. Oatmeals from Stonewall Kitchen Specialty food creator Stonewall Kitchen is expanding its line of successful and delicious products with the introduction of a new cat- egory: oatmeal. Designed to be cooked on a stovetop rather than microwaved, the four varieties feature steel cut oats that have a heartier, more full-bodied texture and a deli- cious nutty flavor that will appeal to cus- tomers of all ages. Best of all, they can be ready in as little as five minutes, making them an ideal breakfast choice for busy fam- ilies or individuals who may not always have time for breakfast. The Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal features the classic aromatic and tasty combination of real apples and flavorful cinnamon that are abundant in every bite. The Blueberry Maple Oatmeal is a unique combination of sweet flavors and fea- tures real blue- berries and that especially sat- isfying sweet taste of maple syrup. The Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal is ex- ceptional and has the perfect balance of maple and brown sugar without being too sweet. The plain or Farmhouse Oatmeal is a great choice for people who prefer a more basic bowl of oats or those who love to add their own flavorful ingredi- ents or toppings. Each is quick, easy, warm and perfect for people on the go who are looking for sensible and more nutritious ways to start the day. For more information, visit booth #524 or go to www.stonewallkitchen.com. Big Tree Farms Launches No. 1 Selling Organic Coconut Sweetener Big Tree Farms is truly "Rooted in Good- ness™." From the beginning, its mission has been reversing the damage of commercial farming in Indonesia by helping farmers get back to their traditional roots. Operating Southeast Asia's largest organic supply chain, its vertically integrated operation focuses on production and export of food products for re- tail and ingredient channels globally. It is com- mitted to direct and transparent trade with smallholder producers, resulting in an ex- tended community of over 14,000 family farmers working together to produce the high- est quality, nutritionally pure coconut and cacao products. Focus on quality, sustainabil- ity and innovation is applied to all of Big Tree Farms' products. After introducing the world's first Certified Organic Coconut Sugar to the global market in 2008, Big Tree Farms remains the No. 1 selling brand (SPINS data, October 31, 2015) and processor of this unrefined, high-nutrient sweetener, with its one pound coconut sugar outselling the No. 1 agave SKU (SPINS data, October 31, 2015). Big Tree Farms' coconut nectar is also the fastest growing liquid sweet- ener in the U.S. (SPINS data, October 31, 2015). Bringing the first Fair-Trade Certifica- tion to coconut sweeteners in 2014, Big Tree Farms also tests for Low-Glycemic verifica- tion. Its retail line of coconut-blossom nectars and sugars includes items ranging in pack size from five-gram packets (retail 50-pack and foodservice 1,000 qty.) to five-pound pouches and infused flavors in 14-, 16- and 32-ounce packages. Sugars and nectars are both avail- able for retail, foodservice and industrial use. The most recent innovation for Big Tree Farms is its Coco Aminos™, a soy-free and gluten-free all purpose seasoning sauce made from nutrient packed coconut nectar. A perfect soy sauce alternative, Coco Aminos is not only an ideal seasoning sauce for many uses, but also offers essential amino acids and nutrients with every serving. Made by Big Tree Farms in small batches, the flavor and quality sur- passes all other coconut based amino products on the market today. Big Tree Farms' Truly Raw™ cacao prod- ucts are uniquely cold-processed in its iconic bamboo chocolate factory on Bali to protect the incredible phytonutrients and antioxidants found in cacao. Adhering to absolute trans- parency in its operation, Big Tree Farms en- sures that all products are minimally processed, preserving the delicate and power- ful nutrients. The flavor of its cacao products, particularly its cacao powder, truly is remark- ably delicious and can be used just as you would conventional processed cacao ingredi- ents. Cacao powder, cacao nibs and coconut nectar sweetened nibs are available in retail packaging as well as in bulk. Innovation continued in its launch of Coco Hydro ® , dehydrated real coconut water pow- der. Recognizing the negative environmental impact of shipping heavy beverages around the world, Big Tree Farms dehydrates fresh coconut water and captures the three percent of nutrients and electrolytes and produces a portable, sustainable powder – just add the water. Coco Hydro is available retail in a sin- gle-serve 22-gram and 25-serving pouch. For more information, stop by booth #5200 at the Winter Fancy Food Show, contact info@bigtreefarms.com, call 541.488.5605 or go to www.bigtreefarms.com.