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SWEETS & TREATS SHOW EXTRA www.gourmetnews.com n MAY 2016 n GOURMET NEWS S T 3 2 praline was one of these magical mutations. Like life springing from the primordial soup, the rich New Orleans praline is now the universally loved and beholden confec- tion of Louisiana, and Aunt Sally's Pralines does them best. The traditional, proto-praline was created in the early 18th century for a French Mar- shal and Diplomat, Cesar du Plessis-Praslin (pronounced prah-lin) by his chef, Clement Lassagne. Lassagne concocted the treat by melting sugar over an almond, and named it after Praslin. When merchants and business- men traveled on old sailing vessels, they would often find whole new worlds of foods and delicacies. This was certainly the case when a New Orleanian brought back one of these sugar-coated almonds from Paris soon after its creation. Intending to replicate the French treat, his plantation chef substituted a handful of Louisiana pecans and sugar cane syrup, and gave birth to the saccharine bliss that we now know and love. This treat came to play a pivotal role in the 19th century as many black women in New Orleans with little to no economic op- portunities would make and sell pralines on the street to support their families. This movement simultaneously gave pralines a definitive fame while also giving them a very important face. This is the exact face that founders Diane and Pierre Bagur honor with Aunt Sally's Pralines. Aunt Sally's Pralines began in 1935, when Diane and Pierre opened a small shop in the New Orleans French Quarter where they and their four children would all work together to make and sell their confections to passersby. In just a few generations, Aunt Sally's Pralines became a multi-million- dollar business known all across the country and the globe as the one place to get a gen- uine New Orleans Praline. From the four generations of family his- tory to the delicate ritualization and adher- ence to the original recipe, Aunt Sally's world-famous pralines are as good as they get. Each praline is made from local Louisiana ingredients and hand-poured from a copper pot into distinctly unique shapes. This may be why every bite feels like it is right out of your family's kitchen, taking you back to the three-feet-tall days when you had no worries, the smell of home cooking and absolute comfort. With its expansion, Aunt Sally's Pralines now makes tweaked versions of the classic recipe, selling creamy and chewy versions of the candy, and the more adventurous "Bananas Foster" and "Cafe au Lait" vari- eties. Visit Aunt Sally's Pralines at booth #2030. For more information, call 800.642.7257, go to www.auntsallys.com or email service@auntsallys.com. Aunt Sally's Pralines (Cont'd. from p. 1) delicious Very Berry and Tropical flavors. Made with fruit and vegetable extracts, and 100 percent natural flavors, these tasty treats are bringing organic candy to a delicious new level. Not to be outdone, the company's patriarch brand King Leo introduced ChocoMint Soft Sticks and Soft Puffs to its collection. These delicious puffs are available in 4- and 16- ounce bags, and the individually wrapped sticks are available in 7-ounce boxes. ChocoMint puffs and sticks are also available in bulk packages. King Leo Soft Peppermint Sticks are now also individually wrapped and are available in 8-ounce boxes and bulk pack- aging. Soft Peppermint Puffs are available in 4.5-, 14-, and 20-ounce bags, as well as bulk packaging. As always, these delicious candies are made with pure King Leo peppermint oil and pure cane sugar. In the retail baking category King Leo Pep- permint Bits, Gilliam Pumpkin Spice Bits and Confetti Mix are all offered in resealable 5- ounce bags. Also available are various flavors in bulk packaging. Visit Quality Candy Company at booth #1123. For more information, call 702.565.4711 or go to www.qcandy.com. To email the sales team, email sales@qcandy.com. Quality Candy (Cont'd. from p. 1) and is ushering in a number of important developments in the company's production and packaging capabilities. Based in Pennsylvania, with facilities in Souderton and Lewistown, Asher's Choco- late Co. produces a broad line of both reg- ular and sugar free chocolates, fudge and an assortment of non-chocolate confections. Bulk chocolates have been its core busi- ness, but branded and private label pack- aged items are a growing and important segment for the company. With 30-plus years of experience in all facets of his company's operation as Co- Owner, Asher speaks both to the history and the future. "Our business, for 124 years now, has focused on producing high-quality confections. That focus remains, while the biggest change is the ever-evolving chal- lenge of how to package and position our product to reach and fulfill consumers. "This is an exciting time for our com- pany, as we're seeing real benefits from re- cent reinvestment in several areas of our operations," Asher continues. "We're ex- cited about our next generation of develop- ment. We have earned a reputation with our customers for consistent quality, and our commitment to match that quality to effi- cient manufacturing options will ensure we remain a valuable supplier to them." Additional automation in Asher's pro- duction and packaging departments has al- lowed for substantial reduction in use of packaging materials while increasing the operation's overall capacity. "We've been able to take on projects in the past two years that previously wouldn't have been feasi- ble, allowing us to increase production hours year-round," notes Asher. Asher credits his associates with main- taining the consistency that customers have come to expect while driving innovation forward. "There's no denying the value of our generations-old recipes, but truly vital to our success is the collection of Asher's associates that bring decades of experience throughout our business," he said. "It's that experience, and the collaborative energy amongst our associates, that ensures our customers can depend on us for those tradi- tional favorites as well as new and exciting pieces." Visit Asher's Chocolate Co. at booth #310. For more information, go to www.ashers.com or email dbruno @ashers.com. Asher's Chocolate Co. (Cont'd. from p. 1) Spicy, Cinnamon & Sugar, Coco Joe and Super Spicy. The mini pouches are expected to be priced between $1.49 and $1.99 and will ship in a display-ready, 12-count caddy. "The new, smaller size pouch is a healthy, on-the-go snack that can easily be tucked in- side luggage, school lunches, backpacks, purses or desk drawers," said Kathie Pellic- cio, Owner and Founder of SuperSeedz. "One of the best things about them is that they are cute little standup pouches that don't fall over and spill on your desk after you've opened them." It has been a busy and rewarding 12 months for SuperSeedz. In 2015, it launched Maple Sugar & Sea Salt, a flavor that has quickly become one of its most popular fla- vors; shortly after the launch, the flavor was awarded The Most Innovative New Premium Snack Award at the 2015 Sweets and Snack Expo. In January 2016, SuperSeedz announced it had become the No. 1 premium pumpkin seed brand in grocery stores. Since becoming No. 1, SuperSeedz is now the fastest growing seed brand by dollar volume in the food channel, according to a recent Information Resources Inc. report. SuperSeedz offer more plant-based pro- tein than other nut sources such as peanuts, pistachios, almonds and chia seeds. It is Non-GMO Project Verified, free of choles- terol and trans-fats, vegan/vegetarian and al- lergen friendly – peanut-free, tree nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free, fish-free, shellfish-free, soy-free and made with gluten-free ingredi- ents. About SuperSeedz Rooted in homegrown beginnings, the idea for SuperSeedz was cooked up by Founder Kathie Pelliccio in her own kitchen as a healthy snack for her family. Soon after de- veloping the tasty, nutritious treats, Pelliccio began selling them in local farmers markets and independent retailers; the brand has since grown from a small seedling into the fastest growing seed brand in America. Cur- rently available in nine mouthwatering fla- vors – Sea Salt, Super Spicy, Somewhat Spicy, Tomato Italiano, Curious Curry, Coco Joe, Cinnamon & Sugar, Really Naked and Maple Sugar & Sea Salt – SuperSeedz are dry-roasted in small batches without shells, using a proprietary, artisanal pan-roasting technique that bakes the seasoning right into each seed. The result is an enhanced snack- ing experience with unparalleled taste and a delightfully addicting crunch. SuperSeedz are sold at grocery, health food and gourmet food retailers across the U.S., including Whole Foods, Sprouts and Safeway, Inc. stores. Visit SuperSeedz at booth #1791. For more information, visit www.superseedz.com. SuperSeedz (Cont'd. from p. 1) our own bag line named King Henry's that consists of candies, nuts, trail mixes, His- panic items and toys. We also have a pouch bag line that is targeted for high-end gour- met stores. Our company focuses on re- bagging, co-packing and private label for almost any dry products across the United States. Many things set our company apart from our competition, one of which is that we have the highest quality, variety and value in each bag. King Henry's searches for manufacturers that have quality products that are well known and are proven to be great tasting and great selling across the world. In King Henry's bag line, we have more than 200 items to choose from and many different sized racks to fit most locations' needs. We also give the bags the most prod- uct that we can, so that the end consumer feels that they get value for their purchase. The second distinction is that I have been in this business for more than 26 years, and started as a route sales person driving a truck and making deliveries store to store. I know what it is like to work long hours, work in extreme temperatures, and how hard it is to get, keep and maintain ac- counts. Between myself and the sales staff, we can also offer help and suggestions for distributors, from getting accounts to set- ting up racks, to maximizing their sales and profits per store, considering their ware- house capacity and their geographical area. Another difference is that we can react to our customer's needs and requests for new and varied products much quicker by testing many distributors across the United States for items that are the most popularly requested. This helps all distributors to bring new items to the market and keeps the line constantly improving and updated to help ensure the highest level of sales possible for all distributors and stores. My name is Trina Davidian and I am writing this article to invite you to please stop by King Henry's booth. My sales staff and I would love to meet you to see if we can help you, either with our King Henry's bag line, co-packing or even a private label line. Visit King Henry's at booth #2060. King Henry's (Cont'd. from p. 1)

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