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Restaurant Daily News Marketplace A Saturday, May 21, 2016 HAWAIIAN HOST LAUNCHES NEW TROPICAL FRUIT BITES Hawaiian Host ® , Inc. a leading brand and producer of chocolate covered macadamias, has unveiled its newest confectionery creation. This is Hawaiian Host's first product line to include fruit and no macadamia nuts in its 88-year history. The company's new Tropical Fruit Bites™ combine 100 percent real fruit with Hawaiian Host signature milk or premium dark choco- late to create a delicious, nutrient-rich snacking option. Featuring three of Hawaii's most beloved flavors — ripe banana, sweet coconut and savory pineapple — each "bite" is bursting with island flavors. "Our product innovation special- ists have been hard at work developing the perfect combination of fresh fruit with our premium chocolate, and the result is simply delicious," said Casie McKinney, Hawaiian Host, Inc. Assistant Brand Manager. "With 88 years of proven success in the confec- tion space, we feel that we're uniquely positioned to introduce an authentic product that perfectly aligns with our brand." Tropical Fruit Bites are packaged in 6-ounce resealable bags, each con- taining approximately one cup of real fruit, which is half the daily recom- mended serving size. Hawaiian Host, Inc. acquired Mauna Loa from The Hershey Company in March 2015. The addition of Mauna Loa as a subsidiary brings together two strong legacies, with a combined 157 years of rich Hawaiian heritage providing authentic, high- quality products to the world. Hawaiian Host will continue to emphasize its chocolate macadamia product, while Mauna Loa, with a 40 percent share in macadamia nut, will focus on its many fla- vor variations of macadamias, all packed with beneficial nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins that are cru- cial for optimum health and wellness. Rich in minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc, they're also a fantastic natural source of energy. "Aside from being a delicious snack full of essential nutrients, macadamia nuts add a delectable crunch to just about any dish, from breakfast to a quick family dinner," said McKinney. Hawaiian Host, Inc. is the manufacturer of Hawaii's original chocolate covered macadamias. Mamoru Takitani purchased Ellen Dye Candies, a local confectioner since 1927, and renamed the company Hawaiian Host. The secret choco- late recipe developed by Mamoru Takitani using fresh 100 percent whole milk is still used today. Today, Hawaiian Host boasts more than 250 confectionary products sold in more than 23 countries across the globe. Based in Hilo, Hawaii, Mauna Loa is a top processor and maker of macadamia nuts and has a leading share in the macadamia snack nut mar- ket. QUALITY CANDY: NEW BRAND, FLAVORS, PACKAGING In addition to updated packaging and delicious new flavors, Quality Candy has launched its newest brand: Gilliam Organics. The line kicked off at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco in January 2016 with Organic Lollysticks in delicious Very Berry and Tropical flavors. Made with fruit and vegetable extracts, and 100 percent natural fla- vors, 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 packaging. Soft Peppermint Puffs are available in 4.5-, 14-, and 20-ounce bags, as well as bulk packaging. As always, these delicious can- dies are made with pure King Leo peppermint oil and pure cane sugar. In the retail baking cate- gory King Leo Peppermint Bits, Gilliam Pumpkin Spice Bits and Confetti Mix are all offered in resealable 5-ounce bags. Also available are various flavors in bulk packaging. For more information, call 702.565.4711 or go to www.qcandy.com. To email the sales team, email sales@qcandy.com. COMMUNITY ENHANCES CHEESE EXPERIENCE FOR MARIEKE GOUDA By Lorrie Baumann As the market for quality cheeses grows, cheesemakers like Marieke Penterman of Marieke Gouda depend on profession- al cheesemongers to continue educating their customers about the products in their cases. That's particularly important if, as some cheesemakers say, the cheese market is not driven so much by a defi- nition of "local" that depends solely on geography as it is by a definition of "local" that connotes a community of like-minded people who share a cultural context. It's cheesemongers who tell the stories that communicate that cultural context to their customers, Penterman observes. "It's fun to see the cheesemon- ger community grow and develop a pas- sion for the cheeses. It's a kind of com- munity," she says. "Those people are so essential to the food industry. They rep- resent us in the stores, and they talk about us, and they pass on that passion for cheese. It's just phenomenal." Penterman herself experiences that sense of community among those who appreciate fine cheeses, she says. "When you go to a food show, it's always fun to see people enjoy it, and it's so rewarding and encouraging in what you're doing." The awards that Penterman has won at many of those food shows are perma- nent symbols of how much her cheeses are enjoyed. Since she started making cheese in 2006, Penterman's company, Holland's Family Cheese, has won more than 100 national and international awards, including awards for all of its Marieke Gouda varieties. She has recently added Marieke Gouda Honey Clover, Marieke Gouda Cranberry (sea- sonal) and Marieke Gouda Jalapeno to her line. Marieke Gouda Bacon is the very latest flavor in the line, made in col- laboration with Nolechek's Meats, a butcher that's local to Marieke Gouda's home in Thorp, Wisconsin. "They have been phenomenal. They put our Gouda in their brats and their hot dogs, so we thought we'd put their bacon in our Gouda," Penterman says. "Bacon Gouda is really phenomenal!" Marieka Gouda Foenegreek, which has won multiple awards, was one of the first cheeses Penterman made when she went into commercial production. She'd been thinking about adding walnuts to her gouda, but she'd hesitated because bringing tree nuts into a food facility is not done lightly. Then she tasted a fenu- greek Gouda during a visit to the Netherlands and decided that the nutty flavor of the fenugreek seeds satisfied that craving without adding the tree nut complication, so she decided to try mak- ing it herself. It didn't go well at first. "It was so smelly in the house. I cooked the herbs in those days in our home kitchen," she recalls. The simmer- ing fenugreek smelled so bad that she changed her mind about adding it to her cheese, but then her husband, Rolf, sug- gested that she go ahead, give it a try and see how it turned out. "He doesn't like to waste things," Penterman says. The cheese was aging when Penterman got a call from the Dairy Business Innovation Center to alert her to a 2007 competition. She picked a cheese to enter, and she asked one of her team members to pick a cheese. Rolf picked a third cheese, the Marieke Gouda Foenegreek. "Rolf picked the Foenegreek, and right away it won a gold award at the 2007 championship, so it was pretty cool," Penterman says. American consumers' enthusiasm for Marieke Gouda and for Gouda cheeses in general is elevating both the availability and the quality of fine cheeses in the marketplace as cheese- makers improve their products to meet consumers' expectations, Penterman says. "You can see the consumer starting to realize what good cheese is. Consumers are willing to spend a little extra to taste good cheese and to support local farmstead cheesemakers," she says. "Overall cheese quality has improved. Flavor profiles are getting better. People are traveling and tasting cheeses and returning passionate about cheeses. I think that in general the qual- ity for sure made a big jump in the last 10 years."