Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/679173
Restaurant Daily News Marketplace Sunday, May 22, 2016 D CHEDDARS FROM OREGON WITH AN "IN YOUR FACE" ATTITUDE By Lorrie Baumann Face Rock Creamery is a three-year- old operation on the southern Oregon coast that's already producing award- winning Cheddars with "in your face" flavors. Face Rock Creamery 2 Year Extra Aged Cheddar won a first place award for aged Cheddars between 12 and 24 months from the American Cheese Society in 2015 and its Vampire Slayer Garlic Cheese Curds won a first place award for flavored cheese curds in the 2013 American Cheese Society competition. "We've been really fortunate to win these awards right out of the gate, and it's given us some credibility and momen- tum, so that's been wonderful," says Face Rock Creamery President Greg Drobot. Face Rock Creamery is located in Bandon, Oregon, a town of about 3,000 people with a heritage of cheese- making. Cheese had been made in Bandon for about 100 years from milk produced at dairies upstream along the Coquille River and barged down the river to the cheese factory that employed 50-60 of the town's resi- dents until 2005, when a large cheese company bought the creamery to shut it down. Drobot happened to have moved to Bandon in 2005 to pursue a real estate project, and when the project was com- pleted, he was looking for something else to do when local resident and friend Daniel Graham suggested that he think about starting a new creamery and reviving that part of their heritage. "I thought at first it was nuts.... I didn't know anything about cheesemaking, but it's such an integral part of every- one's like here that it stuck with me," he says. "When we reopened, we had community members coming in in tears to talk about how they felt that the cheese plant was a part of their family legacy. I'm really proud and happy that I can do that." He wrote a business plan, got a loan, and suddenly, he was starting a cheese business. He took his plans up to Seattle and showed them to Brad Sinko, a son of Joe Sinko, who'd owned the cheese plant before it had been bought and closed. Sinko was the founding cheesemaker for Beecher's Handmade Cheese, another award- winning maker of fine Cheddars, and after he'd finished reviewing the draw- ings for the new plant, he said he might be interested in coming to work there. "He was top of the world, a rock star in the cheese community, and I didn't even think it was a possibility that he'd come back to Bandon," Drobot says. "I about fell off my chair when he told me that. It changed things a lot." Sinko moved back home to Bandon, and the plant started operating in May, 2013. The plant employs about 25 people directly and provides employment indirectly for about another 15, including delivery drivers and service providers. Holstein, Brown Swiss and Jersey cow milk is sourced from Bob and Leonard Scolari's family dairy just up the valley, where a tem- perate climate and coastal rains mean that the cows can be on pasture about 70 to 80 percent of the year. Products include conventional aged Cheddars as well as flavored varieties like In Your Face, a three-pepper Cheddar; Vampire Slayer, which is flavored with garlic; and Super Slayer, which has both pep- pers and garlic. "Cheese is, for a lot of people, intimidating, but we want to make sure people have fun and enjoy their cheese, so that's the route we went, especially with some of our fla- vors," Drobot says. "We put kind of a fun twist on it." The Face Rock Creamery cheeses are currently sold in 2,500 retail loca- tions across 10 states. "We would like to continue to move west and continue to spread the word about Face Rock," Drobot says. "We want to continue to make wonderful cheeses. We would like to be nationally distributed. We're never going to be a commodity cheese, we're always going to be small batch, but the flavors have national appeal." LOACKER STILL GROWING AFTER 90 YEARS An interview with Crystal Black Davis, Deputy to the President and Vice President of Marketing, Loacker. RDN: What kind of company is Loacker? What's the mission? CD: Loacker, founded in 1925, is an Italian confectioner known for our wafer cookies. Our mission is to make people happy with our pure and wholesome nat- ural goodness, everywhere in the world. RDN: Where's it located? What makes it unique? CD: We were founded in Bolzano, Italy, our headquarters is in Unterinn, Italy, and we have an additional production facility in Heinfels, Austria. We're located in the beautiful South Tyrol region, the heart of the Alps, not many other confectioners can boast that. We're also Italy's No. 1 wafer cookie, which definitely makes us unique. RDN: Any new product launches this year? What makes those products stand out? CD: This year we launched our new Cocoa & Milk flavor, a new twist to our popular wafer assortment. This flavor features the crispiness consumers have grown accustomed to, with the bold char- acteristic taste of cocoa paired with our delicate, quality milk cream filling. An original, refined flavor, strong yet deli- cate at the same time. Cocoa & Milk is available in both Quadratini sizes, 250 grams and 125 grams, as well as our 45 gram and 175 gram Classic Wafers. We also offer two Cocoa & Milk-specific floor displays. RDN: How has Loacker achieved suc- cess for 90 years run- ning? CD: Loacker has remained true to the tradition and values of our founder, Alfons Loacker, since 1925. We are uncompromis- ing in ingredient selection and produc- tion technologies, we respect the pristine environment which surrounds our facili- ties, and we treat not only our employees, but also our customers and consumers as if they are also a member of the Loacker family, with respect and care. RDN: The last 90 years considered, what's the future look like? What's next? CD: Expansive growth in the United States. On the trade side, we're bracing ourselves for broader distribution and deeper penetration among our target channels. On the con- sumer side, using unique and creative touch points to allow individuals to connect and experience our brand on a personal level to develop preference, and ultimately, loyalty. RDN: What's the greatest challenge Loacker and the team has, looking ahead? CD: Ensuring that our domestic organi- zation/operations scales in unison with our distribution growth. For more information, call 212.742.8510, email marketing@ loackerusa.com or visit www.loackerusa. com. PEANUT PRODUCTS FROM BELL PLANTATION Bell Plantation was born of one simple charge: to develop new and different products to deal with a large surplus of stored peanuts. From this charge a star was born: PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter. In removing 85 percent of the fat by pressing the roasted peanuts, Bell Plantation developed a tasty alter- native to traditional peanut butters, and people have taken notice. PB2 is popular with athletes for its ability to add delicious flavor and additional protein to meals. Chefs appreciate the ease of use in recipes both savory and sweet, and anyone watching their calories or fat intake can appreciate the flavor of peanut but- ter without the guilt. Following in the footsteps of PB2 is Chocolate PB2, which adds premi- um cocoa to the mix for a rich choco- late peanut butter that is absolutely delectable. Chocolate PB2 only tastes sinful, though, as it is just as healthful as the original PB2. Bell Plantation realized early on that the roasted peanut oil that had been pressed from the peanuts was too delicious to lose. Its Extra Virgin Roasted Unfiltered Peanut Oil has a rich nutty flavor that tastes great on everything from vegetables to chicken or fish. It is a delicious addition to recipes, as a drizzle on vegetables or salads, or for sautéing to give foods a rich roasted peanut flavor. The possi- bilities are endless! Bell Plantation recog- nizes that while PB2 is the bees' knees, not everyone is looking for an alternative to traditional peanut butters. That is why Bell Plantation also produces Plantation 1883 Peanut Butter in both smooth and crunchy. Plantation 1883 is all natural and sweetened with a touch of molasses for an unbeatable flavor. In 2015, Bell Plantation intro- duced Plantation 1883 Chocolate, peanut butter with premium chocolate. Decadent, delicious and decidedly delightful, Plantation 1883 Chocolate is destined to be your next peanut but- ter craving. One day Bell Plantation's Chief Executive Officer was putting Plantation 1883 on his crackers, and thought, "What if we could turn peanut butter into crackers?" The result was Bell Plantation PBthins, a crunchy, slightly sweet and totally addictive cracker that packs the full creamy taste of peanut butter into 100 calories per all natural serving. Bell Plantation also produces PBthins in a gluten-free version that is just as tasty as the original. As the Bell Plantation family of products continues to grow, you can count on its promise that when you buy Bell Plantation products, you are choosing flavorful healthy foods that are good for you and your family. For more information, go to www.bellplantation.com.