Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/679173
Restaurant Daily News Marketplace A Sunday, May 22, 2016 SWISS VALLEY FARMS CHEESES WIN ACCOLADES Swiss Valley Farms (SVF) celebrated an exciting series of wins at this year's National Milk Producers Federation Annual Cheese Competition with a total of nine awards for cheeses from both the parent company, Swiss Valley Farms, and the subsidiary company, Caves of Faribault. Caves of Faribault's AmaBlu received the prestigious Chairman's Plaque and was named Grand Champion Cheese in the 2015 National Milk Producers Federation Annual Cheese Competition. The contest, which is host- ed by the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), was held in Orlando, Florida, on October 27, 2015. According to Jamie Jonker, Ph.D., Vice President of Sustainability and Scientific Affairs at NMPF, who super- vises the competition, a total of 157 cheeses from 40 plants were entered in the contest representing 14 co-ops from across the country. All cheeses entered were judged based on a 100 point scale in 20 different categories. "The team at Swiss Valley Farms is extremely proud of the announcement that our AmaBlu cheese was the Grand Champion Cheese," said Jay Allison, Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Swiss Valley Farms. "It all starts with the quality milk we receive every day from our members. Then our artisan cheesemakers, our pro- duction and sales teams are focused on making and selling the highest quality products, as well as working toward new accessibility to consumers through our sales alliance with Norseland Foods. Our Caves of Faribault products have always been at the top of the awards charts, but it is always great when our peers in the dairy industry agree by giving us such prestigious honors as the Grand Champion Cheese Award." In addition to its award for Best Overall Cheese, AmaBlu was also awarded 2015 Class Champion for Best Italian Cheese. Caves of Faribault's AmaBlu and Verdant grass-fed blue cheese also received first-(98.5 points) and third-place (98.2 points) awards, respectively, in the Hard and Mold Ripened Italian category. Additional wins included a sweep of the entire Swiss category receiving first place for Swiss (99.5 points), sec- ond place for Maasdam (98.4 points), both from the Swiss Valley Farms Luana cheese plant, and third place for Grass-fed Baby Swiss (97.2 points) from the Swiss Valley Farms Shullsburg cheese plant. In the open class category the Luana plant also received first and second place for SVF Cream Cheese (98.9 points) and SVF Neufchatel (98.2 points), respectively. Don Boelens, Swiss Valley Farms CEO, shared the following sentiment in regard to the recent wins, "It is always a big honor to have one of our cheeses declared the best in the competition. I would like to thank the Swiss Valley Farms members who supplied the qual- ity milk that went into this cheese and, indeed, all of our fine cheeses. In com- bination with our team of dedicated cheesemakers, Swiss Valley Farms can't help but produce excellent cheeses like this." AWESOME SNACKS FOR AN AWESOME WORLD Innovative Candy Concepts has been making kids candy for 22 years. The company's product lines and sales con- tinue to be a top seller at retailers across the U.S.A. What makes Too Tarts so spe- cial? The company's desire to have it all: healthy candy that tastes great, strong sales and a product made in the U.S.A. The company's sales continue to grow, along with its product offerings. Too Tarts is now available in four distinct top sellers: Spray Candy, Suck Ups Liquid Candy, Gimme Goo in a bottle and Goo4You in a squeeze tube. All Too Tarts products are sugar-free and loaded with Vitamin C. Xylitol is the main natu- ral sweetener, made from fruits and berries and No. 1 recommended by the American Dental Association to help promote healthy teeth and gums for chil- dren. Armand Hammer, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We recently discovered that we are the only major kids candy brand sold in the U.S.A. that is made in America. About 60 percent of kids candy purchases are actually made by adults, so we decided to let the consumers know we were proudly made in the U.S.A." The new candy labeling features the American flag on each piece of candy and all of the displays. Since the decision was made to pro- mote "Made in the U.S.A.," Too Tarts sales at retail have skyrocketed and are stronger than ever. The adult consumer cares what they are buy- ing for their kids. Innovative Candy Concepts wel- comes all new retailers to join in its efforts to make a difference in children's lives by profitably selling a kids candy you can be proud of. Healthy candy, healthy kids and healthy sales! TOO TARTS CANDY KEEPS KIDS HAPPY AND HEALTHY Snack Innovations Inc, of Brooklyn, New York, is launching a new line of organic snack products: Awesome Organics. The company is debuting two new awesome snacks that are USDA Organic, gluten- free and non-GMO at this year's Sweets & Snacks Expo. Awesome Organics Popcorn and Popcorn Chips are 100 percent whole- grain snacks that fit squarely into the bet- ter-for-you category and satisfy your snack craving without the guilt. "We're launching Awesome Organics to meet the ever growing consumer demand for delicious and fun to eat better- for-you snacks, and organic food demand is on the rise," said Allen Benz, Chief Executive Officer of Snack Innovations. "We also took a new angle on packaging for the Awesome Organics line, illustrat- ing a more exciting fun-to-eat design, con- veying that eating organic snacks can also be fun." The new Awesome Organics packaging does stray from the company's usual elegant and more sophisticated bet- ter-for-you graphics. The Awesome Organics "This Chip is Awesome" is a 100 percent whole- grain Popcorn Chip made with whole quinoa, flax seeds, chia seeds and sun- flower seeds, and is launching in three flavors: Salty Sweet Kettle, Aged White Cheddar and Sea Salt & Olive Oil, and is available in family-size four-ounce bags and single serve one-ounce bags. The product contains 22g of whole grains, is USDA Organic, and Non- GMO Project Verified. "We expect the Salty Sweet Kettle flavor to be the consumers' favorite, although I personally love the plain Sea Salt with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)," Benz said. The Awesome Organics "This Popcorn is Awesome" is a new take on the exploding ready-to-eat popcorn mar- ket. "Affordable USDA Organic Popcorn that's delicious and fun to eat; our popcorn has 50 percent less fat than the leading brand and tastes better, lighter and crunchier," Benz said. "Our popcorn is truly better-for-you, containing only 35 calories per cup, and only 5g of fat or less per serv- ing compared to 10g of the leading competitors. Like our Awesome Organics Popcorn Chips, our Popcorn is non- GMO Project Verified, kosher certified and gluten free certified," he added. The Awesome Organics Popcorn is launch- ing in four flavors: Sea Salt & Olive Oil, Black Pepper & Truffle Oil, Movie Theater Butter and delicious Aged White Cheddar, and is available in fam- ily-size 5-ounce bags and single serve 0.75-ounce bags. Just like all of the Snack Innovations products, the Awesome Organics line is popped; not fried, kettle cooked or extruded, so they're low in fat and calories. They also have no artificial flavors or preservatives and zero MSG and trans fats. "Most consumers today don't want to eat unnecessary calories or fat, and are fans of the popped products because they know they're getting less of the bad stuff and lots more of the good stuff," Benz said. "Awesome Organics is the perfect better for you snack product deliver- ing on both taste and health, and although they're organic, Awesome Organics products are affordable," Benz added. Snack Innovations is a leading manufacturer of better- for-you snacks, specializing in innovative popped products. It produces a wide range of items for the private label market, and markets many items under several house brands. It is the maker of the Gourmet Basics brand Smart Fries, Slim Chips, Pop Rings and Popcorn, the Eatragous brand Penne Chips, and the new Awesome Organics brand This Chip is Awesome, and This Popcorn is Awesome. "We're constantly introducing new products, giving the consumer more bet- ter-for-you snacking choices, and moms love our innovative and delicious fun- to-eat products," said Benz. For more information, email sales@ awesomeorganicsnacks.com or go to www.awesomeorganicsnacks.com.