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www.gourmetnews.com n JUNE 2016 n GOURMET NEWS GOURMET NEWS 1 5 0 Beaverton Foods Dominates at Recent Mustard Competition with Four Gold Medals Oregon's 87-year-old specialty condiment manufacturer has done it again – taking home a grand total of eight awards, four of them Gold medals – at the 21st annual World-Wide Mustard Competition. The event involved more than 100 judges at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wis- consin. The global competition has included entries from as far away as Japan, Greece and Sweden. Barry Levenson, Curator of the National Mustard Mu- seum, noted in an email: "The rest of the world is 'yellow with envy' of Beaverton's long dominance at the World- Wide Mustard Competition." Here is a listing of Beaverton Foods' award winners, cat- egories and medals: Gold, Sweet Hot: Inglehoffer Sweet Hot Mustard; Gold, Pepper Hot (Scorching Hot): Inglehof- fer Ghost Pepper Mustard; Gold, Horseradish/Wasabi: In- glehoffer Hot Horseradish Mustard; Gold, Fruit: Beaver Cranberry Mustard; Silver, Classic Hot: Beaver Brand Dus- seldorf Mustard; Silver, Horseradish/Wasabi: Inglehoffer Horseradish Wasabi Mustard; Bronze, Pepper Hot (Mild to Medium): Inglehoffer Sweet Hot Mustard; and Bronze, Herb/Veggie: Inglehoffer Creamy Dill. Domonic Biggi, Chief Executive Officer of Beaverton Foods, said the fourth generation family owned and oper- ated company is proud to be a long-time participant in the renowned international mustard competition. "It's humbling to say we have won more than 150 medals at this annual competition," Biggi said. "We are especially pleased that our new Inglehoffer Ghost Pepper Mustard was selected for a Gold medal. Additionally, we're grateful that culinary experts around the world like our products." The annual competition is open to all commercial mus- tard producers and agents worldwide. There are 16 flavor categories of which there are gold, silver and bronze awards given to the contestants. Since 1995, judges consisting of chefs, food writers and mustard aficionados have blind tasted the mustards in the competition. A list of all the medal winners can be seen at the museum website: www.mustardmuseum.com. The National Mustard Museum holds the world's largest collection of mustards and mustard memorabilia. Beaverton Foods' Beaver Brand and Inglehoffer are the leading shelf-stable horseradish and award-winning spe- cialty mustards in the U.S. and it is the largest Safe Quality Food (SQF) certified processor of authentic wasabi products in North America. The company also offers a wide variety of best-selling gourmet sauces, garlic, spices and other unique specialty condiments packaged under these labels: Beaver, Inglehoffer, Napa Valley, Tulelake and Pacific Farms. In addition to its own brands, the company develops, produces and co-packs a broad range of products for com- panies in the U.S. and abroad. About Beaverton Foods Since 1929, the privately held Beaverton Foods has thrived by following wholesome business practices set in place by Founder Rose Biggi (pronounced Bee Gee). What started in Rose's basement, grinding and bottling homegrown horseradish roots, has now grown to a family owned, mul- timillion dollar corporation with more than 150 specialty condiments. These products are sold in mainstream grocery and specialty foods stores, restaurants and gourmet shops throughout the U.S. and in 12 foreign countries. Today, Rose's son Gene Biggi serves as company Chair- man. Chief Exectuive Officer Domonic Biggi refers to his father as the "Maestro of Mustard" and "Master Innova- tor." Gene Biggi first developed his palate for developing unique specialty condiments from his mother Rose's kitchen as a kid. He was the first in the nation to develop and bottle Chinese Hot Mustard and Honey Mustard. Domonic says his father is actively involved in all new product development. Fourth generation Jeff Biggi says of his grandfather: "He is self-made … he created the category niches; there was no jalapeno, fruit or whole grain categories when he started developing mustards in the 1950s." Industry professionals share the same sentiments about Gene Biggi. National Mustard Museum Curator Barry Lev- enson called Gene "fearless" in the art of mustard making. "Gene Biggi never ceases to amaze me," he noted. "He still comes up with new mustard flavors that seem to anticipate the hottest trends in taste. Gene is not only imaginative; he is also fearless. Not every flavor will take off, but he is willing to commit to adventurous flavors." The company has 70 employees at its 70,000-square-foot headquarters based in Hillsboro, Oregon. In addition to its HACCP program the fourth generation family owned com- pany also has the following certifications: kosher, organic, gluten-free and SQF (Safe Quality Food). For more information, visit www.beavertonfoods.com. Colavita Receives the North American Olive Oil Association Quality Seal For nearly 40 years, family-owned Colavita USA LLC has been importing and distributing quality extra virgin olive oil. Recently Colavita has entered its Premium Selection Extra Virgin Olive Oil line in the North American Olive Oil Association (NAOOA) Quality Seal Program. The NAOOA Seal makes it easy for consumers to identify olive oil that has been tested for both quality and authenticity according to the International Olive Council (IOC) standards. One key difference with the NAOOA Certified Quality Seal and other programs is that brands participating in this program agree to have samples taken at least twice each year directly from the retail marketplace, in the same manner any con- sumer would purchase them. "Quality and consistency are what our family brand is all about", said Giovanni Colavita, Chief Executive Officer of Colavita USA. "We want consumers to know that when they buy Colavita, they are getting the best olive oil at a price they can afford." Colavita, credited with pioneering the introduction of extra virgin olive oil to America, continues to be a leader in the olive oil industry and persistently strives to earn the trust of consumers. Colavita was the first major brand of olive oil in the United States to adopt dark green bottles which extend olive oil's shelf life by protecting it from light, one of olive oil's natural enemies. As an active member of NAOOA, Colavita is required to follow the strict quality control standards established by the IOC. About Colavita USA The Colavita family has been exporting authentic Italian extra virgin olive oil for four generations. Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil is recognized as the trusted family brand in the U.S. and has earned awards from renowned cooking publications such as Fine Cooking and Cook's Illustrated and general-interest magazines like Men's Health. Colavita specialty products including durum wheat semolina pasta, a full selection of balsamic and wine vine- gars, traditional and organic pasta sauces, and olive-canola blended oils are the ingredients of choice for chefs in home, restaurant and professional kitchens alike. Colavita also markets marinated vegetables and spreads, all prepared ac- cording to Colavita family tradition. For more information, visit www.colavita.com.