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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n SEPTEMBER 2016 n GOURMET NEWS N H 4 4 Frantoio Grove Wins Best in Class in New York Competition By Lorrie Baumann Fifteen years ago, Jeff Martin was a Califor- nia real estate developer with 100 acres near Silicon Valley zoned for residential use on five-acre lots. Today, he's the creator of Frantoio Grove, one of the two American olive oils to win Best in Class awards at this year's New York International Olive Oil Competition, and he doesn't plan to go back to building houses for a living. Tasting notes for the medium frantoio oil from the United States noted "aromas of fruit, green grass, almond and notes of pear. Taste exhibits abundant fruitiness, green grass, sweetness, bitterness, vigorous pun- gency and notes of artichoke, with excep- tional harmony, a high complexity and a high persistence." Frantoio Grove oils have pre- viously won gold awards in the 2015 and 2014 NYIOOC and a silver award in the 2013 competition. Frantoio Grove made only about 4,000 gal- lons of the oil this year, with most of it des- tined to be sold by California retailers in the San Francisco Bay area. That market is big enough to use all the olive oil that Martin's ever going to make from his 30-acre olive grove, which has the potential to produce up to around 100 tons of olives when the 3,500 trees reach full production. The trees are all frantoio olives, an Italian varietal common in Tuscany that makes an oil with markedly more pungency and spice than the the mild, buttery-flavored oils favored by most Cali- fornia producers. That comes from a decision that Martin made way back when he was planning to build houses on that land. Under the existing zoning laws in Santa Clara County, where the grove is located, Martin could have built 20 houses on that land, each on five acres. But he knew that five acres was a lot of land for the Silicon Valley home buy- ers he was hoping to attract – too much land. So he agreed with the county that he'd group the homes onto smaller lots within 70 acres and dedicate the remaining 30 acres to per- manent open space, keeping the overall pop- ulation density the same. Then he and his wife Pam had to figure out how to use that 30 acres. Under the open space agreement, agriculture was a permitted use, and the logical move might have been to plant grapes on the property, since Mar- tin's family had been growing grapes in Yolo and Napa Counties since 1870 and his mother and brother are currently growing grapes in Sonoma County. Experts assured him that the land would work for a vineyard. Martin, thought, though, that California al- ready had enough people growing grapes, and he wanted to do something a little differ- ent. The couple decided on olives, and then, still in pursuit of something a little different, they did a lot of tasting of various varietal oils and decided that they liked the Frantoio oil best. "I really like this Frantoio fruit. Most of the oil grown in California is Mis- sion or Arbequina, which make lovely oils. This is a little more pungent and has a differ- ent character," he said. "I knew that if I want to sell this stuff, it has to have distinctiveness in the market. The bad news is that I have to pick everything by hand, so it's a pretty ex- pensive oil to produce." He planted his trees in 2005 and got his first harvest of nine tons of fruit in 2011. For this year's oil, Martin's picking crew picked 50 tons of olives, all by hand, in late October and early November of 2015 and delivered it to Frantoio Grove's on-site olive mill within minutes of picking. The picking crew showed up for work at first light, about 6:30 a.m. at that time of year, to rake the olives from the trees and catch them in nets so they could put the day's first bin of olives on the mill's dock at about 7:15. That short time between when the olives are ready to be picked and when they're crushed for their oil is critical to the quality of the product, Mar- tin said. "It's critical for me to have the mill ready when my harvest is ready," he said. "When the fruit is driven up to the mill, it's in the crusher within minutes. It's not sitting outside waiting for my turn at somebody else's mill." The other 70 acres in the parcel is still waiting for houses to be built on it, but it's probably going to be someone else who does that. Martin has moved on. "I used to be a house builder. I don't feel like a house builder any more," he said. "I've put a lot of energy into this olive grove, and I find it completely satisfying... Even the mun- dane things like bottling – it's sort of my mid-life crisis, in a way. It's kind of a cool industry." He's counting on Americans' tastes in olive oil to grow beyond the California extra virgins they're already familiar with. "I think Americans are ready for varietal difference. As a small niche player, there are people who are going to say yes to a spicier frantoio," he said. "This is an oil to finish with. It's fine to cook with it, but you might use a less expen- sive oil to cook, and then when you come off the flame, get a bit of an olive kick with this frantoio." Wild Planet Foods Embarks on Land-Based Products Wild Planet Foods is venturing off-sea into the development of land-based food with the launch of its new Organic Roasted Chicken Breast. Moving from fin to feather, the new Or- ganic Roasted Chicken Breast is the first non-seafood item in Wild Planet's line. While this is a new category for the com- pany, the addition fits harmoniously with Wild Planet's mission to provide consumers with food options that are healthful for the body and wildly good for our planet. Wild Planet's Organic Roasted Chicken Breast features USDA Certified Organic Free- Range Chicken raised on an organic diet – featuring non-GMO corn grown on land that is free of chemicals fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. "Our new chicken, along with all future land-based items that will follow from Wild Planet Foods, is sourced from organ- ically operated farms – which is essentially the land-based equivalent of pole and line fishing," said Founder of Wild Planet Foods Bill Carvalho. "At Wild Planet, we believe there is really no difference be- tween being a steward of the land as well as the sea. It's a known fact that chemical runoff from conventional farming practices has had a negative effect on our waterways which ultimately lead to our oceans – cre- ating dead zones that make it impossible for sea life to survive. Offering products like our new Roasted Chicken Breast not only allows Wild Planet the privilege of supporting and advocating for organic farms and farmers, but it's also a step to- wards keeping our waterways and oceans healthy and supportive of a viable, healthy marine environment." Wild Planet's new Organic Roasted Chicken Breast contains only two ingredi- ents – chicken seasoned with sea salt. There is also a no salt added version available. Wild Planet Organic Roasted Chicken Breast pro- vides 40 percent more chicken than other five-ounce can offerings, due to the fact that only Wild Planet roasts their chicken without the addition of added water, liquids or fillers that are commonly found in other brands. The flavorful, natural juices remain to pro- vide a delicious rotisserie taste. This new Or- ganic Roasted Chicken Breast can be used to make sandwiches, soups, burritos, and is an especially great salad topper. Wild Planet's Organic Roasted Chicken is available nationwide in supermarkets and natural food stores for a suggested retail price of $5.49. For more information about Wild Planet Foods, visit www.wildplanetfoods.com. Honey Stinger: Pure, Natural Energy In 1954, beekeeper Ralph Gamber and his wife Luella created the EN-R-G Bar as a healthy snack alternative to candy bars – "EN" for energy, "R" for Ralph and "G" for Gamber. Around the same time, they also in- troduced two-ounce packets of honey for a quick boost of energy with the words "quick energy" on each packet. While Ralph and Luella were on to something with honey, the market was not quite ready for energy foods at that time. Fifty years later, Ralph and Luella's grand- son, Bill, and Bill Jr., re-established EN-R- G Foods, Inc. as "Honey Stinger" in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Bill Jr. had participated in triathlons for many years and witnessed firsthand the growth of the energy bar and gel category, but he knew that honey was an ingredient that not only tasted great, but worked in training and competition. Join- ing them in the creation of the new brand were food industry veteran Bob Stahl and third generation bee keeper John Miller. Honey Stinger was then founded with one simple goal in mind: provide great tasting energy foods made with natural ingredients and most importantly – honey. Why honey? More than just a popular nat- ural sweetener, honey has a vast array of health benefits that date back 3,000 years to the Ancient Egyptian tombs. Rich in carbo- hydrates and lower on the glycemic index scale, honey is an ideal fuel for athletes to use before, during and after exercise. When eaten before activity, honey is released into the system at a steady rate through- out the activity as muscle fuel for exercising mus- cles. When eaten during exercise, honey helps muscles stay nourished longer while delaying fatigue – an effective alternative to highly-refined sugars found in other sports drinks and bars. Research also shows that in- gesting a combination of carbohydrates such as honey and protein immediately following exercise refuels and decreases muscle sore- ness. As an added bonus, the honey makes Honey Stinger's products taste great. Made with True Source Certified Honey Stinger Or- ganic Wildflower Honey from Brazil, Honey Stinger products include Organic Stinger Waffles, Organic Energy Chews, Organic En- ergy Gels, Classic Energy Gels, 10g Protein Bars, Energy Bars, Or- ganic Wildflower Honey, Kids' Organic Waffles, Kids' Organic Chews and now Gluten Free Organic Stinger Waffles and lower sugar Snack Bars. While Bill Gamber Jr. may not race com- petitively any longer, he and the staff of Honey Stinger are still active, testing product at every opportunity in the company's ideal location in the mountains of Colorado. From lunchtime road bike rides to trail runs and company campouts, to skiing deep powder on the weekends, Honey Stinger tests its products in the field and its growing base of active con- sumers is helping grow sales rapidly. For more information, stop by booth #2211 or go to www.honeystinger.com.

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