Oser Communications Group

GourmET nEWS oCTobEr 2016 www.gourmetnews.com Supplier News SuPPliEr nEWS 1 4 BRIEFS by lorriE bAumAnn Away out West where the sun sets over the ocean, Bradley Bennett is a pickle-packing pro. He's the founder of Pacific Pickle Works, which is making a name for itself as a maker of some of the zippiest garnishes you can plunk into a cocktail. Last year Pacific Pickle Works' Jalabeaños won a Good Food Award, and this year, Brussizzle Sprouts won the Specialty Food Association's sofi Award for the best appe- tizer and Asparagusto! won a Best of Show award from the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition. "That run of victories was kind of fun!" commented Bennett, Pa- cific Pickle Works' Principal Pickle. Those are on top of awards for the company's Bloody Mary Elixir from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Los Angeles In- ternational Spirits Competition and the SIP Awards, an international spirits competition in which consumers are enlisted to judge. Bennett defines the Pacific Pickle Works product line as a West Coast take on pick- les. "So much of the pickle tradition in the U.S. is an old East Coast, New York kind of a thing that came mostly from European immigrants who brought their tradition over," he said. "We saw that as an opportu- nity to do something a little different." The West Coast influence gave the Pacific Pickle Works products their Latin flavors inspired by the cuisine to be found in the local taquerias and Asian-inspired flavor fu- sions like Fenn Shui, for instance, which is a fennel root pickled in a rice vinegar blend spiced with citrus zest, ginger and Thai chili. The Asian-influenced ingredients make a nice complement to the fennel root, which doesn't work with a traditional sa- vory treatment, Bennett said. "We're just sort of paying homage to those kinds of things – using chiles, keeping everything very fresh and crisp," he added. Pacific Pickle Works also relies heavily on southern California's bounty of pro- duce. Bennett buys much of his produce from local organic farmers the day after it's picked, and then it's in the jar soon af- terwards. The speed of that transition from field to pickle jar produces a product with both extra crispness and fresh taste, he said. Bennett's been playing with combina- tions of local produce and spices for about a decade, making batches of pickles and handing them out as gifts to friends and family before he started selling them to a few local Santa Barbara retailers in 2011. The pickle packing continued to be a small side project for the next few years, but then more retailers started spotting his pickles on their competitors' shelves and began coming to him. By late 2012, Ben- nett realized he had a full-time business on his hands and started looking for ways to increase his production with the construction of a new facility to take the place of the shared space in which he'd been working, trading his pickles for the use of a kitchen. He found an old warehouse and built a kitchen into it, leaving the rest of the space as storage for his pallets of jars and the product that's waiting to be shipped. The new facility opened in September, 2015, and the in- creased capacity has meant that Bennett was able to team up with a distributor and expand the distribution of his products outside southern California. "We make everything here, by hand. No outsourcing, no copacking of anything," Bennett said. "It has really changed things for us – allow- ing us to scale our business to these new demands." Retail prices for Pacific Pickle Works products range from $8.99 to $10.99 de- pending on variety. For more information, visit www.pacificpickleworks.com. GN Prize-Winning Pacific Pickle Works Expands Production STouFFEr'S Simplifying recipes STOUFFER's has embarked on an effort to simplify its recipes. This new initiative will focus on shortening and simplifying recipes and only including ingredients consumers might find at home, like vine-ripened tomatoes, freshly made pasta, and real mozzarella. This effort will begin with STOUFFER'S Lasagna with Meat and Sauce, one of the brand's classic offerings. The simpler recipe will now contain fewer ingredients, but keep the product's familiar taste. Over the next few years consumers will see similar renovations across existing and new products. The new Primal Adds Three new Hires The New Primal, which makes 100 percent grass-fed beef and free-range turkey jerky, has added three new employees to support the company's continued growth and product line expansion. Samantha Blatz has taken on the role of Senior Marketing Manager. Blatz comes to The New Primal from VaynerMedia, where she most recently worked as senior account executive. Jacquelyn Jeanes joins The New Primal team as the Senior Supply Manager. Most recently, she spent two years at High Brew Coffee where she worked as the supply chain and purchasing manager. Kelsey Diehl will serve as the company's Graphic Designer. Diehl joins The New Primal from Createspace, an Amazon company, where she oversaw various company design projects. Carrington Farms introduces organic Coconut Flour Carrington Farms introduced Organic Coconut Flour at this year's Natural Products Expo East. The naturally gluten-free flour is low in carbohydrates and high in fiber, and your Paleo customers will be interested in this alternative to wheat flour for breading their chicken tenders, ground turkey cutlets or their cauliflower steaks. Coconut flour can also be substituted for up to 20 percent of the wheat flour in many baked goods. Carrignton Farms Organic Coconut Flour is packaged in a 64-ounce resealable pouch that retails for about $13.99. The wholesale case is six pouches. It's available to ship now. Over the next few weeks, Carrington Farms will also be launching Organic Ghee and Coconut Avocado Cooking Oil. organic valley introduces Single-Serve Grassmilk yogurt Cups Organic Valley has introduced convenient 6- ounce Grassmilk Yogurt Cups in four varieties: Strawberry, Wild Blueberry, Plain and Vanilla. The 100 percent grass-fed yogurt cups appeal to people looking for premium yogurt with extraordinary flavor, nutritional excellence and grab-and-go convenience. Organic Valley's Grassmilk Yogurt cups feature cream-on-top, whole milk yogurt crafted from 100 percent grass-fed, non-homogenized organic Grassmilk milk, along with organic strawberries, organic wild blueberries, organic fair trade vanilla and live probiotic cultures. KeHE Natural Fall Show Highlights Care Trade Program KeHE Distributors, LLC hosted its annual Natural Fall Show in Anaheim, California, on September 7 and 8. The event drew more than 300 of KeHE's independent nat- ural retailers from across the West and Southwest to the Anaheim Convention Center for a two-day show. In addition to 51 shelves in the New Products Showcase filled with the latest natural food product innovation, two new, dedicated B Corp Showcase and Fair Trade Showcases high- lighted products from brands that are Fair Trade certified or share KeHE's certification as a B Corporation. KeHE's new Care Trade™ program is de- signed to use the power of the industry to impact lives around the world. In support of the program, the event offered a keynote panel presentation in which representatives from B Lab, Fair Trade, Tony's Chocolony, Guayaki and Bhakti Chai led a discussion about their organizations' shared commit- ment to making lives better to those in need. "KeHE is highly regarded for leading the natural and organic, specialty and fresh market as both a trend setter and a steward of social good," said Brandon Barnholt, President and CEO, KeHE. KeHE has also just opened its new LEED-certified distribution center in Col- orado. The new state-of-the-art 270,000- square-foot facility in Aurora, near Denver, joins KeHE's network of 17 distribution centers that provide natural, organic and specialty products to natural food stores, grocery stores and other specialty retail- ers throughout North America. "Our new site demonstrates our commitment to serv- ing a geographically diverse customer base and employing innovative practices and sustainability measures that enhance our operations," Barnholt said. "It's another exciting step in our journey as a Certified B Corp and as a trusted supplier to our customers." With LEED Gold certification, the facil- ity employs energy-efficient practices throughout its operations, from water heaters and HVAC to sky lights and light- ing controls. The new site also features LED lighting, recycled packaging material, and software devices to monitor electric usage. Nearly 80,000 square feet of freezer and cooler space accommodates an increas- ing range of fresh perimeter products and market demand. KeHE celebrated the opening of the new facility with a ribbon-cutting cere- mony and tours. KeHE's leadership team was joined by business and com- munity leaders, fel- low KeHE e m p l o y e e - o w n e r s , vendor and broker partners, and local officials including Au- rora Mayor Steve Hogan. The festivities culminated with a "pick & pack" activity to help area families in need. Guests volunteered to pack 1,000 boxes of food to benefit Children's Hunger Fund and Food Bank of the Rockies. Denver- based nonprofit Women's Bean Project do- nated 1,000 packets of soup for the effort. For more information, visit kehe.com. GN

• Cover