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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2017 n GOURMET NEWS N H 8 8 Passage to India Sauces Booming in America Passage to India™ Simmer Sauce range, the No. 1 Indian sauce brand in Australia, has been available in the U.S. since 2008. Con- sisting of four different all natural sauces, each is a recipe of traditional ethnic cuisine created to deliver authentic restaurant quality flavor with all natural ingredients. The range consists of Rogan Josh, Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken and Korma sauces. With spices sourced directly from various regions of India and Southeast Asia, each product is free of gluten, corn flour, MSG and preserv- atives, and is non-GMO. "With the Asian American population now resting at near five percent of total U.S. pop- ulation, we are seeing sizable growth in the consumption of Asian-influenced foods," noted Passage Foods USA Founder Mark MacKenzie. "The ethnic food market is a $12.5 billion industry in the U.S., and while Hispanic foods remains the category leader, the Asian retail segment is valued at near $1.6 billion. The Asian restaurant segment grew over 7.2 percent in recent years and the num- ber of retail grocery offerings is only now developing as more people try cooking Indian, Thai and Asian foods at home," said MacKenzie. "The Australian consumer has a high demand for natural ingredients in their convenience foods and the Passage to India range has none of the preservatives and fillers that many of the existing products in the U.S. category currently contain," stated MacKenzie. "Our sauces are a part of a sim- ple three-step meal solution that satisfy the needs of the time-starved consumer. You add meat, seafood or vegetable to the sauce, sim- mer and serve over rice for a complete gour- met meal in under 20 minutes." About Passage Foods USA Passage Foods USA is an affiliate of Flavour Makers Pty. Ltd., the second largest seasoning and fla- voring system manufacturer in Aus- tralia. All Passage Foods Simmer Sauces are manufactured in the company's state-of-the-art BRC certified production facilities in Melbourne and conform to some of the most stringent and clean product manu- facturing requirements in the world. For additional product and consumer market information, call 800.860.1045 or visit Passage Foods online at www.passage foods.com. Gruyère AOP Announces Winners of 2016 Scholarship Contest, Trip to Switzerland The Interprofession du Gruyère has an- nounced the winner of its 2016 'Scholarship' Contest, launched at the American Cheese So- ciety 2016 Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. Part of the news is that there is not a single winner, but three! The judges felt that the quality of the competition, held among Certi- fied Cheese Professionals ® , was so extraordi- nary that choosing multiple victors was the only way to properly honor the endeavor. The winners will receive a trip to the Gruyères Region of Switzerland in the Spring of 2017, where they will travel to sev- eral areas within the PDO (Protected Desig- nation of Origin, or AOP in French), and discover the special properties of the people and the region that create Gruyère AOP. In order to earn their prize, the competitors had to answer a series of questions regarding Gruyère AOP, and were then asked to high- light an aspect of Gruyère AOP and present it – in a recipe, a showcase, etc. The esteemed panel of judges consisted of Peggy Smith (President of the American Cheese Society), Lassa Skinner (journalist and owner of Culture - The Word on Cheese magazine) and Alexandre Herrmann (Director of Swiss Tourism Americas). After much thoughtful consideration, they agreed to honor the following three contest winners (listed al- phabetically by last name): Ann Campbell, Di Bruno Bros - Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania, USA; Izzy Creveling, Pastoral Cheese Company - Auburn, Washington, USA; and Wendy Johnson, Whole Foods Market – West Des Moines, Iowa, USA. As the winners visit with milk producers, cheese makers and refiners from various areas within the region, they will learn, but will also teach – they will be asked to discuss their work, so that Gruyère AOP can better serve their needs in the U.S. going for- ward. Gruyère AOP has stated that it is proud to have the opportunity to present its process to these important members of the U.S. cheese market, and to introduce representatives of its partners in production, without whom its out- standing product would not be possible. As the company says, "Without excellent milk, a cheese maker with enduring skill and longstanding know-how, and a refiner that takes proper and round-the-clock care of the cheeses, Gruyère AOP is not pos- sible. The respect for the heritage of Le Gruyère AOP is indeed the reason for all of its success." The Interprofession du Gruyère represents the milk pro- ducers (2200), cheesemakers (165 village cheese makers, and 53 alpine cheese makers) and refiners (9) of Gruyère AOP Switzer- land. Responsibilities of the Interprofession include overseeing, controlling the quality, the quantities and the marketing of Gruyère AOP Switzerland, as well as the defense of the trademark and PDO in the U.S. and worldwide. More information on Gruyère AOP Switzer- land can be found at www.gruyere.com. Monte Pollino Offers Customers Every Day Gourmet The Monte Pollino brand has a full line of Italian inspired specialty foods, including extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, tapenades, tomato sauces, grains and olives. The brand was created to offer authentic style Italian foods at an excellent value. "We want people to be able to experience the tastes of Italy, without breaking the bank," noted Francesco Lettieri, Chief Exec- utive Officer at Lettieri & Co. Monte Pollino was established in 1993 and has been offered at grocers and specialty food stores in the San Francisco Bay Area ever since. In 2015, Lettieri and his marketing team worked with world renowned designer, Primo Angeli, to completely redesign the entire line. "We wanted to streamline the brand and give it a look that better reflects the high- quality products that are behind the label," said Zach Wise, Sales and Marketing Man- ager at Lettieri & Co. Lettieri & Co. worked hard to find the right products to fit into the Monte Pollino brand. "You can't just slap your label on anything," said Lettieri, while discussing Monte Pollino's future. "I have to know exactly what is going into each and every product that has our name on it." Lettieri travels the world in search of the best products to include in the Monte Pollino line. Monte Pollino includes several organic offer- ings along with the full line of quality products. Organic extra virgin olive oil, organic balsamic vinegar, and recently added organic farro and barley help round out the brand. "We are always looking to expand and add unique and delicious products to this great line". For more information, go to www.lettieri.com, call 415.657.3392 or email lettieri@lettieri.com. Red Duck Foods Delivers Surprising Twists on Familiar Favorites "When was the last time you were excited about ketchup?" That was a question Co- Founders Karen Bonner, Jess Hilbert and Shannon Oliver had a hard time answering just four years ago as graduate students in business school. Ketchup and other condi- ments had gotten a bad rap due to sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup and other sta- bilizers and preservatives. In their travels, they had experienced incredible sauces and even flavored ketchups, so they thought the potential was there. With the goal of making better sauces with better ingredients, Red Duck Foods was born. In May 2013, Red Duck launched its signature line of ketchups – Smoky, Curry and Spicy – into six stores in Eugene, Ore- gon. Now, based in Portland, Oregon, Red Duck Foods is an organic condiment com- pany that takes pride in crafting unique twists on familiar favorites. Its product line has grown to 11 different offerings: four ketchups (Smoky, Curry, Spicy and Origi- nal), three BBQ Sauces (Smoked Apple- wood Molasses, Sweet Mustard Peppercorn and Hot Honey Chipotle), a cocktail sauce and its newest line of taco sauces (Approach- ably Mild, Actually Spicy and Uniquely Ko- rean). Red Duck's products have distribution in most of the United States. All of the sauces are USDA-Organic, gluten-free, vegetarian and tend to have around 50 percent less sugar and sodium than their conventional counterparts. "When people ask what sets Red Duck apart, it's easy for us to point to our organic certification and the super positive feedback we've gotten on our packaging design," said Founder and Fi- nance Lead Karen Bonner. "But really, the best way for people to understand why Red Duck is different is to try them. We are continually flattered and ex- cited about the overwhelmingly positive feedback we get about our products." Tomatoes play a very significant role in delivering these flavors. "Our tomato-based products are very tomato-forward," noted Founder and Operations Lead Shannon Oliver. "Our tomatoes are grown in the Cen- tral Valley of California and they go from field to purée in less than four hours. They are harvested during the peak summer sea- son, so you're really tasting that California sunshine in every bite." Jess Hilbert, the third Founder and Mar- keting/Sales Lead, points to the versatility of the sauces as a major selling point. "Our in- gredients are really honest and simple. Be- cause of that, they are all phe- nomenal to cook with," she noted. She also points to the ever-growing recipe section of the website as a collection of some of the atypical ways their products can be integrated into any meal. Red Duck's newest product line, organic taco sauces, is making its initial splash at Expo West. With a keen eye on the Millennial consumer, these sauces will offer a quick and flavorful shortcut for weeknight meals and weekend fiestas alike. All Red Duck products come in cases of six and are available in most areas of the country. Suggested retail prices, depending on the product line, range from $4.99 to $6.99. Visit Red Duck at booth #H323 in the Hilton. For more information, follow the company on social media, go to www.redduckfoods.com or email info@redduckfoods.com

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