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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2017 n GOURMET NEWS N H 1 7 8 came with all the different components of building my very own taco made it a fun and exciting meal experience. That's just what we aimed to do with our ketchups and bar- becue sauces, so we're bringing that fun to a cuisine that has become so much more main- stream in American cuisine than it was when I was a kid. Let's face it, with how busy we all are these days with work, kids and man- aging everything in between, we're always looking for shortcuts in the kitchen that don't sacrifice quality and deliver in flavor. GN: Tell our readers about the line. JH: We're unveiling our first three flavors for the line at Expo West and they are Ap- proachably Mild, Uniquely Korean and Ac- tually Spicy. All of the sauces are organic and gluten free, because those are staples of our company and we weren't willing to com- promise on either of those characteristics. We're calling them taco sauces because that is the obvious application, but because our ingredients are so simple and clean, they are great to cook with. GN: What are some ways you think people will use the sauces? JH: Nachos, rice bowls, breakfast – they are going to make some super mixers for cock- tails like Bloody Marys or margaritas. For sure on sandwiches – banh mis, sloppy joes and burgers, to name a few! GN: Tell our readers about each of the new flavors. JH: The Approachably Mild is just that. It's a sauce with my three-year-old daugh- ter's palate in mind that is super flavorful, but not at all spicy. On top of our tomato base, we add carrots, citrus and bell pep- per. The sauce is bright and earthy, and for me, incredibly nostalgic. Next is our Actu- ally Spicy. We say if kick in the pants had a flavor, this would be it. Those same tomatoes in our other products get kicked up with three different kinds of spicy pep- pers that create different levels of heat sen- sations at the beginning, middle and end. Last is our Uniquely Korean, which is probably our most nuanced sauce of the line. It's also tomato-based, but gets some sweetness from tamari, some umami from miso and a little bit of heat from both Bird's Eye chile and gochugaru (Korean red pepper). GN: When will the sauces be on store shelves? JH: We're eyeing a May launch date, and I know it will be here before we know it! 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. Red Duck (Cont'd. from p. 1) through trade channels and signature brand licenses, like Kahlua ® and Emeril ® , because according to Nielson's Global New Product Innovation Survey, 2015, 60 percent of con- sumers have shown that they prefer to pur- chase products from familiar brands. Presently, more than 12,000 retail chain stores carry White Coffee products. The company has approximately 2,500 cus- tomers, many including national retail lead- ers and foodservice customers. They find White Coffee's experienced sales and mar- keting support available, virtually all of the time. White Coffee's manufacturing/operating space features 12 packaging machines, in- cluding retail bag and multiple single cup formats (Keurig ® , BioCup ® , and Nespresso ® compatible). The facility offers ample capac- ity for the largest demands and flexibility for small runs during product trial. Multiple hot chocolate packing machines allow more than 30 million cup production. Product quality is essential to the com- pany, and to its customers. White Coffee has reached SQF Level 3 certification by NSF International, Certified Organic by the Quality Assurance International, Fair Trade Certified by Transfair USA, Rain- forest Alliance Certified, Kosher via The Orthodox Union and approved by the Green Restaurant Association. White Coffee is a Women-Owned business and a member of the Women's Business En- terprise Council, the Specialty Coffee Association and National Coffee Associ- ations. Look for more innovative offerings like "Organic Cold Brew" and "National Geo- graphic Coffees of the World" from White Coffee, and let the company help you to create your signature product, as only it can. For more information, go to www.white coffee.com or call 800.221.0140. White Coffee (Cont'd. from p. 1) price point. With more than 40 years in the nut butter business, Once Again Nut Butter's em- ployee-owners are proud to make such a de- licious product. Cashew butter is excellent in a sandwich, and is a versatile ingredient for savory as well as sweet recipes, to make de- licious sauces, spreads, smoothies and baked goods. In fact, it has an entire deck of chef- developed recipes, starring its cashew butter. As with all of the company's nut butters, your customers benefit from buying a product that is vegan, kosher certified, gluten-free certified and non-GMO veri- fied. Its glass jars are superior for packag- ing, with excellent barrier properties that not only keep external contaminants and odors from the product but also prevent oxygen from entering and causing spoilage. Its nut butters have a longer shelf life and require no preservatives. Unlike plastic, glass has the advantage of a mini- mal carbon footprint, as glass can be recy- cled endlessly, with minimal energy consumption to melt down and re-manu- facture. Plus, the glass jars are handy for re-use in the kitchen, in the shop and for crafts and storage containers. Sustainabil- ity has been fundamental at Once Again since the company started in 1976. Visit Once Again Nut Butter at booth #2616. For more information, go to www.once againnutbutter.com. Once Again Nut Butter (Cont'd. from p. 1) Egg Innovations: Freedom Tastes Better Customers keep telling Egg Innovations that its free range and pasture raised eggs taste better. They say that the fantastic flavor comes from the certified humanely raised hens being able to do what chickens natu- rally do. During the days, the hens are free to roam inside and out of the barn to forage, scratch, dust-bathe, run and flap with plenty of opportunity for social interaction. In the evening, hens return to state-of-the-art air- quality and temperature-controlled barns where they can safely feed, drink, nest and roost in comfort. In addition to foraging, hens are fed a healthy diet of organic and Non-GMO Project Verified grains (corn, wheat, soybean), minerals and vitamins – with no antibiotics, hormones, GMOs or an- imal by-products. You'll even see the differ- ence in its family farm fresh eggs: thick brown shells, tall dark yolks with firm whites. Family owned and operated, Egg Innova- tions puts the care of its chickens, people and planet into every decision it makes, every action it takes – all to provide customers with the very best tasting, family farm fresh eggs available. It proudly traces its farming his- tory back more than 100 years to 1913, when Herbert Brunnquell purchased a 120-acre homestead in Port Washington, Wisconsin, that still remains with the family. Its focus is on moving animal welfare forward and bringing fam- ily farming back. The company holds to the highest Humane Farm An- imal Care (HFAC) "Certi- fied Humane" standards. It also provides some of the best financial returns and longest contracts in America to its local family farm partners throughout the Midwest and South. From its family to yours, great tasting free range and pasture raised eggs you can feel good about in every way to nourish body and soul. Blue Sky Family Farms, proudly pre- sented by Egg Innovations, produces "Ethi- cal Eggs for the Humane Race." Egg Innovations is the nation's largest 100 percent free range and pasture raised egg company that believes in moving animal welfare forward and bringing family farming back. When it comes to humanely raised ethi- cal eggs, it's proud to think outside the barn, because cage free hens just can't. Visit Egg Innovations/Blue Sky Family Farms at booth #4082. For more informa- tion, visit www.egginnovations.com, www.blueskyfamilyfarms.com or call 800.337.1951. For sales assistance, call Steve Hagopian at 314.392.3835 or email shagopian@egginnovations.com. Prairie Farms Dairy and Swiss Valley Farms Agree to Merge Prairie Farms Dairy and Swiss Valley Farms have entered into a merger agreement. Both companies are farmer-owned dairy coopera- tives and recognized leaders within the dairy industry. The combined entity will bring to- gether two well-known brands and will ex- pand sales opportunities for both cooperatives. Under the terms of the agreement, Prairie Farms will merge the assets of Swiss Valley Farms into Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. Assets include five manufacturing plants that pro- duce cheese and whey powder. Swiss Valley Farms Chief Executive Officer Chris Hoeger will continue to oversee the operation of the plants. The combined company will operate under the name Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. The terms of the merger agreement must be ap- proved by cooperative members from both companies. "The merger with Swiss Valley was driven by our commitment to build value for our cooperative members and is consis- tent with our growth strategy. Swiss Val- ley's contributions will allow us to diversify our product portfolio and expand into new markets," said Ed Mullins, Exec- utive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Prairie Farms. Chris Hoeger, Swiss Valley's Chief Exec- utive Officer, stated, "We are very excited to be joining forces with Prairie Farms. This merger offers numerous benefits for our co- operative members and is an ideal opportu- nity to bring together two industry leaders. We will leverage the strengths of both com- panies to offer a broader range of products and to enhance and expand relationships with customers." As Prairie Farms and Swiss Valley collab- orate on pre-merger integration activities, their employees and customers can expect a business-as-usual environment. If approved, the deal is expected to close mid-2017. Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful dairy coopera- tives in the Midwest, with over 600 farm families, 5,700 employees, 35 manufacturing plants, over 100 distribution facilities and an- nual sales of over $3 billion. With headquar- ters in Carlinville, Illinois, the Prairie Farms distribution footprint covers over 30 percent of the United States. Swiss Valley Farms is a dairy cooperative, headquartered in Davenport, Iowa, with five cheese production facilities that manufacture award-winning Swiss, Baby Swiss, Blue, Gorgonzola, Cream Cheese, Neufchatel, Gouda and Sweet Whey. Swiss Valley also produces pasteurized process cheeses, cold pack club blends, enzyme-modified cheeses and cheese analogs.

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