Oser Communications Group

The Pantry Hot Condiments and Sauces THE PANTRY KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW n MARCH 2017 n www.kitchenwarenews.com 1 8 Traina Foods Ketchups Offer Intense Tomato Flavor BY LORRIE BAUMANN A taste for ketchup is no longer the marker that divides the gourmet f rom the hoi polloi, and Traina Foods's new Sun Dried Tomato Ketchups are among the reasons for that. The company has now added a new Hot Sriracha Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup to its product line and promises that more premium ketchups are coming in 2017. While Traina Foods's Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup was already designed to appeal to the consumer who appreciates bold flavors, the new Hot Sriracha-flavored ketchup amps up the spiciness and works well on a taco or on scrambled eggs, says Willie Traina, the company's CEO and President. He's the third generation in this family-owned company that's now on its fourth generation in the business of producing dried f ruits sold as ingredients to many of the largest food companies in the U.S. as well as to foodservice suppliers and even in the little bags of dried cherries, apricots or tomatoes that grocers put in their produce aisles. Traina Foods currently dries 60 different f ruits in 14 dr ying facilities around the world and is behind more than 700 SKUs distributed across the country. "Our products are distributed in every state and in Canada," Traina said. "If you see sun-dried apricots or cherries in a restaurant, chances are that it came out of one of our facilities." About four years ago, the company decided to branch out just a bit and offer a product designed for the retail market – but without competing for the dollars already coming in for its packaged dried f ruit. So they decided to take their sun- dried tomatoes and make a ketchup out of them. "We felt like we could give people a ketchup experience that would go a little further than the typical sweet tomato paste-based ketchup that you typically see," Traina said. "Ultimately, we felt like we improved ketchup." Four pounds of f resh California tomatoes go into every bottle of the Traina Foods Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup. "We're packing a lot of tomato into our bottle of ketchup," Traina said. "When you sun-dry tomatoes, you're removing the water, and if you ever eat a really good sun-dried California tomato, they are really intense in flavor. When you make your tomato paste out of sun-dried tomatoes, your intensity is off the charts, and that's how we make a really great ketchup." The tomatoes for the ketchups are sourced f rom growers in California's Central Valley, following the season f rom Bakersfield in early summer to fields around Sacramento as the harvest season continues. "My dad's philosophy is that you have to bring in a great product to produce a great product," Traina said. "It starts in the field." W hile the Hot Sriracha Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup is the newest to be launched at retail, the Traina Foods product development team is currently working on other sun-dried tomato ketchups with a f ruit twist that Traina promises will add a fillip to foods that most people haven't yet thought of dousing with ketchup. "They won't be just for burgers and hot dogs," he said. "We're talking about being able to use a ketchup on fish or chicken." They're still in the development stage, so we may or may not get a taste of them at the Winter Fancy Food Show, but they'll definitely be available for tasting at Traina Foods' booth next summer. "I'm excited about it. It's something that we've really been excited about," Traina said. "O ur product development team worked really hard on the new products, and it's something that I'm really proud of." But of course, ketchup isn't the only way to use dried f ruits, and Traina Foods is working on other products that originate in family recipes. The latest of these is a line of flavored vodkas made f rom vodka derived f rom grapes and then soaked with dried f ruits and sold under the PORCH LIGHT Vodka brand. "It's an old recipe that my mother used to do," Traina said. "D uring the Prohibition, my grandfather used to make a little alcohol. He'd be in the barn behind the home. If grandma saw a lot of action or people who were coming around, she'd flip on the porch light, and he'd know to put things away." There are currently four flavors: Apricot, which is f rom the original family recipe; Strawberry; Fig and Sun Dried Tomato, which makes a Bloody Mary that Traina says is "scary good." The vodka has just launched at retail, with initial distribution in California and growing f rom there. It's great for sipping, great for blending," Traina said. "Enjoy life. Slow down a little bit. That's our philosophy – to slow down on life a little bit. It goes too quick." KN JNB Salsas Finding Fans Across the Globe BY LORRIE BAUMANN Barry Moore is known as "The Salsa Guy," co-Founder of JNB Specialty Foods and the "B" in JNB, the company he cofounded with his son, Jason, in 2011 after his retirement f rom the U.S. Postal Service. "After I retired, I rode my motorcycle for six months and golfed. And then winter came," he says. Once the winter sent his motorcycle to its space in the garage, Moore decided to pick up the threads on an idea he'd been weaving with his son, a talented chef, Barry had been been making the Bruschetta f rom an old family recipe and serving to f riends and family during the holidays. "Jason developed the Apple Corn salsa a year or two before the business started," Moore says. "He cooked it when he was going to watch a football game with his f riends. His f riends all raved about it, and we decided that when I'd retired, we'd do the Bruschetta and the Apple Corn Salsa." The two launched their business with 24 cases of product that they took to a local Women's Expo, where it became an instant hit. " We went there on Friday night, but on Sunday, we had three bottles of salsa left, and that was it," Moore says. "At that ver y first event, we were approached by a grocery store that wanted to sell the products. They actually had someone at the show who tried it." From there, the JNB's product line has grown to six products, now including Pineapple Salsa, Habanero Salsa, Red Pepper Salsa and Cranberry Chutney as well as the original Bruschetta and Apple Corn Salsa. "The products are all natural, gluten-f ree," Moore says. " This is something that we developed ourselves. We didn't copy it f rom anybody. We developed all these products ourselves, and we had a lot of fun doing it." "The Cranberry Chutney was because customers asked for something sweet," he continues. " The Habanero was because customers asked for heat. The Pineapple was because customers asked for sweet heat." Although JNB is still selling product at local events, where Moore enjoys the social contact, the products are also sold in about 140 to 150 stores, including sales in China that have come about through trade missions sponsored by the state of New York. Those started about a year and a half ago, when New York asked him if he'd be interested in going on a trade trip to China if the state paid a portion of his expenses for the trip. "I went to Beijing, went to a f ree trade zone, and got some interest there," he says. "In one week in China, I got some contacts and some distributors." That was in September, 2015, and then around the beginning of 2016, New York asked him if he'd be interested in another trip to a Chinese food show. "I said, 'I guess I'll do it,' and so I went to Chengdu," Moore says. In the U.S., the JNB Specialty Foods Salsas retail for about $4.29 to $5.30 or so, depending on the market. "In a specialty market, they sell very well at $8 to $9," Moore says. "It's a wonderful product. The Cranberry Chutney is good over soft cheese or mixed with mayo for a turkey sandwich. Or you can use it straight as a dipping sauce for pork or chicken." "If you like pork or beef, the salsas will pair well," he adds. "The Apple Corn Salsa makes a great stuffing for a pork shoulder." For more information, call 607.267.5874 or email barry@jnbfoods.com. KN

• Cover