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Kitchenware News & Housewares Review Show Daily 9 3 Monday, March 20, 2017 VITACLAY SLOW COOKERS ANSWER NEED FOR FAST, EASY, NUTRITIOUS AT-HOME COOKING Michelle Liu, Chief Executive Officer, Essenergy, offers her market insights and a preview of what her company will exhibit at this year's show. KNSD: Tell our readers about Essenergy's VitaClay line. ML: The new VitaClay Smart Multi- Crock n' Stock Pot is a 6-quart smart and fast multi-crock and stockpot. We are addressing the growing market desire for healthy and convenient at- home cooking with a full range of slow cookers, rice cookers, soup and broth cookers. KNSD: What trends are you seeing in the small kitchen appliance market? ML: While we've seen a continuing trend toward healthier in-home cooking, consumers want faster, more convenient options, without compromising nutrition. KNSD: How are you addressing the mar- ket demand for convenience, speed and healthy options? ML: By utilizing unglazed pure clay in our pots, we eliminate non-stick chemicals, enhance flavors and texture, and assure even, consis- tent cooking. The clay cooking environment amplifies flavors, stabilizes food textures and increases nutrient bio-availabil- ity. We're enabling people to cook better and faster, with tra- ditional slow-cooking results in as few as 30 minutes. KNSD: What's new in Essenergy's VitaClay line? ML: Our 6-quart fast VitaClay Smart Multi-Crock n' Stock Pot offers a faster, easier and more nutritious way to make a large batch of bone broth or soup. It's also ideal to easily prepare chili, stew, steamed vegetables, fish and jook. Homemade bone broths and vegetable broths are incredibly nourishing and rich in minerals, which can help improve digestion and boost immunity. Making bone broth used to be difficult, messy and time consuming. We're bringing back that time-honored traditional favorites and making them much easier and acces- sible to everyone with the VitaClay Smart Multi-Crock n' Stock Pot. The full line of VitaClay crock pots, slow cookers and soup and rice cookers are available at the Essenergy booth #L11145. For more information, stop by booth #L11145, call 408.621.6187, email sales@essenergy.com or go to www .vitaclaychef.com. TECHKO ADDS NEW PRODUCTS TO SECURITY & FLOOR CARE LINES Techko Kobot Inc. is announcing the introduction of its new IP video camera and doorbell video that will be added to its existing DIY security alarm product line. Since its inception in 1986, Techko invented an independent DIY security product line and has been the leading brand with more than 80 percent owner- ship of market share. Techko security products are carried by many major national retailers, such as Home Depot, Lowe's, Pool Corp and Leslie's Pool. "We have been working on the sur- veillance system for many years; howev- er, the rapid growth of new technology has made it possible to integrate DIY video cameras that utilize Wi-Fi inter- face, making it possible to communicate through smartphones. Our unique fre- quency interface base with smartphone technology can provide better privacy protection for our users. We use the same coding technology as banks use to protect transmitted information, thus enhancing the privacy of each user. Our advanced compression technology transmits audio and video faster and clearer, allowing for easy two-way communication for users. Our features, functions and quality are better than higher priced competitor's models," said Techko Product Manager Eugene Ko. In the year 2000, Techko Kobot Group expanded its existing security and office equipment product lines to robotic floor care products. Techko Kobot Inc. also announces two new innovative robotic vacuum models. Model RV351 features a unique roller brush with daily scheduling for auto cleaning with a special double cleaning function, and the RCS212 features cyclone technolo- gy. "We have had many successes in our previous product lines; however, the products' life cycles were short. After years of research, we have decided to get involved in the robotic industry. We believe robotics will be an ever-growing industry that has the potential to contin- ue to expand and improve in features, functions and its utilities. However, the major market is only focused in the robotic floor care segment, so we decid- ed to start from this segment with a long-term product development plan to maximize opportunities and come up with creative and innovative products in the floor care industry. We do offer traditional robotic vacuums, which we have modified and perfected over the years with our own patented designs. We have made the product bet- ter and more affordable to serve the mass market and meet the majority of consumer's needs. We have several other innovative robotic products, which will also be released in the second half of 2017. We believe our robotic vacu- um's features, functions and quality are better than our higher priced competi- tor's models. Our corporate philosophy is to provide the best product at the best price," said Ko. For more information, go to www.techkokobot.com or stop by booths #L13147 and #L13148. TRAINA FOODS KETCHUPS OFFER INTENSE TOMATO FLAVOR By Lorrie Baumann A taste for ketchup is no longer the mark- er that divides the gourmet from 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-fla- vored ketchup amps up the spiciness and works well on a taco or on scrambled eggs, says Willie Traina, the company's Chief Executive Officer 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 fruits 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, apri- cots or tomatoes that grocers put in their produce aisles. Traina Foods currently dries 60 different fruits in 14 drying facil- ities 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 fruit. 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 lit- tle 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 fresh 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 from growers in California's Central Valley, following the season from 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." While the Hot Sriracha Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup is the newest to be launched at retail, the Traina Foods prod- uct development team is currently work- ing on other sun-dried tomato ketchups with a fruit 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 develop- ment 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 some- thing that we've really been excited about," Traina said. "Our product devel- opment 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 fruits, and Traina Foods is working on other products that origi- nate in family recipes. The latest of these is a line of flavored vodkas made from vodka derived from grapes and then soaked with dried fruits and sold under the PORCH LIGHT Vodka brand. "It's an old recipe that my mother used to do," Traina said. "During 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 from the original fami- ly 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 from there. It's great for sipping, great for blend- ing," 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."