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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n SEPTEMBER 2017 n GOURMET NEWS N H 1 0 0 The Tao of Tea Wins 2017 New Product sofi Award At the recently concluded sofi™ Awards, hosted by the Specialty Food Association™, Portland company The Tao of Tea was awarded Best New Product in the Hot Bev- erage category. The product selected was Oregon Mint & Tulsi, an organic herbal bev- erage packaged in 15 count boxes of biodegradable pyramid sachets. The sofis, which stands for Specialty Out- standing Food Innovation, is considered a top honor in the specialty food industry. The Tao of Tea was one of 154 winners selected by a national panel of 62 specialty food ex- perts from 3,000 entries across 39 categories. Every entry is carefully judged on taste, in- gredient quality and innovation. In December, The Tao of Tea launched its first line of quality, organic tea sachets – a new step after a long history of offering loose leaf teas. Oregon Mint & Tulsi is one of 10 new products being offered. The sachet line has had a positive response as it has made its way to customers and retailers in Northern California and the Pacific North- west. "We've been excited to take all we've learned from our years selecting high quality teas and apply it to making a really diverse, delicious line of organic tea bags," said Owner Veerinder Chawla. "It is a wonderful thing to see the response and to be recog- nized by the sofi Awards." The Tao of Tea is now planning to embark on a national distribution campaign and is in the process of finding specialty food brokers and distribution across the country. About The Tao of Tea The Tao of Tea has been promoting the art and culture of tea since 1997. Founded by Veerinder Chawla in Portland, Oregon, it is a pure leaf tea com- pany comprised of tea enthusiasts from dif- ferent backgrounds and countries. They travel, learn about, find, take delight in and offer pure leaf teas with great flavor, artistry and soul. All teas are in their original form, as they were intended, with no artificial fla- vors, additives or preservatives. Learn more at www.taooftea.com. Questions about the new product line can be directed to info@taooftea.com or 503.736.0198. Red Duck Launches New Line of Organic Taco Sauces An interview with Jess Hilbert, co-Founder, Red Duck. NH: Red Duck has already brought excite- ment back to condiments with ketchups and barbecue sauces – why taco sauce? JH: Who doesn't love tacos? I grew up with super fond memories of 'taco night' at our house. The unique flavors and tex- tures that came with all the different com- ponents 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 barbecue sauces, so we're bringing that fun to a cuisine that has become so much more mainstream 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 managing everything in between, we're always looking for shortcuts in the kitchen that don't sacrifice quality and de- liver in flavor. NH: Tell our readers about the line. JH: Our first three flavors are Approachably Mild, Uniquely Korean and Actually Spicy. All of the sauces are organic and gluten free, because those are staples of our company and we weren't willing to compromise on ei- ther 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. NH: 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 cocktails like Bloody Marys or margaritas. For sure on sandwiches – banh mis, sloppy joes and burg- ers, to name a few! NH: Tell our readers more about each of the flavors. JH: The Approachably Mild is just that. It's a sauce with my three-year-old daughter'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 pepper. The sauce is bright and earthy, and for me, in- credibly nostalgic. Next is our Actually Spicy. We say if 'kick in the pants' had a flavor, this would be it. Those same toma- toes in our other products get kicked up with three different kinds of spicy peppers that create differ- ent levels of heat sensations at the beginning, middle and end. Last is our Uniquely Korean, which is probably our most nu- anced 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). NH: Which is your favorite sauce? JH: Well, that's like choosing your favorite child! I really like the complexity and versa- tility of the Uniquely Korean. We'll go with that for now. For more information, follow the company on social media, go to www.redduckfoods.com or email info@redduckfoods.com. The New MarDona Stuffed Olive Collection MarDona has produced a gourmet olive snack to meet anyone's palate: quality fresh olives stuffed with the finest gourmet treats. The Savory Blue Cheese is a perfect bal- ance of the olive and cheese. The Turkish Red Hot Pepper is just what the label says – very hot! The Garlic stuffed olive is of- fered two ways; the Natural Garlic insert and the Italian Style with spices in the brine, making the garlic stand out a little more. Let's not forget the Jalapeno Stuffed Olive with a good balance of heat and olive. These five great products join the other MarDona favorites; Mild or Hot Muffuletta, Olive Antipasto, the Mild or Hot Gia- rdiniera, the Sweet and Spicy Garlic Cloves and the Spicy Brussels Sprouts. No matter what your mood is, these items are great as snacks, salad addi- tions, sandwich toppers and more. For more information, call 855.OIL.SPRAY (645.7772), go to www.truffleoilsandmore.com or email info@mardona specialtyfoods.com. Goya Offers Convenience, Authentic Ingredients Founded in 1936 by Spanish immigrants, Goya Foods is the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States and the premier source for authentic Latin cuisine. Combined with authentic ingredients, robust seasonings and convenient preparation, Goya provides consumers with more than 2,500 high-quality and affordable food prod- ucts from the Caribbean, Mexico, Spain, Central and South America. The company prides itself on maintaining the traditions and heritage of its Latin culture by also providing customers with authentic and delicious products and recipes. For ex- ample, Goya ® Frozen Masarepa Discos are a traditional Colombian and Venezuelan product. It is precooked with corn flour and other ingredi- ents to provide traditional and authentic flavors and requires 20-30 minutes to prepare. Goya has simpli- fied this process by providing ready made- frozen Masarepa discos for the convenience of its Colombian and Venezuelan consumers as well as those who love cul- turally diverse foods. Goya Frozen Masarepa Discos are available in 14-ounce bags with 10 discs each. Goya also offers ready to eat and frozen empanadas filled with meat as well as cheese. For more information, visit www.goya.com. Abdallah Candies' Caramel Creations Satisfies the Rise in Category Popularity Abdallah Candies, a Minnesota-based candy company, has introduced new varieties to its highly popular "Old Fashioned Caramels" category. Known particularly for the pre- mium caramel, Abdallah Candies' individu- ally twist-wrapped butter caramel morsels now have companions that are every bit as mouthwatering. New flavors such as choco- late-vanilla-sea-salt-twist, roasted-almond- coconut and toffee-almond caramel now accompany the best-selling plain butter caramels. Available packaged in 7 ounce bags or in bulk, the new varieties extend the line with unique flavor combinations that perfectly complement the ultra-soft creamy caramel the company is famous for. For those who manufacture and desire the famous caramel flavor and want a caramel that is soft, creamy and won't flow off their product, 12 pound blocks are available. Abdallah Candies is a fourth generation, Minnesota family-owned gourmet confec- tioner which manufactures more than 200 varieties of specialty chocolates, including 24 flavors and two sizes of fresh cream truf- fles, tender toffees, caramels, stemmed cher- ries, fruits, clusters, creams, nougats and sugar free chocolates. Products are available packaged for everyday and seasonal sales and are also available in bulk. For more information, go to www.abdallah candies.com or call 800.348.7325.

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