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Convenience Retailer Show Daily Wednesday, October 18, 2017 4 2 SuperSeedz Receives ChefsBest Quality in Craft Award for New Line of Organic Gourmet Pumpkin Seed Snacks Less than two months after introducing its new organic line of gourmet pumpkin seeds, SuperSeedz ® announced it has received the ChefsBest ® Quality in Craft Award, an award presented to brands that surpass quality standards established by independent professional chefs. "I am very excited to receive such a prestigious award for our new organic products," says Kathie Pelliccio, Founder of SuperSeedz. "We put a lot of thought and love into developing these new organic flavors and it is a great honor to receive such recognition." The new organic SuperSeedz prod- ucts were subjected to ChefsBest's rigor- ous Sensory Attribute Quality Analysis (SAQA ® ) process, which was developed by leading sensory experts to evaluate taste and quality in terms of appearance, aroma, basic tastes, flavor and texture. "The award is designed to recognize unique, high-quality products and based on our evaluation, the new organic line from SuperSeedz was a clear winner," says Lisa Liguori, Chief Executive Officer of ChefsBest. "ChefsBest has been awarding America's best tasting foods for more than 16 years and we're proud to honor SuperSeedz with the Quality in Craft Award." The three new SuperSeedz organic flavors, Pink Himalayan Salt, Garlicky Dill and an indulgent Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt item, were introduced earlier in the year. Each is organic certified, Non- GMO Project Verified, vegan, allergy friendly and will feature up to eight grams of complete, plant-based protein. The new line is the latest innovation from the company that has been the No. 1 premium pumpkin seed brand and the fastest growing for the last two years. "Consumers have definitely respond- ed to our concept," said Founder Kathie Pelliccio. "And because SuperSeedz has consistently added incremental growth to the snack- ing nut and seed category, we're really becoming an integral part of retailers' product mix. We think our organic offer- ing will be even bigger." About SuperSeedz SuperSeedz is the no-shell gourmet pumpkin seed snack founded by Kathie Pelliccio, a mother of five, chef and entrepreneur. The idea was cooked up when Kathie was experimenting with dry-roasted pumpkin seeds as a healthy snack for her family. Years later, the busi- ness has since grown from a small seedling into the No. 1 premium pump- kin seed brand, encouraging consumers to eat pumpkin seed snacks in a fun fla- vorful way. SuperSeedz are sold at gro- cery, health food and gourmet food retailers across the U.S., including Whole Foods, Sprouts and Safeway/Albertsons Inc. stores. For more information visit www.superseedz.com. About ChefsBest ChefsBest identifies and honors the best tasting grocery products in order to sup- port the companies that make them and the people who choose to select them. Through its headquarters in San Diego and the Center for Taste in San Francisco, the organization has judged thousands of grocery products and bestowed its Best Taste and Excellence awards on the high- est-quality products since 2000. Through ChefsBest, brands can unlock coveted ad claims and consumers can garner insight they need to purchase the best-tasting and highest quality ingredients. ChefsBest awards are a nationally recognized trust mark used by numerous brands, both in and out of the grocery aisle. For more information, visit www.chefsbest.com. Divine Chocolate Celebrates 20-Plus Years of Empowering Women Cocoa Farmers Working towards gender equality is one of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals – a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperi- ty. For more than two decades, Divine Chocolate and the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers' Cooperative in Ghana have shared a commitment to empowering women. Together, they are helping women in cocoa farming develop the skills and confidence to grow better cocoa, build better communities and thrive in business. It's as much a business model as a social mission. Divine Chocolate is the only 100 percent Fairtrade chocolate company co-owned by cocoa farmers. Of the 85,000 Kuapa Kokoo farmers who co-own the company, more than a third are women. For Kuapa Kokoo and Divine, encouragement and mentoring of women has always been a priority. Investing in programs designed to teach valuable personal and professional skills is helping thousands of women bring money into their families, even when there is no cocoa to sell. With financing from Divine, Kuapa Kokoo has established targeted activities, including intensive adult literacy and numeracy classes, primarily focused on women. Classes like these quickly illustrate how life-changing a little learning can be. A farmer who learns to write her name is instantly in a position to be able to sign for things, record transactions and better negotiate the world around her. As Lydia Dufie in Sikaman says, "Now I can see which bus I need to take me home." When women gather for literacy les- sons and skills training, they learn far more than what is covered in the class. They discover how important and useful education is and makes them more likely to insist that their children attend school. In fact, in communities where Kuapa Kokoo has implemented gender-specific programming, its women farmers earn more income, own more land, stand a greater chance of being elected to leader- ship positions and are more likely to send their daughters to school. "It is particularly important to me that women members see the benefit of organizing themselves and receive train- ing in skills, as well as cocoa farming, so they can earn more income, and save and use it sensibly," said Fatima Ali, Kuapa Kokoo Farmers' Union President. "I hope to oversee an improvement in female literacy, and to see more women become recorders in their villages." For more information, go to www.divine chocolate.com. Hawaiian Host Inc. Unveils New Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Flavor Mauna Loa, a leading brand of macadamia snacks under the iconic Hawaiian Host Inc. company umbrella, is introducing a variety of new premium products. With a long line of products perfect for everyday snacking, Mauna Loa has also expanded packaging of its most popular flavors, including Dry Roasted and Maui Onion & Garlic, now available in 5-ounce stand-up bags. The new Mango Chipotle flavor, a tasty combination of sweet with a bit of a kick, is a delicious addition to the com- pany's growing line of premium macadamia nut products. The flavor fea- tures whole roasted macadamias perfect- ly seasoned with a mixture of sweet mango and smoky chipotle. With a proprietary dry roasting process that's been mastered over the past 30 years, Mauna Loa macadamias deliver a signature crunch and rich, but- tery flavor that's meant to be shared and savored. As the hardest nut to crack (literally), the cul- tivation process of this exotic nut requires care- ful attention and years of expertise to ensure every macadamia nut meets Mauna Loa's high quality standards. To enhance the natural flavor of the macadamia, Mauna Loa has applied that same meticulous detail into perfecting its signature dry roasting process. Elevating the everyday snacking experience even further, Mauna Loa macadamias are available in a variety of sweet, salty and savory flavors to sat- isfy any craving. A convenient grab-and- go snack, Mauna Loa macadamias provide a taste of the tropics anytime, anywhere. Headquartered in Hilo, Hawaii, Mauna Loa products are available through all major trade channels in the United States and select international markets. For more information, go to www.hawaiian host.com and www.maunaloa.com. Droga Chocolates Debuts Money on Honey Grab and Go 4-Pack Droga Chocolates, maker of Money on Honey, the first line of wildflower honey caramels, debuts a POS 4-pack of its sofi award-winning caramels for on-the-go snacking. Money on Honey, the brainchild of Founder and President Michelle Crochet, who began making these caramels with honey sourced from her local farmers market in 2010, has quickly grown into a nationally recognized brand with distri- bution globally. The confections, which are sweetened only by pure honey and Certified Fair Trade cane sugar and blended with real cream and butter, are finished with Certified Fair Trade Guittard dark chocolate and a sprinkling of fine French sea salt, creating a premi- um, delicate and more wholesome alter- native to other caramels in the market. "We are delighted to be launching this small grab-and-go size of Money on Honey in our best selling dark chocolate French Sea Salt flavor," says Crochet. "We have been over- whelmed by the response to our products since we rolled out our revamped and complete line of Money on Honey Caramels this spring in casual pouch bags for more everyday snacking. With this new POS 4-pack, we are so excited to be giving more consumers access to our confections by offering them in this convenient size and accessi- ble price point." Additionally, a portion of all sales will be donated to Project Apis M., a non- profit organization whose mission is to fund and direct research to enhance the health and vitality of honeybee colonies and improve crop production. The Money on Honey 4-pack is now available at Starbucks nation- wide. The 4.8-ounce snack pouch bags will be available nationwide at Target, Walgreens and other large retailers starting in spring 2017. For more information, contact Rosie Mattio/Rosie Mattio Public Relations at 917.583.6349 or rosie@rosiemattiopr.com.