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GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2017 www.gourmetnews.com SUPPLIER NEWS 1 1 farmers at their farm in Pleasant Valley, New York. Kevin raises the sunflower crop. "He plants the seed and presses the oil. We all bottle," says Jeff. Allison, who's Jeff's wife, is the company's Manager of Retail Sales and Marketing. Kevin's wife Traci is a registered dietitian. "All four of us have something to add to it," Allison says. Their parents bought the former dairy farm in 1999 as an investment and to pre- serve the land from development. The fam- ily didn't want to raise dairy cows, so they used the farm to raise some hay and a few animals for a few years until they figured out a direction for it. By 2014, they'd fig- ured out that they could follow the lead of a few other farmers in the valley and grow sunflowers. The original idea for that was that they'd press the seeds for oil to make biofuel. But then they tasted the oil. "We thought it would be better as a food product than as an industrial oil," Allison says. "It's a cold-pressed oil. It's rich golden in color and it tastes like a handful of sunflower seeds. You can re- ally taste the difference between a cold- pressed oil and an expeller-pressed oil." The resulting high-monosaturate oil is high in Vitamin E and Omega-9 fatty acids. It's Non-GMO Project certified. It's packaged in glass 375 ml bottles that retail for around $15 and in gallon containers for foodservice. The retail bottles are packed 12 to the case, and the foodservice gallons are three to the case. For more information, visit www .hudsonvalleycoldpressedoils.com or call Allison Haight at 845.489.8368. GN BY LORRIE BAUMANN Hudson Valley Cold Pressed Oils makes a sunflower oil that tastes just as if you were chewing sunflower seeds. Culinary uses are similar to olive oil, except that sunflower oil has a higher smoke point – about 380 degrees – so it has a wider array of applica- tions. Pastry chefs and bakers are also using sunflower oil as a supplement to other fats because it lends the baked products a nutty flavor while avoiding the risks of incorpo- rating tree nuts, and it's great for salad dressings and marinades, said Jeff Haight, Hudson Valley Cold Pressed Oils Director of Restaurant Sales. He's one of four family members in the business run by second-generation family Hudson Valley Cold Pressed Oils Harness the Power of the Sunflower 34 Degrees, the company behind 34° Crisps, today announced a deepened re- lationship with Fresca Foods, Inc., its supply chain partner of more than 10 years. Specifically, Fresca has made a $3.4 million investment in 34 Degrees in ex- change for a 10 percent share of the com- pany. The expanded partnership and investment will allow 34 Degrees to in- crease investments in brand-building pro- grams and product innovation to fuel continued growth. For the past 10 years, Fresca and 34 De- grees have been business partners, with Fresca managing product development, materials purchasing, manufacturing and warehousing functions for 34 Degrees. Fresca and 34 Degrees are both entrepre- neur-owned companies based in Colorado. The Fresca investment will accelerate the growth for an already healthy and prof- itable business. The decision to partner in this way was driven by shared values more than financial value; both companies are recognized for their values-driven leader- ship approach. "Since day one, our team has looked for creative ways to grow our business, from how we produce 34° Crisps, to where we chose to sell our product in the store," said Craig Lieberman, Founder and Pres- ident of 34 Degrees. "As we considered potential investors, we once again saw the opportunity to do things a bit differently, expanding an existing partnership with our supply chain partner rather than cre- ating a new partnership with a financial institution. For us, it came down to our beliefs and mission. This is more than a value-based partnership, it's a values- based partnership. We're excited to con- tinue building our business with a partner who places just as much significance on people, community and healthy growth as we do." "We at Fresca have a goal to increase ac- cessibility to snack foods that are good for our bodies and the planet," said Todd Dutkin, CEO of Fresca. "We chose to part- ner with Craig years ago because we recog- nized his energy, passion and commitment to building a successful business that deliv- ered a strongly differentiated product. Today, 34 Degrees is at the precipice of ac- celerated growth and by combining the strengths of each of our teams, the poten- tial is boundless." The expanded partnership will allow 34 Degrees to increase investments in brand- building programs and product innovation. Specifically, this holiday season, 34 Degrees will launch its first-ever comprehensive na- tional consumer marketing campaign. Ad- ditionally, through increased access to Fresca's operations, management and inno- vation teams, 34 Degrees will expand its re- search and development efforts to further leverage its unique product form to create new flavors, products and packaging for- mats that fit consumer needs and the changing retail environment. 34 Degrees will continue to operate as a Denver-based independent company led by its existing leadership team and with increased access to Fresca's operations and management ex- pertise. GN 34 Degrees and Fresca Foods, Inc. Expand 10-Year Business Partnership Leafy Fish Tale Continued from PAGE 10 company's second aquaculture operation. The first was a pilot project that was also located in a former brewery, the Schmidt Brewery, also in St. Paul. That brewery was in production until 2002, and the site had been unused since 2004. Urban Organics had started there when the company put out a news release an- nouncing the venture. The story was picked up by the local National Public Radio station, which broadcast it as part of a program heard by an executive of Pentair Aquatics Eco-Systems. The equipment for aquaculture, both for commercial use and for hobbyists, is a big part of Pentair's business, which has its U.S. headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. "They thought there was an obvious syn- ergy there. They said this was our expertise and our equip- ment," Haider said. "They've been a great partner of ours and continue to be a great partner in this larger facility as well." The Story Continues into the Future Urban Organics Pentair Group, formed in 2015, held the grand opening for its new facility in the old Hamm's Brewery on June 1 of this year. The facility contains 14 large fiberglass tanks for the Arctic char and Atlantic salmon and is expected to produce about 350,000 pounds of fish an- nually. It takes about a year and a half for the fish to mature from the finger- ling size that most of them were when they came to Urban Organics, and Haider is planning to sell most of them to local restaurants. On the plant side of the building, the facility will pro- duce about 500,000 to 800,000 pounds of green leafy vegetables per year. The produce goes to a couple of restaurants and is sold in retail stores as packaged salad mixes bearing the Urban Organics brand. "We also work with a local healthcare provider to provide produce, not only to their cafeteria but to their patients as well," Haider said. The company currently employs 22, but Haider is expecting to have 50 employees by the end of the year as production ramps up. "I'm so grateful that I did find some- thing that can provide local, sustainable or- ganic food," Haider said. "What we're trying to do is make a difference for the world. I think we're onto something, and I hope that we're on a path to make great food. That's what I wanted with the career change – not just to find a new path, but to find a way to make a difference in the world." GN

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