Oser Communications Group

PRIVATE 2017 www.gourmetnews.com n NOVEMBER 2017 n GOURMET NEWS P 1 8 This starts with our sales leadership's strategic engagement and encompasses a full complement of sales support services. Every touch point is a valuable component of our go-to-market strategy, including planning, supply chain, analysis, personal- ization and competitive assessment to en- sure flawless execution. We work tirelessly to navigate the ever-changing landscape to ensure we are in lockstep with our cus- tomer and our manufacturers while bring- ing forward new ideas and approaches to win at shelf. Private 2017: What kind of involvement does MMI have with store brands? PM: We currently work with store brand suppliers across our focal areas of beauty, healthcare, OTC and general merchandise. The landscape has changed from being Na- tional Brand Equivalent (NBE) to National Brand Better (NBB) at a greater value. Qual- ity, along with hard hitting claims, is now one of the driving forces to shelf. MMI gets involved from product concept phase, to product launch and product sell-through. The store brand teams have grown substantially in recent years and the depth of our relation- ships has grown with it. Private 2017: How has the role of store brands changed? PM: Store brands are a fundamental element of the front store and definitely play a strate- gic role. Retailers have made a strong state- ment in recent years with the support they have shown for their own brands, proprietary brands and exclusive brands. Not only are these brands margin drivers, but they help to drive differentiation for the retailer to set them apart from competition. The bar has been raised for store brand suppliers in terms of the value they are bringing to retail part- ners. Retailers want to work with strategic partners who are providing data and analyt- ical support, shopper insights, trend/innova- tion spotting and marketing activities to help drive awareness and trial. Middlebridge Marketing gets in the trenches with our part- ners in all of these elements, providing a full portfolio of value-added services to help sup- pliers navigate the complex system. For more information, contact Patrick at 401.728.0040 or patrickm@middle bridgemktg.com. Learn more at www .middlebridgemarketing.com. Middlebridge Marketing (Cont'd. from p. 1) organic retailer. "We're the only one in our region," Hoy says. "The whole store is cer- tified organic." That means that for each of its products that bears a USDA-certified Or- ganic label, Ashland Food Co-op can provide a paper trail from its source through all of its processing and transportation steps all the way to the store's dock. "We've been in- spected by our certifier, Oregon Tilth, that it has been handled correctly all the way through our supply chain," Hoy says. "We believe that certified organic is the way to go, and our customers demand that from us, and we want to be able to guarantee that when it says 'organic,' we mean it, and we can show you the big binders of documenta- tion if we need to." That dedication to food as a source of well-being is also reflected in the store's weekly health and wellness classes that are focused on nutrition as well a regular sched- ule of cooking classes in the store's teaching kitchen. Topics for the classes include "everything you can think of," Hoy says. "We recently had a Korean cooking class. We have a fermenter who taught a fermenta- tion class." Instructors for the classes are recruited from the community by an education coor- dinator. "We've been doing our culinary pro- gram for over 10 years, and we've never had a problem finding people to teach," she says. "We vet them and coach them, and they get high marks." Once a quarter, the store offers a free class on co-op basics that highlights value products in the store, discusses ways to use bulk products to save money and demon- strates simple recipes with whole foods. The co-op also conducts classes in local schools and offers special events for the community, and during the summer, part- nered with Rogue Valley Farm to School for three summer camp sessions for kids ages 7 to 11. "They got to go out to the gar- den and pick herbs and carrots and kale from the garden. They made their lunch every day," Hoy says. "It gave them some- thing to do in the summer. We might as well teach them to cook." Ashland Food Co-op (Cont'd. from p. 16) raspberries they now had planted. While ef- fective in producing individually frozen berries, the process didn't allow the berries to be washed to protect against microorgan- isms. Seeing the berry industry walk towards better food safety standards, Marty Peterson, with his wife Denise, bought out the other family members in 1999 and started Colum- bia Fruit, LLC. In 2000, they purchased an individual quick freeze (IQF) tunnel and a nitrogen immersion bath that allowed the fragile berries to be cleaned, washed and then frozen. At -365 degrees, the cryogenic liquid nitrogen instantly freezes the outer- most crust of the berry, locking in the flavor, juice and aroma. The berries are then trans- ported into the IQF tunnel, where cold air freezes the berries to 0 degrees in less than five minutes, preserving the quality, flavor and identity of the berry naturally, with no preservatives. Today, the company grows, processes and bags Northwest blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and rhubarb. It op- erates a 100,000 square foot production and storage facility on 2,000 acres of farmland. It has the capability to run pillow bag and standup pouch bags for retail applications. Certifications include: British Retail Con- sortium – Global Food Safety Initiative Stan- dard, one of the highest food safety standards in the berry industry; GAP certified – the company practices good agricultural prac- tices and has been audited and certified by the Oregon Department of Agriculture; Cer- tified Organic – the company is certified by Oregon Tilth Inc., the local certifying body for the USDA's organic program for Custom Packaging as well as Processing Organic Food; inspected annually by the Washington State Department of Agriculture; and Kosher Pareve. Visit Columbia Fruit at booth #F1022. For more information, go to www .columbia-fruit.com. Columbia Fruit (Cont'd. from p. 1) producers in southwest Iowa. Lavern Schmitz worked for his father- in-law Louis after returning from the Ko- rean War. Lavern saw the opportunities with honey early on, and started his own producing operation in the mid-1950s. Nicknamed "Smitty" in grade school, he named his new business Smitty Bee Honey. The business grew through the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Doug Schmitz, Lavern's son, worked beside his father, learning the trade as well. Doug then started his own operation in the late 1970s, which he grew into a lu- crative honey producing business through- out the 1980s and '90s. In the early 1990s, commercial agriculture changed the natu- ral landscape, and honey production yields decreased every year as the major- ity of southwest Iowa was converted to corn and soybeans. To further diversify, Doug and his family turned their attention to packing honey for farmer's markets and craft shows. The packaging business grew strong through the 1990s, while honey production struggled. Over 20 years, Smitty Bee grew from a small honey pro- ducer and packer to one of the nation's fastest growing honey processors, packag- ing more than 20 million pounds of honey per year. Smitty Bee Honey packages different types of honey for all industry sectors. These markets include commercial food manufac- turing, foodservice and retail. Honeys are carefully selected from specific botanical or geographical areas from around the world and blended to match customer specifica- tions. Exotic and rare varietals such as Wash- ington Raspberry, California Sage and Mexican Avocado honey are just a few of the honeys that can be sourced. Recent trends show that customers are looking for new and trendy honey items that will stand out from the rest. Visit Smitty Bee Honey at booth #F2241. For more information, call 888.469.4669, email info@smittybeehoney.com or go to www.smittybeehoney.com. Smitty Bee (Cont'd. from p. 1) development for customers who are looking for something tailored specifically to their needs." All product suppliers are Interna- tional Featured Standards/British Retail Con- sortium certified. Italian products in the La Piana line are also available for private labeling, Lapiana- Krause said. These include 15-month shelf stable tortellini, mezzaluna and ravioli pas- tas stuffed with gourmet fillings like basil pesto, sun-dried tomato and oregano, squash and more. Italian Foods also has a line of variously aged balsamic vinegars of Modena, pesto, gnocchi, grilled Italian veg- etables, and dark chocolate cream filled wafer rolls. In the U.S., La Piana brand products are carried by retailers such as Whole Foods, Dean & Deluca, The Fresh Market, Central Market, Kings, Harris Teeter and Earth Fare. Italian Foods offers turnkey services, as needed, which include product development, creating packaging artwork, checking local laws to ensure labels are correct and ap- proved by government agencies, working closely with laboratories in destination coun- tries, preparing advertising, handling logis- tics and other services required by customers, Lapiana-Krause said. "We have worked in the United States as the distribution arm for our parent company, Alimentitalia, since 1999 so we know the U.S. market very well," she said. "Because our company has been in the food business so long in Europe, we have many connec- tions that help us find exactly what our cus- tomers want." For more information, visit booth #F4015, go to www.italianfoods.com, call 888.516.7262 or email Francesca .lapiana@italianfoods.com. Italian Foods Corp. (Cont'd. from p. 1) within the gelatin segment, such as Aguas Fresca's Gels; Fruit & Crème Desserts; Co- conut Rice Pudding; and Specialty Yogurts. The five tenets of the company's foundation: Good Taste: This speaks to the delicious and flavorful products at the heart of its portfolio, as well as its approach to doing business. It wants to be the best possible partner for you. Global/Ethnic Flavors: The company's family of products is focused around cele- brating traditional food customs and authen- tic flavor profiles. It strives to tell authentic food stories that urge consumers to connect. Wholesome: Its brands are wholesome food choices that are reflective of a healthier and modern lifestyle. It wants its brands to connect consumers with a feeling of well-being. Feel Good Food: The company makes food products that consumers feel good about feeding their families. Its brands con- nect people with each other and cultural tra- dition. Innovation: The company is re-inventing the presentations of traditional flavors to bring variety and convenience to modern lives. To understand Raymundos and its commit- ment to taste and quality, join the company at its booth and try its products. Raymundos feels confident that you will love what you see and taste. For more information, visit booth #F2919. Raymundos (Cont'd. from p. 1)

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