Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS DECEMBER 2017 www.gourmetnews.com Supplier News SUPPLIER NEWS 1 2 BRIEFS Superfood Credentials Butter Up Chocolate Introductions BY LORRIE BAUMANN The holiday season just wouldn't be the same without chocolate, and the winter of 2017-2018 promises to be bountiful for the innovative options offered by today's chocolatiers, who are enjoying a heyday of enthusiasm for chocolate that's boosted by its superfood status and consumers' will- ingness to pay more for quality products that boast fair trade and organic certifica- tions. Healthy snack producer NuGo, to name one brand, has figured out that a lovely coat of luscious chocolate can enhance the appeal of a protein bar, and it's now offering a range of protein bars coated in dark chocolate at retail prices that range from $1.59 to $1.99 per bar. The real dark chocolate that envelops each of these pro- tein bars is made from the cocoa butter and non-fat cocoa solids found in cacao beans, so it's full of the antioxidants, and whatever health benefits that go along with them, of a real chocolate. The range includes NuGo Slim, which offers 16 to 18 grams of pro- tein and only 2 to 3 grams of sugar in a gluten-free bar; NuGo Organic, which of- fers 10 grams of protein in a vegan snack; NuGo Free, which offers 9 grams of protein with no soy or gluten. The NuGo Stronger is a high protein version with 25 grams of protein and no soy. The Stronger bar retails for $2.39. The company's newest product is a pro- tein cookie that's gluten free. The protein cookies are offered in four varieties: Dark Chocolate Chip, Double Chocolate, Peanut Butter Chocolate and Oatmeal Raisin, which doesn't have chocolate in it. All four cookie varieties are vegan, gluten free and non-GMO, with 16 grams of plant protein and 12 grams of fiber per cookie. The chocolate chips in the varieties that include them are real dark chocolate, and none of them contain artificial sweeteners, dairy, soy, eggs, palm oil or margarine. The indi- vidually packaged cookies retail for $2.39 apiece. Navitas Organics, long a darling of health- and socially-conscious consumers, specializes in products that offer superfood nutrition, and its Coffee Cacao and Cacao Goji Organic Power Snacks are its newest plant-based superfood snacks. These are chewy cubes that are packaged in 8-ounce pouches that retail for $9.99. A serving deliv- ers 90 calories and 20 to 25 percent of the daily value of Vitamin C. OCHO Candy, known for organic filled candy bars that are organic twists on familiar favorites, is also introducing for the spring holiday season its Organic Peanut Butter Eggs and Organic Caramel Eggs as well as Organic Peppermint Squares for this winter. The eggs are offered in 100-gram packages that retail for $4.99. The range of bars for which the company is better known includes OCHO Coconut, OCHO Peanut Butter, OCHO Caramel & Peanut and OCHO Dark Chocolate PB. The Dark Chocolate PB is the company's newest offering, while Coconut is its best seller. All of the bars are made from simple, high- quality ingredients, and they're all non- GMO and gluten free, with soft centers made from organic ingredients and coated with a thick layer of chocolate outside. Each bar retails for $1.99. The company is also mak- ing bite-size versions of the bars in Peppermint, Peanut Butter, Coconut and Caramel varieties. Each 3.52-ounce pouch of OCHO minis contains eight snack-size pieces and retails for $4.49 to $4.99. All of the products are made from the com- pany's state-of-the-art fa- cility in Oakland, California. The Happy Chocolatier, based in Acton, Massachusetts, is launch- ing a dark chocolate orange truffle Cubze™ to augment the company's line of confections. This new all-natural truffle Cubze has a dark chocolate center infused with essence of orange in a cube-shaped truffle serving. There's an inspirational message about happiness hand-wrapped into each piece. The company's new sea- sonal gift collection presents the truffle Cubze in elegant silver gift boxes featuring festive bands for the Christmas season. For specialty food outlets and gift shops, the truffle Cubze are available in a new counter display that features the happiness theme FoodMaven Launches Internet Marketplace to Rescue Food FoodMaven is an innovative online marketplace bringing agility and flexibility to the big food system, and providing significant savings on high-quality local and oversupplied food. Former Whole Foods Co- CEO Walter Robb has joined its board of directors. FoodMaven's business model complements the big food system by capturing high-quality lost food from oversupply, imperfects and local products. The company has built an efficient Internet marketplace and rapid logistics system for capturing, re-selling and quickly delivering this lost food, drawing on big data optimization technology, and an agile logistics model for all food handling, safety and delivery. Following a final build out in the Front Range metro areas of Colorado, FoodMaven will roll out its services nationally in 2018. Eco-Products Environmentally Preferable Containers Win Awards Eco-Products has earned prestigious awards for two of its compostable containers: an innovative snack cup and a take-out container that make life easier for customers and venues alike. Eco-Prod- ucts was the only company to be honored for two separate products in this year's QSR/FPI Foodser- vice Packaging Awards competition. Organic Quality from Snoqualmie Ice Cream Snoqualmie Ice Cream has introduced the first super-premium organic ice cream on the market. Pints of Snoqualmie's organic line are offered in seven flavors, each with its own unique recipe. That's unlike most conventional ice creams, which are generally made from one ice cream base to which flavoring is added to make the various fla- vors of the finished ice cream. All of the ingredients in Snoqualmie's new organic line are carefully sourced and 100 percent organic. Women's Choice Award Names Eggland's Best America's Most Recommended Eggs The Women's Choice Award ® has once again hon- ored Eggland's Best with the 2018 America's Most Recommended™ Fresh Eggs award, for the third consecutive year. Brands are selected to receive a Women's Choice Award based on a national sur- vey that is distributed to over 100,000 women na- tionwide each year, asking them to select the brands they most highly recommend to their fam- ily and friends. Cheesecyclopedia Offers Professional Cheese Education at No Cost The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board has a new training tool designed for anyone who wants to know more about cheese. Cheesecyclopedia™ is a total overhaul of a program that the Wisconsin Milk Mar- keting Board has offered for many years. Designed for those who are selling cheese at retail in either grocers or foodservice, Cheesecyclopedia offers a thorough education through an online program that people can enjoy on their own schedule. Cheesecy- clopedia is available at training.wmmb.com. and is filled with individual servings of an assortment of the truffle Cubze flavors. Brownie Brittle has six new products that make perfect snacks or gifts for this holiday season. Thin- dulgent Chocolate Bark will be offered in two new flavors: Dark Chocolate Peppermint and Caramel Pretzel Milk Chocolate. The peppermint dark chocolate pieces topped with peppermint flakes practically sing Christmas carols, and Caramel Pret- zel Milk Chocolate flavor offers both salty and sweet tastes. Each bag retails for $4.49. Brownie Brittle is also offering two new seasonal flavor twists on the company's flagship product. Chocolate Chip Brownie Brittle will now have a white drizzle, and Salted Caramel Brownie Brittle will have a dark drizzle. These bags sell for $3.49. Brownie Brittle Bites are now offered in Milk Chocolate Caramel and Peppermint Dark Chocolate flavors for $4.49 per bag. For the Milk Chocolate Caramel flavor, chocolate chip Brownie Brittle morsels are covered in a layer of caramel and milk chocolate, while Peppermint Dark Choco- late Bites are chocolate chip Brownie Brittle morsels as well, covered in a layer of pep- permint and dark chocolate. Chocolove is in the midst of a strong innovation and marketing drive that's going to result in a wealth of new product introduc- tions for 2018, so we'll be seeing some launches at the Winter Fancy Food Show in Jan- uary. Among the new products, we'll see bars with Almonds, Toffee & Sea Salt; Almonds & Sea Salt and a filled bar with Strawberry Creme. The large 3.2-ounce bars will retail for $3.19. The company will also be offer- ing elevated versions of the nut butter cup with Hazelnut Butter Cups in Dark Choco- late and Salted Caramel Cups in Dark Chocolate packaged in two-packs that will retail for $1.99 and individually packaged cups that will retail for $1 each. The com- pany will also be unveiling two new pouched Bites, Almonds & Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate Bites and Assorted Bites. These Continued on PAGE 14

• Cover