Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS www.gourmetnews.com n JANUARY 2018 n GOURMET NEWS 4 2 CocoaPlanet Reduces Sugar without Sacrificing Taste For many consumers, the joy of chocolate is inhibited by the anxiety of high sugar and calories. While some confectioners respond with artificial sweeteners, Cocoa- Planet takes an approach that is all natu- ral. Chocolates made with artificial sweeten- ers like sorbitol aren't an option if you prefer all natural ingredients. Even natural sugar al- ternatives can come up short. CocoaPlanet has invented and patented a natural way to reduce the sugar in its fla- vor-filled chocolates without sacrificing taste. Instead of a large center of sugary filling, CocoaPlanet places small drops of filling throughout its all-natural chocolate disc. With each bite, these "pearls" of fla- vor complement the rich, dark chocolate (64 percent cacao) in a subtly different blend. The result is prize-winning flavor. Cocoa- Planet has been honored with two sofi ™ awards from the Specialty Food Association, recognizing the best in specialty foods. But the difference isn't just on the palate. Distributing pearls of flavor throughout the chocolate allows each one to be only 15 percent flavored filling, compared with 60- 80 percent filling in the sugary center of traditional filled chocolates. That en- ables each single- serving CocoaPlanet chocolate to have less than 100 calories, only 8 grams of sugar or less, and net carbs of 9 grams or less. CocoaPlanet offers five flavors to choose from for that afternoon snack or after dinner dessert: Salted Caramel, Deep Dark Truffle, Vanilla Espresso, Mandarin Orange, Co- coaMint ™ . Made with all natural ingredients, they are also Fair Trade certified, non-GMO, gluten free, three are vegan and all make a great hot chocolate (just steam milk, drop in and stir and in ten seconds you have a terrific hot choco- late!). About CocoaPlanet Based in Sonoma, California, CocoaPlanet, Inc. uses ethi- cally sourced chocolate pro- duced using sustainable practices, enabling cocoa farmers a better quality of life. CocoaPlanet is a registered trademark and "CocoaMint," "Pearls of Flavor" and "More Taste, Less Sugar" are trademarks of Cocoa- Planet, Inc. For more information, visit booth #851, go to www.cocoaplanet.com, call 707.721.1275 or email info@cocoaplanet.com. Gourmet Offerings from Captain Foods Captain Foods, Inc. is a gourmet food com- pany based in Edgewater, Florida. It has been family owned since 1994, and is a proud member of the Fresh from Florida Program. The company's specialty gourmet products are made to bring a variety of uniqueness, heat and flavor to your meals for home cooks and master chefs. The team at Captain Foods has gained global success by offering excellent cus- tomer service and products superior in qual- ity. The product line consists of specialty hot sauces, grilling sauces, all natural seasoning blends and spice grinders. Captain Redbeard and his First Mate (Doug and Kathy Feindt – Owners) have sailed the seven seas in search of unique and innovative ingredients to bring home to their blends and sauces. They bring the flavors of the Captain's gal- ley to your kitchen! Put it on the top of your priority list to try some of the com- pany's 100% All Nat- ural Seasoning Blends, including Caribbean Rum Sea- soning, which offers all natural spices and herbs with a twist of rum, giving you the fla- vors of the Caribbean! Captain Foods of- fers more than 20 great products for home cooks and mas- ter chefs to choose from. For more informa- tion, visit booth #6219 or go to www.captain foods.com. Artisan Chocolatier Creates an Organic Liquid-Center Chocolate Quintessential Chocolates Co. Inc. pre- miered its first 100 Percent Organic Liquid- Center Chocolates in 2016, featuring outstanding organic spirits from American small-batch, handcrafted distillers. Custom work with these expanding craft distilleries brings several fresh new flavors and ideas, including Organic Ginger Liqueur, Organic Spiced Rum, Organic Vanilla Vodka and Or- ganic Wheat Whiskey, all carefully enrobed in rich organic chocolate. Each spirit is cast by hand, then enrobed with a tantalizing 60 percent dark organic chocolate from Shaman Chocolates. Shaman Organic Chocolates was created as a way to help sustain the economic and cultural survival of the Huichol Indians, the indigenous people of central Mexico. Considered by many to be the last remaining tribe whose pre-Columbian traditions are still intact, and living as they have for thousands of years in harmony with the earth and all their relations, the Huichols have a precious wealth of techniques. Quintessential Chocolates, founded in 1984, remains the only chocolatiér in Amer- ica to handcraft liquid-center chocolates in a centuries-old chocolate confectionary process known as Liqueur Praliné. This process first encapsulates the liquid within a "Zuckerkrust" (sugar shell); creating an edible moisture barrier that clearly defines the essence within, whether it is a spirit, wine, coffee, fruit nectar or custom cocktail, and allows for the thinnest, most delicate chocolate shell imaginable. Founder and Chief Exec- utive Officer Lecia Duke created Quintessential Chocolates as a custom chocolate company, dedi- cated to using only the finest ingredients and pre- mium brands in its breath- taking, one-of-a-kind chocolates. After apprentic- ing under a Swiss master Chocolatiér to learn this revered process, Duke added an American twist with flavors suited to the American palate – an unprecedented and original approach. Duke's passion for chocolate, coupled with her work ethic of al- ways offering one's best, inspires the world- class quality assurance and customer satisfaction for which Quintessential Choco- lates is known today. With Swiss precision and handcrafted care, this art form lives on in America, now with deli- ciously all-organic options. Quintessential Choco- lates Co. Inc. is also a WBE, SBE Certified, Na- tive American female- owned small business. In addition to its lineup of outstanding products, the company's Private Label Program offers a golden opportunity to artisan distilleries, vintners and producers of specialty beverages to en- hance its line of products. Encasing spe- cialty products within a rich dark chocolate shell creates enormous marketing value to potential clients, or as gifts for vendors, em- ployees or VIP clients. For more information, call 800.842.3382, email chocolat.tx@gmail.com or visit www.liquidchocolates.com. Redondo Iglesias Introduces New Retail Items, New Packaging Redondo Iglesias, the 'maestros jamoneros' ham masters, based in Valencia, Spain whose brand is best known by chefs is introducing a new logo and retail packaging already find- ing success in Europe. "Whole leg format sales have been flatten- ing out in the past several years," says Kate Whittum, Redondo Iglesias Sales Manager for the U.S. "In Spain and throughout Eu- rope, our new prestige style packaging has been very well received and we are delighted to have it in the U.S. for 2018. We expect to finally give U.S. consumers some awareness of the Redondo Iglesias brand and quality. Jamones from Spain are still a sliver of the dry cured ham market, with Italian Pro- sciutto di Parma and San Daniele being the heavy hitters. Unless the specialty consumer sees retail packaging, they have no sure way of knowing the brand of Jamon Serrano they are purchasing since most shops don't list it on signage. Thus the more brand forward package shift for our company." In addition to Jamon Serrano, there are also two offerings of Jamon Iberico. "It is a common misconception that all Jamon Iberico, the super-luxe extra-aged jamon of the fabled pata negra hog, is acorn fed," con- tinues Whittum. "In reality, only 15 percent of every year's production is acorn fed while the remainder of the hogs stay on the farm they were raised on." The non-acorn Jamon Iberico is known as Cebo or 'fed' and comes in two grades: ei- ther cebo or cebo de campo. Iberico Cebo is raised in barns while Iberico Cebo de Campo is free ranging in the field, or 'fed in the field.' Redondo Iglesias Iberico is either Iberico de Bellota, acorn fed or Iberico Cebo de Campo, free ranging in the field, never in barns. The new packaging also emphasizes the extra aging of Redondo's products – over 18 months on Serrano, 36 months on Iberico Cebo de Campo and 48 months on Iberico de Bellota. Chorizo Espanol produced at the Redondo Iglesias facility in Montreal, Canada is also slated for introduction in the U.S. in 2018. Redondo Iglesias invested years getting ap- provals from Canadian and U.S. authorities to bring in a true 'cold cure' chorizo. Tradi- tional chorizo Espanol is a raw product and thus the chorizo currently available in the U.S. from Spain and from producers in the U.S. must be aged over 60 days or heat or pressure treated. These products do not have the same fla- vor profile or texture as a true cold cure Chorizo a visitor to Spain would experience – either they must be loaded with fat in the mix or they have a fer- mented tang. A benefit of the NAFTA agree- ment is that this product can be produced in Canada and imported to the U.S. For more information, visit booth #3616 or contact Kate Whittum at 201.455.5266 or kate@redondousa.com, or email info@ redondousa.com.

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