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GOURMET NEWS APRIL 2018 www.gourmetnews.com Supplier News SUPPLIER NEWS 1 2 BRIEFS Northern Wind Celebrates 30 Years with Brand Refresh BY LORRIE BAUMANN Northern Wind, which packages and dis- tributes scallops from the Port of New Bed- ford, Massachusetts to the American market, is launching a complete refresh of its retail brands. Five Star and Captain's Call, its premium brands, have new pack- aging designed to appeal to today's upscale shopper. The relaunch comes as the seafood com- pany celebrates its 30th year in business. The company is also preparing to net the benefits of a $5 million capital investment over the past three to four years for a plant upgrade that expanded its capacity to han- dle about 100,000 pounds of scallops per day from a sustainably managed U.S. fish- ery that's expecting an increase in its fish- ing allowances this year. Northern Wind has relationships with 64 vessels that fish out of the Port of New Bed- ford. Those vessels typically go out fishing for a few days or a week at a time, starting each year when their quotas are issued. Their fishery is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, an international non- profit organization that safeguards seafood supplies. When the boats re- turn to port after a few days of fishing, Northern Wind is waiting for them. "They fish and they offload their catch to us. They drive right up to our building. We're right on the New Bedford water- front," says North- ern Wind Owner and Chairman Ken Melanson, who founded the company in 1987. The boats carry their catch in bags that hold 50 to 60 pounds of scallops, each marked with the day that the scallops were caught. Three bags at a time go into a bas- ket that's lifted onto the dock by a winch. Northern Wind quality assurance represen- Albertsons Companies Partners with Trace Register to Elevate Seafood Traceability Albertsons Companies has selected Trace Register, which provides full supply chain seafood traceability services, in a major step towards fulfilling its industry-leading Responsible Seafood Policy and Commit- ments. Trace Register uses a revolutionary ap- proach to verify every product source. The solution is built on a powerful platform to handle robust data requirements and lever- age global business communication stan- dards. Data from multiple sources about multiple products is in one system of records so information can easily be shared. Analytics are used to verify data as trust- worthy and send automatic alerts in near real time to drive corrective actions, im- proving compliance and product quality. The complete product origin history is pro- vided while proprietary information is kept confidential. GN tatives are on hand to check the amount and quality of the catch, and then the scal- lops are dropped into vats that hold 1,200 to 1,500 pounds of seafood. From there, what happens to them depends on the quality of the scallops, how long they were on the boat before being received by North- ern Wind and what the market is demand- ing at the time. "We look at what our customers are asking us for, what we need to put up, whether it's fresh or frozen," Melanson says. Northern Wind sells scallops for both the wholesale and re- tail market. Most of the scallops are indi- vidually quick frozen, but some of the scallops that will go into the wholesale market will be block frozen. The company's Five Star brand scallops are all natural, processed without additives and were just 24 to 30 hours out of the water when they came off the boat. Northern Wind's Captain's Call brand is another premium brand with no additives, but these scallops were on the boat for 30 to 60 hours. "It's still a fine scallop but a little bit older," Melanson says. Mariner's Choice is a value brand that's processed with additives so it can be offered for retail sale at a price point that's friendlier to the con- sumer. They're all individually quick frozen and offered in 12 ounce, 1 pound, 1.5 pound and 2 pound packages for retail sale. The relaunch added the 12-ounce size to the range of larger packages that sell well in warehouse clubs and dressed up the pack- aging with a new logo so it'll look nicer in the grocer's freezer case, Melanson says. "It's just more consumer-friendly," he says. "It's affordable and convenient for con- sumers.... This way the consumer can take the 12 ounces and make a nice meal with it and not worry about putting it back in the freezer." In addition to the MSC certification that attests to its sustainability, the packages also carry certifications from the British Re- tail Consortium, which certifies for food safety, and the U.S. Department of Commerce seafood inspection pro- gram's Grade A seal. The scallops are also Fair Trade Certified – Northern Wind was the first seafood company in the U.S. to be Fair Trade Certified for scal- lops. The company attained that certification in 2017, when it produced over 1 million pounds of Fair Trade Certified scallops. Melanson hopes to double or triple that this year. The funds generated by the Fair Trade program go back to local nonprofit organi- zations that serve the New Bedford com- munity. The organizations are chosen by the fishermen themselves, and the funds are administered by Northwest Atlantic Sea Scallop Fisheries, the fishers association of independently owned and operated vessels. Northern Wind's 60 employees – closer to100 during the fishing season – don't get a say in where the money goes, but they have a stake in the program because the company is audited as part of the certifica- tion process to ensure that it can trace each lot of scallops processed in its plants back to the vessel it came from and to ensure that its employees, like the fishermen themselves, are being treated fairly. "We as the company are involved. We get audited to make sure that we pay good wages and have good working conditions," Melanson says. "Northern Wind doesn't say where the money goes. We comply with the work regulations and the healthy work condi- tions." GN Sabra Dipping Company Brings New Mediterranean Bean Dips to Market Sabra Dipping Company has introduced a new line of Mediterranean Bean Dips, launching with three flavors: White Bean with Spinach & Roasted Garlic, Red Bean with Sundried Tomato & Basil, and Black Bean with Roasted Tomato & Smoked Paprika. Manitoba Harvest Announces Regulatory Breakthrough in Hemp Food Manitoba Harvest, the global leader in hemp foods and its partner ingredient supplier, Hemp Oil Canada, announces the company's complete line of hemp seeds, oil and protein powder have received self-affirmed Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status, and has officially submitted to the federal Food and Drug Administration for GRAS Notification. To broaden consumer access to the nutritional benefits of the hemp seed, Manitoba Harvest is the only company to proactively gather and provide the scientific evidence necessary to affirm this sought-after American FDA designation recognizing a substance as safe among experts. Organic, Full Fat Yogurt from Bellwether Farms Bellwether Farms offers organic, full fat yogurt, made with milk from pastured Jersey cows. This yogurt is the perfect snack. Bellwether Farms is introducing this delicious snack as a four-pack of 3.75-ounce cups. The yogurt is available in plain, vanilla, strawberry, blueberry, blackberry and spiced apple. Bellucci Promotes Trust Through Traceability Bureau Veritas has certified Bellucci's Extra Virgin Olive Oil traceability model down to the rural growers, down to the olive trees. Bellucci's "Trust Through Traceability" legacy embodies a philosophy that trust has to be earned. Giving consumers confidence in knowing the source and origin of their extra virgin olive oil is vital. Consumers now have the assurance that they're purchasing a guarantee of quality, flavor and freshness, all while maintaining social and environmental compliance. The Bureau Veritas ISO 22005 seal gives Bellucci a step forward in raising the bar for EVOO industry standards. Divine Chocolate Refreshes Packaging Divine Chocolate, the only chocolate company which is fair trade and co-owned by cocoa farmers, has redesigned its packaging for the first time in five years. The refresh is intended to make the company's bars stand out on shelves and communicate their brand story more effectively. The redesign includes a new embossed "Owned by Cocoa Farmers" seal on the bars. Other modifications to the front of pack include changing the adinkra symbols to a uniform color, switching chocolate bar's descriptors' color to white text for improved legibility, and placing cocoa percentages on the front of bars.

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