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News & Notes BRIEFS GOURMET NEWS JUNE 2018 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 6 IDDBA Show Offers Fame, Fortune, Intelligence and Leadership BY LORRIE BAUMANN The International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Asso- ciation is bringing celebrities, proven lead- ers and outstanding entrepreneurs to New Orleans June 10 through 12 for this year's IDDBA 18 trade show and conference. More than 10,000 industry professionals and 800 exhibitors will gather at one of the food industry's most thoughtful and inspi- rational events. Events begin with a wel- come party on Saturday, June 9. IDDBA Chairman of the Board of Direc- tors Erik Waterkotte will lead off the gen- eral sessions of the conference at 8 a.m. on Sunday, June 10. Following him to the stage at 8:30 will be Ginger Hardage, for- mer senior vice president of culture and communications for Southwest Airlines and now the Founder of Unstoppable Cul- tures, a brand "designed to help organiza- tions create and sustain cultures of enduring greatness." She will discuss build- Green Giant Limited Edition Cans to Feature St. Jude Patient Artwork This spring, Green Giant[R] is introducing limited edition cans of sweet peas, whole kernel sweet corn and cut green beans with colorful labels that feature the artwork of young St. Jude Children's Research Hospital patients. In addition to prominent promotion of St. Jude on Green Giant product packaging, B&G Foods, the owner of the Green Giant brand, will donate $350,000 to the organization to help further its efforts in leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life- threatening diseases. To round out the donation, B&G Foods employees have committed $250,000 of their own dollars to the cause. Smith Design, the Green Giant brand's packaging design agency, also donated its time to help create the limited edition labels. Urban School Food Alliance Celebrates Fourth Annual Fresh Attitude Week The Urban School Food Alliance (the Alliance), a coalition of the largest school districts in the United States [New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami-Dade, Dallas, Orange County (Orlando), Broward County (Fort Lauderdale), Clark County (Las Vegas), Philadelphia, Baltimore City and Boston], celebrated Fresh Attitude Week from May 7-11, 2018. In collaboration with the French Department of Agriculture and in partnership with Interfel (French Inter-Branch Association of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, which created Fresh Attitude Week), Fresh Attitude Week has become an annual event in Alliance districts in America, along with schools in France and Italy, to raise awareness about the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in schools. Maple Leaf Introduces Sweeping Brand Changes Maple Leaf Foods is launching the most sweeping changes in the history of its Maple Leaf brand to conform to evolving consumer expectations for prepared meats. This includes a comprehensive revamp of the entire portfolio so that all products are made with Maple Leaf's premium meat and real, simple, or natural ingredients. All products will contain no artificial preservatives, flavors, colors or sweeteners. The brand will lead in transparency, including legible, pronounceable ingredients that consumers trust and can find in their pantry. These sweeping brand changes signify a much larger commitment to a sustainable planet. Maple Leaf Foods is pursuing a vision to be the most sustainable protein company on Earth by going beyond the food it produces to create broader social value. This includes a commitment to substantially reducing its environmental impact on air, water and land; being a leader in animal care; and advancing food security for all Canadians. ing blocks for improving company culture and enhancing communication skills. Christina Tosi will also speak on Sunday. The CEO and Founder of Milk Bar, the twice-named James Beard Award winner, also serves on the board of Hot Bread Kitchen, a non-profit social enterprise that envisions a food system that equitably re- wards talent and sustains a diverse work force, and on the board of Cookies for Kids' Cancer, an organization that funds research into pediatric cancer through cookie sales and local events. She is also a judge on the "MasterChef" and "MasterChef Junior" tel- evision programs. Aaron Rodgers, Quarter- back of the Green Bay Packers will be the final speaker for Sunday's general session program. The MVP athlete is also the co- Creator and Founder of itsAaron, a foun- dation that helps create awareness for organizations changing the world. Many of the general session speakers, in- Las Vegas Market Sustains Strong Gift Leasing Las Vegas Market has announced that pow- erful leasing momentum continues to pro- pel gift category growth, with more than 32,100 square feet of new, expanded and renewed showrooms recently confirmed for the Summer 2018 Las Vegas Market, running July 29 to August 2, 2018. "Las Vegas Market is maintaining its dy- namic growth trajectory in the gift seg- ment, with substantial numbers of high-profile vendors signing leases for new, expanded or renewed showroom space," said Terence Morris, Senior Vice President Gift and Tradeshow Leasing, International Market Centers. "The ongoing industry 'buzz' about the exciting buying and selling atmosphere is making Las Vegas Market not only the nation's fastest growing gift and home décor market but also an indus- try must-shop event." More than 4,500 square feet of new and expanded gift showrooms already are con- firmed for Summer Market. The two most recent newcomers to Las Vegas Market are Viabella, an upscale greeting card and sta- tionery supplier, in 844 square feet on C11; and Wild Rumpus Room, a multi-line sales agency with a host of American-made arti- san lines, in 3,668 square feet on C10. Wild Rumpus Room's featured lines include: Anvil Studio, Attic Journals, Counter Cou- ture, Gabriel John Candles, Joanna Craft, Karen Tyler Boelts, Magpie Primitives, Smart Glass, Southern Firefly, Stick with Mary, Sugarhouse Greetings, The 3 Sisters Design Co., Universal Ironworks, Vintage Bliss, Whimsies USA and Whitney Howard Designs. Two expansions, totaling nearly 8,000 square feet of showroom space, also are confirmed for Summer Market. Torre & Tagus, supplier of clean, contemporary home décor and accessories from around the world, is expanding to 2,506 square feet and relocating to C1. The American Made Collective, a shared showroom of nearly 20 U.S.-based artisans working in all media and all product categories, is ex- panding to 5,406 square feet on C11 and welcoming three newcomers: Kristin Ford Jewelry, Music of the Spheres, and Sticks. In advance of Summer Market, seven leading vendors, which together utilize a total of 12,521 square feet on five floors of Building C (C1, C8, C9, C10 and C11), are renewing their Las Vegas Market showroom commitments. The most recent renewals in- clude: Burton & Burton, suppliers of bal- loons, floral supplies, coordinating gifts, and home décor, in 10,117 square feet on C8; Columbia Empire Farms, a gourmet food purveyor of berry preserves, syrups, sauces, hazelnut confections, gift packs and accessories, in 303 square feet on C1; Mary Lake Thompson, a designer and manufac- turer of soaps, aprons, bath products, drawer liners, sachets, napkins, hats and signature flour sack towels, in 1,760 square feet on C10; Melrose International, a wholesaler for giftware, home décor, silk florals, flameless candles and accessories, in 6,756 square feet on C9; Menus & Music, an independent publisher and music label producing exceptional-quality cooking, music, and travel products, in 289 square feet on C11; Swahili Imports, designers and importers of handmade African baskets, decor and jewelry, and fair trade products, 1,590 square feet on C10; and USA Pan, a manufacturer of commercial quality bake- ware, in 1,520 square feet on C11. These latest debuts and expansions, combined with three other gourmet-fo- cused additions announced in March, will bring a total of nearly 16,600 square feet of new and expanded showrooms to the Sum- mer 2018 Las Vegas Market. In addition, gift and gourmet showroom renewals in advance of the Summer Market total 15,082 square feet. Las Vegas Market is the nation's fastest growing gift and home décor market and the leading furniture marketplace in the western U.S., presenting more than 4,300 gift, home décor and furniture resources in an unrivaled market destination. Las Vegas Market features thousands of gift, furniture and home décor lines, allowing for cross- category commerce among these industries. The Summer 2018 Las Vegas Market runs July 29 to August 2, 2018. For more infor- mation, visit www.lasvegasmarket.com. GN cluding Tosi and Hardage, will also speak at IDDBA Show & Sell Workshops. These are more intimate and interactive gather- ings that take place in the interactive mar- ketplace on the IDDBA show floor. The Show & Sell marketplace showcases trends and merchandising ideas that attending re- tailers can take back to their own stores and start using immediately, with the work- shop sessions held in that forum give atten- dees a chance to sit in on live demonstrations and to ask specific ques- tions of industry experts. Other speakers who will appear in Show & Sell Workshops include Jim Donald, President and Chief Operating Officer of Albertsons Compa- nies; Mark Dickinson, co-Founder and Managing Partner of Emerge Strategic So- lutions, who will be speaking about how deep grocery discounters are disrupting the Continued on PAGE 26

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