Oser Communications Group

7 June 2018 SNACKING NEWS Torie & Howard Donates Organic Candy to Help Feed the Hungry Torie & Howard is making life a little sweeter by donating its organic candy to charities that help feed hungry children, families, veterans and others. The company has provided more than 100,000 packages of its Chewie Fruities ® organic fruit chews, 14,400 tins of its or- ganic hard candy and 8,275 pounds of the hard candy in bulk to four charitable or- ganizations, according to Torie Burke, company co-Founder. Donations were made to the Los Ange- les [California] Regional Food Bank, which aids more than 300,000 individuals monthly; Warrior Food Project, which is headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, and helps feed hungry or homeless U.S. veterans, and the Drug and Crime Free Youth Foundation in Los Angeles, Burke said. Torie & Howard also donated candy to the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House, which shelters families who must travel so their children can receive vital medical services. "When we founded the company, our in- tention always was to support worthy causes as we were able to grow our pro- ceeds to the point where we could give back," Burke said. "We feel fortunate that we are at the point of making a substantial donation that we hope will add a bit of sweetness to the lives of many who are facing challenges in life." All Torie & Howard candy is USDA Or- ganic, kosher certified, contains no artifi- cial dyes, flavors, preservatives or genetically engineered ingredients. It also is vegan and free from major allergens, in- cluding soy, wheat, gluten, nuts and dairy. More information may be found online at www.torieandhoward.com or by calling 888.826.9554. n Laughing Giraffe Organics Introduces Kick'n Spiced Dried Fruit Laughing Giraffe Organics, makers of the popular coconut-based Snakaroons™ cookies, is now debuting Kick'n Mango and Kick'n Pineapple spiced dried fruit snacks. Kick'n Mango and Kick'n Pineap- ple are a delicious combination of sweet and sour with subtle kick of flavor. Made with dehydrated organic fruit, Kick'n Mango has a hint of lime and jalapeño, while Kick'n Pineapple has a touch of cin- namon and sweet potato. "We were inspired by global flavors and wanted to infuse some of our favorite combinations into our Kick'n Dried Fruits," says Chelsea Marshall, Laughing Giraffe Organics Chief Executive Officer. "Living in LA, I used to buy 'street fruit,' a Mexican tradition of fresh-cut fruit driz- zled with lime juice and chili powder, which is what we created Kick'n Mango after. The Kick'n Pineapple is a take on Chicha de Piña, the popular spiced drink from Ecuador that is traditionally made with allspice, cloves and anise." Since 2006, Laughing Giraffe Organics has paved the way for plant-based, organic snacks made for the whole family by cre- ating unique flavor combinations using unprocessed and clean ingredients. All Laughing Giraffe Organics snacks are gluten free, kosher, certified non-GMO and made with raw and vegan ingredients. Kick'n Mango and Kick'n Pineapple spiced dried fruit snacks are currently rolling out in national retail stores, join- ing other Laughing Giraffe Organics products at Whole Foods and Sprouts, as well as many natural and conventional food stores and independent grocers across North America. Visit www .thelaughinggiraffe.com for more infor- mation. n Wildly Delicious Fine Foods took home gold in the barbecue sauce category for its Badass Smoked Sriracha & Roasted Gar- lic Mop Sauce. The award for the best cooking sauce or marinade went to Sal- saology for its Ancho Chile & Tamarind Sauce. In the three chocolate categories: one for dark chocolate, one for milk and white chocolate and one for a chocolate candy, the three gold awards went to Poco Dolce for its Olive Oil and Sea Salt Chocolate Bar, to Milkboy Swiss Chocolates for its Swiss Alpine Milk Chocolate with Crunchy Caramel and Sea Salt and to Droga Chocolates for its Money on Honey Toasted Coconut Almond. Milk- boy Swiss Chocolates also won the silver award for Swiss Alpine Milk Chocolate with Roasted Almonds and best new product for Swiss White Chocolate with Blue Potato Chips and Sea Salt. Neucha- tel Chocolates won the gold award for a vegan product with its Vegan Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut Nectar, Honey Mama's won gold in the sweet snack cat- egory with Honey Cocoa Bar Nibs and Coffee and Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolatier won the gold award in the confection category for its Strawberry Mango Gummy Pandas. Mouth Foods received the gold award for the best cookie with its Smart Cookie Orange Pistachio Shortbread, and That's How We Roll, LLC, won in the cracker category for its Kitchen Table Bakers Parm Crisps Original. The award for the best ice cream or gelato went to Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream for its Black Sesame Ice Cream, while the award for the best dessert sauce or topping went to Mount Mansfield Maple Products for its Single Malt Barrel Aged Organic Pure Vermont Maple Syrup. There were two categories for cold bev- erages, one for a drink and cocktail mix and the other for a ready-to-drink bever- age. Improper Goods LLC took home the gold award in the cocktail mix category for its The Bitter Housewife Cardamom Bitters, while Brands Within Reach took the gold award for a ready-to-drink bever- age for Belvoir Fruit Farms Cucumber & Mint Lemonade. The gold award for the best hot beverage went to Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate for its Drinking Chocolate Belize Toldeo. Date Lady won the gold award for the best condiment for its California Date Syrup as well as the silver award in the dessert sauce or topping category for its Pure Date Syrup and the bronze award in the category for vegan products with its Coconut Caramel Date Sauce. Cafe Spice Global Cuisine won the gold award in the gluten free category for its Cafe Spice Vegetable Bhajias with Chutneys. In the granola category Cucina Classica Organic Italian 10 Minute Farro won the gold award. It's imported to the U.S. by Atalanta Corporation. The French Farm received the gold award in the honey cat- egory for L'Abeille Occitane Pure Laven- der Honey, and Blake Hill Preserves won the gold award in the category for jams and preserves with its Cardamom-infused Meyer Lemon Marmalade. In the nut and seed butter category, Manna Organics won gold with Manna Butter Coconut Cashew and silver with Manna Butter Hazelnut Cocoa Truffle. In the olive oil category, Planeta Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Italian Products USA won gold, and the winning vinegar was Villa Manodori Dark Cherry Bal- samic Vinegar of Modena, imported by De Medici Imports, Ltd. n for charcuterie with Finocchiona. The announcements came on April 11 in videotaped presentations by Specialty Food Association President Phil Ka- farakis. Gold, silver and bronze awards were given on the basis of taste and ingre- dient quality, while new product winners were also judged on innovation, which was defined for the judges as an unex- pected culinary experience, creativity in making the product healthier and/or sus- tainable or a sense that the product is on trend with changing consumer prefer- ences. All of the winners will be displayed in the sofi Awards showcase at the Sum- mer Fancy Food Show, June 30-July 2 at Javits Center in New York City. Gold awards also went to Loacker USA, Inc. for its Loacker Gran Pasticceria Tortina White in the baked good category, to La Tourangelle for its Roasted Virgin Peanut Oil in the baking ingredient cate- gory and for its roasted Pistachio Oil in the category for nut oils. La Tourangelle's Roasted Walnut Oil won the bronze award in the nut oils category. sofi Awards Continued from Page 1

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