Oser Communications Group

1 0 SNACKING NEWS June 2018 SNACKING NEWS La Panzanella Introduces Gluten-Free Oat Thins Crackers Bobo's Poised to Break Out from Boulder years later, she was baking her oat bars in a commercial bakery and selling them in supermarkets, and potential investors came calling. Today, the company is still baking all of its products in its Boulder bakery and has completed a re-branding and the strategic work to establish a new foundation, and it's ready for launch into the national mainstream market. The product range in- cludes 15 flavors of oat bars, individually packaged 3-ounce bars that work as both breakfast and afternoon snacks. "It's so simple that any of our consumers could make it at home, yet we do an incredible job of producing a bar that tastes home- made," McIntyre said. "We're the only bar in the category that has a home-baked aroma when you open it." Bobo's consumers enjoy the bars for their flavor first and for functionality sec- ond, and the bars bring a sense of fresh- ness to the center of the store, which many consumers regard as a plethora of processed products, McIntyre added. "We are far and away the least-processed bar in the market." Bobo's research indicates that about 50 percent of them are con- sumed for breakfast, with the rest of them consumed as snacks at scat- tered times throughout the day. "When our bars are purchased and brought into the house, it's the whole fam- ily that eats them," McIntyre said. The Bars line has been extended with new STUFF'D bars. The four STUFF'D bars are currently offered in Peanut Butter Filled, Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Chip, Coconut Almond Butter Filled and Chocolate Almond Butter Filled varieties. The 2.5-ounce bars are packaged for indi- vidual sale. They offer 5 to 7 grams of pro- tein, depending on the variety, and carry the Non GMO Project Verified seal on the front of the package. Bobo's Bites are oat mini-muffins of- fered in seven flavors: Original, Coconut, Maple Pecan, Lemon Poppyseed, Apple Pie, PB&J and Gingerbread. Packaged with five Bites per package, each Bite is one serving that offers 160 calories and 2 to 3 grams of protein. The new Bobo's TOAST'R is a Bobo's oat bar turned into a toaster pastry with the addition of ancient grains and a filling of either fruit or nut butter for what McIntyre says is the least-processed toaster pastry on the market today. Packaged for sale as singles and currently offered in four vari- eties — two with fruit and two with nut butter fillings — the 2.5-ounce pastry is just a little smaller than the 3-ounce Bobo's Bar and retails for $2.49. "We've made an incredibly high-quality toaster pastry," McIntyre said. "A cup of coffee or another beverage with one of these, and you're probably good until lunch." n La Panzanella ® Artisanal Foods Co., maker of the top-selling Croccantini ® gourmet cracker, introduces its line of Gluten-Free Oat Thins cracker. The new Oat Thins cater to the growing population that seeks snack options that are healthy and flavorful yet conform to a gluten-re- stricted diet. Launching this summer, Oat Thins will come in three great-tasting fla- vors with versatile, deli-friendly packag- ing for a suggested retail price of $4.99 for five ounces. Whole-Oat Ingredients Deliver on Flavor La Panzanella Oat Thins cracker has a crispy texture and is made with whole oat flour. All ingredients are gluten-free certi- fied and Non-GMO Project verified. Oat Thins will come in three palate-pleasing flavors including Toasted Oat, Rosemary and Roasted Garlic. All of these flavors are baked in, and the crackers are made in small batches. This versatile, gluten-free cracker is ideal paired with cheese, hummus, dips, meat or dried fruit, and is great for snacking on its own. "Industry research reports that the gluten-free packaged food sector is expected to reach $8.1 billion by 2023, and as the market grows, con- sumers will demand more variety and tastier options," said Steve Lorenz, Head of Marketing at La Panzanella. "We're very pleased to introduce our Gluten-Free Oat Thins in three varieties and believe it will take just one bite for consumers to adopt a new, favorite snack cracker." The new Oat Thins contain no preserv- atives and offer multiple benefits to those on a gluten-free diet, or anyone looking for a healthier snack cracker that's full of goodness and flavor and only 70 calories per serving. In addition to being certified gluten free, they're also low fat, lactose free, cholesterol free and vegan. Kosher Parve, they have just 70 calories per serving, and their sodium content is a low 130 mg per serving. New Packaging for Flexible Merchandising The Oat Thins five-ounce carton can be displayed horizontally or vertically for maximum merchandising flexibility. Gluten-Free and Non-GMO messaging is clearly marked on the packaging and the familiar La Panzanella branding reinforces trust with a brand that consumers know and love. Each flavor has clear visual cues including a unique color scheme and in- gredient illustration on the front of the package to help shoppers identify their fa- vorite flavors. A window on the packaging allows consumers to see the product, driv- ing appetite appeal and increased sell- through. Oat Thins Featured at Industry Food Shows La Panzanella will be exhibiting its full line of artisanal Croccantini crackers, as well as the new Gluten-Free Oat Thins, at the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Asso- ciation (IDDBA) Expo June 10-12 in New Orleans and the Summer Fancy Food Show June 30 – July 2 in New York City. Samples of the new Oat Thins will be available to trade show attendees for sam- pling at the La Panzanella booth. n BY LORRIE BAUMANN Fueled by an $8 million round of capital in 2017 and this year's launch of a new product line at Natural Products Expo West, Bobo's is poised to break into the national mainstream with its range of oat bars, bites and, now, toaster pastries that offer solid nutrition as well as taste and texture that appeal to the entire family. Last year's capital infusion paid for an ex- pansion of the Boulder, Colorado, com- pany's capacity, resulting in top-line revenue growth of almost 70 percent in 2017 and an increase in the number of salaried employees to 29, says CEO T.J. McIntyre, who joined the company in 2016. Bobo's was started in Boulder in 2003 by Beryl Stafford, a mom who named the company after her daughter Bobo. She started by making a batch of oat bars – soft oatmeal cookies in bar form – in her home kitchen over a weekend. They turned out well, and she started selling them to local cafes and then to Whole Foods. A few Protein-Packed Muuna Now Includes Probiotics Award-winning cottage cheese brand Muuna ® now includes probiotics in its products, including the new Black Cherry, Vanilla and Raspberry fruit-on- the-bottom flavors that launched in Jan- uary. All Muuna 5.3-ounce and 16-ounce varieties are now enriched with the pro- biotic Bifidobacterium Lactis (B. lactis). With probiotics hailed as one of 2018's most talked about food trends, Muuna once again distinguishes itself from the competition by giving consumers easy access to significant nutritional benefits, while delivering award-winning great taste. The brand's addition of probiotics to its offerings makes Muuna the only brand of cottage cheese that contains probiotics across a broad variety of items. Muuna's protein-packed, conveniently portable, rich and creamy cottage cheese with real pieces of fruit has been driving growth in the cottage cheese category since its launch in 2016, and the addition of probiotics to its recipes further elevates the brand's consumer appeal. Muuna cottage cheese now does double- duty with 14-19 grams of protein per serv- ing plus probiotics. Muuna's 5.3-ounce single-serve vari- eties are packed with protein, low in sugar, are a good source of calcium and contain probiotics – a deliciously portable snack to throw in your bag on the way out the door. "Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in snack and meal options that contain a variety of healthy ingredients to meet their dietary needs. By adding probi- otics to Muuna's already craveable recipe, we can offer a single product that is not only enriched with probiotics, but also high in protein, low in sugar, a good source of calcium and containing potas- sium," said Gerard Meyer, Chief Execu- tive Officer of Muuna. These fruit flavors are available in 5.3- ounce single-serving containers with 120 to 130 calories. Rich and creamy Lowfat Plain Muuna is available in 5.3-ounce and 16-ounce containers, and Classic Plain is offered in 16-ounce multi-serving contain- ers only. All Muuna products contain no artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners. Muuna is also gluten-free and certified kosher. Visit www.muuna.com for infor- mation. n

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