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Produce Show Daily Wednesday, June 27, 2018 1 0 Matrix Works with Fresh & IQF Packers & Producers to Manage Flexible Packaging Needs With increasing numbers of consumers interested in eating more whole foods, the fresh fruit, vegetable and IQF mar- kets are booming. Today, these packers and producers need to increase their out- put and efficiently push more produce into the marketplace. Consumers not only are seeking to purchase family-serv- ing size packages, but they also want conveniently packaged single-serving sizes for easy consumption. As a leader in vertical form fill seal packaging equipment, Matrix can deliver rugged, well-engineered, cost-competi- tive and easy-to-use packaging systems that are backed by large world-class serv- ice and parts teams. Celebrating 30 years in the packaging industry, Matrix demon- strates the ability, knowledge and com- mitment to create profitable non-propri- etary component packaging systems for customers on a global scale. Matrix has been working in the fresh fruit, produce and IQF industries since the beginning of its history. We started out packaging pre-washed lettuce and have expanded to cover most of the industry – from packaging fresh can- taloupe, tomatoes, grapes, carrots, broc- coli and potatoes, to IQF fruits and veg- etables. Matrix machines are flexible and durable and our team works collabora- tively with each cus- tomer to ensure machines meet their unique requirements. Whether you need an entry-level machine to use with a hand load- ing pocket conveyor, or a fully automated com- puterized net weight scale with a high- speed packaging machine, Matrix has a solution for you. Matrix machines work with a variety of film types: mesh, poly or resistance, and these systems also can produce a wide range of bag sizes from 2 inches to 18 inches. Matrix also provides a comprehen- sive line of products reaching virtually every industry with its distributor part- ners. Toyo Jidoki provides pre-made pouch packaging systems that load, open, fill and cap pouches, optional Ultra Clean format. FLtecnics offers rollstock (HFFS) pouch-making technology in both carousel and walking- beam styles with speeds up to 400ppm and can produce a pouch with a top or corner valve on the same valve applica- tor. It all boils down to flexibility, whether you have retail or institutional needs, small or large bags, mesh, poly, resistance or some other type of film, low or high capacity. Matrix is uniquely qual- ified to provide its customers with a wealth of knowledge along the entire packaging line and can facilitate integrat- ing packaging and processing solutions for your products. For more information, stop by booth #2819 for a demo or contact matrix@promachbuilt.com. Keep Technology Safe and Secure with Self-Serve Automated Lockers Everyone loves those sleek, fast POS tablets, right? Your staff like a speedier ordering process, helping your kitchen run more smoothly, and minimizing errors. Customers love them because they can pay and get a receipt without standing in line. But what happens when you're in the middle of dinner rush and you can't find one of those brilliant, PCI-compliant tablets? Your first thought is, did some- one walk off with it? Or did someone just leave it laying around? You probably have no way of knowing. Mobile Tech: Easy to Use, Hard to Track It's no small question, considering that one tablet can easily cost up to $1,000. Most restaurants lock up devices in the manager's office. This is fine, until you consider what happens when a server needs a tablet. Maybe they're just show- ing up for work, or maybe the one they're using needs charging, or it doesn't work. The server has to go in search of the man- ager, who has to drop what they're work- ing on, go unlock the office, and get a new tablet. It's lost time for both associ- ates. Something else to consider – what happens when one of those thousand-dol- lar tablets turns up damaged, or you do a count and realize one or more is missing? With customer data on these tablets and no way of knowing who used which one and when they returned it, if at all, you are faced with a serious issue. Thankfully, securing this investment, and the customer data it contains, is easy. Secure, Self-Serve AXCESS™ Automated Lockers There's a smarter, simpler way with the AXCESS 6100 self- serve, automated lockers from Apex Fulfillment Technologies ® . Staff simply swipe their unique ID badge to open a compartment door and get a tablet. The date and time are recorded in the secure, cloud-based Trajectory Cloud data platform. This ensures you have real-time visibility of who has every device, when they are checked out and when they are returned. You can also have your manager notified if a POS tablet is kept out longer than expected. The shallow depth lockers have a small footprint to minimize the amount of floor space needed. Locker sizes can be scaled small enough to fit on or below a counter, or shelf or larger, free-standing lockers can accom- modate up to 36 devices. The locker compartments can even be wired to charge your devices when they're not in use. For more information, go to www.apex supplychain.com/foodservice. Tucson Tamale Introduces Organic Hot Sauce Line Tucson Tamale, known for its natural line of artisan handmade frozen tamales, has launched its line of organic hot sauce with three distinct flavors that offer a healthy way to add zip to any plate. The hot sauces are in keeping with the company's tradition of creating delicious products from organic and regional ingredients to make authentic tastes of the Southwest accessible to everyone. The hot sauce line includes Organic Jalapeño Pepper Sauce, Organic Chipotle Pepper Sauce and Organic Habanero Pepper Sauce. The Organic Jalapeño Pepper Sauce is made from organic jalapeños grown in the New Mexico Rio Grande River val- ley, a region central to Southwest food traditions. This peppery and flavorful hot sauce adds a genuine Southwest kick without overpowering food, making it the perfect choice for those new to Southwest flavors as well as those well- versed in the tradition. The Organic Chipotle Pepper sauce is made from with a medley of organic pep- pers also grown in the Mexico Rio Grande River valley. The addition of chipotle gives this hot sauce a smoky and earthy flavor. This hot sauce will zest up your meal with its spiciness and full flavor. The Organic Habanero Pepper sauce is the spiciest yet. This hot sauce is made with the mighty habanero, one of the hottest chiles available. The habanero pepper has a slight citrus flavor and when blended with the milder organic peppers, makes for a full-flavored and fiery hot sauce. Todd Martin, company Founder, want- ed the perfect organic condiment to pair with the company's popular hand-crafted tamales. These three different hot sauces offer something for every taste and are deli- cious on any dish that would benefit from a touch of spice. Tucson Tamale Company cares about the quality of its products and takes pride in where it sources its ingredi- ents. From the vine to the plate, these deci- sions create a difference you can taste. For more information, call 520.398.6282. Vivian's Pies Let the Good Times Roll By Lorrie Baumann Vivian Clark, 76, has been making her crawfish pies for 30 years, and now she's using the secret recipe that earned her pies applause at Florida restaurants, farmers markets as well as her friends' parties to make crawfish pies for retail sale in specialty food markets. Clark first introduced her Cajun- style crawfish pies to friends at a house- warming event. "I was trying to one-up the hostess with her dinner," she admits. "Everyone took the crawfish pie... I've created a pie recipe that nobody else can make. I am the only one with this recipe." Those friends started asking her to make pies for them to buy from her and she did – just friend to friend – until she retired from her career as an accountant for a local nursing home and then got bored. "I found a kitchen, got a license, and started selling to restaurants right away," she says. "Every weekend, I'd go to the market and sell – in four hours – anywhere from $500 to $2,000, just from people walking the street and having a sample. People were coming and saying they'd been all over the world and could- n't find anything that tastes like this." This year, working along with Jack Drasner, a consumer packaged goods consultant and a friend of long standing, she's decided to use that success as the launching pad for Vivian's Pies sales to specialty food markets, starting in Florida and then launching into the national market in 2019. Vivian's Pies are available in four sizes. The smallest, a 4-ounce pie, is sold as a package of six for use as appetizer portions. The package of six retails for $44.99. The single-serving entree-sized pie, 8 ounces, retails for $16.99, while the 12- ounce pie that serves two retails for $21.99. The family-size pie, a 32-ounce pie that serves six, retails for $49.99. The pies are sold frozen, and once at home, they go directly from freezer to oven, where both top and bottom crusts brown and the crawfish filling cooks to creamy perfection in an hour. "My pie is special in that I have created the spices that no one else is using in their crawfish pie," Clark says. "It's just all flavorful with sherry and cream and butter and crawfish. At least every bite you're going to get a crawfish in it. My pie is a special pie." For more information, visit www.vivians pies.com.