Armored Fresh Takes Oat Milk Cheese on Tour
Armored Fresh, a food tech company specializing in alternative dairy products, has announced a coast-to-coast tour for buyers and culinary professionals within the grocery, food service and QSR channels. Commencing on Jan. 2, the Armored Fresh Oat Milk Cheese Tour will provide an opportunity for buyers to experience Armored Fresh’s new zero-dairy Oat Milk American Cheese Slices and additional innovations yet to be released. The nationwide tour will begin in New York and end in California with stops in all major metropolitan destinations.
“Our R&D and culinary teams have perfected our new zero-dairy Oat Milk Cheese Slices and we’re excited to share these game-changing options with industry food service professionals and retail buyers,” said Rudy Yoo, founder and CEO of Armored Fresh. “Our mission is to create renewed enthusiasm in the industry with our dairy-free, plant-based cheese that is more sustainable and has the same taste, creaminess, and melting properties that consumers experience from traditional dairy cheeses.”
The exclusive tastings will be hosted by Armored Fresh’s U.S. sales team. This will include a curated menu featuring the delicious Oat Milk Cheese Slices. Industry professionals who are interested in scheduling a meeting are invited to contact Tour@armoredfresh.com, for more details and availability.
Armored Fresh was founded with the mission to protect human health and the environment by delivering delicious plant-based cheeses at an affordable price. The zero-dairy company offers a robust portfolio of cheeses, including Cubed Cheeses, Oat Milk Slices, and Almond Milk Slices.
All of the company’s plant-based cheeses are a combination of innovative science and culinary art, crafted by Armored Fresh’s team of chefs and R&D scientists who work hand-in-hand to create zero-dairy options through the same process as dairy cheeses. Armored Fresh cheeses are available at select retailers nationwide, including Kroger, Fresh Thyme Market, Town and Country Foods, and Fred Meyer, as well as food service partners.
Armored Fresh specializes in developing delicious, alternative dairy products. The brand brings its innovative approach and award-winning zero-dairy cheeses that taste, melt, and replicate the mouthfeel of dairy-based cheeses nationwide. All Armored Fresh cheeses are non-GMO and made 100 percent from plants, and are comparable to traditional dairy options in terms of taste and nutrition. The company offers a portfolio of cheese alternatives, including cubes, slices, shreds and spreads. Visit www.armoredfresh.com for more information.
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S Korean Favorite EGGDROP to Open Stores in Philippines
EGGDROP, Korea’s premium Korean egg sandwich brand by Golden Hind Co., Ltd, announced the opening of its second global store in the Philippines following Bangkok, Thailand.
EGGDROP’s entry into the Philippines follows a 10-store agreement in Thailand, the brand’s first country of global expansion. It completes a multi-franchise agreement to open five stores in the Philippines.
EGGDROP will launch two stores in the Philippines in the first half of 2024, followed by three additional stores in the second half of the year in key locations.
EGGDROP’s entry into the Philippine market is part of Golden Hind’s aggressive overseas expansion strategy, which aims to provide Filipino consumers with a new gastronomic experience that is both delicious and healthy.
Starting with its first store in 2017 and completing the opening of 298th stores in South Korea (as of November), EGGDROP has achieved sustained sales growth in a short time thanks to its sensational product design, healthy and delicious “egg food” concept, and Instagrammable food and package design.
Building on this growth in Korea, EGGDROP has recently received franchise inquiries from more than 30 countries around the world, including the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, and India.
“We are very excited to announce EGGDROP’s second international expansion,” said Youngwoo Noh, CEO of Golden Hind. “We look forward to providing a fun experience for consumers in the Philippines,” said Mr. Noh. “In addition to Thailand and the Philippines, EGGDROP is actively seeking master franchise partners in other countries such as the U.S. and Japan to strengthen the brand’s presence globally.”
EGGDROP is a premium egg sandwich brand inspired by “complete food” eggs which cook a healthy meal around scrambled eggs made with 1 grade eggs and fresh ingredients.
Golden Hind is a young and innovative company that advocates “Food Venture” as a restaurant franchise corporation established in 2017 in Seoul. Currently, EGGDROP is the leading business and incubating various other brands.
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Darigold CEO Coote Steps Down, Huttema Named Interim CEO
Darigold, Inc., one of the nation’s largest dairy producers, announced that Chief Executive Officer Joe Coote is leaving the company and that Board Chairman Allan Huttema has been named interim CEO. The change comes as Coote, who was named to the CEO role in January 2022, plans to return to his native Australia.
“I take over as Interim CEO with the benefit of having an extremely capable leadership team in place, including a number of Darigold veterans and newer leaders with proven track records across the dairy and consumer packaged goods sectors,” said Huttema. “Our business is structured to run around two divisions – business to business and business to consumer – each with experienced, proven leaders running them.
“I have full confidence that the team and the structure we have in place will help ensure that we continue serving our customers in the way they have come to expect from us.”
One of the nation’s largest dairy producers, Darigold is deep into a multi-year transformational journey that has the company modernizing and globalizing its business. Its transformation is focused on expanding production capacity with a new facility currently under construction in Pasco, Wash., modernizing systems, reinvesting in its iconic, 100-year-old brand, and refocusing its culture on excellence in execution.
Coote joined Darigold three years ago as president of its International Ingredients division before being promoted to CEO in 2022. He’d spent 12 years prior working globally in the dairy sector.
“Joe took over as CEO at a time when we were early into a transformation to grow and modernize our business,” said Huttema. “Under his leadership, we took significant steps forward on that effort, beginning construction of our new facility in Pasco, launching a migration of our business management systems, and beginning to develop a culture rooted in excellence in operations.
“We are grateful for Joe’s time with Darigold and appreciate all of his contributions. On behalf of our full Board, I wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Huttema is one of Darigold’s 300 farmer-owners and has served on its board of directors for nine years. He has held the role of chairman of the board for the last three years. His experience on Darigold’s board, coupled with his work as an active dairyman in Idaho, give Huttema well-rounded experience with Darigold and a deep understanding of its complex operations.
Darigold has taken recent steps to strengthen its already capable leadership team, naming presidents for its Business to Consumer and Business to Business divisions, hiring consumer packaged goods leader Dan Hofmeister and dairy sector veteran Chris Rowe to fill those roles, respectively. The company also named a new senior vice president of sales, Dan Bukowski, to support its growth efforts.
“Serving as CEO of Darigold the last two years was a great privilege,” said Coote. “I have enormous respect and admiration for our farmer-owners and the teams across our business that work so hard to keep our customers stocked with great, high-quality dairy products. Having been away from my home country for many years now, my family and I are ready to return to Australia to begin new adventures back home.”
Huttema assumes the role of interim CEO effective immediately.
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