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505 Southwestern, Famous for Hatch Chile Products, Celebrates 25 Years of Flavor

505 Southwestern, the country’s leading flame roasted green Hatch chile brand, celebrates 25 Years of Flavor this year and is hosting a major event in Albuquerque to celebrate the milestone in the location it was originally founded by local restaurateur and entrepreneur Roy Solomon.
The public event, hosted at Solomon’s food hall Tin Can Alley, will feature celebrity chef and Food Network star Aaron May, and the world’s largest portable green chile roaster which will be roasting fresh Hatch chiles live for attendees. In addition, guests will enjoy music from iHeartRadio affiliate 100.3 The Peak and a food demo from Cgef May with tickets starting at $25.

The celebration is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Tin Can Alley, on Alameda Boulevard just east of I-25. Tin Can Alley has gained national recognition as an innovative venue featuring locally inspired food, beverages, and entertainment. Santa Fe Brewing is an anchor tenant alongside several other local vendors.

As part of the year-long silver anniversary celebration of the brand, 505SW invited its fans to submit recipes featuring its world famous green chile. The winner of the contest, Southern California resident Merry Graham, is scheduled to be in attendance, and Chef May will share his twist on the winning recipe, Air Fryer Southwestern Salsa Verde Corn and Bacon Rangoons.

The event is open to the public (subject to capacity limitations) and the first 150 people to buy tickets will receive a commemorative gift bag. General admission tickets are $25 and include food from all Tin Can Alley food vendors. Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite HERE.

Fans who are unable to join for the event can celebrate with 505SW virtually by participating in 25 Years of Flavor contests and virtual events by following 505SW on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.

“For 25 years, 505SW has been committed to creating the highest quality products using the best and most simple ingredients from the Hatch Valley. Now we want to celebrate with the people who have made our success possible,” said Rob Holland, executive chairman of 505SW. “We will be demonstrating our commitment to our fans and communities with a recipe contest featuring incredible prizes, other giveaways, special offers, and charitable giving all year long.”

505SW started in 1997 when Albuquerque resident Solomon began bottling and selling his unique recipes for green chile sauce and salsa. Honoring his local area code to develop the brand, Solomon’s “magic ingredient” was fire-roasted, Hatch chile.

With humble beginnings as a local favorite, the brand has grown today to become the largest nationally distributed jarred green chile sauce brand. 505SW is sold in every U.S. state and internationally. 505SW’s parent company, Flagship Food Group, operates multiple facilities in New Mexico throughout the state and created the 505SW – New Mexico True Scholars program in 2017 to support local New Mexico high school students interested in studying agriculture in college.

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Healthy Living Natural Food Retailer Hailed as Outstanding Vermont Business

Healthy Living, an independent natural foods retailer, was named as the 32nd recipient of the Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award by Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.

The award honors sustained growth and “an acute awareness of what makes Vermont unique.”

“Like Davis himself — former [Vermont] governor, president of National Life of Vermont, and environmentalist — each finalist reflects Vermont’s diverse nature and, at the same time, radiates a savvy business sense,” John Boutin, publisher of VermontBiz and co-presenter of the award, said in his publication.

Healthy Living has long embodied the values honored in the award; when Katy Lesser opened the South Burlington store in 1986, she wanted to bring healthy, natural foods to the family table. In the three decades since, the brand has expanded to include locations in Williston and Saratoga, N.Y.

Lesser co-owns Healthy Living with her children, Eli and Nina Lesser-Goldsmith, who serve as CEO and COO, respectively. Together they have created 350 jobs, supported the economies of Vermont and New York, and worked tirelessly to fuel a passion for great food, health and well-being and establishing a sense of place where people gather to shop, eat, and work.

The company gives back to nonprofits quarterly and just this year became one of the first retailers to join the Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership, encouraging shoppers to buy local and support participating producers.

Healthy Living’s dedicated, expert staff bring ready-to-eat meals, groceries and wellness items to shoppers each day — with everything sold held to the store’s strict ingredient standards.

“This award means so much to us, because it acknowledges our core values and celebrates them,” Lesser said. “Deane C. Davis became governor at age 68, which shows that you really can switch careers and make an impact. That’s what I did as a young mom in the 1980s, and I’m still learning every day.”

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GoodSAM Foods Announces Multiple Hires

GoodSAM Foods, a healthy snack food brand with a commitment to sustainability and regenerative agriculture, announced multiple new hires including Kari Janapareddi as director of sales, Sara Galeano as director of sustainability and Ryan Siwinski as director of U.S. operations.

Marcia Bell

The company also has added Marcia Bell as chief operating officer starting in March after nearly a year as a consultant.

“Taking on this role allows me to work with an incredible team, developing responsibly-sourced, sustainable supply chains in a direct-trade system that will contribute to supporting our planet,” Bell said. “Our commitment to these choices will have a deep and lasting impact in the beautiful communities that have opened not only their farms to us, but their hearts as well.”
The announcements mark the brand’s continued global growth and team expansion around the world. In addition to leadership expansion, GoodSAM announced that Louise Kibugi will serve as executive Coordinator, stationed in Nairobi, Kenya, effective immediately. Each member of the GoodSAM team contributes to the overall mission of being good for the planet and creating sustainable impact in the food industry.

“There is nothing more exciting as a founder and entrepreneur than watching your team grow as the company grows,” said GoodSAM Founder & CEO, Heather K. Terry. “My vision for this company is extensive and will take a seasoned, forward-thinking, and diverse team to accomplish it.

“Fundamentally upending the food system as we know it, investing and driving growth in regenerative agriculture will take massive alignment, action, and an unrelenting commitment to sustainability and farmers.  I believe we are shaping the team at GoodSAM Foods to take that challenge head-on.”

  • Kari Janapareddi

    Kari Janapareddi (Director of Sales, USA): Kari joins GoodSAM with over 12 years of CPG experience, including seven years working in the chocolate category at Taza Chocolate out of Boston, Mass. She has lived in Boston, Austin and San Francisco and formed relationships with several stellar broker, distributor and retailer partners. Most recently, she was national sales manager at NuttZo where she helped expand the company’s footprint into key natural, conventional and mass market accounts.  \

  • Sara Galeano

    Sara Galeano (Director of Sustainability, Colombia): A communicator by profession, Galeano decided to change careers to follow her passion for making the world a better place. She has more than four years of experience dedicated to building and strengthening sustainable organizations with significant social, environmental, and economic impact. She has also worked to improve the living conditions of rural communities in Colombia, with more than 30 agricultural associations in 12 regions of the country, from the private sector and an NGO. With a history of leading the funding of resources and participating in building environmental, entrepreneurship, education, art, and cultural projects with rural communities in her native country, Galeano hopes to create a greater impact by creating lasting solutions with GoodSAM.

  • Ryan Siwinski

    Ryan Siwinski (Director of US Operations, USA): Ryan holds a B.S. in Operations & Supply Chain Management from Drexel University in Philadelphia. After college, Ryan navigated down a path of various food and agriculture experiences to fully understand the industry from the ground up. He began by launching a small-scale meal prep startup at Drexel University followed by an abundance of agriculture experiences as a farmer, livestock consultant, and regenerative agriculture advocate. His on-farm experience at Tussock Sedge Farm, White Oak Pastures and Rodale Institute has helped him gain extensive knowledge in all aspects of regenerative agriculture systems. Ryan’s career goals are to fully engage in building and managing supply chains that contribute to producing high-quality food with a major emphasis on positive ecological outcomes.

  • Marcia Bell

    Marcia Bell (Chief Operations Officer): Marcia brings over 20 years of operations & logistics leadership expertise. She has far-reaching experience in operations, as evidenced by program development, streamlining operating efficiencies, and developing exceptional teams through senior leadership roles in CPG companies in the natural products industry. Before joining GoodSAM, Mrs. Bell spent several years as Director of Operations for NibMor Chocolate and, most recently, for Eco-Kids in Portland, Maine. Marcia is dedicated to supporting the CEO, her vision, and initiatives across the organization. She is honored to have the opportunity to work with a devoted team committed to igniting positive worldwide impact.

Read more about GoodSAM Foods in the October issue of Gourmet News. So you don’t miss it, subscribe today!