Enjoy Life Foods Launches Amazon Dash Button

Published June 29, 2016

Enjoy Life Foods is making it easier for consumers to reorder allergy-friendly foods with its launch of an Amazon Dash Button for Enjoy Life Foods. Available to Amazon Prime members, the Dash Button for Enjoy Life Foods allows customers to reorder their allergy-friendly Enjoy Life snack stash before running low. A battery-powered, Wi-Fi connected device, the Amazon Dash comes with a reusable adhesive and removable hook to hang, stick, or place right where you need it. The Dash Button includes a status light indicator that turns green once an order is placed, and customers also receive an order notification by email and on their smartphone (if enabled) after an order is placed.

“As a brand rooted in the food allergy community, we understand the everyday stresses of living with food allergies, and our Dash Button is designed to alleviate the stress of keeping the house stocked with safe, allergy-friendly options,” said Joel Warady, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Enjoy Life Foods. “The Dash Button for Enjoy Life Foods allows customers to reorder their supply of allergy-friendly cookies, snack bars, chocolate bars, baking chocolate, baking mixes, seed and fruit mixes and Plentils® expeditiously. We’re excited to offer a unique, time-saving option that skips the online research phase with this simple tool that fits conveniently into a home pantry.”

An easy-to-setup process, Amazon Dash Button for Enjoy Life Foods can be acquired by Amazon Prime members and configured in a few simple steps, including selecting desired Enjoy Life products for ordering. Once configured, users can order by simply pushing their Dash Button for Enjoy Life Foods and have the ability to cancel orders before shipping. The Amazon Dash Button is available for $4.99, and customers will receive a credit to their Amazon accounts for the full $4.99 following their first order.

Dash Button for Enjoy Life Foods joins other leading retail brands, including Bounty, Tide, L’Oreal and more, and follows recent news of Amazon more than tripling the number of Dash Button brands in March 2016.

All Enjoy Life products are certified gluten free and Non-GMO Project Verified and free-from the top eight most common food allergens, identified as wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish and shellfish. For more information, visit www.enjoylifefoods.com.

Grassmilk Yogurt from Organic Valley

Published June 29, 2016

One of the most exciting trends in food today is 100 percent grass-fed dairy. And in the 12 months since Organic Valley introduced its Grassmilk Yogurt in multi-serve tubs, the farmer-owned cooperative has established itself as the number one brand for 100 percent grassfed dairy in the US.

Today, Organic Valley added to its award-winning Grassmilk Yogurt line by introducing convenient 6- ounce single serve cups with two new flavors– Wild Blueberry and Strawberry, plus the original Plain and Vanilla varieties.

Organic Valley’s Grassmilk Yogurt has won accolades because it’s made from the exceptional organic milk that comes from cows that are 100 percent grass-fed — with no supplemental feed, grain or soybeans in their diet, just lush, fresh pasture and dried forages. The result is a delicate, premium, small-batch yogurt with the seasonal taste of grassmilk dairy. Nutritionally, Organic Valley Grassmilk Yogurt flows with naturally occurring calcium, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and omega-3s.

Why Organic Valley Grassmilk Yogurt cups are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the grass-fed trend:

Organic Valley is already the fastest growing 100 percent grass-fed yogurt brand, in an exploding category:
Grass-fed yogurt is growing eight times faster than the overall organic yogurt category (mainstream and natural) – a $85.9 million segment.
Organic grass-fed yogurt is growing over five times faster than the overall organic yogurt — a $21.3 million segment.
Organic Valley Grassmilk yogurt has higher levels of naturally occurring omega-3s and CLA
Organic Valley is always organic, which means Organic Valley never uses antibiotics, synthetic hormones, toxic pesticides or GMOs.

Organic Valley Grassmilk Yogurt cups will appeal to consumers who are looking for exceptional “beyond organic” taste in new fruit flavors and more convenient packaging.

Like the original tubs, Organic Valley’s Grassmilk Yogurt cups feature cream-on-top, whole milk yogurt crafted from 100 percent grass-fed, non-homogenized organic Grassmilk® milk, along with organic strawberries, organic wild blueberries, organic fair trade vanilla and live probiotic cultures.

Organic Valley Grassmilk Yogurt cups will be available September 2016 in natural food stores, food cooperatives and major grocery chains nationwide. Suggested retail price is $1.69.

Organic Prairie Releases Grass-fed Beef Jerky

Published June 29, 2016

Organic Prairie, the brand of organic meats produced by the same farmer-owned co-op as Organic Valley, has introduced Mighty Beef Jerky, made from organic, 100 percent grass-fed beef. Available in Teriyaki, Original and Peppered flavors, these organic beef snacks deliver big, ready-to-eat flavor without worrisome additives. Many consumers today are looking for a quick protein snack, and Mighty Jerky is a sophisticated, savory flavor choice with an ingredient list that’s simple and clean: Mighty snacks are always organic and never contain GMOs, antibiotics, synthetic hormones, or artificial fillers.

Like Mighty Bar, launched in the summer of 2015, each paleo-friendly serving of Mighty Jerky contains 12 grams of gluten-free, nut-free, non-GMO, 100 percent grass-fed, organic protein. Mighty Jerky has a toothsome texture thanks to a touch of honey, which also improves shelf stability.

A Mighty opportunity for you!

Beef snack sales are exploding with 55 percent growth in the Natural Channel!
Consumer demand continues to soar for paleo-friendly products like Mighty Jerky.
Mighty Bar and Mighty Jerky are the only organic, 100 percent grass-fed meat snacks currently available in the United States.

Today, meat bars and jerky are no longer exclusively for the hunting and fishing crowd on a munchie run at the gas station. Next-generation meat snacks are for anyone seeking a healthy, protein-rich, low glycemic snack. Just so, a quality organic option was lacking—until the introduction of Mighty Bar and now Mighty Jerky.

“Having a busy lifestyle no longer means you have to sacrifice quality or nutrition when you want a quick snack,” says Eric Newman, Organic Prairie CEO. “Mighty Bar and Mighty Jerky are USDA Certified Organic, and they’re made with 100 percent grass-fed beef. So these snacks are delicious, nutritious, and simple the way nature intended.

The suggested retail price per two-ounce package of Mighty Jerky is $6.99.

ENZO Olive Oil Now Counts 125 Awards for its Products

Published June 24, 2016

ENZO Olive Oil Company continues to receive wide acclaim at regional, national and international competitions. During the 2016 competition season, ENZO has been awarded 57 medals to date at prestigious events around the world. The honors include Best of Show, Best of Class and multiple gold medals from Italy, Japan and New York, as well as regional competitions throughout California.

ENZO organic extra virgin olive oil is 100 percent estate-grown, utilizing a hands-on approach that results in fresh, premium and flavorful oil. ENZO’s full line of award-winning, California organic extra virgin olive oil includes: Delicate, Medium, Bold, Basil infused, Meyer Lemon infused, Garlic infused and Clementine Crush.

Oregon Cherry Growers Achieves B Corporation Certification

Published June 24, 2016

Grower-owned cooperative Oregon Cherry Growers (OCG) has achieved its certification as a B Corporation. Dedicated to nurturing the family farms of its coop members, OCG is one of the first agricultural cooperatives in the world to earn the third-party B Corp certification, in recognition of its environmentally responsible operations, progressive employment policies, quality products and community engagement.

The organization joins a prestigious group of international companies recognized as leaders in social and environmental standards, transparency and accountability.

“We are honored to be one of the country’s first B Corp-certified cooperatives,” said Tim Ramsey, President and CEO for Oregon Cherry Growers, “Oregon Cherry Growers has long embodied the qualities of a B Corp, but with official certification we join a larger community of like-minded businesses that share a desire to make a positive, sustainable impact in our communities. This certification marks another step in our legacy of setting industry standards for quality and innovation.”

OCG completed a rigorous assessment of its business, environmental and social practices to achieve the independent third-party recognition. The assessment recognizes OCG for sustainable practices across every aspect of the business, including:

Embracing environmentally responsible practices throughout its operations such as introducing natural methods for pest control, deploying water conservation practices, reducing waste through composting and mulching practices, and enhancing wildlife habitat
Nurturing a culture of safety and respect with its employees, and offering robust training programs to foster career growth and prosperity
Engaging in community events to ensure a healthy place to live, work and play
Providing safe, quality foods to its customers

With B Corp certification, the cooperative makes a commitment to ongoing sustainability gains and to conduct biannual recertification.

Specialty Food Producers Take Home the Gold

Published June 24, 2016

By Lorrie Baumann

La Pasta’s Radicchio, Parsnip & Apricot Ravioli has won the 2016 sofi Award for Best New Product. Radicchio is sauteed with a little bit of balsamic vinegar to bring out the sweetness of the vegetables and then folded into ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheese together with roasted parsnips and dried apricots. The filling is then enclosed in La Pasta’s signature pasta with black pepper pasta stripes.

“We got lucky. It happens,” said Alexis Konownitzine, President of La Pasta, “Our chef Kristen made the product and will be at the Fancy Food Show.”

La Pasta already had several sofi Awards for products including its Marinara Sauce and Beet, Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Ravioli. This year’s winner was selected from among 23 finalists in the Best New Product category by the sofi judging panel of culinary experts in a blind tasting. Overall, 28 products were named winners and 100 named finalists from among 3,200 entries this year.

This year’s judging diverged from the methodology used for the past couple of years, in that the judging was completed before the Summer Fancy Food Show and winners were named at the same time as finalists. This process was designed to make the judging more fair and transparent, according to the Specialty Food Association, which owns the sofi Awards program. The products were judged by criteria that awarded 70 percent of the product’s score for taste, which included flavor, appearance, texture and aroma and 30 percent for ingredient quality, which included a consideration of whether any of the product’s ingredients were artificial and whether they were combined in a creative or unexpected way. One winner was chosen in each of the 28 judging categories, and the top 4 percent of the entries in each category were named finalists. No awards were presented this year in classic, foodservice or product line categories, which were part of last year’s contest.

CFM_Prosciutto-slice Finalists for the Best New Product award included Dalmatia Sour Cherry Spread from Atalanta Corporation, Jansal Valley Boneless Prosciutto Toscano D.O.P. from Sid Wainer and Son Specialty Produce and Specialty Food, Organic Stoneground Flakes Cereal — Purple Corn from Back to the Roots and Sliced Prosciutto (Domestic) from Creminelli Fine Meats. “Prosciutto is everywhere in the U.S., but we do it differently, using whole-muscle Duroc pork that’s 100 percent vegetarian-fed with no antibiotics ever. We layer it in the tray by hand instead of by machine,” said Kyle Svete, Creminelli Fine Meats’ Director of Sales for National Accounts. “We invest in people, not machines. It’s part of who we are – people, animal, craft…. We have machines to help us do our job, but it’s really about the people. The recyclable tray and the elegant look of it elevates the product and the category.”

“We’re proud of it. We put the ingredients right on the front of the label,” he added. “That’s all there is to it – time, love, pork and sea salt.”

Chocolate-covered Cocomels – 5 Salts from JJ’s Sweets, Gourmet Honey Spread: Salted Honey from Cloister Honey LLC, Wild Boar Salted Star Anise Single Origin Organic Dark Chocolate Bar from Hagensborg Chocolate Ltd., Original Tangerine Sriracha from Just Jan’s Inc., Mr. Hot Stuff Pepper Spread from Steppin’ Out LLC, Clementine Crush Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Enzo Olive Oil Company/P-R Farms, Inc. and Deschutes Brewery® Black Butte Porter Truffle from Moonstruck Chocolate, Co. were also among the finalists for the Best New Product Award.

Other finalists were Pineapple Habanero Caramel from JulieAnn Caramels, Frozen Passion Chia Lassi from Monsieur Singh LLC, Chicken Fat (Schmaltz) Premium Cooking Oil from Fatworks LLC, Avocado Oil Mayo and Licorice Mint Tea from Chosen Foods, Inc., Chili Crunch Bar from Vivra Chocolate, Vegan Stone Ground Hazelnut Butter from Karmalize LLC, Raspberry Amaretto Preserves from Robert Rothschild Farm, Orange Artisan Fruit Cracker from Simple & Crisp, Gluten-Free Coffee Brownie from Savvy Girl Baking Company and Dark Moon from Marin French Cheese Company.

In the remaining categories, Brussizzle Sprouts from Pacific Pickle Works, Inc. was named the best appetizer. The Spice Hunter, Inc.‘s Coriander Lime Global Fusion Rub was named best baking ingredient, baking mix or flavor enhancer, Ginger Hemp Granola from Michele’s Granola LLC was the best in the category for breads, muffins, granola or cereal, and Vermont Creamery‘s Bijou was judged the best cheese. Vermont Creamery’s Bonne Bouche was a finalist for the award both this year and last year.

Money on Honey by Droga Chocolates won the sofi in the chocolate category, and Bittermilk LLC‘s No. 3 Smoked Honey Whiskey Sour won the award in the cold beverage category. Bittermilk was a sofi finalist last year with the same product. Non-GMO Salted Caramelized Fig Spread from King’s Cupboard was named the best condiment, and Sea Salt & Vanilla Farmstead Goat Milk Caramels from Big Picture Farm LLC received the award for the best confection. Big Picture Farm won sofi Awards last year for best new product with its Raspberry Rhubarb Goat Milk Caramels and for best confection with its Goat Milk Chai Caramels. Moon Dance Baking‘s Holly Baking Cookie Brittle Cinnamon & Spice was named in the category for cookies, brownies, cakes or pie.

Barnier Pimento Sauce with Preserved Lemon from FoodMatch Inc. was named best cooking, dipping or finishing sauce. Cranberry Pistachio “The Original” from Jan’s Farmhouse Crisps was named the best cracker. Epicurean Butter‘s Organic Cocoa Coconut Butter was named in the category for best dairy or dairy alternative product. “The reason this is something really new and innovative is that this is organic pasteurized cream, organic coconut oil, organic honey, organic canola oil, organic cocoa powder and Himalayan pink salt. It’s good on crepes, pancakes French toast. We actually just love it on a baguette,” said Janey Hubschman, who co-founded Epicurean Butter with her husband John, who’s the chef and still does all the formulations for the company’s products. “It’s got a lovely mouth feel with the butter and the coconut oil and then the finish of the salt.” The Organic Cocoa Coconut Butter is part of a product line that includes 13 finishing butters, of which two are organic. The company has just installed new equipment in its plant that allows Epicurean Butter to produce single-serve squeeze packs. Each of those has 190 calories for a 1-ounce serving, and Hubschman expects that the single-serve packaging will draw a lot of interest from the producers of home-delivered meal kits.

bourbon maple hi res (2) Bourbon Matured Maple Syrup from BLiS LLC was named the best dessert sauce, topping or syrup. Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate‘s Single Origin Drinking Chocolate 72% Belize, Toledo received the sofi Award for the best hot beverage. Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate was a finalist in the chocolate category last year with its 72% Madagascar, Sambirano bar. The Gelato Fiasco‘s Ripe Mango Sorbetto was named the best ice cream, gelato or frozen treat.

Cioccomiel, a spread made from hazelnuts, cocoa and honey, won the sofi Award for the best jam, preserve, honey or nut butter. It is imported by Marcelli Formaggi LLC.

Fermín Chorizo Ibérico Picante / Fermín Ibérico Pork Dry-Cured Chorizo Sausage Spicy from Fermin USA was named the best meat, pate or seafood.

Stöger Organic Austrian Pumpkin Seed Oil was named the best oil. It is imported by Los Chileros, which won a finalist award last year for the same product.

Gustiamo, Inc.‘s Pianogrillo Sicilian Cherry Tomato Sauce took home the sofi Award for the best pasta sauce, while the best pasta was Pastifico Artigianale Leonardo Carassai, made in Campofilone, Italy, and imported by Bravo International Inc.

NorthAfricanChermouladressingwozz Wozz! Kitchen Creations, which won the 2015 sofi Award for best salsa or dip with its Kiwi Lime Salsa Verde takes home the gold in the salad dressing category this year with North African Chermoula Dressing. This year’s award in the salsa or dip category went to American Spoon Foods’ Pumpkin Seed Salsa.

Hickory Smoked Spicy Candied Bacon from Little Red Dot Kitchen LLC won the sofi Award this year in the category for savory snacks. The best sweet snack came from Creative Snacks Co. with its Organic Coconut Bites.

Dinner Tonight Black Bean Tortilla Chili Mix from Backyard Safari Company won the award for best soup, stew, bean or chili. ParmCrisps Mini Aged Parmesan Crisps from Kitchen Table Bakers won the award for the best vegan or gluten-free product. Kitchen Table Bakers was a finalist last year for its Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps. Finally, this year’s best vinegar was Balsamic Nectar from Boulder Flavours.

Frontier Soup Ownership Transferred to Next Generation

Published June 14, 2016

The transition of Frontier Soups™, a producer of gourmet soup mixes, to the second generation of the family owned business is now complete, the company announced today.

Company founder Trisha Anderson’s sons, Matt and Jon Anderson, have assumed ownership of the company as partners, Trisha Anderson said, while she will remain active in product development for the company, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Financial details of the ownership transfer were not disclosed. Both Jon and Matt Anderson will be at Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 4121 to greet customers and show attendees.

“I’m not sure I could have envisioned this day 30 years ago when I was filling orders by hand at home, but it is so satisfying for business owners to see what they built move into the hands of the next generation,” Trisha Anderson said. “Matt and Jon both have strong business backgrounds and bring the dynamism and initiative of a younger generation to Frontier Soups, which I have every confidence will lead to even greater growth in the future.”

Matt Anderson began his career with Frontier Soups two years ago, and he has since taken over responsibility for business operations, including financial oversight, strategic planning, and production. He brought to the company 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, where he began at Lehman Brothers before joining Goldman Sachs in 2010. Matt’s mother, company founder Trisha Anderson, instilled in him a love of cooking and he is eager to carry-on a second generation of family ownership. Matt is a graduate of Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Jon Anderson joined Frontier Soups in the summer of 2015 and has spent his time over the past year learning the nuts and bolts of the specialty food business while focusing on strategic sales and marketing. Growing up in the Anderson family, soup has played a big part in Jon’s life from a young age, and he has watched the company evolve from selling through local craft markets to national distribution. With over a decade of experience in financial services, working for Credit Suisse and Knight Capital Group, Jon understands how to be successful in a competitive industry. He is a graduate of Colgate University in Hamilton, New York.

More information about Frontier Soups is available at www.FrontierSoups.com or by calling 1.800.300.7687.

Butter Infused Olive Oil from Ariston Specialties

Published June 13, 2016

Ariston is introducing new Butter Infused Olive Oil in its never-ending effort to bring top quality healthy items to the market place. Not only is this a great tasting infused olive oil, it also became an instant best seller.

Ariston Butter Infused Olive Oil is made from 100 percent extra virgin olive oil that is sourced from the company’s own farms and from local farmers. Ariston then naturally infused the butter flavor, which is 100 percent vegan, resulting in a healthier alternative to butter. Creamy in flavor and produced in small batches, this product has Ariston quality.

It is perfect for popcorn. Make popcorn healthy again by adding Ariston Butter Infused Olive Oil and salt to the kernels instead of the long list of ingredients commonly found in microwave popcorn.

Adding Ariston Butter Infused Oil to a seafood dish not only makes them delicious introduces more good fat. Ariston Butter Infused adds a pop of flavor bring your taste buds to another level when it’s added to risottos, rice dishes or pasta.

Combining Ariston Butter Infused with Ariston Garlic Infused oil as a marinade for meats will provide the richness and depth of flavor, and Ariston Butter Infused Olive Oil will make steamed vegetables come to life with just a drizzle of the oil and a pinch of salt.

Ariston Specialties will be exhibiting and sampling all of its products in booth #4162 during the Summer Fancy Food Show.

The Only True Gruyère AOP in the World

Published June 13, 2016

The appeal of Gruyère AOP has always been its great taste. It’s the creamy, floral flavor of Gruyère AOP Classic and the bolder taste and crystalline texture of the more mature Réserve that people love, remember and look for.

This superior flavor can only be found in Gruyère AOP Switzerland – where it is hand-made in 170 small batches from a centuries-old recipe. Its flavor starts with the raw milk of cows local fields, and finishes in local cellars and caves under strict supervision.

The AOP denomination, as well as the association of milk producers, cheese makers, and refiners, protect this flavor and ensure that it maintains consistency.

Le Gruyère AOP Switzerland is 100 percent natural and 100 percent additive free, with 100 percent great taste. It’s naturally free of lactose and gluten, as it has been since it was first produced in 1115 AD.

Apple-y Goodness in a Muffin

Published June 13, 2016

Rabbit Creek PF New for the Summer Fancy Food Show is Rabbit Creek Products‘ new doughnut muffin mix. Taking a riff on classic cider doughnuts, these delicious muffins bring apple-y goodness without the mess of frying doughnuts. A wonderfully enticing treat that can go with breakfast or dinner, think of these with some beautiful pork chops!

Like all things Rabbit Creek, the doughnut muffins can be ordered in a mixed case (12) of like items. Free private labeling is as always offered as well.

For more than 30 years Rabbit Creek Products has been creating the best gourmet dry mixes there are. Still family owned and operated in a bucolic eastern Kansas town, Rabbit Creek is there for the long haul.