Gourmet News

Nassau Candy Debuts Nancy Adams Cookie Bites, Tub Line

Published May 13, 2024

Nassau Candy, leading manufacturer of specialty and private label confections, will debut a new look for its flagship factory fresh chocolate brand, Nancy Adams, along with new items at the 2024 Sweets & Snacks Expo (Booth #11002). Joining the roster of the beloved brand are single-serve package options, Cookie Bites, as well as new additions to Nancy Adams’s wildly popular Tub Line.

A longtime fixture in the candy and chocolate space, Nancy Adams is known for creating elevated American confectionary classics. The updated new look for Nancy Adams pays homage to the brand’s traditional roots while pulling in modern elements.

Each package features text and graphic elements in a rich brown to reflect the brand’s long tradition of premium, expertly-crafted chocolate paired with modern colors like lime, light yellow, teal, peach and purple.

“Nancy Adams is such a respected and beloved brand we knew we wanted packaging that reflects the brand’s status as a chocolate icon,” said Dana Rodio, director of brand strategy. “The new packaging is elegantly understated, highlighting the wholesome, handcrafted feel of our Nancy Adams’ creations while also creating a premium presentation.”

Along with a new look and feel to the brand’s best-selling gifting options like its Premier Pretzels, is the launch of Nancy Adams’ single-serve package options.

The inaugural items in the Nancy Adams single-serve line will be individually wrapped versions of the brand’s best sellers — chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered graham crackers, sea salt caramels, and s’mores. All the individual items will come packed in an acetate tub. Individual servings in a tub makes Nancy Adams single-serve confections convenient for impulse sections at point of sale and corporate breakroom snacks.

“Consumers are looking for balance between indulgences and their active lifestyles,” explains Andrew Reitman, executive vice president, national brand confections. “Single-serve options of confectionery classics, like our Nancy Adams chocolate creations allow customers to treat themselves on a smaller scale every day.”

Nassau Candy will also be announcing the launch of the Nancy Adams Cookie Bites. The first baked goods for the Nancy Adams line, manufactured in Nassau Candy’s Hicksville, New York factory are bite-sized cookies each with an indulgent chocolate element.

The first items in the Cookie Bites line will be tubs of the following bite-size cookies:

Chocolate Chip — Crisp chocolate chip cookies with a milk chocolate drizzle.
Oatmeal Raisin — Chewy classic oatmeal raisin cookies with a rich dark chocolate drizzle.
M&M’S — Crispy cookies studded with M&M’S Minis.
Birthday Cake — Crisp cookies enveloped in white candy and topped with rainbow sprinkles.
Lemon — Tart lemon cookies topped with white lemon candy drizzle.

Along with Cookie Bites, Nassau Candy will also be adding more chocolate items to its popular Tub Line. The Nancy Adams Tub Program features some of the company’s finest bulk chocolate items packed in a clear acetate tub. They’re a popular option for Grab & Go sections or retailers without a bulk program.

New items for the Nancy Adams Tub Line include:

Milk Chocolate Raisins — Juicy raisins drenched in creamy milk chocolate.
Dark Chocolate Raisins — Plump raisins coated in rich dark chocolate.
Jumbo Milk Chocolate Malt Balls — Crisp malted milk center covered in creamy milk chocolate.
Milk Chocolate Nonpareils — Creamy mounds of milk chocolate topped with colorful nonpareils.
Dark Chocolate Cashews — Buttery cashews coated in rich dark chocolate.
Milk Chocolate Pretzel Poppers — Bite-size pretzels dipped in creamy milk chocolate.
Yogurt Raisins — Plump, juicy raisins enveloped in sweet yogurt.
Milk Chocolate Mini Sandwich Cookies — Crisp chocolate sandwich cookies coated in creamy milk chocolate.
Milk Chocolate Banana Chips — Crunchy dried banana chips drenched in creamy milk chocolate.

The updated Nancy Adams line, including Single-Serve, Cookie Bites and new tub additions will be available in early fall. To check out the entire Nancy Adams collection, visit NassauCandy.com/brands/nancy-adams.

Nassau Candy is a wholesale manufacturer, importer, and distributor of confectionery and gourmet food products. Along with distribution of thousands of sweets and snacks to retailers across the country, the company also specializes in manufacturing and importing private label confectionery, and manufactures, develops, and merchandises customized souvenir, food, apparel, and promotional products.

From its six strategically located distribution centers in New York, Florida, Michigan, Texas, and California (San Francisco and Los Angeles), and two manufacturing facilities, the company manufactures and distributes more than 10,000 products to thousands of customers ranging from the largest retailers in North America, to thousands of independent confectionery stores, corporate, foodservice, grocery, and alternative market customers.

For more information on Nassau Candy please visit www.nassaucandy.com.

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Bitzel’s Chocolate Names Foley Executive Chef & Chocolatier

Published May 13, 2024

Bitzel’s Chocolate, the 7,000-square-foot chocolate factory and attraction in Suwanee, Ga., has added George Foley to its team as executive chef and chocolatier. Foley, who most recently was a Viennoiserie baker at Bacchanalia and Star Provisions, will focus on menu development, culinary training and building relationships with local farmers and national companies.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of such an amazing concept and to get to work with a chocolatier like Ray Bitzel,” Foley says.

Bitzel’s Chocolate, the brainchild of chocolatier and entrepreneur Ray Bitzel and his business partner and co-founder Dave Rose, creates affordable, chef-crafted chocolate confections and offers visitors an unforgettable, Willy Wonka-style experience as they watch as various treats move through the production process.

“Of course, the chocolate is the star of the show, but what I love is that we’re giving visitors an entire experience here,” Foley says. “We’re taking them on a journey from learning how chocolate is made to seeing the machines and the production process to tasting the different types of chocolate that they may have never experienced before, such as gold chocolate and ruby chocolate.”

Foley comes to Bitzel’s from Bacchanalia, where he concentrated on croissants and pastries. He also has worked as a corporate chocolatier at Bodega Chocolates in Fountain Valley, Calif., as executive pastry chef for the Dolce Group in Los Angeles, as pastry chef at Salty’s on Alki Beach in Seattle and as the overnight baker viennoisarie at 3 Michelin Star The Inn at Little Washington.

Foley, who’s enjoyed a long career in the hospitality industry, says that continuing to focus on hospitality is what helps keep things fresh and exciting for him.

“Hospitality is the gift of making everyone feel welcomed, accepted and comfortable in your presence,” he says. “It’s a privilege to be a part of that. And that’s especially true when you’re working with chocolate, which everybody loves, in an environment like Bitzel’s that’s just full of wonder and excitement. I’m looking forward to seeing the smiles on our guests’ faces on an everyday basis.”

Bitzel’s Chocolate is a 7,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility, located in Suwanee, Ga. Bitzel’s Chocolate features a line of affordable, chef-crafted delicacies prepared while guests move through the production process in a true Willy Wonka-style experience.

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Giant Food’s Local Artist Bags Benefit Communities

Published May 10, 2024

Giant Food’s Local Artist Bags from L to R: The D.C. Artist Bag designed by Marcella Kriebel, the Virginia Artist Bag designed by Grace Manno and Dashiell Kirk, the Maryland Artist Bag designed by Ann Gill and the Delaware Artist Bag designed by Brad Almond.

Giant Food, the leading greater Washington, D.C., regional grocery chain, has teamed up with four artists from D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware, to create reusable bags that represent each artist’s local community. As part of Giant’s Community Bag Program, for every $2.75 reusable bag purchased, Giant donates $1 donated to a local nonprofit. Throughout the month of May, each of the artists chose a local nonprofit to receive the donations.

“With the help of our customers, we’ve achieved significant accomplishments through our Community Bag Program, including saving over 585,000 single plastic bags and helping over 1,700 non-profit organizations last year alone,” said Felis Andrade, Director External Communications and Community Relations of Giant Food. “We’re excited to spotlight local artists whose creative designs celebrate the core of Maryland, D.C., Virginia and Delaware while also supporting the local charities that mean the most to them.”

In 2019, Giant Food launched its Community Bag Program, which is designed to empower customers to support local nonprofit organizations while working to reduce single-use paper and plastic waste in the environment. To date, Giant and its customers have raised over $580K and provided 684,990 meals to 1,748 different non-profit organizations and 405 hunger organizations through the program.

This month, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware stores will each carry their very own reusable bags created by their state’s local artist. The artists and their chosen benefiting nonprofits include:

Marcella Kriebel: Marcella is a watercolorist, muralist and the author and illustrator of two cookbooks, “Mi Comida Latino” and “Comida Cubana.” She is known for her vibrant artwork that celebrates the world through food and culture. Marcella designed the D.C. bag which will benefit the D.C. Central Kitchen.
Ann Gill: Ann is a local artist based in Hyattsville, Maryland. Born in Washington, D.C., her family roots run deep in the region. She has been creating art since she was a child, and her work is influenced by street pop art. Ann designed the Maryland bag with proceeds benefiting Words, Beats and Life Inc.
Grace Manno and Dashiell Kirk: Grace and Dashiell are two artists who formed FOND Collective based in Richmond, Virginia. Some of their favorite mediums include illustration, print design, animation and sculpture. Together, Grace and Dashiell designed the Virgnia bag and chose Our Stomping Ground as the benefiting organization.
Brad Almond: Brad is a graphic designer, illustrator and part-time musician. He resides in Wilmington, Delaware with his wife, two children and their cat. Brad grew up fascinated by the colorful, stylized worlds of film, video games and cartoon shows. He designed the Delaware bag and chose Urban Promise Wilmington as the benefiting organization.

Customers can purchase their Local Artist Community Bag at any Giant store. For more information, please visit: https://giantfood.2givelocal.com/program/community-bag/

Since opening its first location over 88 years ago in Washington, D.C., in 1936, Giant has been an integral part of the communities and customers it serves. Giant is committed to being a Better Neighbor and has designated four main giving pillars that address local Food Insecurity, Military Support, Pediatric Cancer Research, and Social Equality.

Giant is headquartered in Landover, Md., and operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia with approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 164 stores are 154 full-service pharmacies and 28 Starbucks locations. Giant fits all the ways today’s busy customers want to shop – in-store or online. With 162 Giant Pickup locations and delivery options available in all of its markets, customers have even more convenient options at their fingertips to get the best products and prices whenever and however they choose.

For more information on Giant Food and its charitable efforts to make a positive difference, visit giantfood.com/pages/better-neighbor-report.

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