Gourmet News

Southern Glazer’s Appoints Finley to Sales VP

Published March 29, 2023

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol, has appointed Cassie Finley to the role of vice president, national retail sales, strategic accounts.

Finley, who will report to Scott Moore, senior vice president, national accounts, off premise, will be responsible for identifying macro and shopper trends and providing customer-centric recommendations to retail partners to achieve growth and deliver a best-in-class shopping experience. Finley has extensive expertise in applying data and analytics to create customer-first strategies that drive profitable growth.

“The team is excited to elevate our focus on customer planning and execution through data, insights and technology,” said Moore. “I’m looking forward to welcoming Cassie to our team as the expert in this space. She brings an abundance of knowledge and experience from her two impressive decades in the industry.”

Finley’s 21-year career in the retail industry began in 2002 with Walmart, where she spent the following 15 years in various leadership roles of increasing scope and responsibility within merchandising and operations. In 2017, she stepped into the role of senior category merchant – adult beverage at Whole Foods Market, where she led category management for wine and spirits, and was the architect for the joint-business-planning process with key suppliers and distributor partners.

Most recently, Finley served as director of merchandising for Kroger Co., where she acted as a champion for change within the fresh-forward initiative and direct store delivery governance, and utilized best-in-class customer data to develop personalized strategies and offers for customers. Finley was nominated for Progressive Grocer’s Top Women in Grocery in 2019, 2020 and 2022, in addition to Progressive Grocer’s NextGen award in 2021.

“Our vision to be the indispensable, trusted partner for our retail customers is a three-pronged approach,” said Chris Williams, executive vice president, national accounts. “Fortifying our B2B execution metrics, as well as delivering world-class insights and joint business planning is certain to deliver transformational growth for our customers and supplier partners. Cassie’s expertise supported by Scott Moore’s three decades of experience and leadership are a winning combination.”

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol, and proud to be a multi-generational, family-owned company. The Company has operations in 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. In 2022, Southern Glazer’s was listed as one of Forbes Best Employers for Diversity. In 2021, Southern Glazer’s was selected as a U.S. Best Managed Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal, as well as named by Newsweek as a Top 100 Most Loved Workplace. Southern Glazer’s urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve, and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information visit www.southernglazers.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @sgwinespirits.

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San Joaquin Valley Olive Oil Competition Entries Being Accepted

Published March 29, 2023

Entries are being accepted for the eighth annual San Joaquin Valley Olive Oil Competition; Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Flavored Olive Oil entries from commercial producers in the State of California are eligible and olive oil must be made from producers’ most recent olive harvest. Deadline for entries is May 12.

“This competition continues to draw in the best olive oil producers from throughout California and grows a little each year. We are honored to shine a light on this craft – especially our local olive oil producers with the ‘Best of the Valley’ category,” said Lauri L. King, CEO of The Big Fresno Fair.

Participating producers must enter their harvest into one of two different classes: Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Flavored Olive Oil. Competition categories in the Extra Virgin Olive Oil class include: Spanish Blends (arbequina, arbosana, etc.); Spanish Singles; Italian Blends (ascolano, etc.); Italian Singles; Other Blends (picholine, barouni, etc.); Other Singles. Competition categories in the Flavored Olive Oil class include: Citrus; Herbal (rosemary; basil, etc.); Pepper (chile, jalapeno, habanero, etc.); and Other Flavors (garlic, truffle etc.).

Awards will be given out for Gold and Silver medals in each category, as well as one overall “Best of Show” in both the Extra Virgin Olive Oil category, Flavored Oil category and the “Best of the Valley” award. Judging will be evaluated and scored as follows:

Gold Medal: Awarded to an olive oil that demonstrates its type and/or varietal character, balance, structure and complexities to the highest standards. Gold Medals will be awarded to those oils receiving scores between 86 – 100 points.
Silver Medal: Awarded to an olive oil reflecting the correct distribution of balance and character of its type or variety; an oil deemed to be well crafted and of excellent quality. Silver Medals will be awarded to those oils receiving scores between 76- 85.99 points.
Best of Show: Awarded to an olive oil recognized to possess special characteristics of the highest quality overall. All Gold Medal winners are eligible to compete for Best of Show in their division.
Best of the Valley: Awarded to the oil that scored the highest with the ranch or office located in the San Joaquin Valley. Medals will be awarded for both EVOO and flavored oils. (Kern, Tulare, Kings, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin Counties eligible)

Producers may submit multiple entries under one category but may not submit a particular entry to more than one category. All entries must be available for commercial sale at the time of entry. Entries are due by May 12. Judging will be held on May 24 and winners will be announced on June 6 by 5 p.m.

Gold Medal, Best of the Valley and Best of Show winners will all have the opportunity to have a booth in the Agricultural Building on one day during the 2023 Big Fresno Fair where they can taste, display and sell their award-winning product. Additionally, educational information will be set up so that Fairgoers can learn more about the art of making olive oil, its health benefits and more.

Each submission must include an entry form, at least two 250 ml bottles of the olive oil with retail labels attached and a $60 non-refundable fee per entry. Each entry must also contain a third-party chemical analysis in order to verify extra virgin status. Entries can be dropped off at The Big Fresno Fair Administration Office or can be shipped to SJVOOC – The Big Fresno Fair, 1121 S. Chance Ave. Fresno, CA 93702 no later than 4:30 p.m. on May 12. Any entry delivered by mail, freight or express must be prepaid. The Administration Office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for drop offs.

Last year, 69 entries from all throughout California were received. Below is a list of the Gold Medal and Best of Show winners. For a complete 2022 winners list, go to: www.FresnoFair.com/SJVOOC.

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Breckenridge Distillery Announces National Après Day

Published March 29, 2023

Breckenridge Distillery, the world’s highest craft distillery and one of the most awarded bourbon brands, announces the launch of National Après Day, a new holiday in the United States, celebrated on March 31 to honor the joy of après ski culture.

Inspired by international après ski culture and celebrated among ski enthusiasts as enjoying time with friends after a day on the slopes, Breckenridge Distillery opens the conversation to share après moments with its new #AprèsAnywhere campaign on National Après Day. The inaugural holiday and campaign invites people around the world to raise a glass to anything they accomplish – whether skiing or not, and with any spirit of their choice, starting with inspiration from the distillery’s portfolio of award-winning products made with Rocky Mountain water from its hometown, and highlighting its beloved Breckenridge Bourbon.

“Bourbon brings people together, and that’s why we love what we do at Breckenridge Distillery,” said Jessie Unruh, director of marketing at Breckenridge Distillery. “This campaign is the epitome of what we’re all about. We love celebrating the rad things our fans do, from the backcountry to the big city, and we hope this spreads the après ski spirit across the country for more memorable moments with Breckenridge bourbon.”

As part of the campaign launch, consumers can enter to win the ultimate #AprèsAnywhere swag bag from Breckenridge Distillery by sharing how and where they après, by posting a photo to Instagram using the #AprèsAnywhere hashtag in the caption. Breckenridge Distillery will pick one lucky winner each month, between March 31, 2023 and August 31, 2023. Winners will be contacted via Instagram direct message from @breckdistillery.

For more information about National Après Day and how you can participate, visit the Breckenridge website at www.breckenridgedistillery.com/apresanywhere.

Founded in Colorado in 2008, Breckenridge Distillery is the “World’s Highest Distillery,” and best known for its award-winning blended bourbon whiskey, a high-rye mash American-style whiskey.

One of the most highly awarded distilleries in the United States, the Breckenridge Distillery is proudly a 3x Icons of Whisky and 9xwinner of Best American Blended winner at the World Whiskies Awards by Whisky Magazine (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 3x in 2023) and a 4x winner of Colorado Distillery of the Year by the New York International Spirits Competition. Most recently, their Breckenridge Gin was named 2021 World’s Best Compound Gin at the World Gin Awards by Gin Magazine.

The Breckenridge Distillery is more than award-winning spirits, offering an immersive guest experience. Named as one of the country’s Top Visitor Attractions by Whisky Magazine, guests can dine at their award-winning restaurant, enjoy show-stopping cocktails, learn about their highly awarded spirits with an in-depth tasting and get an inside look at their active production facility. New to the distillery, guests have the opportunity to blend their own whiskey as they learn the inner workings of whiskey production.

Breckenridge Distillery is a subsidiary of Tilray Brands, Inc., a leading global cannabis-lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company inspiring and empowering the worldwide community to live their very best life. For more information about Breckenridge Distillery, visit www.breckenridgedistillery.com. Follow Breckenridge on Instagram @breckdistillery and become a fan at facebook.com/BreckDistillery.

For more information about Tilray Brands, visit www.tilray.com and follow @tilray on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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