Parmigiana Reggiano USA to Promote Famed Italian Cheese
Building on last year’s announcement at Summer Fancy Foods that the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium was focusing on promoting the distinctive qualities of its cheese rather than contrast the differences between the artisan cheese created 1,000 years ago and what is called “parmesan,” the consortium announced this week that it has formed an American corporation to further its mission.
Parmigiano Regiggiano USA has launched along with its own website, the consortium announced at media dinner hosted by its president, Nicola Bertinelli. The evening featured a menu with each course including Parmigiano Reggiano and created by brand ambassador Chef Michele Casadei Massari of Lucciola on New York City’s Upper West Side.
Bertinelli said up until last year, members of the consortium brought two suitcases to the Fancy Food Show – one filled with clothes and the other empty. Members would fill their empty suitcase with hundreds of samples of cheese proclaiming to be Parmigiano Reggiano, with half of them found to be incorrectly using the storied cheese name.
But the empty suitcases have been staying home, thanks to the consortium’s new strategy and the creation of its U.S. company.
“We want to build relationships with the distributors and point of sales,” Bertinelli said through an interpreter. “Because we believe (the mislabeled cheeses) were done in a good faith error. Nobody tried to trick anyone.”
The United States is an important market for Parmigiano Reggiano, Bertinelli said. With 47 percent of Parmigiano Reggiano exported from Italy, the United States accounts for 25 percent of the exports. Bertinelli said the consortium, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary, is aiming to have 10 percent of sales growth in the United States sales this year.
There is some talk about imposing tariffs on Parmigiano Reggiano, he said, but this kind of protectionism won’t help the U.S. dairy industry. Unlike the example of tariffs imposed on Chinese electric vehicles that protect the U.S. auto industry, Parmigiano Reggiano accounts for only 5 percent of the market.
“Nobody should be afraid of a country importing 5 percent of a market,” Bertinelli said.
Parmigiano Regiggiano USA also will be working with the U.S. dairy industry to promote the idea of protected designation of origin, which the consortium believes will help to introduce Europeans to distinctly American cheeses from such areas as Vermont and Massachusetts. It also will strive to even the playing field in imports, he said. While imports from Europe to the United States draw fees from $1.50 to $2, imports from the United States to Europe cost $4.
Parmigiano Regiggiano USA is in the process of formulating ways to work with distributors and point of sales to achieve its goals.
“We hope this sparks curiosity,” Bertinelli said.
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Chilau Foods With EEASY Lid Selling at Meijer Stores
Consumer Convenience Technologies, maker of the EEASY Lid, the first jar lid innovation in nearly 80 years, announces that Chilau Foods topped with the EEASY Lid is now available on shelves in more than 250 Meijer stores across the Midwest.
Chilau’s line of southern-inspired stew and boil bases offer a unique alternative to traditional beef, chicken and vegetable stew flavors, tapping into consumers’ growing desire for bold, ethnic flavor profiles. This presents a significant opportunity to retailers like Meijer looking to expand their offerings – especially with products now being topped with the inclusive and sustainable EEASY Lid.
CCT’s patented EEASY Lid is designed to help brands provide an unprecedented level of accessibility to their jarred food products. The EEASY Lid allows consumers to vent a vacuum-sealed jar by simply pressing a button on the lid, reducing the amount of torque needed to twist off the lid by up to 50 percent. Many companies have created gadgets aimed at opening pesky jar lids, but CCT is the first company to have successfully invented a new lid itself.
Traditional jarred products on a store shelf require more than 40 in-lb of torque to open – with some requiring more than 50 in-lb of torque. With the EEASY Lid, it only takes an average of 9 in-lb of torque to open a jar.
The EEASY Lid is also a sustainable packaging solution. Made of recyclable aluminum, the EEASY Lid is more sustainable than traditional tin-plate lids because it is infinitely recyclable, but it is still just as durable. Aluminum is also 57 percent lighter than traditional tin-plate lids, creating efficiencies in the supply chain.
“Any day we can expand the EEASY Lid’s availability to customers is a great day, but there’s something extra special about seeing our innovation on our neighborhood grocery store’s shelves,” said Brandon Bach, president of CCT. “Customers these days want bold flavors for their meals along with accessible, sustainable packaging. Our partnership with Chilau Foods makes it so customers across the Midwest no longer have to choose between the two.”
The EEASY Lid is now available on two of Chilau’s flavors – Original Southern Style and Low County Citrus – in more than 250 Meijer grocery stores in six states: Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Kentucky.
“At Chilau Foods, we call ourselves a ‘soup aisle disruptor’ with our non-traditional ethnic flavors, and the EEASY Lid plays a big role in this, too,” said Michael Anderson, founder of Chilau Foods. “Meijer shoppers can now make their favorite stews and boils without the obstacle of opening a stubborn jar lid. We are looking forward to having Chilau Foods topped with the EEASY Lid available in more grocers across the country in the coming months.”
In addition to Meijer stores, the EEASY Lid is being used on products in more than 250 Wegmans, Stop & Shop, Price Chopper and Tops Friendly Markets stores in addition to select specialty grocers in the Northeast. The lid is also being used on products in EDEKA Kempken stores in Krefeld, Germany.
CCT produces the 63 mm lug EEASY Lid at its 16,000 square foot, state-of-the-art technology center at the company’s headquarters in Dayton, Ohio. CCT has the capability to produce roughly 800 aluminum lug lids per minute – more than 250 million annually.
Consumer Convenience Technologies is the maker of the EEASY Lid, the first major jar lid innovation in nearly 80 years and an honoree of Fast Company’s Innovation by Design award. CCT’s software designed patented technology makes opening a vacuum-sealed jar much easier, with just the push of a button. The lid opens up the market to 49 percent of people who do not have the physical ability or who struggle to open a vacuum-sealed jar.
The EEASY Lid is the world’s first aluminum lug jar lid – more sustainable than and as durable as traditional steel lids. CCT is partnered with Germany-based Trade Consult – a sales and marketing firm focusing on the grocery industry and food manufacturers – to coordinate overall execution of the lid into the European marketplace. The lid is manufactured at the company’s 16,000 square foot, state-of-the-art technology center at the company’s headquarters in Dayton, Ohio.
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Graeter’s Ice Cream Unveils Another Bonus Flavor: Strawberry Lime Fiesta
Graeter’s Ice Cream, renowned for its indulgent, handcrafted flavors, signature chocolate chips, and Old World French Pot process, is unveiling the next Bonus Flavor of the season. Strawberry Lime Fiesta delivers a refreshing burst of summer with the perfect blend of ripe strawberries, zesty lime, and a hint of fiesta flair. This flavor combines the sweetness of fresh strawberries with the tartness of lime, creating the perfect pairing. Each small piece of lime zest and strawberries adds a subtle crunch, enhancing the overall texture and making each bite a fiesta of its own.
Bonus Flavors are a “secret” that remains under lock and key until the day it’s released. Guests will be notified of the new flavors via broadcast media, social media, local scoop shops, the Graeter’s app, and online store. Each seasonal flavor is considered a “Limited Time Only” offering, and once it’s gone, it is retired for the year.
Fans are encouraged to visit a scoop shop near them, go to the Graeter’s online store or App to try each limited time flavor for themselves this summer.
To learn more about Graeter’s Ice Cream or to buy the limited-time Bonus Flavors online, visit https://www.graeters.com or visit Graeter’s on social media @Graeters.
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