Sharing in buying clubs cuts consumers` grocery bill Best Cellars at

Transcription

Marketwatch:
buyers guide:
see page 17
see page 13
20 under 40
Granola
®
n
Sharing in buying clubs cuts
consumers’ grocery bill
By Jenna Crisostomo
9
specialty
retailers
n
Sahara Mart opens second location
page 9
n
Gourmet Catalog revamps Web site
page 9
grocery &
department
Stores
Kroger delivers value, increases
profits page 11
n Exclusive brands drive Macy’s
growth page 11
n
Specialty
Distributors
& Brokers
Associated markets to Gen Y via
webisodes page 15
n Baldor relocates to greener space
n
page 15
supplier
business
Ford Foods named N.C.’s exporter of
the year page 20
n Nielsen Massey celebrates 100
years with cookbook page 20
n
News...................................................3
Editorials.............................................8
Buyer’s Guide: Granola.....................13
Marketwatch: 20 under 40........ 17-19
Ad Index / Classifieds..................20, 21
Smorgasbord.....................................22
www.gourmetnews.com
BARRINGTON, N.H.—Natural
food distributor’s Associated
Buyers buying clubs, caught the
attention of ABC’s morning TV
program, Good Morning America. It’s a service the regional
distributor, based here, offers to
New England residents.
The TV segment, “Stretching
Your Dollars in a Bad Economy,” aired Aug. 14 and featured
different approaches to saving money
in today’s sluggish
economy, including an interview
with Associated
Buyers
Owner,
Karta Owens.
“Good Morning
America is high- Buying clubs were the
lighting
econo- focus of a national
mizing options for morning show segment.
its viewers,” Owens
said. “The story about
buying clubs will
give people awareness of other options
for achieving these
goals with a possible
connection
within
their community and
neighborhoods.”
Such a connection,
Continued on page 16
Best Cellars at A&P opens
By Jenna Crisostomo
WEST ORANGE, N.J.—The grand
opening of the second Best Cellars
at A&P took place here on Aug.
22, showcasing the store’s lavish selection of wine, beer and
spirits.
The first Best Cellars opened
in Westwood, N.J., July 11.
“Currently, all the Best Cellars
are stand-alones; the first in-store
Best Cellars (in a supermarket)
will debut in Fort Lee, N.J., in the
fall,” said Joshua Wesson, A&P’s
After selling out to A&P last year,
Best Cellars founder is rolling out
his concept at A&P stores.
senior director of wine, beer and
spirits. Alongside Westwood,
West Orange and Fort Lee’s openings, two stand-alone stores in
Connecticut will be remodeled
into the Best Cellars at A&P
concept in the coming months,
Wesson added.
Back in November, the Great
Atlantic and Tea Co. acquired Best
Cellars’ five New York locations.
Wesson, who was the cofounder of
Best Cellars, joined the A&P team
and is working on transforming
A&P’s standalone and in-store
Retailer uses YouTube to
educate consumers on wine
By Anna Wolfe
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.—As part
of its plan for an 11-part video
series on wine education and etiquette, Sahara Mart, based here,
has posted three videos on online
video site YouTube in July.
The video series is hosted by
Allen Olson, a.k.a. The Pontiff of
Palate, who evaluates wine in the
family-run grocery store here and
is the wine consultant at The Story
Inn in nearby Nashville.
Each video segment averages
about five minutes in length
and all are filmed on site in the
Sahara Mart’s wine department
that features more than 2,000
wines and 800 types of beer. The
series kicked off with a segment
on Frequently Asked Questions
such as how to read labels and
proper wine storage. The second
video, How to Evaluate a Wine,
covered tasting basics, how to
hold the glass and what to look
for when tasting wines. And the
third, How to Choose a Correct
Glass, offered up information on
proper wine glass selection for a
variety of red and white wines and
the segment was a pulpit for the
Pontiff to explain his preference
for wine glasses with stems.
What about the new stemless
wine glasses?
“The Pontiff says they’re great
for Scotch whiskey,” Olsen said.
“He doesn’t like them for wine.
He still likes a stem.”
Shona Duncan, spokesperson
for Sahara Mart, said the familyowned specialty grocery store
came up with the idea of doing a
wine education course via YouTube
after the store found itself featured
Gourmet News file photo
volume 73, number 10
October 2008 $7.00
After, World Wide Gourmet Foods
purchased Christopher Brookes,
it quickly established a Web site
for the Elizabethan Pantry line.
World Wide
Gourmet
Foods buys
British
distributor
By Anna Wolfe
WOODINVILLE, Wash—World
Wide Gourmet Foods Inc., based
here, purchased Christopher
Brookes Distinctive Foods’ assets
Aug. 13.
Christopher Brookes Distinctive
Foods, based in Edmonds, Wash.,
was previously owned by Gary
Worrell who had more than 25
years of experience providing
premium British foods and gifts
to the U.S. market.
The asset purchase included the
Elizabethan Pantry name and line
of English preserves, curds, condiments and marmalades, customer
lists and inventory.
Terms of the deal were not
disclosed. Gourmet News was
unable to reach Worrell before
press time, and a message on
Christopher Brooke’s voice mail
confirmed the sale to World Wide
Gourmet Food.
Glen German, marketing manager of World Wide Gourmet
Food, said the British food distributor had some “cash flow
problems” and “the deal came
about pretty quick. Before we
bought the company, we had
GOURMET NEWS
OCTOBER 2008
briefs
Another retailer joins
plastic bag ban
EUGENE, Ore.—Paper or plastic is no longer
a question at Market of Choice, the grocery
chain based here. It stopped offering plastic
bags at checkout in September.
“I think it was a timing thing,” Market of
Choice recycling coordinator Michael Scott
told The Register-Guard (Eugene, Ore.) newspaper. “Looking at our stock of bags, and kind
of what’s going on in the rest of the country
—with San Francisco and Seattle making
some difficult decisions—it was time to be
proactive about it.”
Market of Choice does sell reusable bags
for 99 cents, and customers of the chain still
have access to plastic bags in the produce and
meat departments.
Market of Choice is joining other retailers worldwide that have banned plastic bags
including Ikea and Whole Foods.
As Gourmet News has previously reported,
San Francisco became the first city in the
USA to ban on plastic bags and Seattle plans
to impose a 20-cent fee for each paper and
plastic bag used by customers at grocery and
drug stores.
100 countries
to attend SIAL
PARIS—The world’s most sought after food
industry show, SIAL Paris, The Global Food
Marketplace, will take place Oct. 19 through
Oct. 23.
The biennial showwill be held at the ParisNord Villepinte Exhibition Center, housing
approximately 5,500 exhibitors—and 140,000
visitors from all over the world.
At this year’s show, a brand new Hall 7 will
be dedicated to wines and fine foods, and a
“Retail World” will showcase up-to-the-minute distribution ideas and solutions, alongside
248 contestants in the SIAL d’Or new products
competition.
“SIAL is not only there for business purposes to sell products,” said Francois Gros,
the U.S. representative for SIAL and president
of IMEX, “but as a platform for the food industry, for anyone in the industry to understand
where the food industry is going; the trends
in the industry.”
Noted trends from Gros include innovative products that offer more benefits to the
consumer, “not only food to feed you, but to
look good.
“I think people will look into food products
that are good for the environment and social
justice; like knowing where your food’s being
grown,” he added.
More than 100 countries will be in attendance, such as Afghanistan, Barbados and
Macedonia, said Gros, spreading over two
million square feet. The U.S. alone will take
up two pavilions, in halls 4 and 6, added Gros,
one acting as a general pavilion and the other
housing “meat and poultry” exhibitors.
general NEWS
www.gourmetnews.com
3
Natural Products Expo goes green
BOSTON—More than 25,000
natural, organic, and healthy
products industry members convene at the Boston Convention
& Exhibition Center here Oct.
15-18 for Natural Products
Expo East. Expo East’s contiguous show
floor will house the largest
tradeshow of its kind on the
East Coast, showcasing products
and branded ingredients from
1,200 of manufacturers, education from industry experts and
networking events.
Educational seminars begin
on Oct. 15 and continue through
the 18. The tradeshow floor opens
Oct. 16 at 10 a.m.
This year the
show, organized by
Penton Media’s New
Hope Media division, is creating its
most green event to
date. Show organizers are implementing a comprehensive greening plan
that includes:
• A program that
encourages and rec- Natural Products Expo East heads to the Boston
ognizes exhibiting Convention Center Oct. 15-18.
Tea trends
Ready-to-drink tea sales
drive category growth
Expo here to talk about the tea
LAS VEGAS—When looking trends in and out of the cup.
at trends in the specialty food
P u l l i n g d a t a f ro m t h e
market, it’s hard to ignore that Global New Product Database,
tea is everywhere, said Lynn Dornblaser said tea seems to be
Dornblaser, director of Mintel one of the in-vogue beverages—
International, a market research it appears across all outlets
firm with officin all types
es in Chicago. “Consumers drink tea
of settings.
The research
And more
firm has many mornings and afternoons
and more
tools for track- and not so much at night
beverages
ing trends and
continue
because of the caffeine
new product
to add tea
content.”
launches
to their
a ro u n d t h e Lynn Dornblaser, Mintel
drinks—
world. And
such as
Dornblaser
bottled
was on hand at the World Tea water, meal replacements,
energy drinks, nectars, juices
and sodas.
“Tea is the in beverage these
days, in supermarkets you see
so many bottled teas,” she said.
To 2007 from 2005 the number
of ready-to-drink teas available
jumped to 3,580 from 2,673, or
33.9 percent.
In the U.S. market, tea sales
are a relatively small segment
of the beverage category but
growing. When compared to
milk, which is the most popular
non-alcoholic beverage in the
U.S. market with 25 percent
market share, tea and bottled
teas have 4.2 percent. But from
Continued on Page 4
retailers that an earlier show
in the year would allow them
to gain more lead time and
evaluate the past year’s “winning
products.”
“ R e t a i l e r s a re
really interested in
fourth-quarter sales,
and lead times for
retailers are getting
longer, not shorter,”
said Capiello, president of Capiello Management
LLC, the producer of the
First Look Housewares Show.
“Everything is screaming for
getting together early in the
New Year, and if we put together
200 to 300 manufacturers in
January, the retailer
can see thousands
of new products in
a couple of days. It’s
not rocket science,
it’s observations
from retailers.”
Gittlitz, an industry journalist, was interested in
the show and brings his industry
Continued on Page 4
By Anna Wolfe
First Look Housewares
Show to launch in January
By Jenna Crisostomo
LONG ISLAND, N.Y.—After a
conversation over lunch, and
then another over dinner here,
Rob Cappiello and Ian Gittlitz
shook hands and decided to
work together on the First Look
Housewares Show in January
2009.
As the former Vice President
of the National Hardware Show
for the past five years, Capiello
wanted to launch the housewares show after receiving feedback from manufacturers and
companies to reduce
their environmental
impact at the show
through trash diversion, travel offset and
sustainable booth
design.
• The use of recyclable, biodegradable and sustainable
materials whenever
possible, including
jute attendee bags and
signage created from
90 percent recycled
and fully recyclable
Continued on Page 6
Energy
drink
craze
surges
ahead
Energy drink craze
spills into food,
popular with teens
By Jenna Crisostomo
CHICAGO—Research firm
Mintel International Group
released a report on energy
drinks in August, valuing the
retail market at $4.8 billion,
a growth of 440 percent in
five years.
“I think that energy has really
started to become a mainstream
health benefit,” said Krista
Faron, senior new product
analyst at Mintel, with offices
here. “Before, it (energy) was
seen as a niche benefit; consumers are strapped for time, are
overworked, so I think they’re
turning to energy benefits to
boost them during the day.”
Faron added, “For the purposes of this report, energy
drinks have been defined as
beverages that specifically claim
to provide an energy or stimulation boost. These products also
have a marketing positioning
which stresses energy. Many
generally include active ingredients such as glucose, caffeine
and taurine, as well as other
health-oriented ingredients such
as ginseng and various vitamins
Continued on Page 6
4
general NEWS
www.gourmetnews.com
OCTOBER 2008
GOURMET NEWS
Study: tea’s usage as an ingredient soars 47%
Continued from Page 3
2005 to 2007, the tea market has
expanded by 33.9 percent, according to Mintel statistics.
“Consumers drink tea mornings and afternoons and not so
much at night because of the caffeine content,” Dornblaser said.
Retailers can work with this trend
by offering herbal infusions that
are positioned for nighttime or
relaxation, she added.
In today’s current economic
climate, Dornblaser predicts that
more consumers will balk at the
increased price of organic teas
that average about 21 percent
more than their conventional
counterparts. “There is a small
group that will stick with the
increased priced teas,” she said.
Many consumers who may have
purchased organic teas in the past
might now be asked if the extra
cost is worth it. The better bet, she
said, would be to carry all-natural
teas as well.
“Consumers in many cases can’t
tell the different between organic and all natural,” Dornblaser
said. “So perhaps the concept
of all natural will appeal to
the organic consumer group.”
Fairly traded teas, she added, are
catching on with big and small
companies alike.
Outside of the beverage market,
tea can also be found in numerous body care items. From 2005
to 2007, there was a 47 percent
jump, or 1,419, skin care items
introduced to the market containing tea. Soap and bath products
introductions with tea as an ingredient jumped to 628 in 2007 from
350 in 2006 and 505 in 2006.
In tea flavors, Mintel is noticing that the one of the trends is
the “mimicking of coffee flavors
or dessert flavors.” One new
application, she said is a cocoa
powder with green tea. At the
specialty stores and in foodservice,
smoothies are being made with
tea and superfruits such as acai,
blueberries and pomegranates.
When promoting new products to the baby boomer market, Dornblaser suggests in-store
sampling. “Boomers want to taste
something before they buy it,” she
said. Younger consumers ages
18-24 are more willing to take
a risk and buy a new product,
she said. gn
First look
show picks
Jan. 8 date
knowledge to the table.
“He knows the industry, what
retailers want, what makes manufacturers tick, and he understands
them,” Capiello said. “Ian’s a
housewares guy and having him
attached to the show is important
because he knows about housewares, and that’s credibility.”
Alongside wanting an earlier
show in the year, retailers also suggested to Capiello that it take place
in a “warm city.” The First Look
Housewares Show will be held in
the sunshine state of Florida at the
Miami Beach Convention Center,
Jan. 8, 9 and 10.
With a 100,000-square-foot
plan, the convention center will
house approximately 250-300
show exhibitors over half of that
space, but are only allowed to set
up a “400-square-foot” booth,
Capiello said.
“Medium to large retailers are
the ones who have the longest
lead times, they are the ones who
need an early show most, allowing them to move products more
effectively into the retail channel,”
he added.
Optimistic about the show’s
success and mark in the housewares industry, Capiello said
that he hopes the show “goes on
beyond my involvement,” and is
willing to partner “with anyone
who wants to make this show a
success in reality, be it an entity
or association.” gn
6
general NEWS
www.gourmetnews.com
OCTOBER 2008
GOURMET NEWS
Younger consumers power energy drink sales
and minerals.” According to the report, “energy drinkers”
and product distribution are rapidly growing. The numbers of energy-drink users aged
18 and over grew by 14.8 million to 34.4
million in 2008 from 19.6 million in 2003,
according to Mintel. “Although convenience
stores remain the primary purveyor of
energy drinks, incremental growth in the
market has come from channel expansion
to supermarkets, mass merchandisers and
wholesalers, where consumers purchase
energy drinks in value-priced, single-serve
multipacks.” according to the report.
Alongside energy drink’s popularity
growing in number of consumers and retail
outlets, Faron said that the market hasn’t
just grown, it’s “evolving.” She said, “We’re
seeing a lot of hybrid products, drinks that
don’t fit neatly…a lot of blurring today,
where products don’t fit into pre-described
categories.”
Certain product “trends” that Faron is
noticing in the evolving of energy drinks
currently out on the market for hybrid
products include sports drinks, functional
waters and fruit juices. For example, Ocean
Spray’s Cranergy energy juice drink and
Del Monte’s bloom energy are two recent
additions to the marketplace. Building
energy into the product name, Cranergy
consists of “cranberry juice fortified with
green tea and B vitamins and Del Monte’s
product has antioxidant benefits and is an
interesting blend between a smoothie juice
and energy drink,” Faron said.
Faron also lists “energy shots” as a current trend, with 5-Hour Energy being the
market leader. “Being able to get energy in
a single gulp, in a shot, is appealing to the
consumer,” she added, “it’s the quintessential convenience product.”
Not only seen as a trend in the energy
market, energy shots, Faron said, are
particularly appealing to the teen demographic.
The report states, “In the United States,
35 percent of all teens aged 12-17 drink
energy drinks, compared to 15 percent of
adults aged 18 and over…Although Red
Bull is the top brand choice among teens
(47 percent drink it), this demographic also
exhibits higher penetration than adults in
second-tier brands, such as Full Throttle,
Amp and SoBe.
“Young adults aged 18-24 are the key
consumers in the market with 34 percent
drinking energy drink in 2008…Combined,
these two demographic groups accounted
for 45 percent of all energy drink users in
2008,” the report adds.
As hybrid products and energy shots,
Faron said, become trends in the energy
market, another occurrence is the migration of energy into food.
“A broader evolution of energy drinks
have paved the way, but have that trickled
down effect for energy down into food,”
she added. “All kinds of foods are making
energy claims.”
Such claims, Faron noted, include
“benefits in snack bar categories, energy
bars, snack products (nut mixes that make
natural claims), sunflower seeds with
taurine and caffeine, and energy claims
in cereals.”
In particular, caffeine has been present
in beverages, and has found its way into
foods, but Faron said, “You see a departure
for caffeine in that some manufacturers
are turning to ingredients that provide
natural energy, products like Cranergy
with green tea.”
With energy spreading into different
drinks, foods and distribution outlets, the
report said the “market growth is going
to slow down amid a weak economy and
inability to attract a substantially broader
consumer base.” gn
Expo East
program.
• The Travel Green and Save Green
program, which will fund travel for up to
1,000 people traveling 300 miles on public transportation. • A renewable energy
sponsorship that, through the purchase of
Green Tags, will provide 122,780 kWh of
clean, renewable energy credits to offset the
energy used during the show.
A complete show schedule is online at
www.expoeast.com. gn
materials.
• Reusable or compostable service
ware and cups for all food service.
• 32,000 compostable badge holders
instead of plastic, which will divert about
810 pounds of plastic from the landfill.
• An extended onsite recycling
8
EDITORIALS
www.gourmetnews.com
October 2008
GOURMET NEWS
From the editor
20 faces of gourmet
A
biennial favorite of our staff and
many of our readers is our 20 under
40 feature that showcases 20 up and
comers in the gourmet food and kitchenware industry under 40 years of age.
We could have easily done the 40 under
40. Thank you to everyone who heeded
our requests for input, and thank you to
everyone who completed our questionnaires. We truly enjoyed learning more
about you and your driving passions and
your plans for future successes. Narrowing
down the pool and then the final class of
2008, which appears on pages 17-19, was
an incredibly tough task and resulted in a
lively debate here amongst our editorial
team and that of our sister publication,
Kitchenware News and Housewares Review.
Of course, there are many more young,
talented and passionate people in this industry. Rest assured, we’ll ask for your input
again in a couple of years. In the interim,
do keep us in the loop as you grow your
gourmet business.
It just reaffirmed what I and everyone
in this industry knows—it is full of great
people who are passionate about what they
do. The people are what make this industry
unique and so fabulous to be a part of.
Also in this issue,
we have a couple of
stories about retailers who are using
aspects of the Web
to market their
stores. A grocery
store is promoting itself to the up
and coming Gen
Y market by crafting webisodes. And
Sahara Mart, which
is profiled on page 1, found out firsthand
the power of YouTube. After floods struck
the town, Sahara Mart found itself the
subject of some bootleg videos posted on
the video sharing site. The specialty food
retailer decided to create a wine appreciation class for YouTube and plans to post 11
or so installments. GN
– Anna Wolfe, Editor
awolfe@gourmetnews.com
From the publisher
Cheers to the 20 under 40
G
reetings once again to the readers pages this month for more information on
of Gourmet News. In this month’s how they’re pioneering the use of YouTube
issue, we’re proud to bring you videos, podcasts and video webisodes, and
profiles of twenty up-and-comers in the Web 2.0 virtual communities to promote
specialty foods and kitchenware industries. the specialty foods industry.
These young people – all under 40 – are
And if all of that has you more than a little
enhancing and even revolutionizing our excited, why not sit back and relax with a
industry with their energy and vision, cup of tea, the proverbial “cup that cheers,”
and it’s a pleasure to have
as you read? Here in this
the opportunity to read
issue, you’ll find inspiraabout their accomplishtion for your sipping with
ments and to share them
information on how tea is
with you through the
increasingly being used as
pages of Gourmet News.
an ingredient in food and
We know you’ll enjoy
healthcare products.
meeting people like Ryan
Here we are—peering
Montague of Gourmet
into the future to see the
Business Solutions LLC,
new horizons that techa Web-based consulting
nology is leading us into
and marketing company
while we sip a cup of a
for gourmet food busibeverage made fashionable
nesses in Clearwater, Fla. Kim and Lee Oser with daughter in Europe by Catherine of
I’m sure you’ll be inspired Mariella.
Braganza, who brought her
by his story of starting a
tea-drinking habit with her
business amidst the devastation wrought from Portugal when she arrived in England
by Hurricane Katrina with only a $500 to marry Charles II. She was, whether she
credit card for startup expenses and a realized it or not, continuing an Asian tradiflooded, gutted home, a pregnant wife, tion of respect for tea that was already well
and a one-year-old son to take care of. over a thousand years old and that continues
We’d like to congratulate Ryan and all today throughout the world.
of our 20 Under 40 for having the guts,
So this month Gourmet News brings you
persistence, and creativity it takes to much to think about, from our oldest tradistand out in a world that can be challeng- tions to our newest technology. And along
ing and occasionally downright hostile. with it, our heartiest congratulations once
Ryan’s just one example of those who are again to the people who are revitalizing our
using new technology to enhance sales, traditions and infusing our desires for compromote their stores, and to create a more munity and connection into cyberspace. I
appealing marketplace in both the virtual lift my teacup in salute to you all. GN
– Lee M. Oser, Publisher
and brick-and-mortar worlds. Check out our
EditOr
Anna Wolfe
awolfe@gourmetnews.com
65 West Commercial Street #207
Portland, ME 04101
www.gourmetnews.com
Associate editor
Jenna Crisostomo
jenna_c@oser.com
Contributing writers
Joanne Friedrick & Stacey McArthur
PUBLISHER
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Member of:
President
Lee M. Oser
GOURMET NEWS
OCTOBER 2008
briefs
MOM’s says no
to imported
bottled water
ROCKVILLE, Md.—MOM’s - My Organic
Market, the Washington metro area’s organic
grocery chain, has stopped selling all bottled
water products that are not sourced and
bottled domestically, according to an Aug.
19 statement.
The bottled water industry has been coming under scrutiny from the media, concerned
citizens, and numerous non-profit organizations. Questions are being raised over the
negative impact bottled water is having on the
environment and local communities. Another
aspect to the global water justice movement is
the issue of privatization of a natural resource,
which is becoming increasingly polluted and
scarce. The EPA estimates that by 2013 thirtysix states will experience water shortages.
“The decision to take a step towards eliminating bottled water was a fairly easy one.
Once we thought about the amount of energy,
oil, and water that go into producing, shipping, and disposing of a product that is readily
available by simply turning on your faucet, we
knew it was the right decision,” Lisa de Lima,
the vice president of grocery at MOM’s said in
a prepared statement.
“We are hoping that by discontinuing
imported waters, customers who aren’t
already drinking tap water will consider making the switch.” MOM’s has replaced the discontinued brands of bottled waters with water
filter options as well as reusable bottles.
Founded in 1987 as a home delivery/mail
order provider of organic
foods, MOM’s has grown to become the
Washington/Baltimore region’s premierechain
of locally owned and operated organic grocery
stores. Offerings include a produce department with exclusively 100 percent organic
produce, and an incredible selection of organic grocery and wellness products at everyday
low prices. MOM’s currently operates 5 stores
in the Washington metro area. Scott Nash, the
founder of MOM’s, is a previous recipient of
Gourmet News’ 20 under 40 award.
Retailer offers ‘Right’
class on meat cut
selection
PORTLAND, Ore.—Specialty food purveyor
Foster and Dobbs, based here, teamed up
with a local meat shop to conduct a class on
selecting cuts of meat.
On Sept. 16, The Right Cut, a class with Ben
Dyer from Viande Meats & Sausage, a meat
shop also based here, explained the various
beef cuts: t-bone, rib-eye, chuck, tenderloin,
tri-yip and flank steak. Dyer explained the
cuts meats and how they differ and what’s
the best way to prepare them.
specialty retailers
www.gourmetnews.com
9
Sahara Mart opens second location
By Anna Wolfe
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.—This
month, Sahara Mart is on track
to open its second location here.
The second store will be 25,000
square feet, almost 10 times
larger than the current 3,000
square foot store on Second and
Walnut here, explained Shona
Duncan, spokesperson.
Owner Javad Noorihoseini
bought a failing 500-squarefoot grocery store in1986 and
turned it into the Sahara Mart.
Over the years, he relocated
the store and then expanded
it twice. Now, he is on track to
open a second location. The
plan is to keep both stores open,
Duncan said.
Located on the east side of
town, the new location here
used to be a furniwine, including
ture store and was
organic wines,
retrofitted. It is near
and beers.
the mall and across
Produce, bulk
the street from
foods, teas, cofBlooming Foods
fees and shelfCo-op.
stable specialty
At press time an
a nd g our m e t
opening date was
items will be
not scheduled. The
located on the
store will have two
first floor. With
levels. On the first
plenty of space,
level will be the
the new locagrocery area and
tion may add a
the second floor
cooking school
will have a space
down the road,
for wine tastings
Duncan said.
and cooking dem- Sahara Mart’s second location required renovations before
The Sahara
onstrations and an the specialty food retailer could move in.
Mart is known
area for storage,
f o r i t s l a rg e
Duncan said.
an in-store dining area and will
selection of
The new location will feature offer an extensive selection of
Continued on Page 10
Gourmet Catalog launches new
Web site for retailers, consumers
By Anna Wolfe
DALLAS—Gourmet Catalog
Buying Group, a buying group
in the gourmet housewares
industry, launched a redesigned
Web site, www.gourmetcatalog.
com, in August.
The Gourmet Catalog site
has information for consumers, retailers and suppliers. The
revised site “more multifunctional for our stores vendors
and consumers,” said Stephanie
Rogers, store membership coordinator for Gourmet Catalog.
“The previous Web site was a
white page with a red bar down
the middle. It was very basic
and didn’t have a lot of info,”
Rogers said. “Now the site is
more chic and user friendly.
When vendors and stores login,
there is more information and
locations, while also allowing
current store and vendor members to obtain program information. Retailers and
suppliers alike
can find details
on joining the
Gourmet Catalog
Buying Group.
For consumers,
Shop Now is the
e-tail store, powered by Cooking.
Gourmet Catalog’s revised Web site offers
com, that showsections for retail members and consumers.
cases gourmet
kitchenware items
it is easier to find.”
and Shop a Store Near You lists
The Web site drive custom- Gourmet Catalog member stores
ers into Gourmet Catalog Store
by state. gn
NASFT announces new Buyers’
Circle advisory council members
NEW YORK—Three new
members and four continuing members have been elected
to the Buyers’ Circle Advisory
Council of the National
Association for the Specialty
Food Trade, Inc.
The three new members
are Sabra Coe Young of Taste
Unlimited in Virgina Beach,
Va., Rick Vernon of West Point
Market in Akron, Ohio, and
Cheryl Harrington of The
Better Cheddar in Kansas
City, Mo., who served a prior
term on the council from
2005 – 2007.
In addition, the following
retailers were re-elected to a
two-year council term:
• Evelyn Ignatow, Hyde
Park Gourmet Food & Wine,
Cincinnati, Ohio
• Tim Manale, A Southern
Season, Chapel Hill, N.C.
• Sam Mogannam, Bi-Rite
Market, San Francisco
• Phil Myers, Central
Market, Houston
“The Buyers’ Circle Advisory
Council plays a key role in
guiding the NASFT in shaping programs that meet the
needs of our retailer members and buyers of specialty
Summer
promos
Drive
WilliamsSonoma’s
sales
By Anna Wolfe
SAN FRANCISCO—Feeling
the effects of the weak housing
market, Williams-Sonoma Inc.’s
profit dropped 29 percent for
the quarter, the multichannel
housewares retailer reported
in an Aug. 28 conference call
with analysts.
For the second quarter ended
Aug. 3, net revenues dropped
4.6 percent to $819.6 million
from $859.4 last year across
all of Williams-Sonoma holdings, including its namesake
kitchenware brand and its
housewares brands Pottery
Barn and West Elm.
For Pottery Barn stores
opened at least a year, sales
plummeted 16 percent whereas
Williams-Sonoma stores’ sales
dropped 4.5 percent.
Expecting more of the same
for the remainder of the year,
Howard Lester, chairman and
CEO, told analysts the multichannel retailer was scaling back
its projections for the remainder
of the year and was tightening
10
specialty retailers
www.gourmetnews.com
OCTOBER 2008
GOURMET NEWS
Williams-Sonoma banks on holiday promos
Continued from page 9
its belt for 2009.
“We are increasingly concerned,” said
Lester. “It is difficult to predict how consumers will respond in the back half of the
year…The downturn we’ve seen the last 30
to 60 days across all brands has been significant.” And looking ahead to the remainder
of the year and into 2009, Lester said the
retailer isn’t expecting a quick turnaround
and has a cautious outlook.
Company wide, Williams-Sonoma has
been slashing its catalog distribution by 20
percent, reducing inventory and costs—“to
the effect that it doesn’t affect service levels
to customers,” said Lester.
Net revenues in the Williams-Sonoma
brand increased one percent in the second
quarter … “—more than offset by incremental revenues from new and expanded
stores and higher traffic in e-commerce,”
said David DeMattei, group president of
Williams-Sonoma.
“What drove the business was the suc-
cessful marketing and merchandising of
seasonal events, like Mother’s Day, Father’s
Day, and Fourth of July, which is encouraging as we enter the highly event-driven back
half of the year,” DeMattei said.
Seasonal items, small electrics and cookware were popular items whereas “traffic
dependent categories” such as food and
housewares continue to have weak sales,
DeMattei said.
For the upcoming holiday season,
Williams-Sonoma brand is expected to
fare well as consumers shop for gifts in the
holiday season.
“As we get ready for the third and fourth
quarters, we are increasingly concerned
about consumer trends but believe the
Williams-Sonoma brand, with its seasonal
relevance and gift-giving focus, will be more
resilient than our other home furnishings
brand,” said DeMattei.
Other housewares retailers have been
hit hard by the consumers’ belt tightening
in the wake of the housing market and the
high energy costs. Bankrupt housewares
retailer Linens ‘n Things said on Aug. 12 its
net retail sales fell 21 percent in the second
quarter as it closes 177 stores.
While this is a difficult time for housewares retailers overall, it is an opportune
time for strong retailers to gain marketshare,
Lester said.
The company operates 603 stores, including 256 Williams-Sonoma stores. Besides
its namesake brand, it also owns PB Teen
and West Elm, operates seven mail-order
catalogs and six Web sites. gn
NASFT names
Retailer adds retail group
wine classes
to YouTube
on the video sharing site.
In early June, Second Street was
flooded by torrential rains and the
storefront was visible in several videos that were posted on YouTube and
viewed by more than 3,000 people.
After its unsanctioned debut, Sahara
Mart thought about creating something
educational to promote the store.
“We thought, ‘let’s put something
positive out there,’” said Duncan.
“Everybody is looking at YouTube,” she
said. “Plus, it is free advertising.” gn
food and beverage products,” said NASFT
Vice President of Communications and
Education Ron Tanner, in a prepared
statement. “These retailers from across the
United States help us serve the business
people who are in daily contact with the
specialty food consumer.”
Continuing on the council are:
• Maren Ammerman, The Fresh Market,
Greensboro, N.C.; Emilio Mignucci, DiBruno
Bros., Philadelphia; Scott Silverman, Rice
Epicurean, Houston; Linda Sikorski,
The Pasta Shop, Oakland, Ca.; and Jack
W. “Trip” Straub III, Straub’s Markets, St.
Louis, Mo.
The NASFT is a not-for-profit trade association established in 1952 to foster trade,
commerce and interest in the specialty food
industry. Today, there are more than 2,800
member companies. gn
Sahara
Mart opens
second shop
coffee and offers as many as 75 varieties.
During the summer, it sold eight pounds
of the rare Kopi Luwak coffee beans that
are digested and excreted from the Palm
Civet in Indonesia. Sahara Mart worked
with the local newspaper here to explain
the beans to the area’s diverse consumers.
And the store has an entire aisle dedicated
to bulk and bagged teas and has a large
selection of nutraceuticals and homeopathic medicines.
Located in the same town as Indiana
University, which attracts students and
faculty from all over the world, the specialty
store has developed a reputation as the
place for special orders of foods from their
homeland. “We have a huge international
student base. Students often come into the
store and say ‘I’m from this country and this
is what I need,” Duncan said. gn
GOURMET NEWS
OCTOBER 2008
briefs
Macy’s hires
Dunnhumby for
customer data analysis
CINCINNATI—Macy’s Inc. here hired customer
insight firm DunnhumbyUSA on Aug. 13.
Under the multi-year agreement, Macy’s is
Dunnhumby’s exclusive department store client. The firm, with office here, analyzes Macy’s
customer sales data, develops customer segmentation models and works with the Macy’s
organization to apply the learning’s in alignment with the company’s existing customercentric business initiatives, to accelerate future
sales growth.
“For Macy’s to continue to build a sustainable competitive advantage, we need to fully
understand our customers and mold our offering to satisfy each customer’s specific needs,”
said Terry J. Lundgren, Macy’s chairman, president and CEO, in a prepared statement.
Wegmans keeps locally
grown food fresh and
sustainably cool
ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Not only are Wegmans Food
Market aisles here lined with old-fashioned farm
stands, carrying fresh-picked food hours before
opening, their coolers now contain an environmentally-friendly refrigerant solution as well.
Wegmans’ Locally Grown program directly
links family farms with customers at Wegmans
stores. There’s no distribution center or warehouse: what comes from the farm reaches
the customer within a few hours. But making
it work smoothly with more than 800 growers,
71 Wegmans stores and orders for every kind
of fruit or vegetable in season does take some
experience, and that’s where someone like Kevin
Komendat, Buffalo division produce coordinator,
comes in.
“We’ve been doing this for decades, and
we know our growers and their families very
well. We’ve also got some good systems in
place so everybody wins – the growers, our
customers, and Wegmans,” he said, in a prepared statement.
Environmental and food safety issues are
also part of the discussion. “We want to recycle
or reuse packaging as much as possible,” said
Komendat, in a prepared statement. If a grower
delivers to more than one Wegmans store in a
day, Wegmans coordinates deliveries to save fuel
and time. Furthering its sustainability and energy efficiency quest, Wegmans Food Market now uses
a glycol refrigerant solution that helps reduce
the stores’ carbon footprints while protecting the
ozone layer. First introduced in the company’s
Pittsford, N.Y., store more than 10 years ago,
more than a third of the chain’s total of 71 stores
now use the eco-friendly glycol solution.
Today, glycol is used in 25 Wegmans stores,
but all stores are expected to keep their cool by
switching over to glycol or similar environmentally friendly refrigerant solutions that improve
the company’s energy-efficient practices.
Grocery & Department Stores
www.gourmetnews.com
11
Kroger delivers value to
customers, puts them first
Stop & Shop
rolls out
new in-store
technologies
By Jenna Crisostomo
QUINCY, Mass.—One of the
nation’s oldest grocery chains,
Stop & Shop has unveiled a
new, modern logo and is rolling out advanced technologies
and in-store features during
the next year.
“This is the beginning of an
evolution for Stop & Shop,”
said Jim Dwyer, EVP Strategy
& Business Development for
Stop & Shop, in a prepared
statement. “From self-service
markets to the introduction
of the region’s first superstore,
Stop & Shop has always been
an industry pioneer. The new
in-store features and modern look allow us to provide
customers with better convenience as a prelude to more
planned innovations.”
New technology being
implemented at the store level
includes: ORDER IT! digital
kiosk for deli counter orders.
SCAN IT! hand-held device
allows customers to scan and
bag groceries while they shop.
WEIGH IT! Is a one-stop station in the produce department where customers can
weigh produce.
Stop & Shop has locations
throughout New England and
New York. Gn
CINCINNATI—Kroger Co.’s
Customer First strategy demonstrated resiliency during the
first quarter, said David Dillon, chairman and CEO of the
company during a conference
call with analysts June 24.
“Our associates are connecting well with customers, as
our strategy continues to drive
industry-leading identical sales
growth and create share holder value,” said Dillon. Kroger’s
reported first-quarter
sales increased from
11.5 percent to $23.1
billion ended May 24.
Identical supermarket
sales jumped to 9.2 percent with fuel and 5.8
percent without fuel.
Comprising numerous geographic locations, Kroger’s growth was
broad-based with in-store
departmental strength, particularly in the areas of grocery,
nutrition, deli, and bakery.
“The underlying strength of
Kroger’s long-term business
model is illustrated by our
Continued on PAGE 12
Exclusive brands, apparel items
drive Macy’s sales growth
By Jenna Crisostomo
CINCINNATI—Though second
quarter sales decreased by three
percent, Macy’s Inc. here reported
that massive store closings will
not occur, and exclusive brands
and components of ready-to-wear
apparel continue to do well.
“From time to time, there’s
been a rumor that we were
going to close a large number
of stores, I don’t see that happening,” said Karen M. Hoguet,
executive vice president and
chief financial officer of Macy’s.
“But as we do every year, we will
close poor-performing stores.
But I don’t expect any extraordinary store closing, program
or announcement.”
Ending Aug. 2, Macy’s second
quarter sales totaled $5.718 billion, a three-percent decrease
from last year’s second-quarter
sales of $5.892 billion. The
company’s total sales for the
year to date totaled $11.465
billion, a 2.9 percent decrease
from last year’s first 26 weeks
of $11.813 total sales. Second
quarter operating income for
the company was $259 million,
with 4.5 percent attributed to
the quarter’s sales.
Though sales totals decreased
during the second quarter, a
new store opened in Houston,
Texas, and Hoguet foresees
Macy’s exclusive brands and
apparel to continue driving sales
throughout the fall.
Continued on PAGE 12
SimonDelivers to reopen as CobornsDelivers
By Jenna Crisostomo
S T. C L O U D , M i n n . —
C o b o r n ’s I n c . h e re w i l l
reopen the Internet grocery
company, SimonDelivers, as
CobornsDelivers this month.
SimonDelivers shut its doors
in July, citing food and fuel costs
as factors in today’s shaky economy, Gourmet News reported
last month. The company once
offered baked and consumer
packaged goods, produce and
meat in Minneapolis and St.
Paul’s metro areas.
Coborn’s Inc. purchased
SimonDelivers on Aug. 25, and
though details of the acquisition
were not disclosed, said Steve
Gottwalt, director of communications and consumer affairs
for Coborn’s, CobornsDelivers
will distribute grocery items to
consumers in the Twin Cities’
metro area.
Previous SimonDelivers’ customers will also be able to reactivate their accounts, accessing
their past order histories.
gas and grocery prices, shoppers
can save a lot of time and money
by using CobornsDelivers. We’re
bringing our grocery store right
to your door…Our goal is to
provide Twin Cities
area customers with
the best online grocery experience in
the country. That
means exceptional
customer service, top
quality groceries and
lower prices.”
As 300 employees
CoburnDelivers acquired the assets of the
lost
their jobs with
defunct grocery delivery service.
SimonDelivers’ closing, Coborn’s Inc.
“We think it’ll be dynamite “have offered jobs to several,
in the Twin Cities market,” previous SimonDelivers employGottwalt added.
ees,” Gottwalt said.
In a prepared statement,
Liwanag Ojala, SimonDelivers’
Coborn’s President and CEO former president, “is a part
Chris Coborn said, “With rising of our leadership team for
CobornsDelivers,” Gottwalt added.
In business for 87 years,
employee-owned Coborn’s Inc.
has 34 Coborn’s and Cash Wise
Foods grocery stores.
With stores located in the
upper Midwest, Coborn’s also
owns and operates liquor, pharmacies, convenience and video
stores, and online shopping
services with home delivery.
Coborn’s stores distribute online
orders to areas of St. Cloud, Elk
River and Hastings, Minn.
Cash Wise stores distribute online orders to areas of
Bismarck and Fargo, N.D., and
Owatonna, Minn.
“We’re very excited,” Gottwalt
said. “Early customer responses
are overwhelming; customers
are looking forward to the service returning.” gn
12
Grocery & Department Stores
Second Best Cellars at A&P
opens in New Jersey
Continued from PAGE 1
wine and spirits department.
As the event’s featured guest, Wesson, a
West Orange local and author, lead free wine
tastings, and signed copies of his latest book,
Wine & Food: A New Look at Flavor.
Best Cellars “merchandises its wines and
most of its beers by taste using a simple system of eight taste categories,” Wesson said.
For wine, categories include fizzy, fresh, soft,
luscious, juicy smooth, big and sweet, and for
beer, categories include crisp, zesty, mellow,
robust and seasonal, Wesson added.
Best Cellar stores also contain sub-divided
sections, Wesson noted, “making them
even easier and more fun to shop.” Sections
Kroger’s
include Best Cellars Great Value Wines;
Beyond the Best Wines; Top 10 Wines;
Magnum Force; Beer at BC; and Spirits.
Wi n e p r i c i n g v a r i e s , w i t h B e s t
Cellars Great Value Wines at $15 and
under to Beyond the Best Wines at $15
and above.
Other sections, such as Beer at BC,
includes domestic and imported specialty
brews, and Spirits contain “signs describing how they’re made, along with the
most popular cocktails made with them,”
Wesson said.
“Great bottles. Great tastes. Great
prices!” Wesson added. “Why shop anywhere else?” gn
solid first quarter results and updated
guidance,” said Dillon. “We continue to
balance investments in our customers’
overall shopping experience with current
economic conditions, including inflationary costs.”
According to Kroger customer
research, high fuel and food prices are
affecting shoppers’ purchasing decisions,
but the Customer First strategy has
strengthened the company’s relationship
with customers as it is founded on closely listening to the customer and focuses
on Kroger’s people, products, prices and
the shopper’s experience.
“These two factors are driving some of
the behavior changes we’re seeing lately,
such as shoppers combining trips and
actively pursuing gas discount offers,”
said Dillon. “Our research also validates
some underlying trends that we’ve seen
for some time; these include families coming together more often to prepare and eat
meals at home, and the willingness of customers to try new private label products.”
In support of these researched trends,
Kroger offers customers combination
stores, or conveniently placed “one-stopshops” from Virginia, to Arizona, to Alaska, where newly introduced or expanded
promotions and discounts are helping
families stretch their household budgets.
“Customers are responding to offers
that really hit home with them, that are
important to them,” said Dillon. “We’re
making progress in our effort to be a reliable and relevant partner for customers by
anticipating their needs and consistently
delivering on their expectations.”
Kroger pharmacies now feature a $10
generic program that includes a 90-day
supply. The company also rewards shoppers who have a 1-2-3 Rewards MasterCard with discounts on gasoline and
groceries.
“Customers can earn discounts of up
to 15 cents off each gallon of gas fill-up
at participating markets, and earn free
groceries every quarter by using their
1-2-3 Rewards card; so far, customers
have earned $48 million in free groceries,” said Dillon.
Another component of the Customer
First strategy is private-label products.
“...Nearly half of the new corporate
brand items introduced last year were
under our private selections label,” said
Dillon. “Today, Private Selections is our
fastest-growing brand and...will be a $1
billion brand for Kroger in 2008.”
In addition to the Customer First
strategy highlighting first quarter success, capital projects included 36 remodeled stores and 17 relocated, new or
expanded stores.
During fiscal 2008, the company is
expected to relocate, open, or expand
approximately 70 to 80 stores, with 175
to 200 remodels. gn
Brands like Tommy Hilfiger will be placed
in more than 500 Macy’s stores, “which
is up versus 350 stores a year ago,” she
said. “As for exclusive merchandise, we
continue to be very excited about that.
Tommy is doing extraordinarily well,
and it is now going to be exclusive in our
stores as well as in their specialty stores.”
Fashionable product lines such as INC
International Concepts continue to grow in
sales as well, Hoguet said, and ready-to-wear
apparel popularity remains “strong,” although
as a whole, “on apparel side, unfortunately in
total, we’re not seeing strength there.”
Particular clothing items in ready-to-wear
remaining popular in sales are denim, specifically “the skinny jeans,” vests, knit tops and
dresses, Hoguet noted.
Other than exclusive brands and apparel,
Hoguet said that mattresses “have continued
to be a strong business for Macy’s,” although,
“furniture year round is having a little more
difficulty.”
“Right now we’re just focused on making
sure we bring in the right receipt levels to
drive the business,” Hoguet added.
In other news, the company also partnered
with dunnhumbyUSA, consumer insight
firm based here, as their exclusive client as
a department store.
According to a prepared statement, “dunnhumby will analyze Macy’s customer sales
data, develop segmentation models and work
with the Macy’s organization to apply the
learnings, in alignment with the company’s
existing customer-centric business initiatives,
to accelerate future sales growth.”
“For Macy’s to continue to build a sustainable competitive advantage, we need to
fully understand our customers and mold
our offering to satisfy each customer’s specific needs,” said Terry J. Lundgren, Macy’s
chairman, president and CEO. gn
MACY’S
www.gourmetnews.com
OCTOBER 2008
GOURMET NEWS
GOURMET NEWS
october 2008
BUYER’S GUIDE
www.gourmetnews.com
13
Buyer’s Guide
GRANOLA
This listing is compiled from a survey conducted by Gourmet News and sent to all manufacturers known to the staff. Inclusion in this section is based on a company’s response to our request for information. Information included in this listing is provided by the featured companies.
Venetian Vineyard omega-3 plus
Certified organic granola cereal inspired by the
Mediterranean diet. Loaded with fruits, nuts and seeds; no
refined sweeteners ; wheat-free, kosher
Wholesale price:
SRP: $5.99 - $6.99
Size (in ounces) and packaging: 12 ounce reclosable
pouches, or bulk 25 pounds
Units per case: 6
Minimum order: 8 cases
Marketing Support: In-store demos, point-of-sale-materials,
ad allowance to be discussed
Available: Direct and through distributors
Number of other granolas: 1
Ambrosial Granola Inc.
718-491-1335
www.ambrosialgranola.com Vanilla Crunch Granola
This product contains rolled oats, crispy rice, honey and
pure vanilla extract. It is all natural with no preservatives.
IWholesale price:
SRP: $4.99 - $5.29
Size (in ounces) and packaging: 14 ounces
Units per case: 12
Minimum order: 1 case (if combined with order
of 10 case total)
Marketing support available: In-store demos, ad allowance
and point-of-sale materials
Number of other granolas: 8-10
Aurora Products Inc.
203-375-9956
auroraproduct.com
This certified organic granola is loaded with cashews,
walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut,
whole oats and wheat bran and is sweetened with
organic wild flower honey.
Wholesale: $3.67
SRP: $4.99
Packaging: 13-ounce bags or in bulk
Minimum order: 1 Case/ 8 units to a case
Marketing support: POS materials
Khaya Krunchi’s are handcrafted cubes of dates and organic
apricots surrounded by oats, sunflower and flaxseed blended
with honey and brown sugar.
Wholesale price: $3.50
SRP: $6.00
Size (in ounces) and packaging: 4.6 ounces (130 grams)
Units per case: 8
Minimum order: 5 Cases/ 8
Marketing support available: In store demos, POS materials
Available: Direct
Bakery on Main
860-895-6622
www.bakeryonmain.com
Bob’s Red Mill
Natural Foods Inc.
503-654-3215
1-800-349-2173
www.bobsredmill.com
Berries & Cherries
Berries & Cherries is a mix of blueberries,
raspberries, cherries, cranberries and
blackcurrants, Chilean flame raisins,barley
flakes, oat flakes, wheat flakes and sugar.
Registered kosher.
Wholesale price: Set by distributors
SRP: $5.99 - $6.49
Size (in ounces) and packaging: 22-ounce
box, 8 boxes per case
Minimum order: Per distributors
Marketing support: Demos, ads, price
promotions, coupons
Available: Distributors
Number of other granolas: 3 other blended
cereal recipes
The Gift of Gab LLC
212-222-8372
www.gabolicious.com
GrandyOats
207-935-7415
www.grandyoats.com
Granola Fruit Krunchi
Bob’s Red Mill Natural Granola
Contains whole grain oats, fruit juice concentrate, evaporated
cane juice, maltodextrin and natural vanilla flavor
Wholesale price: Case of 4 (12 ounces each):
$9.50; 25 pound bag: $51.25
SRP: Case of 4 (12 ounces each) $13.28
Size and packaging: 12 ounce package;
Case of 4, 12 ounce packages; 25 pound bag
Units per case: 4
Minimum order: None
Marketing support: Samples available; sell sheet that
features all granolas available
Available: Direct or through distributors
Gaby’s own blend of chai spices, pistachios, almonds,
crystallized ginger, coconut, dried cranberries, sweetened
with agave and brown rice. Vegan, wheat free and kosher
Certified organic by Quality Assurance International
Wholesale price: $21.60/cs or $23.60/cs FOB
SRP: $6.99
Size (in ounces) and packaging: 10 ounce stand-up
resealable zip-lock pouch
Minimum order: 1 case/ 6, 10-ounce bags
Marketing support: In-store demos, ad allowance and
POS materials
Available: Distributors
Classic Granola
Cranberry Maple Granola
Made with 85 percent organic Ingredients. Organic oats,
honey, evaporated cane juice, canola oil, along with plentiful
whole roasted almonds and dried cranberries. Wheat free,
good source of fiber, non-GMO and dairy free; OU Kosher Wholesale price: Set by distributors
SRP: $5.99
Size (in ounces) and packaging: 12 ounces,
bulk is available
Units per case: 6
Minimum order: See distributor
Marketing support: In-store demos, ad allowance and POS
materials
Available: Through UNFI, Tree of Life, Kehe Foods, Nature’s
Best and Nassau Candy
Chai Spice
The Khaya Cookie Co.
800-503-1416
www.khayacookies.com
Orchard Premium Granola Snack Mix
Orchard Granola Snack Mix is hand-made and slowly toasted
in small batches with no added fats or oils. We use only
premium ingredients to ensure an irresistible taste and
incredible crunch. Our blend includes whole rolled oats,
almonds and pecans lightly sweetened with brown sugar and
mixed with dried tart red cherries and dried cranberries for a
burst of fruit flavor! All natural, without preservatives
Wholesale price: $1.56/ 4 ounces, $2.82/10 ounces, and
$4.50/16 ounces
SRP: $2.75/4 ounces, $4.99/10 ounces and $8.99/16 ounces
Size (in ounces) and packaging: 4-ounce resealable,
10-ounce resealable and 16-ounce ribbon-tied gift bags; bulk
10 pounds and 25 pounds
Units per case: 12- to 4-ounce bags per case, 6- to
10-ounce bags per case and 12- to 16-ounce bags per case
Minimum order: $100
Marketing support: Promotions are
available throughout the calendar year
Kingslake & Crane,
a division of Tulocay & Co.
888-627-2859
www.kingslakeandcrane.com
Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola
Dorset Cereals Ltd.
203-226-6577 x-3108
www.dorsetcereals.com
This certified organic granola combines organic whole grains,
organic flax seeds, organic pumpkin seeds and organic heart
healthy oats. Sweetened with organic evaporated cane juice.
SRP: $3.49 - $4.29
Size (in ounces) and packaging: 11.5-ounce box
Units per case: 12
Minimum order: varies
Marketing support: Demos, retail advertising, distributor
advertising and in-store promotions with signage
Nature’s Path Organic Foods
888-808-9505
www.naturespath.com
14
BUYER’S GUIDE
www.gourmetnews.com
Partners Multigrain Gourmet Granola
Partners Granola is a blend of oats, barley and rye flakes slow
baked with a touch of honey, vanilla, and cinnamon for light
sweetness. It also contains currants, hazelnuts, cashews,
and almonds
Wholesale price: $ 3.95
SRP: $6.49
Packaging: 12-ounce package and 15 pounds bulk
Units per case: 24, can be split to 2 flavors
Minimum order: $200
Marketing support: Demo and passive demo support as well
as scan and ad allowances
Partners, a tasteful choice company
253-867-1582
www.partnerscrackers.com
Sarabeth’s Morning Crunch Granola
Contains oat, fruit, nuts and sweetened with maple
syrup, honey
Wholesale price: $5
SRP: $8.95
Packaging: 12-ounce jar, 25-pound bulk ($72.50
per case)
Minimum order: 3 cases/ 12 per case
Marketing support: Passive demos, ad allowance
upon volume purchase.
Sarabeth’s Kitchen
718-589-2900. 800-773-7378
www.sarabeth.com
Sisters Secret Original Deluxe Gourmet Granola
This all-natural granola has dried strawberries, cherries,
peach, apple, cranberries, roasted pecans, cashews, almonds
and seeds and is sweetened with honey
Wholesale price: approximately $30/ case ($5 each bag)
SRP: $7.99
Packaging: 10- ounce bag and bulk (4 x 2 kg bags)
Minimum order: one case/ 6 units per case
Sisters Secret Gourmet Foods Inc.
778-895–8747, 877-478-3771
Marketing support: In-store demos
www.sisters-secret.com
Number of other granolas: one additional
Sweet Things Bake Shop Granola
A loose granola made with natural ingredients:
safflower oil, honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, oats,
walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins
and cranberries.
Wholesale price: $7.00 per 1-pound bag
Packaging: 1 pound
Minimum order: 15, 1-pound bags
Available: Direct
Sweet Things Bake
Shop (Owned and
Operated by the Lower
Eastside Girls Club of
N.Y.)
212-982-1633 x108
www.girlsclub.org
october 2008
GOURMET NEWS
Udi’s Granola BanaBerry
Cereal for kids made with thick cut rolled oats, wildflower
honey, canola oil, bananas and strawberries
Wholesale price: Upon request
SRP: $5.99
Packaging: 16-ounce resealable bag, 25 pounds bulk
Minimum order: 1 case/ 6 bags
Marketing support: In-store demos, ad allowance and POS
materials
Udi’s Granola
303-657-6366
www.udisgranola.com
Adirondack Crunchy Granola
All-natural granola includes oats, pecans,
almonds and dried cranberries with North
Country Wildflower honey.
SRP: $6.95
Packaging: 12 ounce resealable bags
Units per case: 12
Minimum order: $200 on opening orders
Available: Direct
The Well Dressed Food Co.
866-567-0845
www.welldressedfood.com
Chappaqua Crunch Original Granola
Made with certified organic oats, sweetened with maple
syrup, evaporated cane juice and honey. Also includes
roasted almonds, sunflower seeds and raisins.
SRP: $4.99-$5.79
Packaging: 13 ounce resealable, stand-up pouch
Units per case: 12
Minimum order: 1 case
Marketing support: In-store demos, ad allowance and
POS materials
Number of other granolas: 5 packaged granolas, 6 bulk
Wild Blue Yonder Foods
800-488-4602
www.chappaquacrunchgranola.com
Zoe’s Honey Almond Granola
An all-natural granola made with whole rolled oats, ground
flaxseed and soy.
Packaging: 11-ounce cardboard box
Units per case: 12
Minimum order: As determined by the distributor
Marketing support: On a case by case basis
Available: Through distributors
Number of other granolas: 2; Cinnamon Raisin and
Cranberries Currants
Zoe Foods
781-453-9000
www.zoefoods.com
GOURMET NEWS
OCTOBER 2008
briefs
USDA certified
organic herbal water
now distributed in
Safeway stores
WYNNEWOOD, Pa.—More than 500 Safeway
store shelves carry Herbal Water, a USDA
Certified Organic flavored water based here.
Locations carrying Herbal Water other than
Safeway in Denver, Northern California, Portland
and Seattle include: Dominick’s in Chicago,
Genuardi’s in Philadelphia, Randall’s in Dallas
and Houston, and Von’s in Southern California.
Herbal Water blends hand-selected, organically grown herbs with purified water.
Distributed through Tree of Life and DPI,
Herbal Water is available in six flavors:
Ginger Lemon Peel, Cinnamon Orange Peel,
Lemongrass Mint Vanilla, Lavender Mint, Cloves
Cardamom Cinnamon and Jasmine Vanilla; and
can be found in the natural sections of Safeway
stores with a retail price of $1.79.
Uncle Sam picks
Cackalacky
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Cackalacky, the condiment,
for beans, burgers and more, is available for sale
in 17 U.S. military commissaries throughout
North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
MDV Nash Finch in Norfolk, Va., is the distributor for the Defense Commissary Agency.
The zesty Cackalacky condiment is made
with more than 20 all-natural ingredients,
including sweet potatoes, red wine, chile peppers and secret spices.
Based here, Cackalacky, Inc., implements a
“single-product-focused brand strategy,” and
has successfully aligned itself to serve natural
and gourmet food market retailers. The company also produces “private-label” products
for select strategic partners. UNFI distributes
Earth Balance to
Whole Foods
BOULDER, Colo.— Whole Foods Market Inc., the
Austin, Texas-based natural and organic supermarket, offers Earth Balance’s new vegan nut
butter products in all of its stores nationwide.
United Natural Foods, Inc. distributes all
three new Earth Balance products—Almond
Butter, Crunchy Peanut Butter and Creamy
Peanut Butter—to over 250 Whole Foods
Market stores across the country.
Earth Balance’s new line provides a unique
combination of great taste and nutritional
benefits. An added blend of expeller-pressed
oils works naturally to keep the nut butters
from separating, and flax seeds are added for
ALA Omega 3 content. In addition, the nut butters are sweetened with natural agave syrup,
a low glycemic sweetener.
Earth Balance, based here, offers 14 buttery
spreads, shortenings, nut butters and cream
cheeses. Earth Balance Natural Spreads are
free of GMOs, gluten, trans fats, hydrogenated
oils and artificial ingredients.
Specialty Distributors & Brokers
www.gourmetnews.com
15
Associated reaches younger
consumers via webisodes
By Jenna Crisostomo
SALT LAKE CITY—In an
effort to promote the Western Family private-label line,
Associated Food Stores here is
targeting younger consumers
with weekly, online episodes
that feature an item of the
week, along with a free coupon for that item.
After a 13-week run, the
webisodes end Nov. 3, said
G. Bret Gallacher, marketing/
research manager for Associated Food Stores. “We are now
in the process of developing
the second phase of the campaign. Options include a season two of My Western Family, or other options to entice
consumers to try Western
Family,” he added.
Able to access webisodes at
www.mywesternfamily.com,
consumers can watch short,
one- to two-minute, sitcom
style videos, starring a family
named the Westerns. In previous webisodes, the Western
Family featured items such as
flavored water, green beans,
yogurt and a “full package of
Duos (Western Family’s version of Oreos),” noted Gallacher. “The Duos have been very
successful, and it seems the
redemption is increasing with
each week.” Week five of the
webisodes featured a microwave popcorn three-pack.
Around since 1963, Gallacher said, the Western Family label began when “independent grocery wholesalers
banded together to form the
private label,” and today,
“includes over 6,000 individual items throughout the store.
“While Western Family is
located all across the country,
the My Western Family campaign was created specifically
for Associated Food Stores’
retailers, located in eight
western states and headquartered in Salt Lake City,”
he added.
After performing an “extensive research project at the
end of 2007,” said Gallacher,
revealed that younger consumers, aged 25 to 35, along
with their families, “are more
likely to feel comfortable with
private label products, such as
Western Family.
“With this information in
hand, we began the process of
trying to speak to the younger
shoppers, and the Internet and
the concept of a quirky family name the Westerns came
about,” he added.
Choosing to take a non-traditional form of media by utilizing the Internet for the first
time, Associated Food Stores
have been pleased with results.
Gallacher said, “We have
enjoyed over 10,000 webisode
views and 60,000 total page
views for the site…we have
seen it on numerous ‘mommy
blogs’ and shopping blogs.”
Though there have been
numerous, positive consumer
responses to the marketed webisodes, Gallacher said, the project
took a lot of dedicated time.
“We took a group of talented marketing people and
asked them to be script writers, directors, lighting specialists, sound specialists, boom
holders, and in a few instances,
actors…Everyone had a month
to research their role and when
it came together, we worked
some long hours, made plenty
of mistakes, but absolutely
had a lot of fun,” Gallacher
added, “and hopefully found a
new way for consumers to try
Western Family.” gn
Baldor moves to larger, green facility
By Jenna Crisostomo
BRONX, N.Y.—Baldor Specialty Foods, Inc., an importer
and distributor of produce,
relocated its headquarters here
in May to a warehouse with
200,000 square feet of energyefficient space.
Moving from another area
in town to its current location, Baldor’s old facility was
180,000 square feet. With
another facility in Boston, Baldor delivers dairy, cheese, pastry goods, spices, olives, grocery, chocolate, truffles and
more, to tri-state and upstate
New York, Long Island, Chicago, Miami, Boston and “all
points in between.” Baldor
runs 150 trucks out of the new
facility as well.
The move into the facility,
“tremendously enhances our
ability to grow and service our
customers better, to add on
more lines,” said Alan Butzbach, Baldor’s director of marketing. “But first and foremost,
to really treat the product the
way it’s supposed to be treated
so that the customer gets it
(the product) the way they’re
supposed to get it.”
Butzbach also said that the
facility is 80 percent complete,
with “rooms all done and
equipment being
installed.”
Hazard Analysis Critical and
Control
Points
accredited,
the
temperature-controlled
facility
covers 19 acres,
Baldor has ample space for its 150 trucks.
houses more than
600 employees, and includes
warehouse space and offices,
which take up 30,000 square
feet, Butzbach noted. Some
of the facility’s green aspects
include an energy-efficient
roof, where a plastic, white
membrane stretches across
the roof’s length, reflecting
60 percent of solar heat back
Acosta buys Top Line
JACKSONVILLE,
Fla.—
Expanding its fresh foods
portfolio, Acosta Sales and
Marketing Co., based here,
acquired Top Line Food
Sales & Marketing, a bakery
sales and marketing agency
based in Manchester, N.H.,
earlier this month.
Top Line serves the New
England and Eastern Great
Lakes markets. “Top Line also brings
to Acosta an outstanding
group of associates who
have built exceptional relationships with top bakery
manufacturers,” said Acosta
president and Chief Operating Officer Robert Hill, in
an Aug. 27 statement. “Top
Line former owners, John
DeRoy and Marc DiPersio,
will become Acosta associates and will continue to lead
this group. Their experience
in this market will benefit all
concerned.”
Gourmet News’ calls to
DeRoy were not returned
before press time. In a prepared statement, DeRoy
and DiPersio said “we truly
believe this is a win-win situation for everyone…Leveraging Acosta’s size, industry
knowledge, strategic insights,
and technical expertise will
only enhance our clients’
businesses.”
This acquisition is in
line with the full-service
sale sand marketing agency’s growth strategies for
2008 to increase its scale
in key areas of its business. Other key growth
areas for Acosta include
natural/specialty sales, military, drug, and confection.
Acosta has more than
11,000 associates and operations throughout the United
States and Canada. gn 16
Specialty Distributors & Brokers
BALDOR relocates warehouse
into the atmosphere. This covering helps
to keep the facility cool, utilizing less
energy with refrigeration. Another green
feature to be included in the facility is a
50 kilowatt fotovoltaic system, another
solar effort producing energy.
The facility, located in the Hunts Point
area, also includes 53 loading bays; more
than 20,000 square feet for the Fresh
Cuts produce program where fruits and
vegetables are cut by hand or machine
for food retailers and chefs; a gymnasium
for employee use; food education center;
HACCP center; and a test kitchen professionally equipped with stadium seating.
The heart of the facility includes a multipurpose culinary center, featuring cooking demonstrations; guest lecturers and
industry presentations from consumers
and industry professionals; recipe tastings; and nutritional seminars.
Customer-service oriented, Baldor has
not only been a part of the eco-aware
www.gourmetnews.com
movement with the green facility, but in
the community, “giving back to the community,” specifically with the test kitchen,
Butzbach said.
“In the test kitchen, we’ll work with
schools in the area and invite children so
that they can get enthusiastic about cooking, because they’re the consumers of the
future,” he added. “With everything, we
tried to give back to the community and
to the green environment with the facility…Even at our desks we’re green, so if
we have a soda in a can, that can has to be
thrown away in the right bin.”
Alongside giving back to the community with the facility’s features, Butzbach
noted that with the extra space, there are
no constrictions on growing the business.
“Our facility’s space allows us to load,
unload, park and maneuver around in
a very efficient manner to service and
grow the business the way it should be
OCTOBER 2008
GOURMET NEWS
grown,” he said. “One of the major problems for any distributor is space, be we
have the advantage of having a lot of
space, and that space allows us to carry
quality products.”
Also in an effort to go green, the company launched an online grocery shopping option, Baldor Direct, www.baldorfood.com/store, for customers around the
nation who can’t get the company’s product offerings. The Baldor Web site, www.
baldorfood.com, is an informational site
with product listings and different services the company adheres to, Butzbach
said, but “it also serves a dual purpose to
expand our offerings and to get our product and name out there.”
Moving along the environmentally
friendly path with their facility and
paperless online shopping experience,
Butzbach added, “If we don’t take a
stand, who will?” gn
Sharing in buying clubs cuts costs
paired with cooperation and willingness
to share between friends, family, neighbors, church members or coworkers,
Owens said, “Is a way for people to use
their collective purchasing power to lower costs.”
As 25 percent of Associated Buyers’ total
sales, buying clubs, or groups of individuals, order food collectively in bulk and
“The members share recipes,
taste food together, educate
one another and develop
connections to one another.”
Karta Owens, Associated Buyers
gain a lower-cost purchasing advantage,
Owens said, and more so in rural areas
where “access to natural food stores” are
limited, and with moms.
“Moms tend to be the majority members, which makes sense because women
make about 85 percent or so of all household purchases,” he said.
Other advantages to buying clubs are
participating with a group that works
together to achieve the same goal—getting what they need at a lower cost.
“There is something powerful in neighbors and friends getting together to break
down an order of food they have purchased together,” he added. “Many of
them tell us it feels like Christmas every
time they get an order. The members
share recipes, taste food together, educate
one another and develop connections to
one another.”
Though buying clubs bring people
together, keeping them together requires
organization and cooperation.
“Having to buy in bulk and storing it and
the coordination and making sure everyone has paid the correct amount can be a
real hassle,” he admitted. “Plus, most buying clubs order once a month or less, so
sometimes it is just easier to go to the store
instead of having to wait for your delivery.”
But buying clubs aren’t new, rather they
occur more regularly as economic conditions harden, Owens said, and as those conditions cease, “many of them stay and some
of them disband due to lack of interest.”
Associated Buyers also distribute natural
foods to stores, schools, restaurants and
manufacturers, Owens said, but “our best
customers are co-op stores that started out
as buying clubs or cooperative buying.
“It is important for these businesses to
see the benefits of having a buying club in
their area,” he added. “I think it is a general
awareness of healthful eating that spreads
throughout a community.” gn
GOURMET NEWS
OCTOBER 2008
MARKETWATCH
www.gourmetnews.com
17
Marketwatch
20 under 40
Chris Beykirch, 30, owner,
Love to
Cook!,
Logan,
Utah
Describe how
you got into the
gourmet/specialty
business: My
parents purchased
Love to Cook!
as Kitchen Kneads in 1997. In 1999, I had the
opportunity to accept the general manager
position. Though I have always loved great
food, at the time I did not know much about
specialty kitchen products. I quickly learned
as much as I could. I also began attending the
Gourmet Products Show and the International
Housewares Show. During the past 10 years,
I have assumed the responsibilities of human
resources, accounting, inventory management,
and cooking school director. In September,
my wife and I finalized the stock purchase to
become the sole owners.
Most valuable lesson learned: Value of friends
and networking! Through associations such as
Gourmet Catalog I have been able to develop
a network of incredible people throughout the
country and in many different positions in the
gourmet industry. Every year I travel to stores in
different parts of the country to discuss business
and retail strategy. We are able to bounce
ideas back and forth and share successes
and best selling products in a non-competitive
environment. It is amazing how often other
stores have faced similar challenges and can
offer a great solution.
Describe how your business has grown and
what your future plans are: Love to Cook!
has doubled in size with a cooking school in
operation four days a week. Our sales have
increased almost $1 million annually in the past
10 years. Our staff has grown to 15 from four
employees and expands to 22 during the fourth
quarter. Our average daily sales have increased
from $300 to $3,000, along with average daily
customer counts increasing from 30 to 160. Our
goal is to increase annual sales to $2 million in
five years. We also plan to expand our website
to include every item in the store and to fully
integrate with the POS system
Kelly Bock, 30, operations
manager,
Rolling Pin
Kitchen
Emporium,
Brandon,
Fla.
Describe how you
got involved in the
gourmet/specialty
food business: I became directly involved in the
business when I was just 18. I saw that Rolling
Pin was reopening with new owners and they
were hiring. I stared in 1997 as a sales associate
and within a year was given the opportunity to
work directly with Karen West (buyer), Dave’s
wife and co-owner of Rolling Pin. She taught me
the administrative side of the business.
Most valuable lesson I’ve learned: To never
give up on an idea too quickly because retail
business is so unpredictable. In the past we
have been quick to jump to a conclusion about
a promotion or an idea we had for the store
before we really let it run its course. The new
location, though only three blocks away, brought
an entirely new customer base and a significant
shift in product and services needs. Many things
are just trial and error and then you move on.
We can’t rely on the past. We must continue to
move on, try new things and do what is best for
the business.
what your future plans are: Being involved from
almost the beginning, it was truly a wonderful
experience to watch a small 1,600-square-foot
gourmet kitchen store grow into a 4,500-squarefoot store. Our customer base continues to grow
daily and now we really have the space and
the accommodations that allow us to give our
customers what they want in a gourmet kitchen
store. The new store also allowed us to bring in
a more diverse selection of product. My future
business plans are to remain with Rolling Pin
and lead this growing business in new and more
innovative ways.
Evan Dash, 36, CEO,
Prepara,
New York
Describe how
you got involved
in the gourmet/
specialty food/
business: In
1997 I was
promoted to vice
president/DMM for
housewares and
food for Macy’s.
Subsequently, I
became a senior
vice president/
GMM for Macys. In 2005, I left the corporate
world to launch two gourmet startups, which
are now among the fastest growing young
companies in the gourmet industry.
Most valuable lesson I’ve learned: Achieving
success is a complex formula that is constantly
changing. It takes hard work, focus and
determination every day to deliver outstanding
products and execute strategies for packaging,
pricing, and channel distributions not to mention
sales, operations, logistics and finance. But most
of all, you must “do right” by your customers
everyday.
what your future plans are: Over the past
three years, Prepara and Primula have gone
from concepts to full-fledged companies. We
have launched more than 30 new products and
will have our products distributed in almost
15,000 retail locations by the end of 2008. We
now have a great base of business to build on.
We are set with our distribution outlets and in
this second phase we are working closely with
our core customers to continue an aggressive
rollout strategy of new products. Over the next
24 months, we expect to launch almost 50
new products, most with patented features or
technologies.
Patrick Ford, 35,
international marketing
director, Ford’s Gourmet
Foods,
Raleigh, N.C.
Describe how you
got involved in the
gourmet/specialty
food/ business: I went
to college thinking I
was going to be a stock
broker or a doctor and
after college I realized
I wanted to work in the
family business. And I was terrible in biology.
Most valuable lesson I’ve learned: That
business is just about a lot friendships.
what your future plans are: Since rejoining
the family business in 1997, I have expanded
its international presence by exhibiting at 36
international trade shows in seven countries
and have spoken at the World Trade Center
in North Carolina, Wake Technical College
Business and Industry Center, and for the N.C.
Community College System. In the past 3 years
we have grown from limited exporting to just
becoming the first ever Exporter of the Year for
North Carolina. The award is presented by the
North Carolina Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services. The department created
the award to honor agriculture businesses that
successfully export North Carolina food products
around the world. Ford’s already exports to 40
countries, and our plans are to expand into Asia
and Australia
Michael & Kathryn Graham,
both 32,
owners,
C’est
Cheese,
Santa
Barbara,
Calif.
Describe
how you got
involved in the gourmet/specialty food/
business: My (Michael’s) first foray into specialty
food was a job working at Zingerman’s Deli
after I graduated from college. It was there
that I learned about a ton about artisan foods,
and also a lot about how to run a successful
business.
Most valuable lesson I’ve learned: The
importance of staying true to your vision.
Describe how your business has grown
and your future plans: We’ve had very good
growth since we’ve opened. It’s actually been
remarkably steady and consistent, which is ideal.
Our current plans are to focus on our store,
expand our offerings into prepared foods and
sandwiches and to generally fill the place up with
delicious foods.
Angela Ichwan, 36, CEO,
Arico Natural Foods,
Beaverton, Ore.
Describe how you got involved in the
gourmet/specialty food/ business: I
co-founded Arico Natural Foods with my
husband Hermanto Hidajat in 2004. I had
worked as a global
food developer for
Fortune 50 food
companies. My
background is in
food science. I had
always wanted to
start a food-related
business, but I also
wanted to make a
positive contribution
to the world. We
decided to develop a line of “mindful snacks—
snacks that taste good and are nutritious.
Ultimately, our passion is about changing the
world by changing the way people eat.
Most valuable lesson I’ve learned: I learned
that you couldn’t possibly know everything. Ask
the right questions. Find the right people who
can guide you. There will always be someone
you can learn from, or help solve any problem
you may have.
what your plans for the future are: In the
beginning, it was just the two of us working out
of our small apartment. When we landed one of
our first accounts in 2005, we baked cookies in a
rented commercial kitchen for two days straight
to fulfill their first order. We’ve come a long way
since those days. In 2006, SPINS named us the
fastest growing gluten-free snacks company
in the country. Last year, we introduced a line
of all-natural cassava chips. Our products
are now sold nationwide. We now have seven
team members who work with us out of our
headquarters. As for the future, we continue to
develop good tasting and wholesome food. Our
sales are growing at a quadruple-digit rate this
year. We want to continue this momentum. We
strive to be the leading and most trusted food
company for people with special dietary needs.
In 2007, we were thrilled to become the world’s
first carbon-neutral gluten-free snacks company.
Ryan Montague, 24,
owner Gourmet Business
Solutions LLC, a web-based
consulting and marketing
company, Clearwater, Fla.
gourmet/specialty food/ business: I got my
start in the gourmet industry when I had the
opportunity to work for then-New Orleans-based
GourmetFoodMall.com, a startup that launched
in 2001. This is where I got my first real-world
experience with web-based consulting work
and both BtoC
and BtoB online
ad campaign
management.
Following
Hurricane Katrina,
New Orleans was
no longer a safe
or economically
sound living
environment, so I
decided to relocate
permanently and
start my own
business based on the gourmet food industry
experience I had gained.
Most valuable lesson learned:To embrace
18
MARKETWATCH
things that most people despise—failures,
competition, and stress-inducing
matters because I have learned and grown
the most from them. I now find positivity in
failed initiatives because I know that I will learn
something to help me improve next time. I now
build relationships with perceived competition
because open doors can lead to new
opportunities. I now find stress to be healthy
because success and happiness wouldn’t be the
same without it.
and what your plans for the future are: My
business started out with one basic website,
one pro-bono client, and one employee (me)
offering only a handful of consulting and web
marketing services. Since our first year, we
have now increased revenues by more than
400 percent, in part because of to our growing
staff (now seven) and network of eight highly
trafficked websites including a consumer
shopping site, a discussion forum, an online
business encyclopedia, a video site, a PR portal,
and a business directory—all specifically for
the gourmet food industry. Since launch, we
have worked with more than 200 gourmet food
companies and currently have roughly 60 active
clients that we serve. In September, we launched
FoodFunding.com, an online portal dedicated to
connecting food companies with investors.
Meghan A. Mullaney, 26,
manager-artisanal cheese
department, Sickles
Market, Little Silver, N.J.
gourmet/specialty food/ business: While
pursuing my BFA at Endicott College in Beverly,
Mass., I began working at a small, gourmet and
produce store in town, The Fruitful Basket. As
the demand for specialty cheeses grew in 2002,
my interest in them did as well. I spent two and
a half years as the cheese monger of The Fruitful
Basket. My awareness of cuisine and specialty
food products intensified and my passion for
handmade cheeses was locked into play.
Most valuable lesson I’ve learned: To trust my
own palate and my inherited business sense.
and your plans for the future: Our cheese
department received a renovation one year
ago this fall. We relocated the department
from the deli side of the store to the bakery/
grocery side of the store. Our workspace has
expanded greatly and our retail space has
grown somewhat. The collection of cheeses
that we carry is extensively artisanal. Less than
10 years ago, the cheese department at Sickles
Market was minute. Today we carry the most
exquisite cheeses from the U.K., Europe and
the Americas. In the cheese department we
also carry fine olives, charcuterie, rare honeys,
nougat, caviar, truffles and select preserves.
There are plans of growth for Sickles Market that
www.gourmetnews.com
I would like to be a part of. We are on the map of
specialty retailers, but if there are ways to further
our leadership in the industry and I can assist
with that, then that is what I would like to do.
Eventually, when I feel I have done what I can do
here and I am ready to venture on my own, I will
find myself a few goats and start on the other
end of the chain that I have been working on.
Cheese making is a difficult art form that I would
like to conquer.
Marieke, 31, and Rolf
Penterman, 34, partners,
Holland’s Family Cheese
LLC, Thorp, Wis.
gourmet/specialty food/ business: My
husband Rolf and his brother both wanted to
farm. Rolf came to the United States in 2002,
and I followed in 2003. While Rolf was farming,
I was looking for something to do. At first I
wanted to make children’s furniture, but I had
trouble finding someone to carry out my designs.
At the same time, we were missing the cheese
from Holland and we were having friends and
relatives bring it with them in their suitcases. But
the weight restrictions on luggage was getting
to be a problem. So I decided I would try to
make it on my own. I took classes and got my
cheesemaking license and went back to Holland
where I worked with a woman cheesemaker
with 10 cows and a man with 200 cows. And
between them, I found a method that would
work for me.
Most valuable lessons learned: There are so
many different aspects: learning to make the
cheese, learning the marketing and running
the store. I was afraid I would be too focused,
but I discovered I can find solutions to the
problems. If it doesn’t go the way you want,
you have to innovate.
what your plans are for the future: We were
lucky to win all those awards (eight at this year’s
American Cheese Society Competition, including
first place in Dutch-Style Cheese and Smoked
Cheese). That put us on the road to expanding
our sales. We also go to the food shows, which
is very important, so more people know about
our cheese. And we’re expanding the line with a
gouda that is strongly connected to Wisconsin.
Kristin Sande, 39,
co-owner,
Valley
Cheese
and Wine,
Las Vegas
Describe how
you got involved
in the gourmet/
specialty food/
business: I’ve
always been into
cheese. Growing
up in the Midwest,
we’d go to the cabin in Wisconsin and I’d beg
to go to the cheese factories. As a young adult I
cooked professionally having become fascinated
with food, which evolved into the retail aspect. I
always wanted to be self-employed. When I met
my now husband Bob Howald at the American
Cheese Society conference it was clear that we
were destined to open a cheese shop.
Most valuable lesson I’ve learned: There
are so many ways to do the same thing and
the ways aren’t necessarily right or wrong. So
figuring out how to communicate effectively has
been as challenging as it is rewarding.
and what your future plans are: Going into
our third year, the trust with our customer has
just been amazing. We sell mostly European
wines, which are hard to find here. At first,
people were intimidated and not willing to
trust us on selections. Now people will buy a
case without hesitation and we regularly hear,
“everything you’ve sold me before has been
great. I completely trust you and thank you.” In
the future, we want to continue with our growth
at one location. Areas of growth are expanding
our classes, gift baskets/boxes and maybe offer
some small selections of prepared foods and
green market. We have a local farm that supplies
us with fresh produce and farm fresh eggs!
Jim Thaller, 38, CEO of
Talier Trading Group Inc., a
consultancy/brokerage
gourmet/specialty food business: Years ago,
I had sold my first company, a New Yorkbased software development group, and was
looking for a new challenge. The specialty food
industry was intriguing to me, so I accepted a
position as vice president-sales and marketing
for a European specialty food importer. After
five years, I decided to use my expertise in
the industry to impact struggling, emerging
markets like Southeast Asia, South America,
and now Africa.
Most valuable lesson I’ve learned: In
recent years, I’ve learned that the specialty
food industry is in fact a viable economic
development solution. Our work in Africa,
where the overwhelming majority of the
population works in some form of agriculture,
proves that. Specialty food exports are the
most obvious and most sustainable business
model available. Besides simply creating jobs
and opportunity in harsh regions, it also allows
us to market a sense of identity for these
regions, which will most certainly impact other
industries, including tourism.
and what your future plans are: In the past
few years, we’ve grown tremendously in the
areas of emerging markets. My company has
become more involved with public/private
partnerships, working closely with government
groups, NGOs and other support organizations
to design and implement development initiatives
in the specialty food industry. We’ve also
been successful at developing and expanding
emerging categories. The African specialty foods
category was non-existent just a few years ago.
Today, it is one of the fastest-growing categories
for retailers. Our plans are to continue using
the specialty food industry as a tool to combat
extreme poverty, particularly in Africa. Now that
the category has been solidified, and accepted,
we face the challenge of continuing to innovate
OCTOBER 2008
GOURMET NEWS
the range of products coming out of these
regions. In the future, we’ll see more emphasis
on regional specialties and easy to prepare
options.
Guillermo Trias, 31, Eva
Trias, 34, and Jose Sarrate,
37, owners Solex Partners,
Chicago, a Spanish food
importing
and
distribution
company
Describe how you
got involved in the
gourmet/specialty
food/ business:
In February 2004,
Guillermo–at that time studying for his MBA at
Kellogg Business School got into the adventure
of developing a business plan that would help
him to follow his dream of promoting the culture
and lifestyle of Spain in America. He decided
that there was no better way to do that than to
bringing the thing that he missed the most: the
delicious foods of Spain and the art of tapas.
Guillermo shared his plans and his passion for
the delicacies of Spain with his sister Eva and
his brother-in-law Jose, who also realized the
potential of their country’s authentic foods while
studying their MBAs at Georgetown University
and USC in California, respectively. Solex’s first
project started at the end of 2004 with a national
campaign for the well known “Jamon de Serrano
from Spain” throughout high-end food service
accounts and gourmet retailers in Chicago.
Most valuable lesson I’ve learned: The main
shared lesson is that all the members of an
organization need to follow their principles and
be loyal to a mission and vision no matter what.
As entrepreneurs they have to learn that to build
a coherent, solid and profitable business every
day, teamwork and perseverance are key.
your plans for the future: Solex, which has
evolved from a marketing research project into a
solid company with ambitious expansion goals,
selects and imports more than a hundred food
products—from Serrano ham and specialty
sausages to artisanal cheeses and selected
extra virgin olive oils. Solex delivers its delicacies
from Spain to more than 300 customers and
passionately promotes its products through an
active involvement in education and knowledge
sharing within the community. Solex’s plans
can be contained in one simple sentence: to
become the best friend for our customers. By
making their lives easy, developing trust and
making available for them a magnificent array of
authentic gourmet products from Spain.
Gwen Uhlig, 32, owner,
Cucina Fresca,
Elko, Nev.
gourmet/specialty food/ business: In October
GOURMET NEWS
OCTOBER 2008
MARKETWATCH
www.gourmetnews.com
2002, my husband and I took a leap
of entrepreneurial faith and opened the doors
to a gourmet kitchen store in downtown
Elko. Cucina Fresca was inspired by the
need for more unique, specialty shopping
establishments and by the desire to play a
part in helping to diversify Elko’s economy. My
husband and I both love to cook while spending
time with friends and family, so a gourmet
kitchen store seemed to be the perfect match.
Because we were both raised on family ranches
in Elko County, we have a strong commitment
to our rural community and to small business.
I knew this was what I wanted to do: After
the second day of work as a chemist in a large
corporate environment. I lasted three months
and immediately started working on plans for my
own small business.
Most valuable lesson I’ve learned: Never
settle for mediocre employees. Hire talented,
hard-working people and your business will
grow in remarkable, unexpected ways. Trusting
your staff and allowing them to excel can create
amazing results.
your plans for the future: We have experienced
growth of an average of 25 percent each year
since we have been open. This has allowed us
to purchase the building we previously leased
and includes a space triple the size of our
current retail space. We plan to greatly expand
our selection of wine and to include a wine bar.
Our selection of kitchenware and gourmet food
will also increase. In addition, we are planning a
cooking school, a catering business, a bakery,
and a meal prep business all to be run out of the
same location. I have heard over and over from
my Gourmet Catalog Buying Group friends that
a cooking school usually only breaks even, so I
am looking for additional ways for a kitchen to
pay for itself.
that point on, we grew steadily, moving peanut
butter production to its own factory in Brooklyn
and then to Georgia.
Most valuable lesson I’ve learned: “You don’t
know what you don’t know until you don’t know
it.” It is a mantra I live by. Trying to discover
the hidden potential problems in any endeavor
before it is begun is a valuable skill that can
often help keep crises at bay. Of course, we
can’t always see what’s lying just around
the corner, so when we get hit by something
unexpected, sometimes you’ve just got to chalk
it up to experience!
what your plans are for the future: Peanut
Butter & Co. is celebrating its 10th anniversary
this year. Our first five years were spent as a
sandwich shop and mail-order business. In 2003
we launched our wholesale program, and we’ve
experienced more than 30 percent growth every
year since then. We’ve got 10 full-time peanut
butter fiends working in our corporate office, and
another 15 part-timers at our sandwich shop.
Our shop in Greenwich Village serves hundreds
of thousands of peanut butter sandwiches a
year, and our eight varieties of all natural peanut
butter are now sold in more than 10,000 stores
throughout the United States, Canada, United
Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Japan. Future
business plans include new products and brand
extensions in 2009, as well as some updates
to our packaging, and increased marketing to
consumers using social networking sites and
various coupon programs.
Lee Zalben, 35, founder and
owner
Anya Zelfond, 28, owner,
of
Boutique, Boston
Peanut Gourmet
Describe how you got involved in the gourmet
business: I first became involved with gourmet
Butter
& Co.,
New
York
Describe
how you got
involved in
the gourmet
business: While at senior at Vassar, my
roommates declare me the undisputed peanut
butter making champion of the world. I think
that’s a title I wouldn’t mind putting to good use,
and envision a shop where one could walk in
and order any kind of peanut butter sandwich
they can dream up… Reality sets in. Graduation,
moving to New York, a job in advertising and
publishing, and a Master’s Degree. Then one day
I’m walking down the street in Greenwich Village
and I spy a boarded-up storefront – right near
NYU and SoHo. It seems like the perfect place
for the peanut butter shop idea I had so many
years ago. I go and check out the place, and
from the moment I walk in, I can see it all – the
counter, the kitchen, the tables and chairs. The
next day I quit my job and take some freelance
work at an agency while I write a business plan,
and learn everything I can about my newfound
profession. And six months later, Peanut
Butter & Co. opens, introducing the world to a
new kind of peanut butter. I always knew the
sandwich shop would find a local following.
What surprised me the most was when customer
starting coming in with Tupperware containers,
wanting to take our peanut butter home. From
food through my part-time job as a sales
associate for a specialty foods retailer during my
college years.
Most challenging business moment:
Separating my personal life from the needs
and demands of my business has been the
most challenging aspect of owning a business.
Although I consider myself an individual with
many diverse interests, I found myself changed
after the opening of the Gourmet Boutique
in 2004. All the literature on my nightstand
was comprised of trade magazines and small
business journals. Four years in, I am proud to
say that I have learned to balance my personal
life with the needs of a growing business. My
family and friends have been very tolerant over
the past several years as I had to pass up many
outings for late night merchandising sessions.
Most valuable lesson I’ve learned: The fun and
the challenge of owning a business is that the
learning never really stops. A few costly learning
experiences: Be sure to sample all products to
arrive on the store shelves personally no matter
how fabulous the packaging. Learn to delegate
because you can’t do everything well—and
if you can there is not enough of you to do
all that is needed for a new, rapidly growing
company. Failed projects provide the best forum
for learning and growth. In my opinion, key
contributors to the success of a retail operation
(location – is a given) are the staff and creatively
merchandised, well-selected product. Hiring the
right individual to help build the company is key.
After numerous hiring mistakes we have set up a
19
30-day trial period to determine if a new hire is a
good fit for our company and will work well with
the rest of our staff. Always stay ahead of the
hiring curve—if you have been fortunate enough
to find a passionate, reliable and energetic
employee try to keep that individual on payroll (if
the numbers permit it) even during slower times
of the year as it will pay off in the long run.
what your future plans are: A year and a half
ago we began to import products from Europe
to meet the growing needs of our Boutique
and to offset the rising costs of European
products. We also have a full ecommerce site
that contains a food blog and food trivia to try to
capture the experience of visiting our brick and
mortar location and interacting with one of our
in-house staff foodies. We are looking forward
to the re-launch of our website with many new
products and some extra fun features such as
the “Foodies Travel Itinerary” page based on our
past trips abroad.
Although we have gone from approximately 12
vendors in 2004 to more than 60 in 2008 we are
continuously searching for new and innovative
gourmet gift products and will be adding 110
more SKUs in September/October 2008. We
have outgrown our lovely but tiny shop and
are currently seeking a second location for the
Gourmet Boutique.
Editor’s Note: The complete 20 under 40 profiles
will be online at www.gourmetnews.com
20
Supplier Business
Ford
launches
custom
sauce site
www.gourmetnews.com
A century of flavor
Nielsen Massey writes
vanilla-centric cookbook
By Anna Wolfe
By Anna Wolfe
RALEIGH, N.C.—Ford Gourmet
Food is getting into the custom
labeling business. The marketer,
known for its Bone Suckin’ line
of barbecue sauces, is launching,
www.mybarbecuesauce.com
to offer grilling aficionados a
chance to paste their own label
on a bottle of sauce.
The site was under construction at press time but Patrick
Ford said the family-owned
business has already received
orders for the personalized
sauces on its Web site, www.
bonesuckin.com. There have
been great improvements in
printers so creating a small
run of quality, custom labels
inexpensively is now possible,
he said. Gn
WAUKEGAN, Ill.—To commemorate its centennial anniversary, Nieslen Massey Vanillas,
based here, decided to create
and self-publish its own cookbook, A Century of Flavor, to
celebrate the versatility of the
orchid fruit.
With a foreword by Gale
Gand, executive pastry chef/
partner at Tru in Chicago and
host of the TV Food Network
show Sweet Dreams, the hardbound cookbook includes a onepage history of Nielsen Massey
Vanillas and testimonials of the
product. Historical photos from
the vanilla specialists’ archives
as well as full-color photos of
each dish illustrate the book.
Equivalents for vanilla products such as paste vs. beans vs.
extracts as well as storage and
usage tips are included.
Recipes are organized by side
dishes, main dinner courses
and baked dessert. The section
named ”It ‘s Always Better with
Vanilla” features recipes such
as Vanilla Oil, Vanilla Cream,
Delicious Vanilla Honey Butter
and Vanilla Maple Syrup.
The cookbook has been in
World Wide
Gourmet
interviewed a few of their sales
people” who said Christopher
Brooke’s was for sale.
Christopher Brooks distributed many brands including
Nairns Oatcakes, Dorchester
Chocolates and Brody’s Tea.
“The Elizabethan Pantry line
has a nice following,” and
World Wide has already created a microsite for it at www.
elizabethanpantry.com, said
German. Christopher Brook’s
Web site will remain up and
running for at least the next
four to six months, he said.
Other brands they’re carrying
from the Christopher Brookes’
portfolio include the Chambers
candies and the Devon Cream
Co.’s Devon cream and clotted
creams—“everything else has
been put on hold ‘til 2009,”
German said.
World Wide Gourmet Foods’
expanding line includes World
Wide Gourmet Foods manufactures and markets Alaska
Smokehouse, The Famous
Pacific Dessert Company,
Sleepless in Seattle Coffee,
Leila Bay Trading Company
and Smokehouse Soups
and Spices. Gn
R e c i p e s P re s s i n
Nashville. “We have
a sales force out looking for projects such
as this,” said Mary
Margaret Andrews,
director of marketing
for Favorite Recipes
Press. About 55 percent of the cookbooks published by
Favorite Recipes Press
are for non-profits,
she said. One of its
current projects is
Nielsen-Massey self-published its first
a cookbook for the
book with FRP Press.
Melting Pot chain of
the works for two years, noted
fondue restaurants.
Matt Nielsen, the company’s
“Their reason is not to celchief operating officer.
ebrate a 100-year anniversary
It contains some family reci- but to create brand awareness
pes and some chefs recipes. and to showcase their products
The section, Chefs Hats Off to such as sauces, dressing, and
Vanilla includes recipes from chocolates,” she said. “They
Rick Bayless, chef/owner of have other things than the resFrontera Grill in Chicago who taurant experience.”
lended his Flan Clasico de
In other news, Nielsen Massey
Vanila recipe for the project, introduced Vanilla Sugar in
and Biagio Settepanni, owner of August. Partnering the spice
Bruno Bakery and Pasticceria with sugar gives it a greater
Bruno in New York, contributed depth to the flavor, Nielsen
his pannacotta.
said. Each 8.5-ounce container
To publish the book, Nielsen has a suggested retail price
Massey partnered with Favorite of $6. Gn
Ford’s named N.C.’s best exporter
By Anna Wolfe
GREENSBORO, N.C.—Ford’s
Gourmet Foods received the
first-ever North Carolina
Exporter of the Year Award. The
North Carolina Department of
Agriculture and Consumer
Services presented the award
at the North Carolina Specialty
Foods Association annual banquet on Aug. 23.
The department created
the award to honor agriculture businesses that successfully export North Carolina
food products.
“We did one thing they said
couldn’t be done. We exported
barbecue sauce and North
Carolina peanuts,” said Patrick
Ford, international marketing
director/vice president for the
family owned company.
Back in 1994, the fourthgeneration Raleigh family business started exporting its Bone
Suckin’ Sauces, Fire Dancer
Jalapeno Nuts and Wine Nuts.
“I am impressed with Ford’s
Gourmet Foods’ innovative
global marketing strategies,”
said Agriculture Commissioner
Steve Troxler, in a prepared
statement. “Our state’s agriculture and agribusiness industries are being represented
well beyond our borders, and
that’s very important in today’s
changing marketplace.”
North Carolina ranks ninth
in the country in terms of agricultural export value, according to a 2007 report by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture,
with more than $2 billion each
year in exports.
Ford’s has been exporting
since 1994 and has a strong
commitment to producing
Made in America, all-natural
foods for healthy living. Today,
Ford’s Gourmet Foods exports
its seasoned nuts and barbecue
sauces to 40 countries.
Ford has taken his family’s
natural, gluten-free barbecue sauces, around the globe.
Since rejoining the family business in 1997, Ford expanded
its international presence by
exhibiting at 36 international
trade shows in seven countries,
including Foodex in Tokyo,
SIAL Montreal, SIAL Paris,
Food & Drink in the United
Kingdom, Anuga in Germany,
Specialty Fine Food Fare
and International Food Exp
in London. Gn
OCTOBER 2008
GOURMET NEWS
briefs
120 U.S. companies to
exhibit at SIAL
PARIS—More American companies will visit
the city of lights this month for SIAL.
The U.S. has the highest growth rate for one
of the larger country attendees, said Francois
Gros, the U.S. representative for SIAL and
president of IMEX. There are more than 120
U.S. companies in two pavilions. Some returning U.S. exhibitors include Eli’s Cheesecake
Company in Illinois and Magic Seasoning
Blends in Louisiana, along with newer companies like Hula Girl Foods in Hawaii and Los
Chileros in New Mexico. However, there are
other U.S. companies, said Gros—like Sweet
Street Desserts in Pennsylvania and White
Toque in New Jersey—who will be displaying
individually in other sectors of the show, like
deep frozen products, beverages and dairy
products, and not in U.S. pavilions.
Kraft, Stark bring
Mirabell line to U.S.
specialty stores
NORTHFIELD, ll.—Kraft Faoods International
Inc. and Stark Foods International have
teamed to market Mirabell, an Austrian line
of premium assorted chocolates to specialty
retailers in the United States. The line hit the
U.S. market in September.
Its specialty Mozartkugel was invented in
1890 by a Salzburg, Austrian confectioner
who attributed its creation to inspiration from
the musical genius of Mozart.
Carefully crafted in a 14-step process,
Mozartkugel is comprised of marzipan,
wrapped in two layers of dark and light nougat creme, enrobed in dark chocolate and is
foil wrapped.
Mirabell Salzburger Mozarttaler and
Mirabell Salzburger Mozarttafel are alternatives for milk chocolate lovers. Mirabell
Salzburger Mozarttaler is enveloped in milk
chocolate confection and shaped into medallions each imprinted with Mozart’s image
while Mozarttafel is a bar. The line is available
in more than 30 countries.
CLASSIFI EDS
Live the Dream!
Two well-designed Gourmet & Deli Shops with
new equipment throughout available in Southwest
Florida. Live the dream. Open your doors to the largest Marina on Florida’s West Coast and to one of
the newest and most modern Marinas in Southwest
Florida. These stores were designed and developed by a leader in the specialty food industry
for over 40 years who operated over 15 specialty
food stores in New England. Along with the stores
is an established catering division. These stores
are grossing over $ 625K with much potential for
annual growth. One store has 9 years lease balance
and other has 4 years. Seller will consult for free
60 days. Asking $ 575k. For more information, call
Robert at 239-834-7170.
www.austinuts.com
www.demeterspantry.com
www.fireandflavor.com
Anco Accent on Cheese is the E-Magazine
for the cheese enthusiast. Recipes
and information on cheese are available
in an easy-to-use format.
Austinuts is an Austin based company specializing
in dry roasting nuts. As they contain no added oils,
additives or preservatives, their dry roasted nuts
have a more natural flavor than oil roasted nuts.
Demeter’s Pantry strives to find and distribute
the finest quality Greek products. They work
with many organic farmers and collectives
to bring the best to your table.
Their mission since starting in 2003
has been to provide seasoning products
for at-home cooks that are both
unique and affordable.
www.lesleyelizabeth.com
www.qcbs.com
www.robertrothschild.com
www.stonewallkitchen.com
Lesley Elizabeth offers custom blended oils, spices
and mixes to people longing for flavor without
hours of chopping and prep work in the kitchen.
Quality Candy/Buddy Squirrel combines the
best of both worlds when it comes to satisfying
your sweet tooth or craving for salt.
Recognized for bold flavors and expert blending,
Robert Rothschild Farm’s open and serve products
are ideal for busy, yet discerning hosts and cooks.
Quality and good taste have been the hallmarks
of Stonewall Kitchen since its beginning in 1991
boasting over 6,000 wholesale accounts nationwide.
Advertiser
Page
Web site
American Vintage Wine Biscuits
21
www.americanvintage.com
Anco
21
www.ancofinecheese.com
Argee
12
www.argeecorp.com
Austinuts
21
www.austinuts.com
Casa Pons USA
14
www.casaponsusa.net
Company Corporation
21
www.incorporate.com
Demeter's Pantry
21
www.demeterspantry.com
Dydacomp Development Corp.
12
www.dydacomp.com
Fire and Flavor
21
www.fireandflavor.com
Forever Cheese
21, 23
www.forevercheese.com
Global Food Source
6,14
www.globalfoodsource.com
Harold Import
8
www.haroldimport.com
Jelly Belly Candy Co.
21
www.jellybelly.com
Koppers
16
www.kopperschocolate.com
Lesley Elizabeth Inc.
21
www.lesleyelizabeth.com
Long Grove Confectionary
10
www.longgrove.com
Natural Products Expo East
10
www.expoeast.com
Parmigiano Reggianno
21
www.parmigiano-reggiano.it
Patsy’s Brand
4
www.patsys.com
PLMA
5
www.plma.com
Prosciutto di Parma
21
www.prosciuttodiparma.com
Quality Candy
18, 21
www.qcbs.com
Robert Rothschild Farm
21, 24
www.robertrothschild.com
Sarahbeth's
16
www.sarabeth.com
Society Hill Snacks
14
www.societyhillsnacks.com
Sonoma Valley Cheese Conference
22
www.sheanadavis.com
Stonewall Kitchen
Virginia Diner
2, 21
6
www.stonewallkitchen.com
www.vadiner.com
Jelly Belly’s Sugar-Free jelly beans are available in 10 gourmet flavors. Jelly Belly beans are sweetened with Splenda,
maltitol and polydextrose. Offered in 1 ounce, 1.3 ounces, 3
ounces, 4.25 ounces, with wholesale prices ranging from
60 cents to $3.25.
Jelly Belly Candy Co.
800-323-9380
www.jellybelly.com
American Vintage Wine Biscuits are cracker-snacks made
with wine and pepper. The striking flavor combinations and
beautiful eye-catching artwork of framed grapes instantly
create customer interest and add rich color to any counter display or gift basket. Contain no preservatives or cholestrol.
American Vintage Wine Biscuits
718-361-1003
www.americanvintage.com
The extraordinary taste of 100% natural Prosciutto di
Parma® and Parmigiano Reggiano® is the result of centuriesold techniques, exacting standards and the unique conditions
of the regions in Italy that produce them.
www.prosciuttodiparma.com
www.parmigiano-reggiano.it
An exceptional new goat cheese from a small producer in Leon,
Spain. A natural mold rind encases a beautiful white paste. Made
with care by Patricia and her crew, the cheese was named a finalist for NASFT Outstanding New Product 2006.
Forever Cheese
www.forevercheese.com
CLASSI FI EDS
REPS NEEDED
Need Representatives in each
US state for wholesale Tea,
Accessories & China line. Low
opening and re-order for small
gift shops. For info reply to
DavidjeTea@yahoo.com
GOURMET MARKETPLACE
Advertiser Index
home page
www.ancofinecheese.com
22
SMORGASBORD
www.gourmetnews.com
Hard Facts
80
3.5
percent. The
number of American
who believe the
U.S. economy is
getting worse.
percent. The amount
sales are expected to
increase in 2008, vs. last
year’s 3.7 percent. U.S.
sales will remain sluggish
through the holidays and
Source: Financial
Times/Harris Poll
Source: National Retail
Federation
well into next year.
71
percent of
Americans
received an
economic stimulus
rebate check.
Source: Harris Poll
people watch
One of the nation’s heritage breed turkey farmers,
Brian Anselmo, died Sept. 2. He was 28. According
to his obituary in the Kansas City Star, Anselmo was
“a city boy turned free-range poultry farmer much
to the shock of his suburban parents.” He managed
Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch in Lindsborg, and was
employed by the Animal Welfare Institute where he
traveled the country educating farmers on the humane
treatment of animals. His cause of death was not listed
in the obituary. Four days before his death, Anselmo
attended Slow Food Nation in San Francisco, where he
spoke to attendees about the importance of preserving
and enlarging the presence of standard bred poultry on
U.S. farms and promoted the Animal Welfare Approved
program. According to an email from New York-based
Heritage Foods USA, Anselmo was “the most charismatic of individuals who infused endless energy into
the Heritage Turkey Project.” Heritage Foods USA was
formed in 2001 as the sales and marketing arm for
Slow Food USA, a non-profit organization founded by
October 2008
GOURMET NEWS
calendar
Ethnic & Specialty Food
Expo/All Things Organic, International
Oct. 5-6
Centre, Toronto. For information, visit
www.ethnicandspecialtyfood.com
Oct. 15-18
Natural Products Expo East,
Boston Convention & Exposition Center,
Boston. For information, visit www.
expoeast.com
The Canadian Coffee & Tea
Show, Palais des Congres de Montreal,
Oct. 21-22
KosherFest, Meadowlands
Convention Center in Secaucus, New
Jersey. Visit www.kosherfest.com or call
207-842-5504.
Nov. 11-12
Nov. 16-18
Private Label Trade Show,
Private Label Manufacturers Association’s
2008 Trade Show at the Rosemont
Convention Center, Chicago. For
information: 212- 972-3131 or info@
plma.com or visit www.plma.com
Philadelphia Candy Show,
Quebec. For information, visit www.
coffeeteashow.ca
OCt. 19-23 Sial 2008, Nord Villepinte
Exhibition Centre, Paris. For
information, visit www.sial.fr
JAN. 11-13
Patrick Martins and dedicated to celebrating regional
cuisines and products. The Heritage Turkey Project
helped double the population of heritage turkeys in
the United States.
of experience in the specialty foods industry, most
recently as the New York Metro area sales manager
for Melba Foods for 15 years.
Greg Cuoco was promoted to national sales manager for Wild Forest Products, the fastest-growing
truffle oil company in the U.S., on Sept. 8. Cuoco
will be responsible for retail and distributor sales
throughout the U.S., and has represented Wild
Forest Products line of specialty truffle products
in the New York area since January 2008. Cuoco
joins Wild Forest Products with more than 20 years
Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic
City, N.J. Visit www.phillycandyshow.com
JAN. 18-20 34th Winter Fancy Food
Show, www.specialtyfood.com.
Diane Fisch joined Athena Marketing International,
a marketing, business development and consulting
firm serving the food, beverage and agricultural
industries, as vice president of business development. Fisch will be responsible for new business
development, media, customer relationship marketing and public relations. Prior to joining AMI, she
served as VP of business development at Mind
Opera, a multi-media design firm and as an account
manager at Dun and Bradstreet, a global provider
of business information. Mark Howell joined Coffee Solutions, a company
offering consulting, quality assurance and laboratory services and training portfolio to the coffee
industry, as director of laboratory operations. He will
be responsible for management of Coffee Solutions’
rapidly expanding full-service laboratory business,
which includes all aspects of quality assurance
testing, product development and sensory evaluation for coffee companies all over the world. Howell
comes to Coffee Solutions with 15 years experience
in the coffee industry, beginning in Honduras where
he worked in all areas of production and quality
control. Howell also owned and operated a successful coffee roasting company for several years
in the Northeast.
Lisa Kartzman was promoted to director of marketing and graphics at the American Roland Food
Corp., New York.
Pillivuyt USA added one hire and promoted one
employee. Ingerid Mohn joined Pillivuyt USA,
working with Alice Title as managing partners of the
factory-owned distribution in the U.S. Mohn serves
as vice president of sales and operations and Title
has been promoted to vice president of marketing
and logistics. Previously, Mohn ran the U.S. arm of
Linden Sweden, a distributor of housewares items,
for the past five years. Pillivuyt France produces fine
culinary porcelain. gn
Periodicals postage paid at Tucson, AZ, and additional mailing office. Gourmet News (ISSN 10524630) is published monthly by Oser Communications Group, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ
85715; 520-721-1300. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material or prices quoted in
newspaper. Contributors are responsible for proper release of proprietary classified information.
© 2008 by Oser Communications Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or in part,
without written permission of the publisher, is expressly prohibited. Back issues, when available, cost
$7 each within the past 12 months, $12 each prior to the past 12 months.
Back orders must be paid in advance either by check or charged to American Express, Visa, or Master
Card. Gourmet News is distributed without charge in North America to qualified professionals in
the retail and distribution channels of the specialty foods and hardgoods trade; paid subscriptions
cost $65 annually to the U.S. and Canada. All foreign subscriptions cost $150 annually to cover air
delivery. All payments must be made in U.S. funds and drawn on a U.S. bank.
For subscriber services, including subscription information, call 520-721-1300.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gourmet News, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715.

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