The E-Newsletter of Fancy Food & Culinary
Products
magazine
Wednesday, May 30, 2008
Hello
colleagues and fellow foodies!
This weekend is the first day of the Spring Fancy Food Show, and the weather has been wonderfully cooperative (sunny and 70) so far here in Chicago this week to welcome exhibitors and buyers. I'm looking forward to scouting out some new great products to share with you, but in the meantime, this week's newsletter is full of companies doing great things within the industry and their communities.
You can also visit our forum
to tell us what you'd like to see covered in the newsletter, or
just bounce ideas off other gourmet retailers.
Shows
and Events in May
• 6-8, Las Vegas, NV, The Gourmet Housewares
Show, Sands Expo & Convention Center; 800/272-SHOW or www.thegourmetshow.com
• 14, Richmond, VA, Virginia Food and
Beverage Expo, Greater Richmond Convention Center; 804/786-2373
or www.vdacs.virginia.gov/vaexpo/index.shtml
• 14-16, Shanghai, China,
SIAL China, Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC),
www.sialchina.com
• 17-20, Chicago, IL, National
Restaurant Association Restaurant Hotel-Motel Show, McCormick
Place; 312/853-2525 or www.restaurant.org/show
• 20-22, Chicago, IL,
All Candy Expo, McCormick Place; 708/486-0754 or www.allcandyexpo.com
• 30-June 1,Las Vegas,
NV, World Tea Expo, Mandalay Bay Convention Center; 702/253-1893
or www.worldteaexpo.com
Special Commodities Update at the All Candy Expo
Don't miss your opportunity to hear from Rich Torres, vice
president of trading at Cargill Corn Milling, a leader in
the global commodities markets. He will be speaking at a Special
Commodities Update Thursday, May 22 from 8-8:45 during the
All Candy Expo in Chicago's McCormick Place. A continental
breakfast will be served while Torres discusses soaring demand,
rising oil prices and government-mandated biofuel use and
the impact those factors are having on commodities such as
wheat, corn, palm oil, cocoa and others.
To reserve your space for this informative update, register
to attend the 2008 All Candy Expo or explore the rest of the
Expo's educational program, visit www.allcandyexpo.com.
Savor
the Tabletop Market
The Spring Tabletop Market at 7W New York welcomed a new
addition this year - the Market Suites at 7W temporary exhibits.
The Market Suites gallery-like setting let itself to the premier
products that ranged from tableware to linens, housewares,
gourmet products and decorative accessories.
"Our Market Suites initiative is off to a phenomenal start
and has achieved the market-changing impact we expected,"
says Chris Collins, vice president and general manager of
7W. "All of us at 7W, our show rooms and our new Market Suites,
are already looking forward to raising the bar for our next
market in October."
Since 2004, the Center for Culinary Development (CCD) and
Packaged Facts have observed emerging, advancing and mainstream
ingredients, dishes, flavor profiles and cooking techniques
in the Culinary Trend Mapping report, placing trends along
CCD's Five-Stage Trend Map. The report measures trend movement
between the stages and investigates the consumer drivers moving
these trends. Marketers can obtain strategic insight regarding
which emerging trends have the staying power needed to create
successful new food and beverage products by understanding
the power of drivers.
Superfoods such as green tea, edamame and açai, are among
the trends that made the most progress throughout the years.
"The trend of using ultra-healthful ingredients in categories
of all kinds won't stop. In fact, the next wave of functional
foods will include those that improve your mood, make you
more beautiful and fill you up faster so you don't over eat,"
says Kimberly Egan, CEO of CCD. Other trends that have made
slight forward movements, but have not moved as quickly are
mole, manchego cheese and pho. Due to increased interest in
fresh-flavored Vietnamese food, pho should soon be leaping
up to new Trend Map stages. More information on the report
is available at www.ccdsf.com.
Stirring
Announces New C.E.O
Robert
Swartz, former vice president of sales at Terlato Wines International,
will join Stirrings, the leading innovative cocktailing brand,
as its CEO. Bringing more than 20 years of progressive, cross-functional
expertise in general management, human resources, and sales
and marketing with the world's leading beverage, wine and
spirits marketers, Swartz will work to further accelerate
Stirrings' rapid growth and leadership within the spirits
industry. While at Terlato Wines International, his most recent
position, Swartz managed the execution of the luxury wine
portfolio's national business plan and previously the company's
International Division.
"Mr. Swartz brings a wealth of multi-faceted experience to
our team, which will be instrumental in helping us achieve
new levels of growth," states Bill Creelman, founder of Stirrings.
"His experience building and managing luxury brands, as well
as inspiring excellence in others, makes him a perfect fit
for our organization from both a leadership and cultural perspective."
For more information visit www.stirrings.com.
Ten Years of American Pie
This year Emile Henry celebrates the
10th anniversary of making pie dishes for Americans. As part
of this celebration, Emile Henry joins the American Pie Council
(APC), which offers individual, commercial and industry memberships.
The American Pie Council is committed to maintaining America's
pie heritage, passing on the tradition of pie-making and promoting
America's love affair with pie.
The Emile Henry design features scalloped edges, reminiscent
of the edge created when pie dough is fluted or crimped. The
Emile Henry pie dish, like all Emile Henry oven-to-table-ware,
is a natural product handcrafted from Burgundy clay. The dish
is highly resistant to breakage and can go directly from the
freezer to the oven. The dish will not craze or discolor,
and is available in many colors.
For more information on the dish or other Emile Henry products,
visit www.emilehenryusa.com.
The Hot Demand for Tea
Although many enjoy a cold and refreshing glass of iced
tea, statistics reveal that an increasing number of consumers
also prefer it hot. Hot tea is a popular product consumed
by health-conscious hipsters searching for modern ways to
make the traditional trendy. According to the Tea Association
of the USA, from 1990 to 2007, tea sales grew from $1.84 billion
to $6.85 billion. Plus SPINS, a market research and consulting
firm for the Natural Products Industry, predicts that U.S.
tea sales will exceed $10 billion in 2010 in beverage and
non-beverage categories. The firm also forecasts that ready-to-drink
tea sales will increase 20 percent.
In addition to traditional black tea, many other types are
available including herbal, green, white and oolong. Some
tea and herbal tea flavors include apple pie, blueberry pie,
candy bar, chocolate cream pie, gingerbread, mint chocolate
chip, mint julep, orange sherbet and piña colada.
Dean Smith, co-owner of Simply TeaVine, a Victorian-style
Hattiesburg tearoom, says, "We are definitely seeing a trend
of people coming back to tea. I think maybe the coffee market
has become saturated, so people are looking for something
else, and tea is very healthy for you." Dean had noted that
white teas and blooming teas with flowering blossoms is an
emerging trend.
Fresh From the
Kitchen
For anyone craving a home cooked meal while on-the-go, Fresh
From the Kitchen is happy to offer convenient meal solutions.
Menu items include such family favorites as Savory Pot Roast
and Classic Lasagna. There are also vegetarian choices, and
many side dishes, from vegetables to rice, pasta, potatoes
and stuffing. And of course, there is a complete dessert menu.
Fresh From the Kitchen's expert chefs prepare their home-cooked
meals from recipes created in the company's Shenandoah Valley,
USDA-inspected facility. Meals are made fresh and preservative-free,
and can be refrigerated for up to 10 days or frozen for longer.
Vacuum packaging seals in the freshness, while thermal containers
packed in gel-packs safely maintain refrigerated temperatures.
All meals, delivered via express shipping, arrive in microwaveable
packaging - designed with self-ventilating film - safe enough
for anyone to use. Plus, in keeping with environmental correctness,
the shipping package is designed to be reusable for storage
purposes.
