June 2012 - Oser Communications Group

14
SUPPLIER BUSINESS
GOURMET NEWS JUNE 2012 www.gourmetnews.com
Supplier Business
Fresca Foods adds two contract
manufacturing customers
Love Grown Foods and Boulder Ice Cream
move production to natural foods manufacturer
Leading contract manufacturer Fresca
Foods Inc. has signed on two new customers,
fast-growing Colorado-based
brands Love Grown Foods and Boulder Ice
Cream. The two natural food brands will
partner with Fresca Foods for its turnkey
manufacturing services, from ingredient
purchasing to delivery of finished goods.
Fresca Foods helps second-stage natural
food brands by managing all aspects of the
manufacturing process for them, freeing
the businesses to focus on growth. For
Love Grown Foods and Boulder Ice Cream,
two companies that are rapidly expanding
during a down economy, Fresca’s end-toend
supply chain management will allow it
to devote additional time and capital to the
business of building the brands.
Love Grown Foods is a Denver-based
natural foods company started in 2009 by
Maddy D’Amato and Alex Hasulak, a young
couple who launched the company after
graduating from university. In just three
years, the number of stores selling their
product jumped from one to more than
3,000, including leading retailers such as
Kroger, The Fresh Market and Whole
Foods Market.
“We’re thrilled to transition our manufacturing
to Fresca,” said D’Amato. “Our
partnership with Fresca will allow us to
focus on marketing, sales and our school
nutrition programs, which are the best
ways we can spend our time to continue
the company’s growth. We’re very happy to
work with a partner who understands our
needs and will be there to grow with us.”
All-natural, super-premium ice cream
company Boulder Ice Cream began in 1992
and has become a leading natural and organic
ice cream brand in the Rocky Mountain
region, with distribution into natural
food stores, grocery stores, restaurants and
scoop shops across eight states. Boulder Ice
Cream also makes sorbet, gelato and frozen
yogurt under the Sorano Gelato and Yoki
Bliss brands.
“We’ve been able to build a strong following
of retailers and consumers over the
years,” said Scott Roy, CEO of Boulder Ice
Cream. “Now, we are at the point where we
want to grow outside of our home market.
Fresca can help us do that. Their purchasing
and manufacturing systems will give us
the ability to [continue to] consistently
deliver a high-quality product. Now I can
focus on selling, which I really wasn’t able
to do before because manufacturing took
up so much of my time.”
Fresca Foods works with established
high-growth brands that are ready to take
their business to the next level. During the
nearly 20 years Fresca has been in operation,
the company has consistently delivered
on its commitment to provide
high-quality natural and organic food products
on time and in full. That consistency
and level of service has helped Fresca
achieve annual revenue increases of more
than 45 percent each of the past nine years.
“Many brands we work with are experiencing
exceptionally high demand for their
products, but they simply can’t scale their
operations to meet that demand,” said Liz
Myslik, executive vice president of Fresca
Foods. “What we provide is the manufacturing
platform that delivers consistency
and peace of mind, so customers like Love
Grown Foods and Boulder Ice Cream can
focus on attracting more and more customers
for their products.”
Founded in 1992, Fresca Foods is based
in Louisville, Colo. All of its facilities are
100 percent wind powered. GN
U.S. grown Peppadew soon to be available via USDA grant
Peppadew Fresh LLC has announced that
it will soon begin growing Peppadew®
Goldew fruit on its farm in Morganville,
N.J., and processing the fruit locally under
the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Jersey
Grown” program.
Peppadew Goldew fruit are part of the
unique Peppadew family of pepper products.
Discovered growing wild in South Africa
about 15 years ago, the peppers are popular
in supermarkets, on menus and as a branded
ingredient in select specialty foods.
Until now, however, all Peppadew has
been grown and processed in South Africa.
“This effort to bring a new agribusiness
to the U.S. was made possible by a Value
Added Working Capital Grant from the
USDA,” said Pierre Crawley, President of
Peppadew Fresh LLC.
“We started growing the fruit on our
farm, and will work with other New Jersey
farms as demand grows. Consumers want
locally grown products, and growing Peppadew
Goldew fruit in New Jersey will enhance
the appeal of our products.”
The company will use area food plants,
including the Rutgers Food Innovation
Center, to process and package the fruit.
A launch event in April was attended by
USDA Rural Development New Jersey State
Director Howard Henderson and New Jersey
Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher.
Both stressed the importance of developing
value added farm products because of the
positive economic impact—for the farms as
well as for the surrounding communities.
The Value Added Producer Grants are an
important part of the effort to help farmers
shift to value added products and promote
these products. “This $259,625 grant will
promote small business expansion and entrepreneurship
by providing Peppadew
Fresh LLC with access to capital, technical
assistance and new markets for the fruit,”
Henderson said.
“We are pleased to work with USDA
Rural Development and Rutgers in assisting
Peppadew Fresh in one of New Jersey’s
newest agricultural product launches,” said
Fisher. For more information, visit
www.peppadewfresh.com. GN
Hain Celestial announces corporate HQ expansion
Leading organic company The Hain
Celestial Group Inc. will be expanding its
international corporate headquarters in
Nassau County, relocating its existing
250 Long Island-based employees and
creating more than 100 new jobs over the
next 10 years.
With tax incentives provided by the State
of New York, Empire State Development
and Nassau County, Hain Celestial has
committed to investing $10 million as part
of its office relocation and expansion.
“The expansion of Hain Celestial means
an industry-leading business and almost
400 jobs will stay right where they belong
on Long Island,” said New York Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo.
“Nearly 20 years ago, I founded Hain
Celestial as a start-up company on Long
Island with a handful of employees. By
2001 we had 120 employees and over
$400 million in sales when we moved to
our present location. As a proud resident
New Yorker, I am pleased to be increasing
our commitment to the region with
the expansion of our international corporate
headquarters complete with
state-of-the art sustainable features,”
said Irwin D. Simon, Founder, President
and CEO.
The decision to invest in New York State
followed stiff competition from other states
for Hain Celestial’s business. Hain Celestial
employs approximately 4,000 employees
worldwide, with approximately 1,200 in
the United States. GN
BRIEFS
TW Garner products
to go to Canada
TW Garner Food Company has partnered with
two firms to bring greater visibility in Canada
to its top-selling hot sauce, wing sauce, salsa
and tortilla strips.
Acosta Sales and Marketing Canada, an arm
of the U.S.-based outsourced sales and
marketing agency, will serve as broker for the
Texas Pete ® line of hot sauces and condiments
and the Green Mountain Gringo line of salsas
and tortilla strips. Thomas, Large & Singer Inc.
(TLS) will manage distribution logistics.
Initially, Canadian consumers will be able
to buy the 6- and 12-oz. versions of the original
Texas Pete Hot Sauce, the 6-oz. Texas Pete
Hotter Hot Sauce, and the 6-oz. Texas Pete
Garlic Hot Sauce. Other products will be added
as demand and distribution grows.
Products will initially be available along both
Canadian coasts, as well as in Ontario and
Quebec. Mail order will continue to be available
from the company’s websites.
North Carolina-based TW Garner is famous
for its Texas Pete Hot Sauce, the No. 3 brand
of hot sauce in the United States. In 2010,
Green Mountain Gringo ® Salsa was named best
overall salsa by Epicurious, among 20 retail
salsas that were tested.
German bakery
Carl Brandt marks
100th anniversary
The Carl Brandt bakery of Hagen, Germany,
renowned for its crispy Zwieback rusk bread,
celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
Among the new products is Brandt Micro-
Minis, designed for contemporary snacking
tastes. The bite-sized pieces of Zwieback come
in three versions (sesame clusters, cocoa or
shredded almonds) and are packaged in a
snacking-oriented cardboard canister, with a
clear window to allow consumers to see inside.
A third generation, family-owned company,
Carl Brandt is regarded as the No. 1
manufacturer of Zwieback worldwide and
stands No. 2 in the demand for its liqueur
filled pralines.
Distributed in the United States since
1989, Carl Brandt products have high
acceptance in specialty food stores,
supermarkets, ethnic and deli stores. as well
as for gift basket arrangements.