June 2012 - Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS JUNE 2012 www.gourmetnews.com
GENERAL NEWS 3
General News
BRIEFS
D’Artagnan makes
acquisition, set to
expand in Midwest
D’Artagnan, a leading purveyor of gourmet
meats, foie gras, mushrooms and truffles to
the trade and consumer markets, has agreed
to aquire certain
working assets of
Pasture to Plate
Inc., a Cicero, Ill.,
based supplier to
restaurants in the
Midwest. Chicago
becomes the hub
for D’Artagnan’s Midwest expansion plans.
Based in New Jersey, D’Artagnan is
expanding its geographical coverage into the
Chicago area, which will enable them to more
efficiently service its growing client base in
the region. From its Newark warehouse,
D’Artagnan’s fleet of trucks delivers daily to
restaurants and retailers from Boston to
Washington, D.C.
“We’re very excited about the acquisition,”
said Ariane Daguin, Owner and CEO of
D’Artagnan. “For the first time in our 27-year
history, we are expanding through an
acquisition, and it’s a great way to expose our
brand to a wider audience.”
“We entered Chicago last year as a one day
per week purveyor and this grants us
immediate logistical status as a full-service
provider,” added Andrew Wertheim, President
of D’Artagnan.
“Maple pearls” win top Trends &
Innovations prize at SIAL Canada 2012
Maple Pearls, caviar-like spheres from
the Citadelle maple producers’ cooperative,
received the grand prize at SIAL
Canada’s Trends & Innovations competition
in May.
The 10 winners, including the grand
prize winner, were showcased at SIAL
Canada in May, and will be at SIAL Paris
from Oct. 21 to 25.
More than 60 companies submitted
products to the competition, of which 44
met the necessary criteria—a record
number of entries for the competition’s
fifth edition.
Maple Pearls
The judges were quick to agree on this
grand prize winner. Maple pearls are tiny
spheres consisting of a thin gel membrane—an
algae derived from a variety of
seaweed called kombu—that are filled with
pure maple syrup. One bite and the pearls
explode. They can be used as a garnish for
everything from appetizers to desserts.
Inspired by molecular gastronomy, this
remarkable innovation is akin to caviar: As
each pearl bursts in your mouth, it releases
the unmistakable flavour of real maple
syrup. This product is proof that traditional
food can be mixed with modern innovations
to create something spectacular.
Among the competing products for the
$125 million loan pool
launched to improve fresh
food access in California
Foundation launches new fund source
for the state’s grocery community
Not all the grocery action in California
is at the top end of the market.
Grocers and other organizations working
to bring fresh food to low-access
areas of California now have a new
source of capital for store expansion and
new forms of distribution.
The California FreshWorks Fund
(FreshWorks) has added $125 million in
capital to provide access to alternative financing
options and incentives to invest
in projects located in low supermarket
access areas. A project of private health
foundation The California Endowment,
the loan pool has a target of 30 or more
new outlets and over 3,000 jobs.
“It is inexcusable that it is easier to
find liquor and cigarettes in many communities
than it is to find a bottle of
water and an apple, said Robert K. Ross,
M.D., President and CEO of The California
Endowment. “The California Fresh-
Works fund aims to change that so that
all families have access to healthy, nutritious
food. I commend all the partners
for stepping up to make this a reality.”
“Tell me your zip code and I will tell
you your life expectancy,” Ross said in a
video on the new fund.
The partners include grocers, major
banks, healthcare entities and research
experts. For this loan pool, the 10 organizations
that collaborated are The California
Endowment, NCB Capital Impact,
agent bank Chase,
Bank of America, Citi and Charles
Schwab Bank, Dignity Health, MetLife,
Morgan Stanley and Opportunity Finance
Network.
The California Grocers Association
and the independent network Unified
Grocers are also listed as partners
in FreshWorks.
Continued on PAGE 4
SIAL Canada Trends & Innovations 2012
Grand Prize, 10 finalists were selected by
the panel of judges on May 17:
Line of Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil
products in a spray bottle (Maison Orphée—Canada)
Flavored extra virgin
olive oil in a spray bottle. Great for basting
or marinating poultry, meat and fish.
Judges were impressed by the product’s
ease of use and modern packaging.
Gourmet caramel spread in several varieties
(Vergers Duhaime—Canada) Caramel
spreads in mouthwatering flavours like
butter & rum and maple & sea salt. Noted
for its originality and sophisticated recipes.
Maple sap water (de l’Aubier—Canada)
Natural still water, stemmed from maple
sap that is separated from its sugars to
keep only the water. An original and
unique concept for a natural product.
Greek-style probiotic yogurt (Skotidakis
Goat Farm—Canada) Fat-free Greek
probiotic yogurt in a double compartment
pot: blueberry and pomegranate.
Le Complait without lactose–milk beverage
(Nutrinor—Canada) A great tasting,
prebiotic and probiotic enriched dairy
product suitable for the lactose-intolerant.
This was selected due to the increasing
demand for lactose-intolerant products.
Basilur Winter Book (Basilur Tea—Sri
Lanka, represented by Global Business Network—Canada)
Tea in a book-shaped
package, selected for its original packaging.
Effet Bleu frozen treat (Opti Bleu inc.
—Canada) Blueberry juice ice bar, made
of 90 percent blueberry juice and rich
in antioxidants.
Anti + (Novidev Santé Activ—Canada)
Fruit drink with bioactive compounds
intact. No additives or preservatives.
Ninette Ice Cream (Ninette Ice Cream—
Canada) A range of ice cream with original
flavours, such as thyme & lemon,
raspberry truffle, and crunchy gingerbread.
Noted for their interesting recipes,
intriguing flavours and textures.
SIAL Canada is a professional food show
that is part of the international SIAL network,
which is made up of five different
shows on four continents (France, Canada,
Brazil, China, United Arab Emirates), with
a total of 7,500 exhibitors and 220,000
visitors from more than 200 countries. GN
Rouses Markets creates
aeroponic rooftop garden above
downtown New Orleans store
Independent grocer Rouses Markets is the
first grocer in the country to develop its own
aeroponic urban farm on its own rooftop,
said Managing Partner Donny Rouse.
“The flat rooftop is perfect for urban
farming,” said Rouse. “And the view of
downtown is postcard-perfect. I imagine
we will do a lot of dinners up here on the
farm.” The downtown store sits blocks
from the Superdome, French Quarter and
Mississippi River.
The vertical aeroponic Tower Garden
uses water rather than soil, and allows you
to grow up instead of out. It was developed
by a former Disney greenhouse manager,
and is used at Disney, the Chicago O’Hare
Airport Eco-Farm and on the Manhattan
rooftop of Bell Book & Candle restaurant.
“This is very cutting edge for urban farming,”
said Rouse. His company has aptly
named the farm Roots on the Rooftop.
Chef Louis “Jack” Treuting, Rouses’
Culinary Director, first saw Roots on the
Rooftop as a way to provide fresh herbs
for the food Rouses’ chefs prepare, but
quickly saw potential to expand the program
to include retail. “I knew if our
chefs wanted it, so would our customers.”
Treuting worked with New Orleans-based
A.M.P.S. on the Rouses system. “Aeroponics
makes sense for the space,” said Treuting.
“It is lighter than soil-based
operations, and the towers recycle water
and liquid nutrients through their own
reservoirs, so they’re sustainable.”
While this is Rouses Markets’ first foray
into urban gardening, the company’s roots
are planted in the local produce business.
Anthony J. Rouse grew up working for his
father’s company, City Produce, before
opening his first grocery store in 1960. “My
grandfather was a farmer at heart,” said
Rouse. “He would have loved everything
about this.”
Rouses Markets is one of the 10 largest
independent grocers in the United States.
The Louisiana-based company has 38 locations
in two states. GN