2011 Summer Fancy Food Show - Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS JANUARY SEPTEMBER 2011 2011 www.gourmetnews.com
Supplier Business 19
briefs
Kraft to split into
global snack, US
grocery units
Global food giant Kraft Foods in August
announced plans to split into two companies:
a global snack food division and a North
American grocery division. The new companies
are targeted for launch by year-end 2012.
The snack division is powered by significant
acquisitions by Kraft over the past year:
European biscuit brand LU (formerly owned
by Danone) and Cadbury chocolate. Other
key brands would be Oreo, Milka chocolates,
Trident gum, Jacobs coffee and Tang powdered
beverages. Kraft’s European division, which
would be included in this portion of the company,
owns Tassimo coffee machines and makes
pods compatible with the Senseo single-serve
system. Kraft is the second-largest buyer of
coffee in the world, after Nestle.
The North American grocery business would
include Kraft macaroni and cheese, Oscar Mayer
meats, Philadelphia cream cheese, Maxwell
House coffee, Capri Sun beverages, Jell-O desserts
and Miracle Whip salad dressing. With
approximately $16 billion in estimated revenue,
this business will be one of the largest food and
beverage companies in North America.
Jelly Belly, Snapple
partner for new line
Jelly Belly Candy Company and Snapple have
created a new line of Jelly Belly ® beans with
Snapple ® Juice Drinks.
The candymakers began with Snapple
Juice Drink concentrates in five tangy and
sweet Snapple flavors: Fruit Punch, Mango
Madness, Cranberry Raspberry, Pink
Lemonade and Kiwi Strawberry. The flavors are
made from real fruit juice and purees, and the
beans contain no artificial coloring. The colors
come from natural fruit and vegetables.
Jelly Belly Snapple Mix debuted in July
on JellyBelly.com and in 10-lb. bulk cases at
candy stores. Also scheduled for fall is a 1.65
oz. Jelly Belly Snapple Bottle. Retailers can
call 800-323-9380 for information.
Hawaiian Springs
Water expands West
Coast availability
Hawaiian Springs, a premium natural bottled
water company, has increased its retail availability
through new partnerships with Raley’s,
Gelson’s and Bristol Farms Markets throughout
California and Northern Nevada. The new
agreements increase the water’s retail presence
by 40 percent in California.
The three chains specialize in gourmet and
specialty foods. Gelson’s includes 18 premier
supermarkets throughout Southern California;
Raley’s owns and operates 127 stores throughout
California and Northern Nevada under the
Raley’s, Bel Air Markets and Nob Hill Foods
names; and Bristol Farms Markets has 13
stores in Northern and Southern California.
Smart Balance acquires
top gluten-free brand
Glutino Food Group
Smart Balance, Inc., maker of
natural foods and spreads, has
acquired 100 percent of the
equity interest of Importations
DE-RO-MA, which owns
Glutino Food Group, for $66.3
million in cash. Based in Laval,
Quebec, Glutino is known as
the manufacturer and marketer
of Glutino and Gluten Free
Pantry brands.
Glutino offers a wide range
of innovative, premium-priced,
gluten-free shelf-stable and frozen
products. Categories include
snack foods, frozen baked goods,
frozen entrees and baking mixes
throughout North America and
on its website. Glutino had annual
sales of $53.9 million during
its fiscal year ended March 31,
2011. The brand’s former owner
was Claridge, a Montreal-based
investment firm.
Commenting on the
announcement, Smart Balance
Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer Stephen Hughes stated,
“We are truly excited
about adding the Glutino
Food Group to our portfolio
of health and wellness brands.
Glutino has increased its sales
approximately 30 percent
annually over the past three
years, and we are confident
about its growth prospects and
contribution to Smart Balance.
The demand for gluten-free
products is significant, and
is now a category of over $2
billion in retail sales. We are
bullish on the continuation of
the category’s 10 percent compound
annual growth rate due
to increased awareness and
diagnosis of gluten-induced
ailments.”
“We believe Smart Balance’s
core competencies in sales, marketing
and product development
will help Glutino realize its
growth potential,” concluded
Mr. Hughes.
Smart Balance’s brands include
Smart Balance ® , Earth Balance ®
and Bestlife. gn
Columbus Foods sharpens growth plans
with $31 million plant expansion
Columbus Foods, a San Francisco
Bay Area maker of authentic
Italian salumi and premium deli
meats, in July inaugurated a new
$31 million slicing and packaging
facility in Hayward, Calif.
“The new plant, our first
major project in decades,
reflects Columbus’ potential
for growth,” said Tim Fallon,
Columbus Foods CEO.
The new plant is a
60,000-square-foot renovation
of the company’s existing
120,000-square-foot distribution
center. The expansion includes 70
incremental employees and three
production lines, for slicing and
packaging the company’s meats
into convenient, ready-to-eat
packages. The additional capacity
will help Columbus keep pace
with growing national demand.
The renovation also implements
some of the highest product
safety and handling standards
in food manufacturing, including
high pressure processing (HPP)
technology. This technology is
one of the most advanced in the
industry, using ultra-high pressure
to protect against harmful
bacteria without affecting a food
product’s taste, texture, appearance
or nutritional value.
Columbus worked with Stellar,
a Jacksonville, Fla.-based designbuild
firm with expertise in food
processing, packaging and manufacturing
facilities. The Stellar
team developed the architectural
design, line layout, equipment
purchase recommendations and
construction of the project.
The Hayward plant replaces
Columbus’ South San Francisco
slicing plant that was destroyed
by a fire in July 2009, and was
Lucini Italia corporate HQ achieves
LEED Silver status
Lucini Italia has announced
LEED Silver for Commercial
Interiors certification for its new
Miami-based corporate headquarters.
The 3,500-square-foot office
is the only LEED-certified space
in the 70-floor Four Seasons
Office Tower.
Lucini implemented numerous
sustainable practices during the
office renovation, including construction
waste recycling, using
only low volatile organic compound
paints, choosing sustainable
coconut flooring and custom
Italian cabinetry made using only
recycled post-consumer waste
materials. The office operates on
100 percent Energy Star certified
appliances, low-flow plumbing
features and motion-sensitive
lighting fixtures.
“We want our headquarters
to reflect our company philosophy,
which is ‘the best tasting
food comes from the most-cared
for ingredients,’” said Lucini
President David Neuman. “Taking
the extra steps to achieve LEED
certification and knowing we are
putting our best foot forward, in
both the products we produce
and the space we operate in, is
well worth the effort.”
The LEED certification bolsters
Lucini’s commitment to
reducing its environmental
impact, and supports Lucini’s
existing eco-conscious packaging
and product distribution
initiatives. The Lucini ®
EcoValue ® Box, available in
its three, award-winning extra
virgin olive oils, weighs 50
percent less than glass bottles
and is the most sustainable and
environmentally friendly option
for shipping liquids. Released
in the summer of 2010, Lucini’s
line of gourmet sauces in heatable,
BPA-free pouches uses 70
percent less material than traditional
glass jars and leads to
significant transport efficiencies:
funded primarily by insurance
proceeds. Columbus also operates
a manufacturing plant in
South San Francisco where it
handcrafts its full collection of
traditional and artisan salumi and
suite of premium deli meats.
Founded by Italian immigrants
in 1917, Columbus Foods is a Bay
Area institution, with products
available at specialty food stores
and supermarkets nationwide.
The company is owned in part by
Endeavour Capital, which acquired
a majority interest through a recapitalization
initiative in 1996. gn
one truckload of unfilled pouches
equals 25 truckloads of unfilled
glass jars.
Developed by the USGBC (US
Green Building Council), LEED
is an internationally recognized
green building certification system,
providing third-party verification
that a building or community
was designed and built
using strategies aimed at improving
performance across all the
metrics that matter most: energy
savings, water efficiency, CO 2
emissions reduction, improved
indoor environmental quality,
and stewardship of resources and
sensitivity to their impacts. gn