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AUG/SEPT 2014 $14.95 ALSO INSIDE BACK TO SCHOOL TAILGATING SOUPS PLUM EXTRACTS PARTY PLATTERS CHARCUTERIE DELI BUSINESS MARKETING MERCHANDISING MANAGEMENT PROCUREMENT Cheese Regulations Come Under Debate Cheese Regulations Come Under Debate
Transcript of DELI BUSINESS
AUG/SEPT 2014 $14.95
ALSO INSIDEBACK TO SCHOOL
TAILGATINGSOUPS
PLUM EXTRACTSPARTY PLATTERS
CHARCUTERIE
DELI BUSINESSMARKETING MERCHANDISING MANAGEMENT PROCUREMENT
Cheese Regulations
Come UnderDebate
Cheese Regulations
Come UnderDebate
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AUG/SEPT 2014 DELI BUSINESS 3
DELI BUSINESS (ISSN 1088-7059) is published by Phoenix Media Network, Inc., P.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425
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CONTENTSAUG/SEPT ’14 • VOL. 19/NO. 4
COVER STORY
FEATURESTargeting Back To School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Focusing on nutritious lunch options can make registers ring
Get Ready For Some Football . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25A look at how deli retailers and buyers can capitalize on the tailgating craze
MERCHANDISING REVIEWSoup Is Hot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Improve sales by offering variety, organic, and marketing the joys of a food that’s growing in popularity
SPECIAL FEATUREPlum Good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Plum products proving superb replacement for phosphate preservatives
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4 DELI BUSINESS APRIL/MAY 2013
DELI BUSINESS (ISSN 1088-7059) is published by Phoenix Media Network, Inc., P.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425
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CONTENTSAUG/SEPT ’14 • VOL. 19/NO. 4
IN EVERY ISSUEDELI WATCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
INFORMATION SHOWCASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
BLAST FROM THE PAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
COMMENTARIESEDITOR’S NOTEFDA’s Zero-Tolerance Food Safety Policy Stymies Cheese-Making Creativity . . . . . . . . 10
PUBLISHER’S INSIGHTSPursuing Natural Ingredients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
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PREPARED FOODSHolidays Ahead: Time To Strut YourConvenient Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Platters give the customer, and the deli, a chance to make a statement
DELI MEATSBuild Holiday Profits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Charcuteries, pâtés and spreads are expected to be strong this season
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As part of the Irish Dairy Board’s $80 million expansion of their U.S. FoodIngredients business, a new $12 million facility recently opened at Thiel Cheese &Ingredients in Hilbert, WI.
The investment expands the production capability by more than 40 percent andcontinues to support 135 local jobs.
“We are excited to open this state-of-the-art facility at Thiel Cheese &Ingredients in Wisconsin,” says Neil Cox, president of IDB’s U.S. Food Ingredients.“Wisconsin, like Ireland, has a proud tradition of producing some of the best dairy products in the world and has developed into a hub of innovation for cheeseproduction.”
IDB acquired the Thiel business in 2011 and, since then, the business has grownstrongly with sales rising to $80 million in 2013, up 13 percent. Thiel supplies cheeseand cheese-based ingredients to some of America’s largest food companies.
IDB is Ireland’s largest exporter of dairy products. Founded more than 50 yearsago, IDB is best known for its Kerrygold and Dubliner brands.
The Irish Dairy Board (IDB) is an agri-food commercial co-operative, which mar-kets and sells dairy products on behalf of its members, Ireland’s dairy processors andthe Irish dairy farmer.
NEW $12M FACILITY OPENS AT THIEL CHEESE
6 DELI BUSINESS AUG/SEPT 2014
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PRESIDENT & EDITOR-IN-CHIEFJAMES E. PREVOR
PUBLISHING DIRECTORKENNETH L. WHITACRE
PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL DIRECTORLEE SMITH
EXECUTIVE EDITORELLEN KOTEFF
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ART DIRECTORSUNSHINE GORMAN
PRODUCTION DEPARTMENTFREDDY PULIDOJACKIE TUCKER
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COVER STORYGoing Green
FEATURE STORIESHummus
MERCHANDISING REVIEWSFried ChickenPotatoes
PROCUREMENTSTRATEGIES
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DELI MEATS Holiday Meat Guide
CHEESESGruyere Affinage
COMING IN DEC/JANDELI BUSINESS will feature a proprietary report on retail trends, a must
read for deli executives looking for business intelligence.
SUBSCRIPTION & READER SERVICE INFOIf you would like to subscribe to DELI BUSINESS for the print and/or electronic version, please go to www.delibusiness.com and click on the “Subscribe” button.From there, you can subscribe to the print version of DELI BUSINESS or free ofcharge to the electronic version. In addition, you can read the electronic versionand go directly to a company’s website through our special hot link feature. Bestof all, you can download and print any article or advertisement you’d like.
COMING NEXT ISSUE IN OCT/NOV
LEFT TO RIGHT: CHEF ANDREW HUNTER TALKS TO MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE,FOOD & MARINE SIMON COVENEY, IRISH DAIRY BOARD CEO KEVIN LANE AND NEIL
COX, VP IRISH DAIRY BOARD FOOD INGREDIENTS U.S.
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D E L I W A T C H
FLATBREAD LAUNCHESKontos Foods, Inc., Paterson NJ, hasannounced the launch of GreekLifestyle Flatbread formulated to pro-vide similar benefits to that of GreekYogurt. The dietary traditions ofGreece and the Mediterranean havelong been proven to promote betterhealth, nutrition and longevity. Avail-able in 12/10-ounce packages, theproduct offers twice the protein, halfthe carbohydrates, and less sugar andcalories compared with traditional flat-breads. The line is certified Kosher andHalal and available for retail and food-service.www.kontos.com
UNIQUE PITASMediterranean Majestic Foods, Wood-mere, NY, imports sour dough and artisanal pita breads. The all-natural,non GMO line has various uniqueshapes and sizes. The products aremade with no sugar, coloring, oil, starchor preservatives. The pitas are baked instone ovens and flash frozen, resultingin a 15-month frozen shelf life. All vari-eties are available in regular wheat,whole grain, and whole wheat. Thewhole wheat has 40 percent fewercalories than regular pita and is higher infiber. The line is available in six-pieceretail packaging and foodservice pack-aging.www.mediterraneanmajesticfoods.com
SUMMER OF SALSASabra, White Plains, NY, hasrelaunched its eight refrigerated salsas.The brand is featuring in-field farmerssinging to vine-ripening tomatoes in itsfirst salsa advertising campaign. Salsafans are invited to join in by way ofsocial media with the hashtag #Salsa-Love. Sabra’s line of refrigerated salsasincludes Homestyle Medium, Home-style Mild, Mango Peach, RestaurantStyle, Roasted Garlic, Pico de Gallo,Southwestern and Garden Style. Thenewly relaunched recipes featuremore crisp vegetables for a fresher,chunkier salsa. www.sabra.com
GRAIN SALADS DEBUTDon’s Food Products, Schwenksville,PA, has introduced six new grain sal-ads focusing on convenience and qual-ity. Varieties include Ancient Grain,Curry Grain, Edamame with Corn,Farro with Peperonata, Island Grainwith Beans and Wild Rice Medley.The salads are healthy food for con-sumers on the go. These convenientmeal options provide taste and quality.The company offers more than 150products in seven different categories.www.donssalads.com
MICROBAC ADOPTSINVISIBLE SENTINELTECHNOLOGYMicrobac Laboratories, Inc., Pitts-burgh, PA, announced the companyhas adopted Invisible Sentinel Inc.’sVeriflow diagnostic technology fordetection of bacterial pathogens infood. The assays were validated forvarious environmental surfaces andfood products, including specializedfoods such as confectionary products.The Veriflow product line has beenapproved by the AOAC International,a global standardization organization,to detect bacterial contamination in awide variety of food types and on vari-ous environmental surfaces. www.microbac.com
VALUE-ADDEDENHANCEMENTSSaputo Cheese, Richfield, WI, haslaunched seven new specialty cheeseitems. Additionally, a variety of valueadded enhancements are beingunveiled under the Nikos brand ofdomestically-produced feta cheeses.The Stella brand’s three most recentadditions, Mediterranean Parmesan,Rosemary Medium Asiago and BlackPepper Romano are available in halfwheels that have been hand-rubbedwith an array of herbs and spices. TheBlack Creek cheese line now offers aDouble Smoked Cheddar and Ched-dar Jam Tray featuring a three-yearCheddar cheese with Orange Mar-malade and Raspberry Preserves.www.SaputoSpecialty.com
GLUTEN FREEWRAPToufayan Bakeries, Ridgefield, NJ, isexpanding its current line of glutenfree baked goods to meet the growingdemand for gluten free products. Thecompany’s new Gluten Free Wrapsnow include Spinach, Garden Veg-etable and Savory Tomato flavoredvarieties, which join the OriginalGluten Free wrap introduced lastyear. All are 100 percent gluten free.The Toufayan family has cooked upgluten free wraps that are as moistand with the same quality as the com-pany’s regular wraps. www.toufayan.com
DELI WATCH is a regular feature of DELI BUSINESS. Please send information on new products, personnel changes, industry, corporateand personal milestones and available literature, along with a color photo, slide or transparency to: Editor, Deli Business, P.O. Box810217 • Boca Raton, FL 33481-0217 • Phone: 561-994-1118 • Fax: 561-994-1610 • E-mail: [email protected]
CHEESE IS REVAMPEDKitchen Table Bakers, Syosset, NY,has launched Parm Crisps, arevamped miniature variety of agedparmesan crisps. The line, which isbaked entirely of aged Parmesancheese, is naturally gluten, wheat andsugar-free. The Parm Crisps are avail-able in a 1.75-ounce resealable pouchand have a suggested retail pricestarting at $3.99. The company offers11 other flavors, including Chia Seed,Caraway Seed and Flax Seed. www.kitchentablebakers.com
New ProductsAnnouncements
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F R O M T H E E D I T O R ’ S D E S K
by Jim Prevor, Editor-in-Chief
Max McCalman is a world-renowned expert on cheese and a good friend of both DELI BUSINESS and its sister publication,CHEESE CONNOISSEUR. In this issue (page14), he writes a thoughtful piece regarding the
current state of the food safety rules regarding the cheeseindustry. He substantively questions whether the FDAunderstands cheese and whether anticipated food safetyprotocols might help or hurt the situation.Unfortunately, the issue goes beyond mere technical
competence at the FDA. The real problem is that, in fact,the FDA has a defacto zero-tolerance policy on food safe-ty. This is a shame, because it discourages people in theindustry from actually talking about their problems in pro-ducing, storing, shipping and selling food and so slows thecommunal search for solutions.Other approaches to federal guidelines are known to
be much more productive. For example, the Civil Aero-nautics Board (CAB) and its successor, the Federal Avia-tion Administration (FAA), have had a series of five-yearplans, with each plan focused on improving airline safety.As a result the airline industry, plane makers, engine mak-ers, air traffic controllers, etc., have all worked collabora-tively to improve the system. Today, commercial airlinetravel is enormously safe. If you look at the statistics, thevery few fatalities attributed to commercial aviation aretypically oddball things, such as a worker on the tarmacdriving a cart and getting into an accident. The cheese industry is going to have quite a battle. I
know this because our company, which also publishesPRODUCE BUSINESS and PerishablePundit.com, hasbeen at the epicenter of produce industry discussionsregarding food safety. In the produce industry, farmershave pleaded with the FDA to define clear standards thatwould eliminate liability if farmers comply. Yet the FDAwill never issue a food safety rule that says “a fencearound the farm must be five feet tall” because if it turnsout that an animal jumps six feet, enters the field and caus-es a food safety problem, the FDA doesn’t want to be atfault. So the FDA tends to issue vague direction, such as admonishing farmers to be mindful of animal intrusion.When the FDA is specific, it typically locks in existing
technology and thus discourages a search for alternatives.The truth is the American food supply is enormously
safe; even the “high risk” items are very safe. Food safetyincidents today are “black swan” events and so not easilyamenable to any food safety fix. Go into a spinach field, doa random selection of 100 samples, test the samples, andthey all could come out clean. If you repeat two minuteslater you may get a positive; two minutes later, they are allnegative again. What caused it? Who knows? Maybe abird dropping? Nobody knows and nobody, including
the FDA, has a viable plan to ensure there is never a food safety problem.Of course, this is a bizarre standard. We don’t ban cars
because we know there will be accidents; we don’t evendemand that cars be as safe as possible, because suchheavy things are called tanks and wouldn’t be economicallyfeasible. We recognize that although safety is a value, it isnot the only value. This really comes down to whether, asa society, we are going to look to government to be ananny that stops us from doing anything that might causeus harm or whether we are going to respect the autono-my of the individual and allow people to make trade-offsthat make their lives their own.The food industry is conflicted on this. Retailers like the
idea that consumers have faith the government will pro-tect the food supply and the retailers don’t have to take onthat burden. Manufacturers like that consumers feel anyproduct sold is safe, by definition.Yet very possibly this is part of the food safety problem.
If consumers feel everything is safe, it discourages invest-ment in food safety by all sectors of the chain. Producersdon’t feel it will give them a competitive edge, retailersdon’t think it will give them a competitive edge, and ifeverything is safe it would be a big waste of time for con-sumers to invest in either vetting retailers who vet foodwell or vetting manufacturers.In fact, if the FDA acknowledged its own limitations
and urged consumers to take responsibility for what theyate, it would lead to more investment of both time andmoney in food safety and thus safer food.For this author, having just returned from New
Zealand, I was excited to try a raw-milk Aroha OrganicGoat cheese, one of the very few raw milk cheeses theKiwis have started producing since a law in 2011 relaxedrestrictions. There was a risk. But it was slight, and I don’thave a compromised immune system, so if I did get sick,there is a good chance I would recover, and there are ben-eficial bacteria that might even boost my health. Besides, in eating the cheese I experienced, just for a
moment, the subtle complexity of the terroir in which thegoats that made the milk werefed. I tasted something I hadnever tasted before. To methat made my life richer. Onwhat basis is my governmentto deny me that opportunity?There is a big movement
now for consumers to “knowtheir farmer,” and it just as wellcould be applied to mean“know your cheesemaker.”DB
FDA’s Zero-Tolerance Food Safety PolicyStymies Cheese-Making Creativity
Jim Column_Layout 1 7/24/14 4:35 PM Page 1
P U B L I S H E R ’ S I N S I G H T S
It is very rare DELI BUSINESS features an articleabout an individual company’s new product but, occasionally, there is a product or technolo-gy that has the potential to change the way business is conducted. Just prior to leaving for the IDDBA’s Dairy-Deli-
Bake 2014 in Denver, CO, I received an email fromSunsweet asking if I would stop by their booth totalk about prunes.
I have to admit that I didn’t see how the busi-ness of prunes would be of much interest to DELI BUSINESS readers — although I personallylove prunes. Growing up just across the river fromNew York City, my favorite breakfast was a pruneDanish from the local bakery.
My initial thought after receiving the email wasthat prunes were going to be a new trend and Icould expect to see more prune-based somethingor other, although I couldn’t imagine what it wouldbe. I was very surprised, however, when informedSunsweet wanted to speak with me about prunesas a preservative and flavor enhancer.
What I didn’t realize was that Sunsweet hadbeen researching the use of prunes to replace phos-phates in deli meats and cooked sausages, and it was now ready to work with manufacturersinterested in producing a natural product with a clean label. The implication for organic deli meatsis obvious.
Deli meats and cooked sausages have long beena problem for meat manufacturers looking to pro-duce a product with a clean label, yet safe enoughto have a shelf life long enough to make it throughtraditional distribution channels, retail sell-throughand customer abuse.
The challenges meat manufacturers face tokeep harmful pathogens at bay are more difficult tomanage than with most other foods. Rather thanfrozen, deli meats are shipped fresh and sold fresh,often sliced-to-order.
The type of pathogens meat, poultry andseafood are subject to are the pathogens that makemany people ill and sick enough to die, so conse-quently food safety protocols with multiple barriersto prevent contamination are mandatory.
Strange as it seems, and it certainly soundedvery strange to me — plum and prune derivativescould be the answer. Or, at the very least, theycould be part of the answer. What equally sur-
prised me during my Sunsweet booth visit was justhow delicious the fresh, fully cooked sausages tast-ed and how the prune flavoring wasn’t apparent.
There is no question that at least some oftoday’s consumers are looking for meat productsfree of chemicals and antibiotics. They are alsoconcerned with added salt and preservatives. Obvi-ously, it doesn’t apply to all customers, but the number with concerns about how food is beingprocessed is growing.
Quite frankly, several concerns about additivesthat were considered safe just five years ago arecoming into question. Science is evolving and manydecisions made years ago are no longer supported.
As an example, when I was around 12-years-old, my father had a heart attack and doctors toldhim never to eat butter again. My mother switchedto margarine. Today, we know trans-fats are farmore dangerous than butter and dairy products.There are also concerns about GMO’s, arsenic-laden chicken feed, caramel color, phosphates,nitrites, and artificial sweeteners.
Whether the concern is justified almost seemsirrelevant. Clearly if customers are concerned andreduce spending, it is a problem that needs to beaddressed. And, it is for this reason that an articleabout a new, natural technology from one compa-ny was deemed worthy and found its way to thepages of DELI BUSINESS.
Obviously, there is not one solution and manyquestions remain. I certainly don’t have all the answers. However, I do believe less is betterwhen it comes to food labels. I also believe everymanufacturer, producer and processor, as well as every retailer has as an objective goal to makeour food supply as safe as possible. Sometimes,these beliefs are contradictory in application.
I, for one, had neverheard of or imagined thepossibilities of prune deriv-atives for deli meats, but Imust say I have been fas-cinated by the possibilities.I doubt that this will bethe only solution, but justone of many new tools tobe developed. DB
by Lee Smith, Publisher Pursuing Natural Ingredients
12 DELI BUSINESS AUG/SEPT 2014
Lee Column_Layout 1 7/28/14 1:06 PM Page 1
Cheese Regulations
Come UnderDebate
14 DELI BUSINESS AUG/SEPT 2014
Some might think the FDA wishes the cheese industrywould just dry up and go away, the way its rules seem toplace obstacles in front of cheese’s surging popularity. Therules (or the threat of imposition of certain rules) areembarrassing for cheese academics and educators: the pro-
hibition on the importation of Mimolette, the extension of the sixty-day minimum aging requirement for raw milk cheese to ninety daysor more, the slashed tolerance levels for E. coli, and the ban of agingcheese on wood. Embarrassment is one thing but for the producers,importers, distributors and retailers these actions have caused disrup-tion and near-panic. Many in the industry see the FDA playing anincreasingly sinister and adversarial role.
The eye-popping growth in the cheese industry may be causingsome consternation within the agency, an agency perhaps unable tokeep up with America’s appetite for high-quality cheese. That growthcreates more work for an already money-strapped agency, a regula-tory agency charged with protecting and promoting our health.Adding to the stresses is the implementation of the Food SafetyModernization Act. It may seem the FDA is interpreting the dictatesof FSMA as zero tolerance, or black and white.
Many members of the cheese community wish the food regulato-ry agencies would expend their resources on other foods such as theones that are responsible for the lion’s share of foodborne illnesses.
As is evident in reports compiled by the FDA, the CDC, and theUSDA, cheese is not the culprit it is often made out to be: not theraw milk varieties, not the ones with mites on them, and not the onesaged on wood. The record books are there for all to see — cheese isa safer food. Maybe not perfect, yet cheese enjoys an enviable trackrecord for food safety.
The time-tested practice of aging cheese on wood is in question asof this writing. When the first reports started coming in on this matterrecently, it may have seemed the ban would be affecting only importedcheeses. However there are millions of pounds of cheese aging onwood today in the United States. To convert those facilities to man-made materials would cost billions, thereby shuttering many cream-eries, causing disruptions to the supply chain and irreparable harm tothe aesthetic qualities of those cheeses.
The regulatory challenges do not end with the wood issue. Thecheese industry may be facing a bigger threat: the tolerance of E. colicounts has been lowered to a point that could make many dairy opera-tions unsustainable, especially cow and sheep dairies. (It is easier tomaintain safe sanitation levels in a goat dairy than in the others.) Thisclose-to-zero tolerance will also mean many imported cheeses will bebanned from entry, while some cheeses that are not banned may seetheir costs rise to non-competitive levels. Instead of risking losing thesale altogether and leaving the vendor on the hook, many exporters are
C O V E R S T O R Y
Aging cheese on wood latest controversyBY MAX MCCALMAN
Cheese Regulations
Come UnderDebate
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sending fewer cheeses to the United Statesthese days, including cheeses that could bewell within the new limits. As far as manyexporters are concerned, the U.S. marketshare is not worth the aggravation. Cheeseswith moisture content of 67 percent orgreater (most cheeses less than one year old)will be held to extra scrutiny.
There are some positives that have arisenfrom all the increased scrutiny: an increase inawareness of potential hazards, adoption ofenhanced GMPs, better educationalresources, more rigorous vigilance, and bet-ter and more frequent testing. The industryappears to be arming itself with all the scien-tific ammunition available to set the recordstraight. Yet for many, these new rules andrevisions are short sighted, and misinformedinterpretations of regulations — regulationsostensibly protecting and promoting ourhealth.
The cheese industry cannot claim itsbeloved food is perfectly safe — that it iswithout blemish or it has never been impli-cated in a foodborne illness. A pathogenknows a good food when it sees it. Yet therecords speak for themselves: the incidencesof illnesses attributed to cheese are extreme-ly rare.
The American Cheese Society hasbecome a formidable force in the defense ofcheese. The organization has its own Regu-latory and Academic Committee, a Body ofKnowledge Committee, as well as a Certi-fied Cheese Professional Committee. Theseteams are composed of subject matterexperts and other professionals; the entireorganization can claim thousands of yearscombined experience. It is safe to say mostpeople in the business eat cheese, and quite alot of it, and they would prefer to continueto eat the cheeses they choose to, bothdomestic and imported, raw and pasteurized,with or without evidence of mites in theirrinds, and aged on wood or some other suit-able surface. The cheeses they believe have
advanced civilization.Man-made aging surfaces may appear to
be cleaner than wood surfaces yet this maybe only what is visible to the naked eye. Anadvantage that wood has is that it can moreeasily have its own biofilm — the first line ofdefense against pathogenic contamination.According to cheesemaker and author ofMastering Artisan Cheesemaking, GianaclisCaldwell, attempting to sanitize the surfacesfor ripening cheese is a losing battle; a daymay arrive soon when we are purposelyintroducing beneficial bacteria to those sur-faces. It will be easier to do, it will be lesstime-consuming, and it will be much moreeffective. It is kind of like taking probiotics.
Listeria monocytogenes, the most seriouspathogen with which cheese has on veryrare occasions been associated, can colonizeon plastic or metal as well as on wood. Themanufactured surfaces can be cleaned rela-
tively easily compared to porous wood butthis may be part of the problem with thosesurfaces. If thoroughly cleaned, the surface iswithout its own defenses: the colonies ofbacteria and fungi, which keep the bad bugsat bay. The relationship to competingmicroflora is similar to the biome in our guts.Taking antibiotics is a way of cleaning out thegut of all its microflora, the good and thebad. The system may be rid of the offendingpathogen, but it also loses its beneficial bac-teria, which provide protection from otherpathogens, including the primary offender.
Food illnesses can be serious, as anyonewho has experienced food poisoning can tellyou; some of them can be fatal. Fortunatelythe good bugs are stronger than the badbugs; otherwise we would not be here today.Their relative weakness forces the bad bugsto have to fight like bullies. Without force innumbers, they have a diminished capability
C O V E R S T O R Y
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to cause harm. Bacteria have a way of com-municating with one another called quorumsensing. When they sense they are outnum-bered they “know” it, so they tend not to putup a fight. In other words, the weaker bacte-ria do not become virulent.
Part of cheese’s problem is that it is arather complex food, even the pasteurizedvarieties are complex, though a little less so.The more complex the food is, the more dif-ficult it is to understand. If it is a food thathas such a dedicated, seemingly fanatic fol-lowing, a food that can smell funky, one thatcontains fat, and a food that seems to stimu-late euphoric responses in its consumers,
then the question becomes: how can such acomestible be safe? How can cheese devel-op better on a natural surface such as woodcompared to a manufactured surface such asplastic or stainless steel?
Dr. Mark Windt, an allergist, immunolo-gist, pulmonologist, and member of an advi-sory committee to the EPA says through theprocess of natural selection, the biofilms thatcan develop on wood surfaces provide pro-tection against pathogens. The symbioticrelationships that exist between the ecosys-tems within cheeses and plant life allowwood to interact in a positive way. Hebelieves that the widely held theory that
bacteria is bad needs to be turned upsidedown. A biofilm works in a positive way.
Cheese is a “living food” full of respiringbacteria. These civilizations, which residewithin and on cheese, should be in a healthyequilibrium, not in a static state. Respirationsuggests the need for air exchange. This ismuch easier to assure if a cheese is resting ona porous surface such as wood, than on aflatter surface such as steel or plastic. One way to allow greater air exchange on amanmade surface is to replicate as closely aspossible the porous surface of wood. Thismay allow for better air exchange so thecheese can “breathe” and not suffocate, butthat imitation surface will not support thebeneficial and protecting biofilm nearly as well as wood. Beyond protections, thewood choice may contribute aesthetic quali-ties to the cheese: flavor and aroma. This iswhy certain types of wood are better suitedthan others for different cheeses. This is asimilar relationship that wines and whiskeys have to their aging vessels. Stain-less steel may be fine for a youthful winewith its own array of fruit flavors but it willnot deliver the complexities required to bringan age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon to itsgreatest aesthetic potential.
The FDA’s first wood clarification in earlyJune went viral and was followed by animmediate and passionate outpouring of sup-port among the cheese community. Today,the Cheese of Choice Coalition is reinvigo-rated, the organization that provided broadsupport against the 2001 threat to the 60-day minimum aging requirement for raw milkcheeses. This group is dedicated to gatheringevidence and support, now with an updatedwebsite, www.cheeseofchoice.org.
Some members of the cheese communitywere hoping for a shortening of agingrequirements back then, as later occurred inQuébec. It seemed the evidence presentedby Dr. Catherine Donnelly to the USDA(concerned at the time that our nation’s live-stock, for which it is responsible, might con-tract Foot and Mouth Disease or Mad CowDisease transmitted via raw milk cheese)proved the near impossibility of such transmissions and inherent safety of raw milkcheese. Instead, the industry had to be satisfied with the status quo, meaning theavailability of raw milk cheeses under sixty days of age would continue to beunavailable in the United States.
The cheese battles are far from over andmany in the industry believe they are seeingthe FDA adopt a more aggressiveapproach. By the time this article is in print, the agency will have made its presen-tation at the American Cheese Society’sconference in Sacramento. DB
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Focusing on nutritious lunch options can make registers ring
BY LISA WHITE
Targeting Back to School
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Back to school is big business. Super-market delis have an opportunity tocash in on families seeking healthfullunch options for kids ages 5 to 18.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports about55 million students are enrolled in pre-kinder-garten and high school classes, with about56 percent of them in first through eighthgrades. An estimated one-third of U.S.households, or about 38 million, have chil-dren younger than 18.
“The deli section offers the back-to-school shopper a wide range of fresh andconvenient products,” says Deborah Seife,general manager/marketing for NorselandInc., based in Darien, CT. “It also allows forthe shopper to easily custom-tailor eachchild’s taste preference and offer healthierfood choices.”
Defining Back To SchoolWhile most consumers associate back to
school with the end of summer, marketinghealthful school lunch options can extend farbeyond fall.
“It should be an ongoing dialogue, tying[healthier lunch foods] to feeling better,higher energy, achieving academic success,social situations and sport team settings,”says Seife. “Parents are looking for nutrition-ally sound brain food that’s also fun andappealing to kids.”
As a result, manufacturers are listening tofamilies and providing more healthful, tastierschool lunch options that are lower in fat,cholesterol and sodium, as well as free oftrans fats, nuts and gluten.
Suppliers of these foods also are creatingmore shelf-stable options that are portableand easily accommodated in lunch bags.
“The focus is on lunches that are easy toput together, inexpensive to make and nutri-tious for children,” says Warren Stoll, mar-keting director at Kontos Foods, headquar-tered in Paterson, NJ.
The back-to-school theme providessupermarket delis with a creative way tointroduce new products on the shelf and cre-ate a destination for parents searching for theright lunchbox fit.
This also should include food items thatappeal to children while offering nutritionalbenefits.
“Consumers are always seeking healthy,new ideas for foods to pack in their children’slunchboxes for school,” says AimeeTsakirellis, director of marketing at Cedar’sMediterranean Foods Inc., Ward Hill, MA.“Back-to-school promotions also allow forretailers to cross-promote like-items for par-ents to purchase more than one at a time.”
In today’s society, items that are higher invalue are ideal for back-to-school displays.These include foods that are convenient,quick to prepare, healthful, cheap and packedin bulk.
Products with cleaner labels also shouldbe included in the mix because parents andchildren are becoming more educated aboutwhat they’re eating, the ingredients in foodsand functional food ingredients that con-tribute to health.
“As consumers are continually becomingmore educated about foods and which ingre-dients are in the foods they are feeding to
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their children, junk food items are decreasingin popularity, and healthier items, such asGreek yogurt and hummus, are becomingmore popular, especially in portion-controlledcups or snack packs,” says Tsakirellis.Non-GMO Project Verified and Gluten
Free Certified foods also are on the rise, inaddition to natural and organic lunchmeatand cheeses.“Back-to-school merchandising is a
unique opportunity to focus consumers’attention on healthy deli items for their familymembers’ lunchboxes,” says Ari Goldsmith,senior director of marketing at KeHE Dis-tributors, based in Naperville, IL.
Key ComponentsLunchbox options are more likely to
include convenience items, such as single-serve hummus, pickles, deli salads andstring cheese. Delis also have a number ofcross-merchandising opportunities forbreads, chips and condiments.“Offerings need to include portable and
portion-controlled choices that are tastyand convenient,” says Norseland’s Seife.“Pre-sliced Jarlsberg and Jarlsberg Liteoffer consumers an easy format for use in[lunch bags]. Our new Jarlsberg Minis arepositioned as a snack at school or through-
out the day.”Back-to-school merchandising in the deli
should begin in early August with in-storesigns letting parents and kids know it’s timeto start thinking about school lunch options.“Store displays and lunch items that
speak to kids and remind them of schoolneed to take on a heightened approach inAugust,” says Stoll. “Promoting lunch itemskids can carry with them is key, but alsokeeping in mind that kids eat at all differenthours.”Kontos’ line of more than 50 flatbreads
offers an alternative to traditional bread.Products include low-carb and high-proteinvarieties, along with different flavors, shapesand sizes. For making sandwiches, the com-pany sells a mini oval flatbread, which is 4-by-6 inches in diameter and meets nutritionalrequirements for school lunch programs, saysStoll.In 2012, meal patterns and nutrition stan-
dards for the National School Lunch andSchool Breakfast programs were updated toalign with the dietary guidelines for Ameri-cans. This rule requires most schools toincrease the availability of fruits, vegetables,whole grains and fat-free and low-fat fluidmilk in school meals; reduce the levels ofsodium, saturated fat and trans fat in meals;
and meet the nutritional needs of studentswithin their calorie requirements. A number of manufacturers provide deli
items for back-to-school merchandising thatmeet the requirements. Denmark, WI-basedBelGioioso Cheese, for example, offers freshMozzarella snack packs, at 70 calories.“Gluten free is the big buzz,” says Francis
J. Wall, BelGioioso’s vice president of mar-keting. “Consumers want to know foods aregluten free as well as the production facilities.Most cheeses are naturally gluten free, butconsumers are still unaware of this.”Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods offers
seven flavor varieties of Hommus SnackPacks, with three flavors paired with GlutenFree Hommus Chips. It also sells 2-ounceOrganic Hommus in three flavors that are inportion cups packed in a three-cup sleeve,and 3-ounce all natural, non-GMO projectverified hummus in two flavors, also in por-tion cups packed in a four-cup sleeve.“And we will be introducing a Falafel to
Go pack complete with six falafel balls and1.75 ounces of tahini dipping sauce that willbe launched in time for back to school,” saysTsakirellis.As the demand for healthier items
increases, supermarket deli managers havebeen forced to take risks by reducing displays
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of mainstream items with guaranteed salesto allow room for new, healthful items thatmay not perform as well.
This is especially true for stores focusingon the back-to-school segment in the fall.
“If this does not happen, retailers risk thechance the customer will shop either at a dif-ferent department or a different store alto-gether to f ind what they need,” saysTsakirellis.
The fact remains increasing numbers ofconsumers are providing healthier lunch
choices for their children, leading to strongsales increases in the segment and in delidepartments. As a result, KeHE Distributorshas positioned Applegate’s new halftimelunchboxes featuring Applegate Naturalsmeat and cheese, yogurt and snacks in onebox for the back-to-school market.
“We are seeing some great opportunitiesemerging for deli managers,” says GregGreene, marketing director at Sabra, basedin Dallas, TX. “At the moment, dips andspreads are enjoying the benefits of being on
trend. But consumers are not enjoying hav-ing to search for some dips in the dairy aisle,some in the produce segment, others onshelf and some in deli.”
Successful SellingSchool lunch programs are becoming an
increasingly important component to nutri-tion education, “and because it’s foremost inthe minds of parents as well, it has becomeso for the conscientious manufacturer,” saysNorseland’s Seife. “The trends in the deli sec-tion confirm this healthier change.”
Back-to-school displays need to empha-size the portability and versatility of the prod-uct in a colorful and fun way that engageschildren, since they will be influential in theirparents’ buying decisions. By the sametoken, these selections must exhibit nutri-tional values to appeal to parents.
For these displays, a natural cross-mer-chandising fit for the deli is the producedepartment. Nutritious deli products can bepositioned by whole fruits or stationed along-side fruit and vegetable salads, and other pro-duce items can be cut and prepped as schoollunch options. This positioning also appealsto impulse shoppers who are running into thestore for a few items.
“I believe the target of back-to-schoolmarketing is the consumer who is not neces-sarily the buyer,” says Stoll. “Deli depart-ments need to appeal to both the mom andthe child, since the products that sell will bethose mom supports and that their kids willeat.”
Targeting parents who look for healthierlunch options, Kontos recently launchedlower carb/higher protein flatbread, whichhas half the carbs and twice the protein oftraditional flatbread. In addition, the com-pany introduced its Greek Lifestyle bread,capitalizing on the popularity of Greekyogurt.
“We used to call this a smart-carb prod-uct, but ever since we relaunched the breadas Greek, sales have tripled,” says Stoll. “Wehope to get this line in more delis, since con-sumers are seeking healthier sandwichoptions.”
As a bread alternative, Kontos also offers11-inch crepes, which are a third of the calo-ries of a wrap. These are the same diameteras wraps, yet thinner and less than 100 calo-ries.
BelGioioso Cheese will put ads in news-papers and circulars to promote its new freshMozzarella snack packs.
“It’s important to offer alternatives toprocessed foods, since people are looking atingredient statements and components tomake healthier choices for their children,”says the company’s Wall.
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Merchandising items that go welltogether and span across all food and drinkgroups that would complement each other ina lunchbox is key. “Delis can collaborate with other depart-
ments to create a one-stop shop for parentsand a go-to destination for them to gain newideas and try items they would not have oth-erwise paired together,” says Tsakirellis.Convenience continues to be a key factor
for this segment. Sabra teamed with deli
managers to develop a shelf solution for con-sumers during back-to-school season. “The back-to-school segment is focused
on convenience, on wellness, and often onsingle-serve,” says Greene. “Better-for-youdips and spreads, single-serve snacks andtotable, packable produce like little bags ofbaby carrots are all on shopping lists thistime of year.” Cross demoing and cross promoting,
whether displayed side by side or not, are
always great incentives to parents. “Some retailers have gone so far as to
create recipe cards for the perfect schoollunchbox, listing the items to buy for theweek on the backside of the card,” saysTsakirellis. “The easier the better for parents,and this is a great time to use the opportu-nity to turn one parent into a higher sale.”Retailers that introduce back-to-school
displays as early as possible after Fourth ofJuly merchandising comes down can get a jump on this lucrative sales opportu-nity. The exact display dates should be driven by local school start dates, whichvary by state.“Complete solutions should be created
that represent all the relevant product cate-gories and connect the dots in consumers’minds,” says KeHE’s Goldsmith.In addition to calling out allergen-free
options, such as nut-free, gluten-free anddairy-free products, cross-merchandisingfresh produce, spreads and bread will helpbuild basket size.
Back-to-school displays can be constructed either in the service deli case or on the service deli counter, aroundthe self-service deli cases or by using drop coolers for traff ic-interrupting deli area displays. DB
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A look at how deli retailers and buyerscan capitalize on the tailgating craze
BY KEITH LORIA
Get Ready For Some Football
When football season is in fullstride, the action doesn’t takeplace only inside stadiums. Moreand more fans have discovered a
love for tailgating, whether they’re at a proor college game. People of all ages fill theparking lots several hours before kickoffwith barbecue grills and picnic baskets,enjoying the festivities with food that does-n’t take all day to make and can be eateneasily with one hand, as the other is typi-cally holding a beer or playing a game.
They’ll pack their vehicles with anythingthat fits, including small refrigerators tostore deli meats and coolers to house thebeer. Such “tailgate comfort foods” as friedchicken, barbecue chicken, easy-to-servesandwiches and salads are staples in numer-ous tailgate spreads, says Patrick Ford, vicepresident of Ford’s Gourmet Foods, head-quartered in Raleigh, NC. But he also hasnoticed a trend toward more sophisticatedfare, with the introduction of innovativecooking appliances allowing tailgaters to
make home-like meals in the parking lot.Another standout on the tailgating all-
star list is sausage, according to AmandaPawlak, marketing assistant for BobakSausage Company, Chicago, IL.
“All of Bobak’s smoked products are fullycooked, so one could say they are ‘prepared,’and this makes it quicker, easier, and faster toenjoy the tailgate,” she says. “There are twotypes of people: Those who stick to whatthey know, and those who aren’t afraid to bea little adventurous. For us, our Maxwell,Brat, and Italian sell so well year after year,but when we throw something else into themix, like a jalapeno and Cheddar sausage ora chicken sausage, we see people purchasethe product and enjoy the variety.”
The latest trends in sandwiches encour-age a wider selection of artisan breads,spreads and condiments, with protein andcheese contributing specialty varietiesbeyond the conventional deli sandwich,says Valerie Liu, marketing and advertisingspecialist for Norseland Inc., based in
Darien, CT. Its Jarlsberg program continuesto be a popular option for tailgating season,and new Jarlsberg Minis offer another delicious option.
“Sandwiches can be adapted to almostany emerging culinary trend, whether it’s anincreased interest in ethnic flavor profiles,high-quality gourmet presentations, localingredients or healthy alternatives, so meet-ing consumers’ needs will capture moresales,” she says. “Our studies show 68 per-cent of tailgaters always grill. The mostpopular is the hamburger, and building abetter burger with fresh ingredients,cheeses and breads is important.”
Today’s tailgating trends are mostly drivenby the four-point checklist of meals beinghealthful, premium, prepared and conve-nient, according to Carl H. Cappelli, seniorvice president of sales and business develop-ment for Don’s Food Products,Schwenksville PA.
“Millennials are looking for fresh andhealthy, while baby boomers are more into
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convenience and prepared,” he says.“In the tailgating environment, it has to be
fast to acquire, easy to grab and the producthas to appeal to a wide variety of audiences,”says Chad Vendette, director of marketing atBroaster Co., Beloit, Wis. “There’s a lot ofactivity and excitement going on when itcomes to tailgating so people don’t want toput a lot of thought or effort into it.”Broaster has two distinct product lines
that will appeal to the tailgater. First is itsBroaster Express grab-and-go foods, whichinclude chicken tenders, popcorn chickenand other fun favorites. On the fresh side isits premier product, Genuine BroasterChicken, which is pressure-fried chicken, butalong the lines of fried chicken that everyoneloves and really fits the demographic well.On the other end of the food spectrum,
grains continue to grow in popularity, as doother items preferred by tailgaters who follow vegetarian and vegan diets. Althoughlocally sourced products are popular, Cappelli says, healthful ingredients trumptheir importance.“Healthy consumers prefer fresh or
exotic. For example, many grains [such asquinoa] are sourced from outside the U.S.,”he says. “At Don’s, we will use local ingredi-ents when in season, and our deli assortmentwill include healthy grains, unique items andindulgent seafood and desserts.”Keeping pace with the popularity of tail-
gating, marketers spend “an amazing numberof dollars” to provide fans with all the foodthey need, says Terry Hyer, chief operatingofficer of Zarda Bar-B-Q & Catering Co.,based in Blue Springs, MO. Their spendingreflects the changing definition of tailgating,which now also includes picking up somefood to enjoy with friends at home.“For the retailer tailgating has gotten
huge, but many times it’s not associated withbringing food to the stadium,” says Hyer.
“Rather, it’s another way for Americans toescape and have fun. It’s all about creating anincredible meal package built around footballseason so people can watch the game andeat the food, regardless of whether it’s at thestadium or in the home.”
Going For The TouchdownSuch deli items as prepared sandwiches
and salads are chief components of any goodtailgating spread, and savvy retailers haveseized an opportunity to increase sales in thiscategory by catering to the football fan.“Trends I have seen in tailgating, as it
relates to the deli, are going toward higher-end tailgating meats and cheeses,” says Ford,of Ford’s Gourmet Foods. “Fans will spendmoney to support their team in the pre-gametailgate. Upping one another in the parkinglot is becoming more important, with socialmedia leading the charge. Who doesn’t wanta selfie with the biggest tailgate?”Ease of use is definitely important to the
tailgater, but so is quality. Because most fanswant something that will make the day fun
and memorable, opting for the higher-qualitymeats and cheeses is often on their minds.“The sports fan that makes it to the
game for tailgating is showing they are willingto spend more for that weekend event typi-cally than someone watching from home,”says Ford. “Retailers can expand their band-width for tailgating parties by having a sec-tion for the event. Show the tailgaters yourstore is serious about the tailgating cultureand they should trust you to have what theywill need to make their day memorable. Notjust the staples of tailgating but have newand fun items to purchase.”Asian flavors are growing in popularity,
Cappelli says, and Southwestern andMediterranean flavors continue to be strong.Don’s Food Products also provides gourmetdips to please any game day crowd, with thecompany’s artichoke and Asiago cheese dipmost popular among football fans.Cappelli advises retailers to offer more
grab-and-go options to be successful in mar-keting to the tailgating crowd. Fans want theconvenience of ready-to-eat/ready-to-heatitems, flavor and taste, and grains and all-nat-ural items that promote health and wellness.Don’s offers more than 150 items madefresh, and many of its side salads can beeaten plain or used as a component.“Variety is key,” he says. “When it comes
to salads and sides, use them as a compo-nent to make something cool.”The timing of tailgating-themed promo-
tions also is important. Start them in lateAugust when football season begins, Cap-pelli says, but hand out bag stuffers about aweek before to alert customers. Promotetailgating in ads and with in-store materialatop the deli counter. “You might do a rib pack for the start of
the season, and it might consist of a slab ofribs, potato salad, rolls, beans, and you bun-dle it for $19.99,” he says.
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Making things convenient for customerswill go a long way to ensure tailgating pro-motions increase sales. What works best issetting up a table with grocery bags andfull-color sheets describing the offer and theprice, says Cappelli. Customers take thebag to the deli counter, where it’s filled withall of the items, and then to the checkout.
Keep in mind tailgating promotionsshould continue past the autumn months.Once the regular season ends, “positionyourself for a month-long run-up until theSuper Bowl,” says Cappelli.
Show Your True ColorsFord believes retailers can capture more
tailgate customers by reminding them of theweekend games with large signs, colorfulbanners and team flags as they shop duringthe days leading to the matchups.
“Allowing customers the chance to planahead and know they have a place to comefor their tailgate needs is very important,” hesays. “Store signage, circulars and floor dis-plays aimed at tailgating have a big impact onthe shopping cart.”
Cappelli says eye-catching merchandisingis the way to go and recommends displayingDon’s grain salads in the deli case alongsideDon’s bruschetta and pico de gallo.
“Consumers often purchase deli itemswith their eyes. The Don’s grain salads pro-vide eye-popping color and variety, whichhelps in sales,” he says.
Cross-merchandising other items bybringing them into the deli section is a smartidea as well.
“If sausage is at the front of the store, thebest place for the sausage buns and mustardis not at the back, but rather closer to the
sausage for a limited-time tailgating specialwithout relocating product all the time, asnot everyone is a sports fan or shopping fortailgating items,” says Pawlak of BobakSausage Company. “Everything is focusedon convenience these days, and the cus-tomer has become accustomed to that, somake it as simple as you can for them.”
It also helps to show how many differentoptions there are for a product, she says.
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“Multi-use is typically perceived as a bettervalue. You can talk about how French oniondip is not just for chips, but great as a condi-ment on a burger.”
Hyer suggests using a banner along thetable announcing the tailgating special andreminding people of whatever games are ontap that weekend.
Packaging Is The Extra PointAnother way for retailers to attract foot-
ball fans is by using packaging with a team’scolors or logo.
Ford notes eco-friendly packaging for tail-gating is also growing in importance becauseyounger tailgaters are more environmentallyaware. Disposable but recyclable packagingis gaining more ground every season as aresult of their concerns.
“We view packaging as part of the foodexperience,” says Broaster’s Vendette. “Wemake it easy to carry but more importantly,it holds the food at the right moisture level.“Our packaging is functional and will keepthe consumer happy, even if it’s hours untilthe product is consumed.”
Nearly all tailgaters prepare their food at the stadium and buy their goods at grocery stores, says Norseland’s Liu. Pack-aging plays an important role in winningthem as customers.
“Pre-sliced meats, cheeses, pre-cut ingre-dients and salads in re-sealable packaging arevital,” she says. “Portable snack items offergreat convenience, such as our new Jarls-berg Minis, which are perfect for on the go.Individually wrapped, all-natural and bite-sized, they can be paired with sliced meats,veggies, fruits and crackers.”
Tailgaters look for convenience when itcomes to packaging, says Pawlak. “Does itopen easily? Will it spill if left unattended?Can it be resealed?”
Final ThoughtsTailgating is a social event that can be as
much fun, maybe even more fun, thanactually attending the game. Consumerslook for value but also want better-qualityingredients, more variety and flavor choicesthat have real crowd appeal, ensuring afood experience that’s tasty and memorable.And of course they want food that’s conve-nient and doesn’t take time away from theparty at hand.
“What’s popular will definitely be some-thing that doesn’t have more than a three-step process and is found at a reasonableprice,” says Pawlak. “This is likely going toturn into their game day favorite, and theywill be buying frequently and need to be ableto justify the cost on a weekly basis.” DB
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M E R C H A N D I S I N G R E V I E W
Gone are the days when soups were nothing more than an appetizer, a cheap meal or what you made because someone was sick. Modern soups are not only about convenience, but alsoflavor and variety.
“Over the past five years, soup has been a growing category for ourbusiness, and far beyond that timeframe in the industry,” says JohnBecker, senior director of marketing for Sandridge Food Corp., based inMedina, OH. He cited a study by Technomic reporting that “restau-rants offering soup and salad now face considerable competition fromthe retail segment,” with 54 percent of consumers claiming they sourcesoup from home at least once a week.
“We’ve seen this demand directly influence our retail and private-label soup business with double-digit growth in soup sales throughoutthe past five years,” says Becker.
Bob Sewall, executive vice president of sales and marketing forBlount Fine Foods, headquartered in Fall River, MA, says the market isgrowing largely because soup is becoming a popular option for dining at
home for families who want a nutritious, delicious, and affordable meal.“It’s a nice healthy option, so mom and dad have soup at home,”
says Sewall. “They feel good about its nutritional value and they add asalad and bread, and the family is spending a lot less money.”
The Scoop On Soup“Fresh, refrigerated soup is currently a $243 mill ion
category, growing nearly 10 percent year over year,” says Jamie Colbourne, chief executive of Portland, OR-based Harry’s FreshFoods & Cuizina Food Co.
According to Becker, restaurants influence retail food sales, withpopular restaurant offerings becoming hot in delis after about sixmonths to a year.
“There has been quite a bit of buzz recently on chilled soups andgazpacho, and it’s certainly on our radar as well,” he says. Sandridgeis taking note of inventive flavors such as watermelon-tomato gazpa-cho, served at Buccan in Palm Beach, FL, and creamy cucumber
Soup isHot
30 DELI BUSINESS AUG/SEPT 2014
Improve sales by offering variety, organic, and marketing the joys of a food that’s growing in popularity
BY ANTHONY STOECKERT
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with basil and mint at Trattoria Stella, inTraverse City, MI.
The latest trends in soups, says Becker,lean more toward healthier and fresh ingredi-ents and ethnic flavors.
“All of our soups are fresh, refrigeratedproducts with premium ingredients whichalone can achieve a consumer’s perception of‘healthy,’” he says. “Since all of our soups are
fully cooked and ready-to-serve, many of ourrecipes have been crafted with other healthand dietary concerns in mind, such as naturalingredients, preservative free, gluten free,dairy free, low sodium, zero grams of trans fats, etc. Our Fire Roasted Vegetable and Garden Vegetarian Veg-etable are both vegan examples of this …and they can be served chilled.”
Although there is a demand for uniqueflavors, some customers will always stick tothe classics, says Mary Shepard, director of sales for Fortun Foods Inc., based in Kirkland, WA.
“We try to have layers of flavor,” she
says. “A good-quality soup will be good tothe bottom of the bowl. A sub-par soup youcan tell right after a few spoonfuls.” Sup-parofferings often are too salty and have artifi-cial flavors.
A Fortun soup that Shepard describesas having a “wow factor” is gluten-freeLentil & Sweet Sausage. And with ingredi-ents including carrots, onions, garlics and
spices, it’s a meal on its own. Other popularvarieties she makes note of are PortugueseSausage and Bean and Fresh SpringAsparagus with roasted garlic.
Soup For HealthWhile healthier options are a trend in
soups, the word “healthy” isn’t as simple asit seems according to Sewall.
“It’s not that tomorrow morning you’regoing to wake up and you’re going to be avegan,” he says. “What it means is thatpeople are looking for cleaner ingredients.”That, he explains, applies to the prepared-food industry as a whole, but especially in
soup because it often consists of manyingredients, and customers want to knowwhat they’re eating.
Shepard says the key to healthier soups isa water-based recipe with fresh vegetablesand lean protein.
“Even our American Kobe Beef Chili canbe healthy,” she says. “It may have [redmeat], but the rest of the ingredients arehealthy beans, diced tomatoes, onions, greenchilies, jalapeno peppers, garlic and spices.”
Colbourne says ingredients such as kale,lentils, cauliflower and quinoa “are king” intoday’s soup business.
“Because consumers are looking forexciting flavors they can’t make at home,world-inspired flavors such as Asian-andHispanic-style soups are another hot trend inthe refrigerated-soup category,” he says,adding that vegan, vegetarian and organicvarieties also are popular trends.
The Organic TrendUsing organic ingredients is another hot
trend. The market for organic has grown tothe point that it’s not enough simply to useorganic ingredients — expectations forrobust flavor are just as high for organicsoups as they are for standard soups.
“We’re going organic big time, but theorganic flavors are very full and high in fla-vor,” says Sewall. “So what happens is, theconsumer says, ‘This is a great soup. Oh, bythe way it’s organic.’”
Two percent of customers who wantorganic foods are so devoted to the organicconcept they would “eat wood chips” if theywere organic, he says. “We’re trying to castthat net out for the other 98 percent.”
Blount is doing that with vegetarianorganic chili, which is full of fresh vegetablesand has a bold, spicy flavor.
“There are so many ingredients in it thatwhen you’re done eating it, you’re full,” saysSewall. Consumers who wouldn’t normallyeat organic vegetarian chili are “happy andsatisfied” because it tastes great.
Getting RichMost people want to eat healthier foods,
but they often fail. Becker says consumersstill have a hearty appetite for richer, more-indulgent soups featuring cream, cheese andpotato.
“We continue to see strong growth inrich, full-flavored soup varieties and also significant growth in our vegan offerings,”he says.
Consumers also want the best when itcomes to rich soups. Blount offers a creamy,gluten-free clam chowder with real cream,butter and sea clams and the company pack-ages it in a way that doesn’t require a lot of
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preservatives.“With our technique it’s cooled so fast …
that we’re able to get consumers a greatproduct with a shelf life of 70 days,” he says.
Fortun Foods is seeing an increase insales of clam chowder, which is cream-based and includes potatoes along withfresh vegetables. “The classics, like cheddarand broccoli and roasted tomato soup arealways comfort foods that are here to stay,”says Shepard.
How To Improve MerchandisingRetailers can improve merchandising by
offering impressive price reductions at leastonce a month, advises Colbourne.
The physical location of the soup is alsoimportant. He suggests placing it in the ser-vice deli, in full sight, and also lit well andadvertised. “Soup stations in retailers that areenjoying steady sales in this category offerboth hot and cold soup in an area with hightraffic, usually close to fresh produce and delicounters,” says Colbourne. “This positioningdrives the consumer to the inevitable soup-and-salad or soup-and-sandwich meal solu-tion for lunch or dinner.”
Becker notes Sandridge’s soups are usu-ally offered in the prepared-foods and delidepartments of retail stores, and he offersanother option that has the potential toincrease sales.
“We suggest to our retailers a cross-merchandising approach within the grab-and-go area of this section, where retailerscan cross-promote soups with like-itemsincluding ready-to-eat salads, sandwiches,etc.,” he says. “Along with cross-merchan-dising within the same section, we suggest
a secondary placement in other areas of thestore, cross-merchandised with comple-mentary items such as in the seafooddepartment next to refrigerated fish or in acooler next to the fresh seafood case,‘behind the glass.’”
He also suggests using small refrigera-tors at the end of an aisle near the cannedsoup section or by the bakery section near bread because soup and bread is aclassic combination.
“These coolers stand out against the sur-rounding environment and offer the abilityfor additional signage and unique brandingconcepts,” says Becker.
Sewall notes delis also can take advan-tage of the fact soup isn’t just for coldweather. They can follow the trend ofrestaurants such as Panera Bread Co., whichdoes a strong business with soup year-round.
Having a section devoted to soup thatoffers a lot of variety can help customerschoose what they want, he says — andexpect customers to try different types with each visit.
“The people who eat soup love soup, andthey want all different kinds of varieties,”says Sewall.
Seasonality also is important as a way topromote certain soups during certain timesof the year.
“You can have a great pumpkin bisque oran organic butternut squash in the fall androtate varieties throughout the season togive consumers what they want,” he says.
Standing Out With SignageProducts can get lost in today’s super-
markets and delis because so many options
are available, according to Becker. Thatmakes additional POS material necessary toattract and engage consumers.
“It’s important to utilize signage toaddress the lifestyle of your target demo-graphic, to communicate the ease of prepa-ration or use of the product, and to describethe key selling points of the recipe to theconsumer,” he says. Signage explaining healthbenefits or allergens is important as wellbecause customers want easy access to thisinformation as they shop for takeout soup.
The Importance Of PackagingJust as it is for most foods in the deli,
packaging is a crucial element to merchandis-ing and marketing soup.
“It is truly an art and inspires the manu-facturer to creatively blend several charac-teristics that will provide the user with a pos-itive experience, as well as to attract theconsumer and engage them with the prod-uct,” says Becker. “Characteristics includefunctionality, ease of use, sustainability, colorpsychology, size, scaling, material, etc. Likesignage, the goal of packaging is to attractand engage the consumer, but also to createan experience after the purchase to evoke arepeat purchase.”
Sewall says Blount’s packaging strategyincludes offering smaller, 10-ounce cups forclub stores and conventional retail becausesoup away from home or as a snack hasbecome an important part of sales. Thesmaller size means adults can have soup atwork, and kids can take it to school for lunchor as an after-school snack.
“On the flip side, the larger, 32-ouncesize becomes a great family option where
you can bring soup home for dinner time and serve multi-ple people,” says Sewall. “The32-ounce lets you do that economically because the costis less per ounce than thesmaller packages.”
The Bottom Line Is, Soup Is Hot
“Soup is here to stay and it’sgrowing,” says Sewall. “And theretailers have to be cognizant ofthis because soup in restaurantsis now the No. 1 appetizer onrestaurant menus. Soup hasnow overtaken salads as theNo. 1 appetizer. We know inretail we have to compete withrestaurants, so we make surethat our retailers are aware ofthe fact soup is not only grow-ing in retail, but it’s growing infoodservice as well.” DB
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S P E C I A L F E A T U R E
F or decades food producers have used phosphates in food fortheir preservative, moisture-retaining and antioxidant prop-erties. Today, however, a growing number of consumers areseeking what they perceive as more natural alternatives,
leading food processors to consider alternatives such as concentrat-ed fish- and salt-based preservatives, as well as a liquid plum extractand dried prune powder, which has been developed by Sunsweet.
Following nearly two decades of research, chefs such as RickPerez, who is a corporate research chef at Sunsweet, and scientistsat the universities of Kansas State and Texas A&M, have jointlystudied plum and prune additives’ contribution to food preservationand moisture retention and found them not only equaling the performance of phosphates, but as natural products, having nounhealthful effects on consumers. Studies found they not onlyenhanced moisture absorption in proteins, their use was cost-neutralcompared to phosphate costs.
Deli Business spoke with Sunsweet’s Perez about the growinguse of plum products in the role of food production.
Deli Business: What’s the headline statement about plum derivatives being more beneficial than phosphates asfood enhancers?
Rick Perez: It’s more than one. One is that plum extract andprune powder are excellent natural preservatives that allow for a better product and a cleaner label. A clean label is important to consumers these days. The second is since they’re high in sorbitol theyare great at retaining moisture. And the third is they’re high in malic acid, which works well as a flavor potentiator that accentuates a protein’s flavor.
The benefit of high malic acid is manufacturers can reduce theamount of sodium and sugar they’re using to flavor foods because
Plum Good
36 DELI BUSINESS AUG/SEPT 2014
Plum products proving superbreplacement for phosphatepreservatives
BY STEVE COOMES
Prune Extract_Layout 1 7/28/14 10:30 AM Page 1
malic acid intensifies a protein’s existing fla-vors. By taking phosphates out, you’re alsoremoving what’s sometimes called awarmed-over flavor that’s unappealing.
DB: If phosphates have been used infood successfully for years, explainthe need for replacing them now.
RP: When phosphates originally cameout as preservatives, there was limited use inmeats. But now we see them in so manyfoods that the gross amount of phosphateswe’re eating is huge. People are taking inmore phosphorous, more antioxidants likeBHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT
(butylated hydroxytoluene) than we everwere supposed to. And while I’m not a doctor, what I’ve learned tells me that’s aproblem. What we’re saying is we haveyears’ worth of research saying the plum(derivatives) performs as well as BHA andBHT, yet the plum is natural.
Phosphates do help proteins retain mois-ture, and so they’ve been used in marinating,such as vacuum tumbling or injection, toincrease added water. When I was a chefyears ago with Hilton, we were seeingchicken with 3 percent water added, and then it went up to 10 percent. Now I’m seeing it as high as 30 percent. I sometimeswonder whether companies that do that are
in the protein business or the water business.
DB: How are these plum extractsand prune powders used in foodproduction?
RP: Applying the powder to chopped,formed or emulsified proteins is one way it’s done. We’re involved with several manu-facturers who do with school foodserviceand delis.
But let me say this: Here’s somethinginteresting about sliced meats, a lot of whichare injected. In roast beef, in particular, yousee a rainbow on it when you slice it. Whowants that? That’s coming from a lot of
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things that are on the label, not the meat.When you pull out phosphates, you’ll nothave that rainbow.So back to the deli area: A lot of products
are chopped and formed or emulsified. Withour plum extract, the goal is to keep products’ moisture up and reduce the sodi-um by 10 to 15 percent. There’s just way toomuch sodium being used in processed foodright now, so this helps address that. The extract also helps with retaining a protein’snatural color.
DB: How are these plum productsapplied to meats?
RP: Several ways. It can be added usinga seasoning packet or added directly tomuscles prior to the grinding. Since thepowdered fruit is so fine, it sticks to theprotein really well, and it could be applied ina rub with sugar or salt and give the meat areally nice color. The liquid concentrateworks well that way, too, since it’s high insorbitol, which also will provide color whenit cooks. You also can marinate your proteinahead of time and then grind it and cook it.But most of our customers would marinatethe protein in a vacuum tumbler first andthen add the mixture later.
DB: Is there any noticeable flavor dif-ference using the plum additives?
RP: The amount that we’re using is solittle and so very concentrated that, no, youcan’t taste it. It’s about a half a percent per apound of product. And with the wateryou’re adding, it brings out the natural flavorsof the protein, which is what you want.
DB: Is this a marketable message thatmanufacturers would share with
their customers, or would switchingto these natural additives just be bet-ter left unsaid?
RP: The industry didn’t go out and tellpeople it was adding a bunch of phosphatesand BHT and BHA when it did, so why dowe need to tell customers we’re doing theright thing now? We didn’t tell them thatwe were, in some ways, hurting them forprofit. So I see this change just going on thelabel and that’s it.I’m sure marketers could create a lot of
fancy talk for it, but for me it’s about beingresponsible and doing the right thingbecause we know we can. It’s come downto a responsibility statement for culinarianslike me and others to keep food clean andhealthful for consumers; they are who weshould have in mind.And that leads me to this question:
Since these products are cost neutral, whywould we use phosphates or BHA or BHTwhen we have a safe and natural replace-ment? It doesn’t make sense if you havecustomers in mind.
DB: Would switching to plum prod-ucts force food processors to reformu-late their recipes?
RP: Well, to some extent,probably yes because they’re sohigh in malic acid, which willaccentuate that flavor. You don’thave to use as much sodium inthat case, so you can back off. It might alter some moistureretention attributes as well, but ifyou need to add some rice starchto a mixture to offset that, it’s notsignificant.At the end of the day, making
the switch means you don’t haveall the ingredients you don’t wantin the food and on the label. Youget a cleaner label, and that’swhat consumers want.
DB: Who is using theseplum products?
RP: We’re not at liberty totalk about our clients, but theseproducts are being used in foodsyou’d find in high-end markets.We’re in several national accountsso far, including a very largeturkey processor.Right now it’s about getting
the word out, planting our feetin certain segments and allowingthem to grow from within. The
good news is it’s catching on with cus-tomers quickly.For guys like me and Jim Degen — our
marketing consultant who translates cheftalk into documents and science — plus alot of other research scientists who wereinvolved, we want to leave a legacy behindthat shows how we made a difference inhow people eat — particularly kids inschools. Look at it this way: consumersmade Proctor & Gamble stop using phos-phates in soaps so we could protect ourriver systems, and yet we’re still allowed toadd them to our food supply? It’s been a long time in the making —
getting all the science done and all the test-ing. That took 18 years and a lot of work atplaces like Texas A&M and Kansas State.Leading meat scientists at those places tested the new products.It all started with the Prune Board (now
called Plum Board), and Sunsweet has sup-ported us all the way through it. The resultsverify what we already knew, that this is agreat replacement for phosphates in ourfood, and we have a third-party that pub-lished its own results in the Journal of FoodScience. It’s a big home run to know sciencebacks everything we’re saying. DB
S P E C I A L F E A T U R E
Sunsweet’s Rick Perez
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P R E P A R E D F O O D S
F amilies traditionally gather around the din-ing room table to indulge in formalThanksgiving and Christmas dinners, butdeli platters can add the needed conve-
nience to more-casual gatherings or bring a touch ofthe season’s spirit to the holiday kitchen.
The holidays are the peak opportunity to helpparty hosts please their guests with an assortment ofplatters, a tasty hook that can keep shoppers comingback to the deli year after year.
“I think platters are critical to bringing the cus-tomer to the deli for their entertaining needs,” saysCara Figgins, vice president of Partners, based inKent, WA. “Creating exciting pairings that surpriseand delight the consumers and provide an entertain-ing solution would certainly make me come back.”Partners makes flatbreads, cookies and snack andhors d’oeuvre crackers. Of particular interest as plat-ter treats are Mia Dolci brand cookie crisps.
Whether it’s pairings of gourmet cheeses,crackers and meats, or collections of more eco-nomical items such as Cheddar cheese and coldcuts, platters give the deli a unique chance toshowcase its interesting and trendy combinationsnot found elsewhere in the store.
“Platters in the deli are more customized com-pared to the produce department, where they seemto be more cookie cutter,” says Margi Gunter, brandmanager for Litehouse, in Sandpoint, ID. Litehousemakes dressings, dips, and cheeses including artisanGorgonzola, Feta and Blue cheese for the upscaleplatter. “Customization is king. If the consumers canget on-trend items pulled together quickly, the deli willbe their go-to stop.”
Platters have segmented into gourmet and economy models, but the key at both ends of thespectrum is the deli must make an impression on consumers, just as consumers hope to impresstheir guests.
Holidays Ahead: Time to Strut YourConvenient Stuff
Platters give the customer, and the deli, a chance to make a statement
BY BOB JOHNSON
AUG/SEPT 2014 DELI BUSINESS 39
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P R E P A R E D F O O D S
The Eyes Have ItA striking variety of colors is the first
step toward making a bold impressionbecause “we first eat with our eyes andthen our taste buds,” says Dean Spilka,president of Norpaco Gourmet Foods,Middletown, CT. “The platters shouldreflect the freshness of the deli and theoverall atmosphere of the store. Plattershave more choices and more color.”
Norpaco makes specialty Italian-styledishes including stuffed cherry peppers,stuffed olives, sun-dried tomatoes, panini-style meat and cheese rolls, and antipastosalads. Look for Norpaco to introduce newtrays before the holidays, Spilka promises.The trays will include combinations of crackers, pepperoni and cheese or olives, sweetypepps, cherry peppers and panini rolls.
Sample platters and displays with largesigns can catch the eye and make the deli ago-to place for the holidays, says Spilka.
The next step: Draw interest to theplatters by including intriguing combinationsof textures.
“Offer items that are not only colorfulbut with different textures and tastes,” saysAnn Dressler, foodservice and deli divisionmanager at G.L. Mezzetta Inc., Corona,CA. “What I am seeing are stores adding
more nontraditional items to their holidayplatters, including more antipasto olive andpepper items that complement the meat andcheese items. Jalapeno- or garlic-stuffedolives or peperoncini peppers add great flairto these platters.”
Mezzetta sells olives, peppers, spreads,pickled vegetables and other specialty products, many of which are combined in
gift baskets. Dressler suggests adding redsweetypepps filled with cream cheese or Goat cheese to add more flavor varietiesto platters.
A final step in making a strong impressionis letting the imagination go by building theplatter with an unconventional combinationof items.
“Delis are being unique with dips, andthey are mixing cheeses with fruits instead ofjust meat or crackers,” says Gunter. “Offer avariety of sizes and items. During the holi-days some people make small platters, somemake huge platters, some need grab-and-go.”
By offering a combination of colors,tastes, textures and sizes, the deli has an opportunity to tell harried consumers it has all the components to impress theirholiday guests.
“The most important thing delis can doto make their department the go-to place isto create displays that provide completeentertaining solutions,” says Partners’ Fig-gins. “Build displays featuring cheeses,meats, crackers, wine, all presented pairedand ready to go. Customers are busy. Theywant a plan without having to design it ontheir own.”
Like the holiday party hosts who haveno time to prepare a meal, however, delismay be too busy to build platters in-house.
“In some cases, retailers are farming outtheir platters or centralizing them,” says TomBuddig, executive vice president for market-ing at Carl Buddig & Company, Home-wood, IL. “Platters are a growing area. Peo-ple are on a fast pace, don’t have time tomake a tray, and it’s helpful if they know theywill be proud to serve your platters.”
Buddig produces sliced deli meats andcrackers, turkey, smoked ham, and cheeseand cracker combinations. It has a
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partnership to market Old Wisconsin meat products.
Although platters may peak during theholidays, the season begins as soon as sum-mer turns to fall.
“I think the season starts with tailgatingfor football, builds into the holidays, and con-tinues until the Super Bowl,” says Buddig.
The High And Low Of ItRelatively well-off consumers see holiday
entertaining as a time to splurge a little tooffer friends and family something special,while other customers have one eye on thefood and the other on the cost of cordiality.
“We feel there are two categories,” saysNorpaco’s Spilka. “Low end and high end.”
High-end platters are a rare opportunityto entice consumers to indulge in the finerfoods found only at the deli.
“Platters have transitioned from beingprimarily for purposes of convenience tobeing an opportunity to feature gourmetcheese, meats and crackers,” says Figgins.“Customers want to be proud of what theyare serving their guests. I think customersfeel the food they serve their guests is areflection of their own personal taste. Cus-tomers are looking for specialty andgourmet items. They want to make sure
their guests are taken care of. This meansgluten-free is taking a new place when itcomes to entertaining. It can no longer bean after-thought. Artisan quality gluten-freecrackers have a place on platters.”
High-quality breads, crackers and wrapscan play an important role in gourmet plat-ters. Valley Lahvosh Baking in Fresno, CA,for example, makes a line of crackers andcracker breads, including specialty heart-and star-shaped crackers, which add atouch of gourmet whimsy to platters. Thecompany also produces a wrap delis use tomake roll-up sandwiches for platters, saysmarketing director Jenni Bonsignore.
To soften the sticker shock, upscale itemscan be offered in more economical portions.
“Litehouse is introducing 8-ounce bagsof crumbles for better value,” says the company’s Gunter. “Center cuts of Bluecheese and Gorgonzola make entertainingeasy, since the packaging is designed to bethe serving tray.”
At the low end of the economic spec-trum, many consumers are looking for itemsboth familiar and affordable.
“Some of the trays being sold are in theproduce department, where produce anddeli items come together,” says Buddig.“Carrots or celery can go together with
dips or cheese. They are easy for snackingor dipping.”
Some consumers, however, would notwant gourmet offerings even if they couldafford them.
“Good Cheddar cheese is safer than agoat cheese,” says Buddig. “Stabbing apiece of Cheddar is easier than stabbing apiece of goat cheese. It’s also a good idea tohave a variety of traditional meats.”
Although many consumers are on a tightbudget, they still want a holiday meal theycan feel good about presenting to family andfriends.
“Platters are a way to differentiate your-self from your competition, to offer some-thing you would be proud to serve at yourown home or take as a gift,” says Buddig.
For delis, platters are an opportunity tomake a lasting impression on consumers atboth ends of the economic spectrum.
“A great tray program can go far inattracting new customers to the service deli as their go-to place for help with holiday entertaining,” says G.L. Mezzetta’sDressler. “Today’s consumers want something that looks like they made it athome, with eye appeal, rather than crois-sant sandwich trays.” DB
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AUG/SEPT 2014 DELI BUSINESS 43
T he holidays are just aroundthe corner, which meansplenty of celebrations andfamily gatherings that require
enough food to satisfy all the partygoers.Industry insiders suggest nearly 80
percent of charcuterie sales occur betweenThanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, withpâtés, spreads and other specialty foods ubiquitous on party buffets.
The most profitable season for AlexianPatés and Specialty Meats, based in Nep-tune, NJ, stretches from October throughDecember, when sales spike tremendously,says company president Laurie Cummins.
“It is a time when people are looking togive specialty food as a holiday gift or use itfor their own tables or for holiday entertain-ing,” she says. “We find retailers who arefocused on maxing sales will welcome theopportunity to add a few additional SKUsto add novelty and excitement to their holi-
Build Holiday ProfitsD E L I M E A T S
Charcuterie, pâtés and spreads are expected to be strong this seasonBY KEITH LORIA
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44 DELI BUSINESS AUG/SEPT 2014
D E L I M E A T S
day product offerings.”A savvy deli department will take
advantage of this opportunity to upsell, andretailers will try different sales models to besuccessful.
Holiday season is often strong for thepâtés, mousses and terrines sold by Les TroisPetits Cochons, based in Brooklyn, NY.
“I think in the deli, offering ideas as far aspairings is a good idea for increasing sales,”says Camille Collins, the company’s market-ing director. “We always try to give retailers
ideas on things to do with the product itself,offering recipes and giving consumers aneasy way to use what they’re buying.”
Richard Kessler, vice president sales andmarketing for Fromartharie, based inMillington, NJ, says retailers should con-centrate on selling pâtés and meats bydrawing attention to them.
“The opportunity is very large to dosome upselling,” he says. “Cross-merchandis-ing works best, from what I have seen, byutilizing whole grains, nuts, olives, cheese —
and showing consumers there are multipleways to use [them].”
Successful Sales ModelsDeli retailers should think about making
shopping easy for their customers, saysVanessa Chang, marketing and educationmanager for Creminelli Fine Meats LLC,headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT.
“A lot of people are looking for gifts forhosts/hostesses, neighbors, co-workers, butthe holidays are also an incredibly busy andstressful time, so it’s important to make giftgiving and food shopping super easy,” shesays. “Some of our retailers will have holidaygift boxes featuring two to three salamis andsometimes other food items in one containedbox that doesn’t require wrapping.”
Using these boxes as a standalone dis-play creates a visual impact, and the dis-play’s accessibility makes it easy for cus-tomers to grab a gift set and continue theirholiday shopping.
Deli managers and category managersneed to engage more with customers, saysKessler. Fromartharie has devised a sort ofcheat-sheet script to use when managerstalk with shoppers.
“From a consumer behavioral stand-point, to attract users of specialty charcu-terie, retailers need to very briefly andclearly describe how to use it, whether it’san ingredient, as part of a series of snacks,whatever it is,” says Kessler. “You need toovercome that fear and lack of awarenesson their part.”
Foie gras is coming on strong in the char-cuterie category, he says, and the company’sLe Roulé French rolled soft cream cheesecontinues to be popular.
What’s New?Fabrique Delices, Hayward, CA,
recently introduced all-natural pâtés,mousses and duck confit to the market,although its Mousse Truffee remains one ofits best sellers.
Although Alexian Patés and SpecialtyMeats doesn’t have any new pâté offerings,Cummins expects more people than everwill be trying pâté for the first time this year.
“Ours is completely all-natural and it isalso gluten free,” she says. “It is a sophisti-cated, yet a quick, easy treat perfect for anyoccasion, but best for when you just want tokick back and chill.”
The company will introduce its new, all-natural Applewood Smoked Chicken breast,which only needs to be opened, sliced, andgarnished to be presented as a lean and deli-cious center-of-plate item or appetizer.
“Time is at a premium during the holi-day season, and the smoked chicken
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breast is versatile, simple and delicious,”says Cummins.
Creminelli offers a classic line of salami,but in the fourth quarter of this year will fea-ture such specials as Ungherese (Hungarian-style salami made with sweet paprika andsweet wine) as well as elk salami. Companyfounder Cristiano Creminelli has been exper-imenting with his version of wild-gamesalami for a while and “finally got a recipedown that has impressed the lucky few whohave been able to taste it so far,” says Chang.“It’s made with elk sourced from Idaho andheritage Duroc pork fat.”
The company also will bring back theWhite truffle seasonal salami featuring whitetruffles from Alba, Italy.
Merchandising MattersTasting is always popular and particularly
effective during the high-traffic holiday sea-son, when people are hungry, busy and look-ing for foolproof ideas.
“Merchandising individual salami with sig-nage suggesting cheese/beverage pairings oreven cross-merchandising the items them-selves helps customers put great entertainingideas together,” says Chang.
If the charcuterie selection is placed farfrom the cheese, Chang suggests samplingstaff-favorite pairings or displaying some ofthe salami within the cheese section.
The wine/beer/spirits department isanother great place to offer information tocustomers, showing which salami and char-
cuterie pair best with that bottle of redwine that’s on special.
Les Trois Petits Cochons provides retail-ers with a consumer brochure, which con-tains recipes and helpful tips on how to cre-ate a proper charcuterie board with thecompany’s pâtés and other products.
Calling Attention To The ProductsSignage is key year-round but particularly
during the holidays. When customer traffic is
at a peak, it’s easy for deli managers to forgetto make their displays look clean, organized,attractive and properly signed.
“Without proper signage, people won’tbe able to identify something they mightpotentially be interested in,” says Chang.“Signage with the price, name of the prod-uct, and how to enjoy it is critical. Promot-ing one item by a simple tasting or pairingwith another item like cheese and beverageis also effective with busy consumers.” DB
CALL
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he beginning of Fiorucci can be traced back to the mid-1800s, when Innocenzo Fiorucci opened a meat shop in Norcia, Italy. Little did he know, in this small town tucked away in the province of Perugia in southeastern Umbria, that the company and its guiding principles
would take hold and grow. During the winter, Innocenzo would travel to Rome to sell the typical dry sausage from Norcia called
Norcinetto. Years later, based on the success of this venture, Innocenzo settled in Rome and opened a shop specializing in the traditional preparation of cured meats.
Building on their father’s legacy, the next generation of the Fiorucci family, through the vision of one ofInnocenzo’s sons, Cesare, expanded the business by creating a chain of Norcinerie (Norcia Meatshops),which soon became popular in Rome.
In the 1950’s, Cesare Fiorucci created an industrial model capable of both meeting the need for increas-ing production and safeguarding recipes that have been handed down through generations.
Cesare’s son, Ferruccio, guided the company after the death of his father and has built it to what it istoday. In the 1980’s, Fiorucci opened offices abroad, setting out to enter the North American market andacquire new production facilities in the zones of origin of its specialty meats.
In 2011 Fiorucci Foods Inc. was acquired by Campofrio Food Group, the leading processed meats company in Europe, and has been renamed Campofrio Food Group America.
The Fiorucci brand and products have been present for more than 10 years in the United States.Blast From The Past is a regular feature of DELI BUSINESS. We welcome submissions of your old photos, labels or advertisements along with a brief description of the photo. Please send material to: Editor, DELI BUSINESS, P.O. Box 810217, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0217
or e-mail [email protected]. For more information contact us at (561) 994-1118
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46 DELI BUSINESS AUG/SEPT 2014
“Il Gusto d’Italia – The Taste of Italy”
Blast From The Past
COMPANY PAGE# CATEGORY PHONEAnco Foods ........................................................................15..........................................................................Spanish Cheese ......................................................................800-592-4337Atlanta Foods International ................................................13..........................................................................Cheese ..................................................................................404-688-1315Backerhaus Veit Ltd. ..........................................................21..........................................................................Breads ..................................................................................905-850-9229BD&K Foods........................................................................11..........................................................................Sides ......................................................................................334-728-0020Beemster ............................................................................22..........................................................................Dutch Cheese..........................................................................908-372-6024BelGioioso Cheese, Inc.........................................................17..........................................................................Cheese ..................................................................................877-863-2123Blount Fine Foods ..............................................................31..........................................................................Soups ....................................................................................800-274-2526Castella Imports ..................................................................42..........................................................................Party Toppers ........................................................................866-CASTELLACouturier North-America, Inc. ................................................2..........................................................................French Cheese ........................................................................518-851-2570Emmi Roth..........................................................................19..........................................................................Fondue ..................................................................................888-KASE-USAFarm Ridge Foods, LLC ......................................................28..........................................................................Pickles....................................................................................631-343-7070FoodMatch, Inc. ..................................................................24..........................................................................Olive Oils................................................................................800-350-3411Fortun’s Finishing Touch Sauces ..........................................33..........................................................................Soups ....................................................................................888-988-1045George E. 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