Yovation debuts in six flavors: Cookie Fudge Crunch, Double Fudge Brownie, Toasted Almond, Vanilla Bean, Vanilla Honey Granola and Vanilla with Hola Fruta! Pomegranate & Blueberry Sherbet. It comes packaged in full-color, paper quart containers with eye-catching graphics and tantalizing scoop images. Suggested retail price is $4.79 to $4.99.
Whether a child is having trouble gaining weight, is below or slightly below growth percentiles, resists eating enough nutritious foods or needs extra nutrition to maintain an active lifestyle, Boost Kid Essentials Drink can fill in nutritional gaps and help support the strong growth and healthy immune system every child deserves. As a refreshing treat or meal, Boost Kid Essentials Drink can be part of a child’s daily diet.
The drink is also digestion-friendly, being lactose free and gluten free, and does not contain high-fructose corn syrup. Boost Kid Essentials Drink is available in three kid-approved flavors: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, all in a kid-friendly package that is spill-resistant and easy to grip.
Half Moon Bay, Calif.-based Odwalla Inc., a leading health beverage brand that is part of Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co.’s product portfolio, introduces all-natural, reduced-calorie Mojito Mambo and Pomegranate Strawberry juice drinks. Sweetened with the right combination of Truvia natural sweetener, organic evaporated cane juice and fruit juices, Odwalla Mojito Mambo and Odwalla Pomegranate Strawberry each have 50 calories per 8-oz serving. The drinks are designed for consumers who are seeking a naturally reduced-calorie and reduced-sugar beverage.
Truvia is a zero-calorie sweetener based on rebiana, which comes from the best-tasting part of the stevia leaf. Harvested at the peak of sweetness, stevia leaves are dried and steeped in water, much like tea. This extract is then further refined and purified. The finished product is the pure, natural sweetness of rebiana.
The new Odwalla quenchers are also fortified with 50% of the Daily Value of antioxidant vitamins C and E in each serving. Like all Odwalla products, Mojito Mambo and Pomegranate Strawberry do not contain any artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners or preservatives. The drinks come in 450ml grab-and-go recyclable plastic bottles and have a suggested retail price of $3.29.
Dairy Foods now offers Dairy Product Innovations (www.dairyfoods.com/dpi), an e-newsletter focused on new dairy products and new products and services from dairy industry suppliers. Subscribers receive Dairy Product Innovations monthly with the occasional special installation or themed issue focusing on specific niches like artisan cheese or organic and natural foods. To subscribe, visit www.dairyfoods.com.
Noteworthy Introductions
With a consistency of pudding, new Ready Grains multigrain cereal from Kozy Shack, Hicksville, N.Y., relies on a proprietary slow-kettle cooking and filling process to keep product fresh and firm in the dairy case. Based on lowfat milk and four grains, Ready Grains is designed to be consumed straight from the single-serve plastic container, straight from the fridge or warmed in the microwave. The cereal bowls come in twin packs and sell for about $3.99.La Farge, Wis.-based Organic Valley Family of Farms now offers its award-winning butter in a whipped form. Presented in convenient and recyclable 8-oz tubs, the smooth butter is sold in select organic and natural food grocers.
International
Athens, Greece-based Fage S.A., introduces Fage Tzatziki Dip to most European Union markets. Tzatziki is a traditional Greek appetizer made from fresh ingredients such as yogurt, olive oil, cucumbers, garlic and salt. Fage Tzatziki uses an innovative formula but maintains the core ingredients of yogurt, fresh cucumber and spices. It complements fried potatoes or zucchini and may also be spread on bread or used as a dip for chips and veggies; however, its main use is as a dip for souvlaki and gyros with pita bread.South Korean consumers were introduced to Samjo Celltech Garlic and Emmental Cheese Sauce at the beginning of this year. Made with emmental and cheddar cheeses, along with fresh cream, this new product can be used as a spread or dipping sauce. It comes in a 170g pack containing two 85g tubs.
Coop Intero Yogurt alla Banana (Full-Fat Whole Banana Yoghurt) from Italy’s Latteria Sociale Vipiteno Coop contains no added colorings, preservatives or flavorings. It is made with whole fruits and is said to be a healthy and balanced breakfast or pleasant break during the day. The product is available in a pack containing two 125g tubs.
Contributed by Krista Faron, senior analyst, Mintel Custom Solutions, Global New Products Database (GNPD). For more information call 312/932-0400, or visitwww.gnpd.com.
Focus on Cheese
Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Montpelier, Vt., introduces Cabot 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese with Omega-3 DHA. “We’re very excited about the introduction of our 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar with Omega-3 DHA,” says Cabot CEO Richard Stammer. “We’re constantly looking at ways to improve our products and provide consumers with healthy, great-tasting cheddar. This new product provides consumers with an excellent source of omega-3. It helps promote better health and nutrition for people of all ages, and it doesn’t alter the taste or consistency of the cheese.”Foodservice operators can take their menus to a whole new level with Artisan Perfect Melt from Sartori Foods, Plymouth, Wis. This naturally controlled-melt cheese can be pan-seared, grilled, baked or deep-fried without any breading or batter.
“We believe that our new Artisan Perfect Melt will inspire chefs to use cheese in ways they never thought possible,” says Jim Sartori, president and CEO. “The versatility of this product allows chefs to really get creative and bring new, differentiated offerings to their menus. From innovative appetizer creations to salad and entrée toppers to sandwich protein replacements, the possibilities are endless.”
New Artisan Perfect Melt cheese is available in a variety of forms, including thick slices, crisps and chips. The ever-growing range of flavors and varieties includes Classic Asiago, Garlic Basil, Roasted Red Pepper, Fontina and Cheddar. Additionally, Sartori Foods can create custom formats and flavor profiles to meet individual needs.
As one of the top-selling specialty items in 19 Kroger stores located throughout Richmond and Charlottesville, Va., Miss Bonnie’s Gourmet Cheese Spreads, Midlothian, Va. (www.missbonnies.com) has big plans to grow nationally. Of course, that would mean owner Bonnie Adleman and husband Ron would close the doors to their commercial production kitchen “out back” and commute to an industrial facility, but it would also help separate work from home, which has been impossible during the past few years. The Adleman’s and their small staff typically work seven days a week to fill orders for their exclusive customer-Kroger. At capacity, the other 100-plus Krogers in the mid-Atlantic region are anxious for her to grow. As are out-of-state customers, who often place mail orders with family members via Kroger. (She’s looking for co-packers.)
“Miss Bonnie’s Cheese Spreads are the number-one selling gourmet item in my store, reaching a 28-day movement exceeding 1,300 jars and retailing at $7.29 each,” says Ed Southern (pictured above with Bonnie), a Kroger store manager at the largest unit in the Mid-Atlantic region. “It outsells, by far, the leading national branded cheese spreads. Nothing compares to it.”
Adleman’s story is an American dream. Not satisfied with any cheese spread choices in the marketplace, a few years back she began crafting her own. “Encouraged by friends and family members to go to market, I decided to give it a try,” Adleman says. “Starting in November 2006 in only one Kroger store in the Richmond area, we are now 19 stores strong.
“My home-style cheese spreads are crafted the old-fashioned way with a focus on premium ingredients,” she says. “The pimento variety is quite different from traditional southern-style pimento cheese. The deep, bold, creamy flavor is the result of a unique blend of quality white cheeses and my secret recipe ingredients. One of the cheeses has been aged between 18- to 24-months, providing a full-bodied, home-style chunky texture that lingers on the palate.”
The other variety is Jalapeño Pepper and has a medium-hot profile. “The jalapeño variety is a different combination of white cheeses than used in the pimento,” she says. “It is just hot enough to satisfy those that enjoy a spicy kick and a tangy zing. Many folks tell me they don’t really like hot spicy food, but they are crazy about mine.”
