2000 Winter International Fancy Food & Confection Show Review

The NASFT celebrated its silver anniversary at the 25 Winter Fancy Food Show this past January in San Francisco. Featuring nearly 1,000 exhibitors, the show presented more than 50,000 specialty food products to industry professionals.

More and More Beverages

From coffee and tea to soda and juice, there was no drought in new introductions in the beverage category. From The Republic of Tea and The Imperial Tea Court, San Francisco's first traditional teahouse, comes a new line of tea called Imperial Republic.

Ron Rubin, Republic's president, and Roy Fong, founder of The Imperial Tea Court, worked directly with tea growers to hand produce teas to exacting specifications so consumers can discover a unique Oriental treasure from China. Only 600 tins of each flavor of these high-quality rare teas are available. Iron Goddess, Jade Oolong, Pu-erh, Keemun Mao Feng, Snow Rose, and Jasmine Pearls are priced from $25 to $40.

Lindsay's Teas also showcased premium teas of the world sourced directly from the finest tea gardens for its Estate Teas line. Offering rare and exotic teas, fruit tisanes, and herbal infusions, the line is available in a variety of sizes to suit single servings or bulk service.

Taylors of Harrogate teas, available from Globe Trends, have upgraded their tea tin packaging and renamed several of their teas to better represent the tradition of each particular tea-growing region or estate. For instance, the Keemun has been renamed Lion Mountain, which represents the English translation of this tea from the Anhui province of China.

Stash has taken their most popular loose-leaf teas and packaged them in a resealable pouch to preserve freshness and flavor. Among the offerings in each convenient 100-gram pouch (which makes 45-50 cups of tea) are Darjeeling, Double Bergamot Earl Grey, Gunpowder Green, and Vanilla Creme.

A new gift pack offering from First Colony called All Day Café offers the coffee consumer a progression of coffees to take them through the day. Starting with a Breakfast Blend, the pack also includes Mocha Java and two packages of Colombian Armenia Supremo, one regular and a decaf to savor in the evening.

Boosting the excitement at Fairwinds Coffee is the launch of new packaging for its entire coffee line. Black and purple provide the backdrop for the packaging across the whole bean, ground, trial-size, and pillow-pack offerings. New to the line is an 8-ounce ground coffee line, as well as a 1.75-ounce foodservice fractional pack.

Celebrate any occasion with the special coffee selections from White Coffee Corp. The Classic Collection showcases their best-selling coffees: Colombia Supremo, French Toast, Copenhagen, and Tip of the Andes. Also among the gift line are three special blends prepared specially for Hanukkah: Dreidel Blend, Festival Roast, and Celebration Blend. The company also celebrated the introduction of a brand-new booth with the debut of a private label program called A Fuente for retailers. The base coffee in the selections is Yucco Select from Puerto Rico.

Torani promoted the new Caffe Fiori line of coffee flavorings specially made to blend easily and deliciously in brewed coffee. The five popular flavors — French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Irish Cream, Amaretto, and Raspberry — help retailers and consumers turn brewed coffee into a premium-flavored beverage without any additional brewers or airpots.

For retailers wishing to add further excitement to their in-store bulk coffee program, Fresh Roast Systems blends the art of coffee roasting with automation technology. Designed for retailer point-of-sale roasting, this fully-automated in-store roasting system requires no expertise to operate, and provides unmatched freshness and selection with consistency and inventory control.

Coffee Masters showed off a unique nitrogen-flushed valve bag, which incorporates a matte finish on a glossy metallic material. It's available in thirty-two of their best-selling coffees in both 12- and 16-ounce bag sizes. Custom printing is also available.

Soy tea lattes were showcased by Oregon Chai. These ready-to-drink, ready-to-go beverages come in two varieties. Original Chai is a blend of soy, black tea, honey, vanilla bean, and spices. Kashmir Green Tea is a rich and smooth concoction of soy, green tea, almond, honey, and vanilla bean.

Sweet Treats

The mint category has been coming on strong, and Brown & Haley's new addition joins the pack. Zingos, Extra Strength Caffeinated Peppermints are sugar free, yet fiercely flavored. The mints contain the caffeine equivalent of one cola, providing a mild stimulant that heightens alertness and mental awareness, and is thought to improve overall performance.

For a little boost from chocolate, try Ghiradelli's new line of filled chocolate bars and squares. The Chocolate Square features the company's signature chocolate with a soft center and comes in four flavors: the milk chocolate varieties are available with a double chocolate, caramel, or orange filling; and the dark chocolate variety is filled with white mint.

Seattle Chocolates has added two truffle bars to its line. Using all-natural ingredients, each bar has a lusciously smooth and creamy texture. One bar is coated in a milk chocolate shell, the other in dark chocolate. Eight flavors in all are available in the truffle bar line.

Hero preserves, distributed by Source Atlantique, has updated the packaging on the entire line, which is available in open stock or 24-pack shippers.

To sweeten and flavor at the same time, EpicCure presented the Princess of Yum naturally flavored sugars. All-natural flavor is infused into pure cane sugar for use in both beverages and food. Available in four flavors — Amoré Amaretto, Citrus Lemon, Razz Berry, and French Vanilla — the sugars come in five-ounce decorated canisters with shaker/pour tops.

Salem Baking introduced a new Tangerine Orange Moravian sugar cookie in a 2.75-ounce package, as well as a new citrus three-pack, which will include Lemon, Key Lime, and Orange flavors.

Hagensborg Food Corporation has added to their lineup the Truffles To Go Meltaway Truffles in seven different flavors. The product is available in open stock, shippers, and a beautiful acrylic counter container rack which showcases 24 pieces in four flavors. The company also announced new upscale packaging for the Euro Kiss Me Frog Truffles line.

The Candy Jar booth was busy sampling their moulded one-ounce Deluxe Truffelinos and Petite Truffelinos in a variety of 30 chocolate and liqueur-flavored centers.

Sumptuous Snacking

Healthy snacks continue to offer a bit of goodness, but taste like a little sin. Rice Sembei rice snacks are a uniquely delicate, crunchy snack that is neither a chip nor a cracker. Light and airy, Rice Sembei comes in three varieties: Original, Soy, and Sun-Dried Tomato flavors.

Venus Wafers introduced the Haute Cuisine line of specialty crackers with six flavors available. Three flavors are chef endorsed: Saffron & Pepper, Basil & Sweet Pepper, and Roasted Onion. Also new is the organic Healthy Cuisine line in three flavors: Blueberry, Cranberry, and Seed Overload.

The Hain Food Group makes snacking truly a bliss with Terra Red Bliss Potato Chips. Made with pure olive oil, the red potato chips have a light touch of herbs and sea salt to create three varieties which include Original, Fine Herbs, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Balsamic Vinegar.

For those who have no time to eat their vegetables, Calbee America presented Snapea Crisps. A new snack made from high-quality nutritious peas, the crisps maintain the taste, nutrition, and shape of the pea, while delivering a delicious snack with delicate flavor. Available in Original and Caesar flavors.

For added crunch and great taste, Dare Foods has introduced the Vinta Cracker. A wholesome blend of eight different grains and seeds, the cracker has a hearty texture perfect by itself or with a topping.

Fashionable Foodservice

As specialty retailers look for more efficient ways to deliver top-quality products to their increasingly sophisticated customers, more and more specialty food manufacturers are introducing foodservice packaging for their most popular products. Morea introduced Greek olives in foodservice sizing. Its naturally cured olives are available in five varieties: Kalamata olives (in extra jumbo and giant), Halkidiki Green Olives, Olympia Olives, Hondroelia Olives, and Black Amfissa Olives. These olives come pasteurized in convenient, resealable, and stackable trays. The olives are packed in edible brine and contain an average of 50 percent less salt than olives that are not pasteurized. Morea's naturally cured foodservice olives have a shelf life of up to 1.5 years until opened.

Gourmet America proudly introduced Palmito, cultivated hearts of palm from Costa Rica in nine-ounce glass jars, as well as 14- and 28-ounce foodservice sizes.

Swiss Dairy Foods now makes it easy to sell and serve Switzerland's famous Tete de Moine cheese. Sold in ribbons, Tete de Moine is available in convenient foodservice packaging under the Toni brand.

Sepp's tempted us with talk of its Antoine line of all-natural chef-made patés in consumer and bulk packaging sold by its Summersweet Paté division.

Meals Made Easy

Specialty food manufacturers continue to raise the bar on packaged goods that make flavor-packed meal preparation a breeze. Gourmet West Group presented its Vine Star line of pasta sauces in three flavors: Pinot Porcini Pasta Sauce, Cabernet Grilling Sauce, and Chardonnay Sorrentino Pasta Sauce. These all-natural sauces guarantee great grilling and fast, flavorful pasta.

DeCecco introduced brand-new packaging for their tricolor pasta — the Fusilli and Farfalle cuts.

Francis Coppola Brands introduced its new food line at the show; it includes three organic pasta sauces — Pomodoro Basilico, Puttanesca, and Arabbiatta. Four pastas — Gemelli, Farfallone, Quadrefiore, and Rosette — also were shown, as well as an organic extra virgin California olive oil.

The Pasta Shoppe debuted its new line of Ready Set Salads. These easy-to-make salads are available in three pasta shapes with a ranch-and-herb dressing and three pasta shapes with a sweet-and-sour vinaigrette. Each colorful box says, "15 minute salad," letting the customer know just how quickly a delicious dinner can be on the table. The Pasta Shoppe also featured its Easy Cheesy Pasta and Ready . . . Set . . . Soup! mixes.

Weir's Sauces gave attendees something to sing about with the launch of its stir fry and hot sauces. Weir's Sauces are available in Snake Oil Stir Fry, Snake Oil Hot Sauce, Otherworld Wok Sauce, and Otherworld Hot Sauce. These versatile sauces can be used for salad dressings, dipping, sautéing, and stir-frying.

Robert Rothschild introduced a variety of new items, including Pineapple Mustard Dip, Margarita Mustard Dip, Oriental Hoisin Sauce, Ginger Peach Salsa, Apricot Ginger Chutney/Relish, and Orange Blossom Marmalade.

Melissa's World Variety Produce unveiled its new line of Natural Extracts for busy cooks. These long-lasting Natural Extracts are available in nine varieties: Basil, Cilantro, Cinnamon, Garlic, Ginger, Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, and Thyme. Each 1.76-ounce bottle dispenses one or two drops of flavorful extract into a dish.

Trois Petits Cochons makes entertaining and everyday snacking a gourmet experience with its new Bloc de Foie Gras de Canard. This pure foie gras made with Sauternes wine and spices was created in celebration of Petits Cochons' 25 anniversary.

Oak Hill Farms, a division of Halifax, introduced a new Jim Beam Ketchup in a variety of bottle sizes.

New World Spices stirred up excitement with its line of Indian-style Stir Fry Blends. These flavorful spices are available in a variety of distinctive blends, including Bombay Saffron Rice, Calcutta Lemon Mustard, Sweet & Tangy Masala, Kashmiri Mild Curry, Madras Tamarind Hot, and New Delhi BBQ Spice. New World is marketing the spice blends as a quick, easy way to make luscious one-pot meals.

Naturals & Organics

Valley Lavosh announced the launch of its new line of natural products. The new line, marketed under the name Stone Street Bakery, features five varieties of all-natural crispy Lavosh: Onion, Garlic, Plain, Sesame, and Everything. The natural lavosh come in rounds and offer an 18-month shelf life.

Eden Foods spotlighted its Organic Sweet Cinnamon Apple sauce in 25-ounce jars.

A World of Specialty Cheeses

More than ever before, this year's Winter Fancy Food Show featured specialty cheeses from around the world. It seemed no matter what country's cheeses you were craving, there were exceptional specialty selections from which to choose.

In its effort to introduce Americans to lesser-known Swiss specialty cheeses, Switzerland Cheese Marketing served up samples of four cow's milk delicacies: La Fleur du Léman, a soft, natural white rind cheese with 55 percent cream; Jean-Louis, containing 55 percent cream; Tomme Suisse, with 45 percent cream and a flowery rind; and Organic Tomme.

Also new from Switzerland, two organic cheeses — Organic Gruyère and Organic Emmental — debuted by Swiss Dairy Foods and marketed under the Toni brand. Emmi featured its Cave-Aged Gruyère made from raw cow's milk. This hard, fruity, full-flavored cheese is aged for at least one year — 10 months of which it is matured in a cave.

Those fancying French cheeses had much to savor at Crystal Food Import, where the cheesemaker from fromagerie P. Jacquin et Fils was on hand to slice and serve his artisanal gems. A whole range of P. Jacquin fresh and aged goat's milk cheeses were featured, including a special creation for Crystal: heart-shaped cheeses aged with paprika.

Quality Cheese set up shop with the purpose of finding a distributor and tantalizing show-goers with tastes of its unique Kracher Grand Cru. This blue-veined cheese from Austria is made with Kracher sweet white wine. These rindless wheels are aged for four to five weeks and carry an 8-week shelf life.

Better Butters

Cheese was not the only dairy category receiving special attention. Crystal Food Import featured a range of French yogurts and butters under the La Laitiare name.

European Imports also showcased specialty butter: a 100-percent goat's milk butter called Sevre et Belle from France.