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Good Earth Coffeehouse Chain Plans Expansion to Ontario
Good Earth Cafes Ltd., parent company of Good Earth Coffeehouse, has announced plans to expand its authentic coffeehouse concept into Ontario. The coffeehouse chain is presently operating in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, with 42 locations. Gerry Docherty, president, has sights on growth throughout Ontario through the company’s successful franchise model. Good Earth’s expansion strategy includes seeking multi-unit franchise operators initially, with a secondary push for single-unit franchisees in smaller markets. Good Earth’s Real Estate division is evaluating sites in larger centers, such as the greater Toronto area and Ottawa, as well as mid-markets like London, Barrie and Oakville. “Smaller ... |
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More Than a Quarter of Americans Eat Gluten-Free Foods to Aid Weight Loss
With the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruling on gluten-free labeling standards, the popularity of gluten-free foods shows no signs of slowing down, and according to recent research from Mintel, it’s not just the gluten-intolerant who are filling their shopping carts with wheat-free products.Indeed, 65 percent of consumers who eat or used to eat gluten-free foods do so because they think they are healthier; and 27 percent eat them because they feel they aid in their weight-loss efforts.“It’s really interesting to see that consumers think gluten-free foods are healthier and can help them lose weight because there’s been no ... |
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Chilewich & Alessi Partner on In-Store Demo to Set the Modern Table
Two companies with very modern design sensibilities joined forces recently to demonstrate ideas for setting a memorable holiday table. Chilewich founder Sandy Chilewich showed how her stylish woven textiles combine with wares from Alessi, a maker of almost futuristic-looking tableware, to create what she called the “ultimate in modern table dressing.”When presented with the opportunity to work with Chilewich, Paolo Cravedi, managing director of Alessi USA, was enthused. “We admire Chilewich and it’s a pleasure and honor to collaborate with Sandy and her company,” he said. “This is a wonderful example of like-minded brands that complement each other and create ... |
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Portmeirion Group Wins 2013 Excellence in Housewares Award
Portmeirion Group has won the Excellence in Cookware award for its Sophie Conran for Portmeirion Cookware Collection at the Excellence in Housewares Awards 2013. Regarded as the Oscars of the housewares trade, the Excellence in Housewares Awards recognize and reward exemplary product innovation and service acumen across the industry. Portmeirion Group worked in partnership with celebrated food writer Sophie Conran to develop and create the collection of ceramic-coated cast aluminum cookware. A new direction for the brand, the collection features the latest nonstick coating technology with cast aluminum bodies for optimum heat distribution “Lightweight but strong, the Sophie Conran Cookware Collection is ... |
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Lucini Italia Sponsors Intensive EVOOl Tasting Seminar
With extra virgin olive oil use by American consumers increasing every year, and a recent United States International Trade Commission report revealing a majority of extra virgin olive oils on the shelves are “adulterated and mislabeled products,” a deep understanding of extra virgin olive oil is becoming essential to operate successfully in this dynamic category.For this reason, gourmet Italian foods maker Lucini Italia is sponsoring the National Organization of Olive Oil Tasters’ (ONAOO) Extra Virgin Olive Oil Intensive Tasting Seminar, a two-day, in-depth training modeled after the five-day professional ONAOO course based in Imperia, Italy. The first of its kind ... |
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Beemster Renames Award-Winning Cheeses to Clarify Consumer Choices
Beemster Cheese U.S. has decided to demonstrate the timelessness of Shakespeare’s famous question – what’s in a name? The bard first claimed a rose would smell as sweet by any other name. In that vein, Beemster will prove its cheeses retain their wonderful taste no matter what they are called.Beemster used a recent packaging redesign to rename its cheeses, making it easier for consumers to distinguish between each variety. Consumers unfamiliar with the award-winning artisanal cow and goat milk cheeses from the Beemster polder in the Netherlands often made their selection based on price alone. The new repack labels allow consumers ... |
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AmericasMart Names Best of Atlanta Gourmet Products
AmericasMart Atlanta announced the winners of its annual Best of Atlanta awards celebrating the top gourmet food products in its permanent and temporary collections. The awards were adjudicated during the Atlanta Gourmet Market in September. Winners were designated based on taste, overall appeal and packaging/presentation as selected by industry experts Melissa Libby, founder of Melissa Libby & Associates and gourmet industry public relations specialist; Hil Harper, founder of “Gentleman South” and restaurant critic; and Deborah Geering, columnist and local food expert for Atlanta Magazine. The winners were: The Orchards Gourmet’s Glazed Pecans for Best Candy Non-Chocolate and Pecan Peanut Butter Meltaways ... |
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UNFI Acquires Trudeau Foods
United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all of the equity interests of Trudeau Foods LLC from Trudeau Holdings LLC, a portfolio company of Arbor Investments II LP. Trudeau Foods is the largest Minnesota-based distributor of natural, organic and specialty food products. Upon closing, Trudeau Foods became a wholly owned subsidiary of UNFI. “This acquisition is the latest step in our strategy to grow our market share and deliver a complete basket of specialty, natural and organic products to our customers,” said Steve Spinner, UNFI’s president and chief executive officer. “We are excited to ... |
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Survey: Food e-Vangelists Looking to Impact Global Food System
A shift in power is taking place in the food industry led by a group of increasingly influential consumers who want to impact the way food is raised, grown, packaged and sold. Global public relations agency Ketchum released results from its third global Food 2020 survey, which sheds light on this vocal subset of food influencers – dubbed Food e-Vangelists – who are making an impact on the hottest food issues today. “In our third year of fielding this survey, we are seeing consistent and important trends about consumers’ interest in the food system and what they have come to ... |
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Yogurt Chain, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Continue Co-Branding
U-Swirl Inc., parent to U-SWIRL International Inc., the owner and franchiser of U-SWIRL Frozen Yogurt cafes, has added Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory gourmet retail chocolate stores to two existing locations in Las Vegas. The stores represent the 10th and 11th co-branded locations among the U-Swirl brands, with two additional co-branded locations expected to open this year. “As the frozen yogurt industry develops, we expect this opportunity to clearly demonstrate that co-branding the two concepts adds value to the business and complements the seasonality of yogurt sales,” said Terry Cartwright, chief operating officer. “It is an important part of our long-term ... |
