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The Chefs’ Warehouse Acquires Qzina Specialty Foods
The Chefs’ Warehouse, premier distributor of specialty food products in the United States, has acquired all of the equity interests of Qzina Specialty Foods North America, based in Pompano Beach, Fla. Founded in 1982, Qzina is a leading supplier of gourmet chocolate, dessert and pastry products dedicated to the pastry professional. It currently supplies more than 3,000 products to serve some of the finest restaurants, bakeries, patisseries, chocolatiers, hotels and cruise lines throughout the United States and Canada.“We are thrilled to have Qzina join the Chefs’ Warehouse family,” said Chris Pappas, chairman and chief executive officer of The Chefs’ Warehouse. ... |
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Chocolate Works Franchises Candy Shop Concept
Chocolate Works, a new franchise concept that is an extension of New York-based 5th Avenue Chocolatiere, is now awarding franchises in New York and New Jersey with plans to expand throughout the United States.Chocolate Works transforms the corner candy shop into an interactive chocolate factory experience. Beyond the colorful candy bins and cases of chocolates, kids and adults are invited to indulge in a hands-on learning experience, molding, decorating, dipping, enrobing and crafting their own chocolate and candy creations. Based on the success of its three current locations on Long Island, Scarsdale and Manhattan, and the requests from customers, Chocolate ... |
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Quality Cheese Ricotta Crowned Grand Champion at Canadian Competition
Quality Cheese Ricotta was named the Grand Champion at the eighth edition of the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix in Montreal. The ricotta made history as the first fresh cheese and the first cheese from Ontario to be honored as Grand Champion. A jury of top Canadian food industry experts selected it from 20 category winners. Sponsored and hosted every two years by Dairy Farmers of Canada, the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix celebrates the high quality, versatility and great taste of Canadian cheese made from Canadian milk.“The jury found this ricotta refined, delicate and well-balanced,” said Phil Bélanger, Canadian Cheese Grand ... |
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Krups, Voters Name Best Coffee Shops in America
Krups USA, a worldwide leader in coffee, espresso and kitchen appliances, announced the winners of this year’s Krups Best Brew Awards. The annual campaign, now in its third year, was introduced to discover the best coffee shops across the nation. Determined by a call for entries and a public vote through the Krups Facebook page, fans voted for their favorite coffee shops in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco from March 18 to April 12. The campaign drew more than 1,800 votes as well as write-in entries.Winners are Condesa Coffee, Atlanta; ... |
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Honey Producers File Class Action Over Honey Dumping Issue
Three domestic honey producers – Adee Honey Farms, Bill Rhodes Honey Co. and Hackenberg Apiaries – filed a class action complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, following on the nearly five-year “Honeygate” investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over alleged honey dumping from China.In addition to the three named honey producers, the lawsuit asserts claims on behalf of a nationwide class defined as all individuals and entities “with commercial beekeeping operations (300 or more hives) that produced and sold honey in the United States during the period from 2001 to the present.” ... |
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Chukar Cherries Debuts Pouch Design, New Product
Chukar Cherries of Prosser, Wash., has debuted new zip pouches for its entire line of dried fruit, chocolates and energy mixes, and introduced dark chocolate Tangerine Cherries to its collection of chocolate-covered cherries, berries and nuts. Chukar’s new zip pouches highlight the company’s foundation in the Northwest by featuring illustrations by Washington artist Jim Hays. In addition to the illustrations of cherries and berries, the packaging boasts an eye-catching design, zip tops, large product windows and the same size and weight as previous pouches. Pam Montgomery, Chukar’s founder and CEO, said, “The new packages were designed to make shopping easier ... |
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Starbucks to Cut Coffee Prices 10 Percent in Grocery Stores
Next month, Starbucks Corp. will lower prices by 10 percent for its Starbucks and Seattle’s Best brand packaged coffees sold in supermarkets and other retail stores.Prices will decrease from $9.99 to $8.99 for a 12-ounce bag of Starbucks coffee beginning May 10, Jim Olson, a spokesman for the Seattle-based company, told Bloomberg in an interview. “This will allow us to both enhance the value that we’re providing our existing packaged coffee customers, and hopefully increase the frequency [with] which they purchase Starbucks and Seattle’s Best coffee, as well as attract new customers,” he said. In 2011, Starbucks raised prices of ... |
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NPD: Tabletop Consumers Enjoy Hosting Parties and Reveal Lifestyle Trends
Sixty-four percent of consumers who purchase dinnerware, beverageware and/or flatware enjoy hosting parties in their home, but 44 percent of all tabletop consumers said they use disposable plates to entertain, according to insights from The NPD Group. “The tabletop consumer clearly enjoys setting their table, but the focus is increasingly on the casual and versatile options,” said Debra Mednick executive director and home industry analyst for The NPD Group.More than half (54 percent) of consumers who purchased tabletop items coordinate table settings, and 48 percent of all tabletop consumers said they own fine china, according to NPD data for the ... |
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Fairway IPO Raises $177.5 Million
Fairway Group Holdings Corp. raised $177.5 million in its initial public offering after pricing the shares above the marketed range.The New York grocer sold 13.65 million shares for $13 each, after offering them for between $10 and $12, according to Bloomberg. The shares represent a 33 percent stake in the company, which operates 12 stores in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York, and is majority-owned by private equity firm Sterling Investment Partners.Fairway sales increased 14 percent to $554.9 million and posted a net loss of $11.9 million for the year ended April 1, 2012. Fairway derives 65 percent of its ... |
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FDA Denies Mimolette Cheese Ban in the U.S.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) denies rampant reports by the European media that the U.S. has placed an import ban on mimolette, a popular French cheese.The U.K.’s Guardian and French journals reported that approximately half a ton of mimolette cheese was refuse entry into the U.S. by FDA inspectors in New Jersey in March due to concerns that the cheese was infested with mites.Mimolette, which is traditionally manufactured in Lille, France, indeed houses microscopic mites as it matures, which are brushed off before sale and consumption. In fact, mites are deliberately introduced to the cheese during manufacturing to refine ... |
