Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/235863
Crispy tortilla strips and better-than-homemade salsa made with vegetables that are picked at the peak of ripeness — all that and Non-GMO Project Verifed! A Tour of Peerless Specialty Food Magazine got to see some of that knowledge and experience in action when we spent the day with the Vukasins in Oakland and got a snapshot of what it takes to run this nearly centuryold business. Coffee Importing and Roasting… The Vukasins' long history in coffee has given them many established and proven suppliers. "We have a great relationship with a farm in Guatemala that we've been buying directly from for 30-plus years," George Jr. says. "We'll do a three-year contract with a fixed price that's significantly above the market, which is a win for them because they don't have to worry about commodity prices and they can pay their workers well. And from a selfish point of view it's great for us because we lock in that quality. "We also do post-roast blends, pre-roast blends, we do single origin. You can see in the old photos we have here that we've sold single-origin coffees for 50- or 60-plus years because we believe in it," he says. "It's beautiful coffee." In addition to Peerless bagged coffees, the company supplies its coffee as ingredients in other products, including ice cream and candy. Organic coffee has seen enormous growth, making up nearly 40 percent of sales, George Jr. notes. "Fifteen years ago, that was five percent. And it came from us telling our customers, 'You should do this and here's why. We converted the entire Pebble Beach Resort property—from employee dining to the restaurants to organic coffee. That was a huge win for us." On a tour of the production facility, visitors will see bags of coffee from all over the world. A roasting team begins at 5 a.m., roasting coffee that will be packed and shipped out that day. In addition to the main building the company also has off-site coffee storage to ensure that, should something happen to the primary facility, other coffee will be available for customers. George Jr. is constantly cupping the coffee to make sure the flavors remain consistently high in quality. The company, which is certified green and organic, has a product-integrity department to make sure it meets stringent foodsafety requirements. It is also third-party food-safety certified, with a superior rating for the past five years. The bold, balanced favor of Texas Pete® Hot Sauce, available in a variety of favors, brings life to any meal you serve. ViSiT uS aT bOOTH 4946 TWGarnerFoodservice.com Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 4946 Sarabeth was dubbed "Breakfast Queen of New York" by (New York Magazine) because breakfast is undoubtedly her domain. And now Sarabeth's own unique combination of ingredients for granola, waffles, pancakes, maple and strawberry syrup, buttermilk biscuits and her award winning selection of preserves are all available at stores nationwide. 800 -773-7378 S A R A B E T H .C OM Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 2638 WINTER 2014 109