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/116674
(continued from p. 32) FOODS IN FOCUS flavor and nutrients in the powder. Available in a 5.8-ounce resealable bag, this beverage is certified organic, vegan, gluten-free and kosher. Navitas plans to introduce flavor varieties sometime this spring. navitasnaturals.com Soyummi Foods CoGo Coconut Milk Smoothies. Made with coconut milk, water, quinoa and millet flours and inulin, a natural prebiotic derived from the Jerusalem artichoke, these USDA certified organic thick coconut milk smoothies come in six flavors, each designed with real whole foods and a unique functional purpose. They contain high amounts of lauric acid, a medium-chain triglyceride that is easily metabolized. CoGo Smoothies are rich in magnesium and phosphorus and are sweetened with calorie-free monk-fruit extract as well as a small amount of organic cane sugar. The beverage is lactose-, dairy-, tree-nut-, peanut-, wheat- and gluten-free. Flavors include mango, chai, strawberry, dark chocolate, vanilla and cappuccino, the latter of which is made with fair trade espresso. soyummifoods.com Taste Nirvana Real Coconut Water. Taste Nirvana's sustainable practices have put it on consumers' radar. In addition to being packaged in BPA-free cans and recyclable glass bottles, this coconut water is made in a facility fueled solely by steam. The company offers its beverages in varieties with or without pulp, including Real Coco Aloe, a drink that combines the coconut water with organic aloe vera. Each 6.5ounce bottle has 600 milligrams of potassium and 2 grams of fiber. Also available in a 23.6-ounce bottle, which recently won a consumer-voted award for best coconut beverage from Better Homes and Gardens. tastenirvana.com Vasiner Food Corp. Foco Coconut Water. The Foco brand has been in the U.S. for more than 30 years, making tropical juice drinks with a Latin bent. More recently it has made its mark in the coconut realm with Foco Coconut Water. The drink contains 100 percent pure, not-from-concentrate coconut water in a 16-ounce resealable Tetra Pak. The water comes from young green coconuts harvested from dedicated company-owned plantations in Southeast Asia. An 8-ounce serving has only 40 calories, and customers can choose from five new all-natural flavors just hitting shelves: pink guava, lychee, pomegranate, mango and pineapple. golocoforfoco.com |SFM| Nicole Potenza Denis is a contributing editor to Specialty Food Magazine. Clockwise from top: Wow Ginger Molasses Cookies, Pamela's Cornbread & Muffin Mix, Pamela's Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, Tate's Ginger Double Chocolate Chip Cookies. items he made the decision to replace all his noodles and wrappers with gluten-free alternatives, such as buckwheat, and all rolls can also be made with gluten-free black rice. "Gluten-free does not have to affect flavor and consistency," Vaknin says. "It was a business decision for us. At the end of the day you open yourself up to a broader crowd and have the opportunity to gain loyal customers." Both Muma and Vaknin have a loyal and growing gluten-free clientele and have found more parents coming in with kids who are gluten-intolerant or customers who want to follow a gluten-free lifestyle. "A restaurant only needs to attract one gluten-free customer, and it can be beneficial and profitable," Cafferty says. The Future of Gluten-Free As the demand increases, competitive price points could be the future for some gluten-free products. "Corn and wheat are cheap, but grains like millet are not," admits Cafferty, who says gluten-free products will never match conventional items on price, but they will start to come down, slowly. Other areas of potential growth for the category include youth-targeting gluten-free foods, more frozen entrees, better-quality prepared foods, and "conventional" foods made more healthful, like sandwich breads made with healthy grains. "Product taste expectations are high, especially with so many people turning toward a gluten-free lifestyle," app creator Koeller adds. "Manufacturers have to keep up with consumers' expectations. I believe we will start to see companies changing formulas to make better-tasting products or companies who can't meet the [quality] demands start to become obsolete." |SFM| FIND MORE Nicole Potenza Denis is a contributing editor to Specialty Food Magazine. GLUTEN-FREE NEWS, store openings, new products and recipes at specialtyfood .com/onlinehighlights. APRIL 2013 53