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/79798
virus (theoretically carried by imported Norwegian salmon roe that festered in overcrowded conditions), revenue from farmed salmon imported into the United States between January and April 2011 fell from $41.2 million the prior year to $9.2 million. The government's swift action remedied the problem, Martinez says. "In 2011, strong new regulations were enforced to protect, con- trol and eradicate high-risk diseases in our aquaculture industry," he explains. "José Ramon Gurierrez, president of Multiexport, and other people from the Chilean salmon industry, say production should be back to its pre-virus levels by 2013." Mother Nature dealt Chile's central wine-growing region a double whammy in 2010 with the earthquake and tsunami that hit just before the annual harvest. At many wineries, buildings, bottles and tanks were rocked and cracked, and vines uprooted. Chile's largest wine growers' association, Wines of Chile (which represents about 93 percent of exports) estimates about 12.5 percent or $25 million worth of wine was destroyed. Today, production is back to pre-earthquake levels. Grapes, Olives and Terroir Resilience and diversity are at the foundation of the Chilean wine industry. The first rootstock arrived with Spanish missionaries in the mid-16th century. The French nobility who came in the mid- 19th century added their varietals to the soil and the industry flour- ished until 1938, when prohibition shut it down. In 1979, Miguel Torres from La Rioja, Argentina, became the first foreign company to invest in Chilean vineyards, helping to relaunch the business with new technology. While many Chilean wines are made with familiar grapes, their proprietary carménère grape is a pleasant discovery for many. The deep, dark red Bordeaux varietal disappeared from France in the mid-1800s, reappearing among Chilean merlot vines a century later. Once vintners separated the vines, they found that carménère grapes produce a robust wine that needs a long growing season to develop its well-rounded, smooth taste with a hint of spice. Today the country's wines receive praise from connoisseurs the world over. Chilean olive oil is similarly garnering awards in international competitions with raves for the taste of each terroir. Mediterranean- like growing conditions result in more than 90 percent of the oil being The country's most important culinary products are farmed salmon, table grapes, wine and other fruits, including a tremendous growth in blueberries over the past year. Shelf display of Chilean olive oils at Huerto Azul ("Blue Orchard"), a specialty food retailer in the Araucanía region. extra-virgin, with some of the lowest acidity levels (0.2 percent). "The travel time for Chilean olives from tree to oil is less than 24 hours," notes Arturo Leiva, president of ChileOliva, the Chilean trade asso- ciation representing more than 40 brands of Chilean olive oil. Growing Specialty Food Demand The United States receives 21 percent of Chile's food and beverage exports, with a selection that includes fruit, salmon, wine, poultry, cattle and olive oil, says Alejandro Cerda, senior trade commissioner of ProChile. Demand for Chilean specialty foods is growing, Cerda says, spurred by small- and medium-scale producers who are offering niche products where they can compete in quality and innovation. "Quality and presentation are essential to raise U.S. consum- ers' intention to purchase," Cerda says. "This is where Chile has been able to position itself, exhibiting strong market share." One example is Chilean extra-virgin olive oil, where exports to the United States reached $24.2 million in 2011—a growth of 96 percent over 2010. Cerda says this number is expected to increase by more than 43,000 tons by 2015, prompting ProChile to begin implementing a brand- ing campaign to position Chilean extra-virgin olive oil as a premium product for the U.S. market. At Puro Chile, a combination storefront and event space in New York created to showcase the bounty of specialty foods and wines Chile has to offer, Mauricio Banchieri, Puro Chile's director, has also seen increased demand and awareness for Chilean extra- virgin olive oil, in addition to caricas (Chilean papayas), merquén (a Chilean spice blend) and ready-to-eat quinoa (puffed or dried). Overall, Puro Chile's specialty food sales rose from 50 percent of total sales last year to 70 percent in 2012. (continued on p. 119) SEPTEMBER 2012 103