An international trio of experts has come together to create an outstanding extra-virgin olive oil from Spain’s southernmost region of Andalucia called La Amarilla de Ronda. Michel Rolland, one of the world’s foremost consulting enologists, brings his extraordinary palate to create the flavor profiles of La Amarilla de Ronda, which is imported by La Amarilla USA, LLC. Cristino Lobillo is a well-known doctor of chemical science who works in the Spanish olive oil industry. World-renowned designer Philippe Starck has designed the beautiful, sleek tin that holds the oil, applying bold graphics, an opaque container, and a neutral interior to make using and storage of the oil a breeze for consumers. The olives are cold pressed via state-of-the-art equipment and ancient methods to produce a truly outstanding olive oil. For more information, call Alberto Solis at 510-531-6621, e-mail alsolis55@yahoo.com, or visit www.amarilladeronda.com.
Up until recently, the choices in walnut oil have been limited to high-price imported brands or lower-quality domestic versions (similar to a refined-pomace olive oil). A new partnership between California Oils Corp. and 150-year-old French artisan oil mill -- Les Huileries de la Croix Verte et la Tourangelle -- has resulted in a lovely line of nut oils from La Tourangelle, Inc. They produce four roasted nut oils -- one in California, two in France, and one in Italy. Their Roasted Walnut Oil (California) is the star of the line. One-hundred percent pure, roasted, expeller-pressed oil made from California walnuts, it is as healthy as it is delicious. In fact, walnut oil is giving olive oil a run for its money as people are discovering how tasty it is, plus it has less saturated fat than olive oil, much more Omega 3 fatty acid, and a relatively high smoke point, making it an ideal choice for both cooking and salad dressings. La Tourangelle also produces both an expeller-pressed Hazelnut Oil and Almond Oil in France, and makes a 100-percent pure Grapeseed Oil in Italy. All of the oils come in handsome tins and have very competitive pricing. For more information, call Matthieu Kohlmeyer at 510-970-9960, send e-mail to contact@latourangelle.com, or visit www.latourangelle.com.
Boves’ of Vermont launched its seventh flavor of all-natural, gluten-free Pasta Sauce made with no added sugar: Basil Sauce. The new sauce combines fresh sweet basil with a touch of Parmesan cheese and a blend of tomatoes and spices. Also new were Certified Organic Italian Style Frozen Meatballs. The pre-cooked meatballs (baked not fried) are 87 percent premium-quality vegetarian fed beef containing no added hormones or antibiotics and are blended with organic breadcrumbs, organic hand-peeled garlic, non-irradiated spices, and have no soy fillers or eggs. For more information, call 888-545-2321, or visit www.boves.com.
Source Atlantique introduced a number of new products, including new Mario Cisaro signature brand pasta sauces. Available in six sauces -- Eggplant, Marinara, Pepper and Tomato, Primavera, Vodka, and Tomato and Basil, the sauces are packaged in 24.3-ounce glass jars. Also new was Syren Saffron, a premium product of Verdu Canto Saffron Spain S.L. One hundred percent free of any adulteration, the brand’s origins date back to 1890. For more information, call 201-947-1000.
Infood has introduced a new line of Jamaican sauces called Ruth’s Mango Sauces, a blend of Jamaican mangoes, scotch bonnet peppers, ginger, and spices. All made from a breed named Mango #11 that is unique to Jamaica, they include Gingery Mango Sauce, Spicy Mango Sauce, and Hot and Spicy Mango Sauce. Manufactured by Produce to Products, Ltd. in the Blue Mountain range, the line is named for Ruth Couch who has made the sauces for friends and family for more than 40 years. The company was formed by Ruth’s son and daughter-in-law with Ruth herself serving as chairwoman. For more information, call Sara Stern at Infood, 201-569-3175, or send e-mail to infood15@aol.com.
Mediterranean Food Merchant, OandCO. is offering a wide array of wonderful gift items this year that combine all of the necessary ingredients for fast, delicious, and healthy meals, and offer items any pantry should never be without. The Vinaigrette Kit ($85.50) with its OandCO. olive oil and pourer, premium balsamic vinegar, fleur de sel from Portugal, black pepper from Madagascar, and gorgeous olive wood cutlery provides everything needed for that perfect dressing. OandCO.’s Bread Dipping Set ($28.50) is a great excuse to gather a few friends for a taste of the Mediterranean at home, including olive oil, a pourer, a ramekin, and Provence herbs. Finally, olive-shaped chocolate almonds ($14.50) or a small bottle of basil oil with a ramekin ($12.50) will slip right into any Christmas stocking. For more information, visit www.oliviersandco.com.
B.R. Cohn Olive Oil Co. introduced a tart surprise with its new Pear Chardonnay Vinegar. The new vinegar blends California Chardonnay that has been slowly aged into vinegar with natural pear juice to create a fresh, crisp finish with just a hint of sweetness. B.R. Cohn is one of the few vinegars still produced using the 500-year-old Orleans method, in which vinegars are handcrafted naturally in small batches. Oak barrels are filled three-quarters high with high-quality California wine and a starter called a “mother” is added. The wood adds flavor and depth to the vinegar, helping it to mellow and mature. About 18 to 22 months later, most of the vinegar is drawn off, but a small amount is left to carry on the legacy. For more information, call 770-933-9675.
Olive Oils from Jordan incited some interest among us as we wandered the aisles downstairs. A new oil from an old producer, CBEXGlobal, Inc. of Rhinecliff, N.Y. is part of a U.S. government mandate to help Jordan export olive oil in support of the country’s continue allegiance with the U.S. in the Middle East. Another angle is the FairWage product labeling they’re introducing. One of the initiatives CBEXGlobal undertook was to make sure that if they expanded into U.S. markets, that the money didn't just end up in one person's pocket. CBEXGlobal visited the farms during the harvest, interviewing workers, auditing payroll books, and so on before developing a product label stamp that says it's FairWage, meaning that all of the workers in the supply chain are guaranteed a livable wage -- at least the minimum wage according to Jordanian law. Now available is Nabali FairWage Extra Virgin Olive Oil, while it may not be for everyone. It’s an interesting new starlet in the market. For more information, visit www.fairwage.net.
Since they first started to plant olive trees in 1853, the Valderrama family has been dedicated to the plantation and cultivation of olive trees to obtain the best high-quality extra-virgin olive oil. Today, the Valderrama plantations extend over 1,215 acres in Montilla, Cordobaand La Pueblanueva, Toledo, where 75,000 trees of the Arbequina, Picudo, and Hojiblanca varieties are carefully cultivated. Valderrama developed a unique unfiltered cold-pressed production method that enables the Valderrama extra-virgin olive oil to be sealed in special tanks in less than 45 minutes from the moment they are picked from the trees. This results in the preservation of the fresh aromas, flavors, vitamins, and natural conservation properties of the olive fruits, all in a very low acidity level that ranges between 0.1 to 0.2 percent. JoseIgnacio Millan Valderrama, a great-grandson of the original founders, recently took over the helms of Aceites Valderrama. His vision is to expand the distribution of the Valderrama extra-virgin olive oil to the international markets to make it available in the best gourmet shops, delicatessens, and fine dining restaurants. His enthusiasm was topped only by the oils, which stood on their own as single varietel offerings. For more information, contact Philippe Kuperman at 703-689-0924, or visit www.valderrama.es.
Truffle oils were another highlight and several interesting newcomers were discovered amongst the tried-and-true favorites. Encore Foods brings us SAVEURS DE LA TERRE French truffle oils and truffle specialties; FRANCESCA DI MONTE Italian grilled vegetables, olives, and aged balsamic vinegars; and LOS VILLARES Spanish extra-virgin olive oils, aged sherry vinegars, and Pedro Ximenez sweet vinegars. These new brands cover many of today’s most popular European specialty categories, and will sell equally well in grocery and deli departments. Well-priced, the products come beautifully designed with distributor support. Contact Encore at 781-749-7491.
Rosario Safina was back with his da Rosario line of truffle products that includes White Alba Truffle Oil, Black Truffle Oil, and fresh Porcini Olive Oil. For pricing and distribution details, send e-mail to rosario@wildforestproducts.com
Francvin (www.francvin.com) is now making its own product line. Branded Les Mouins Dore’s, it is manufactured for the company. With everything from Black Truffle Butter to a wide range of oils, the collection gives retailers and foodservice buyers the opportunity to deliver unique product from a well-known company.
From St. DalFour come two meal solutions that are innovative, gourmet and well-designed. First is its Gourmet Cooking with French Herbs line of last-minute cooking sauces. The extra-virgin olive oil base provides a healthy base for the French herbs. Each blend comes with a group of recipes and is packaged sweetly in a double-handed glass jar. Each 6-oz. container has a shelf life of three years from the date of production. St. DalFour’s new Ready-to-Eat Healthy Cuisine is packed in a tin and comes equipped with fork and a package of herbed olive oil. With creations such as Wild Salmon with potatoes, carrots, and beans, each meal can be served hot or cold and is low in fat and calories. For more information, visit www.stdalfour.com.
Woeber’s Mustard Manufacturing Company -- currently celebrating their 100th year -- has launched Woeber’s Reserve, a line of delicious specialty mustards that includes Honey Mustard, Smoky Horseradish Sauce, Southwest Mustard, Champagne Dill Mustard, Whole Grain Dijon Mustard, and Cranberry Honey Mustard. Call 800-548-2929, or visit www.woebermustard.com.
Delicae Gourmet debuted several new product lines. First, they have several new mustards, including the following flavors: Pina Colada, Raspberry Chipotle, Barbeque, and Raspberry Wasabi Honey. Owners Lenny and Barbara Macaluso have also launched a line of pasta sauces that offers Romesco, Fra Diablo, Sun-dried Tomato and Basil, Artichoke, Vodka Pink Peppercorn, and Puttanesca. Call them at 800-942-2502, send e-mail to sales@delicaegourmet.com, or go to www.delicaegourmet.com.
Kitty Keller of K.L. Keller Imports is back with her own booth and new products, as well as many of the products she had come to be known for. One of her newest products is a delicious White Balsamic Cava Vinegar from Agusti Torello who also makes very fine Cava, Spain’s delightful sparkling wine. Barrel-aged, the vinegar’s sweetness doesn’t overwhelm. It’s really delicious with many layers of flavor. Kitty let us taste another vinegar that will be available in late August, a Hacienda Bracamonte PX Vinegar. PX stands for Pedro Ximenez, the sweet grape that is used in sherry making to add sweetness to the more austere Palomino grape that is the dominant sherry grape variety. PX sherries are rare and in Spain are typically poured over ice cream or some other confection for dessert. This vinegar is amazing -- sweet but with a roundness and depth of flavor that makes it great for all kinds of sweet and savory applications. Call 510-839-7890, send e-mail to klkellerwh@ix.netcom.com, or visit www.klkellerimports.com.
Always on the cutting edge of incendiary technology, Dave’s Gourmet has introduced an Adjustable Hot Sauce in a cleverly designed bottle that is divided in half -- one side full of mild hot sauce and the other with hot. Its top adjusts so one can decide how hot they want their food. Dave also has come up with a new Hot Sauce Garden Spray. You can eat it or keep the bugs at bay in your organic garden. Palette Fine Foods, which is now part of the Dave’s family, has added three new dessert sauces: Gingerbread Cream, Apple Pie and Ice Cream, and Chocolate Orange Epice. Call 800-758-0372, send e-mail to insanity@davesgourmet.com, or go to www.davesgourmet.com.
At Oregon Growers and Shippers, Dave Gee makes great-tasting fruit spreads (he can’t call them preserves since he uses so little sugar in his recipes) by buying his ingredients directly from local farmers in the Hood River Valley who have exceptional growing practices. Also, Gee makes the spreads in small batches with quality control a top priority. The result is some of the most delicious preserves, oops, that is, fruit speads, we’ve ever tasted. The flavors include Apple Fennel Chutney, Cherry Zinfandel Fruit Spread, Cranberry Pear Fruit Spread, Marionberry (an Oregon specialty) Fruit Spread, Vanilla Pear Butter, Strawberry Pinot Noir Fruit Spread, Pear and Hazelnut Fruit Spread, Spiced Cider Fruit Spread, and Not-Too-Sweet Apple Butter. Call them at 541-386-5600, or go to www.growersandshippers.com.
Portuguese sea salts have made their way to American tables in limited quantities through the years. But now Flor de Sal USA is the new exclusive distributor for Necton SA, which harvests a divinely light Flor de Sale in the Algarve. With smart packaging and reasonable pricing, it’s a great alternative to ordinary sea salts. For more information, call 206-407-3882.
K.L. Keller Imports is pleased to release the newest member of the Gilles HERVY family of authentic artisan sea salt from Guerande in Brittany, France: Sel Gris aux Herbs. It is packed in a retailer-friendly 5-oz. hex jar and contains authentic unprocessed grey salt from Gurrande thoroughly blended with air-dried bay, rosemary, thyme, and basil. It is perfect on roast potatoes or as the rub for barbecued duck. According to importer Kitty Keller: “ This family of Fleur de Sel, Sel Gris, and Sel Gris aux Herb from Hervy offers what so many promise and few deliver: authentic product with fantastic balanced flavor.” Call 510-839-7890, send e-mail to klkellerwh@ix.netcom.com, or visit www.klkellerimports.com.
Carmel Farms, which is within view of Israel’s Mt. Carmel, is a transplanted German community that is a self-sustaining operation. They grow their own fruit, fruit that for years Aunt Berta would lovingly make into preserves and marmalade. They have grown enough to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and are now ready to export their products. Both the preserves and marmalades are delicious, bursting as they are with the flavors of fresh fruit. The marmalades include Orange, Pink Grapefruit, and Citrus. The line of preserves includes Gourmet Fig, Peach Blackberry, Apple Cinnamon, Plum, Apricot, and Strawberry. Contact Hannah Kurucz of the Export Department at food@beindustries.com, or go to www.carmelfarms.com.
Mama Mia! Sauces ‘n Love debuted a new flavor of fresh handmade pasta sauce, Pink Pesto. This secret recipe blends a familiar pesto flavor with the sweetness of homegrown tomatoes and cream to create a rich, but not heavy texture. Pink Pesto Sauces are made without sugar and preservatives and prepared in a traditional way by hand prepping, chopping, picking, and visually inspecting every ingredient so that it tastes like it was made fresh. Packaged in 16-ounce convenient heat-and-serve polypropylene containers that are microwaveable, freezable, dishwasher safe, and even reusable. For more information, visit www.saucesnlove.com.
Colorado Spice Inc. offers a full retail line of all-natural, single-use gourmet seasoning blends, including custom blends too. The Colorado Spice Retail Rub Program features a line of 50 gourmet seasoning rubs for a total recipe solution for any customer who wants to cook like a gourmet chef for an evening, or longer. Each pouch is portion-appropriate for one use, serves six persons, and includes a gourmet recipe on the back of each item. The rubs contain no artificial flavor, colors, preservatives, or MSG. For more information, call 800-677-7423.
D.L. Jardine’s introduced their Buckin’ Berry Raspberry Chipotle Sauce to their line of famous Texas Ranch Recipes. Great spread over cream cheese or as a finishing touch to grilled meat or fish, the zesty, sweet taste of ripe raspberries combines perfectly with the mellow flavor of slow-roasted chipotle peppers. For more information, call 800-544-1880, or visit www.jardinefoods.com.
Urban Accents showed off their premium line of Popcorn and Popcorn Seasonings, a fun-filled line of colorful popcorn kernels and complementary seasonings to add the perfect flavor to everyone’s favorite snack. All seasonings contain only the finest natural ingredients, making it a healthy snack. Popcorn Seasonings include Smooth Ranch, White Cheddar, Smoky Chipotle, and Sweet and Salty Kettlecorn. Popcorn kernels come in Premium White Gold, Premium Ruby Red, and Premium Black Sable. Urban Accents also offers a 10-pack of old-style popcorn boxes to complete the line. For more information, call 773-528-9515, or visit www.urbanaccents.com.
O Olive Oil announced the release of their O Cassis Vinegar, a blend of the finest champagne cuvee aged from Napa Valley chardonnay and pinot noir grapes steeped with sweet black currants grown wild in the Pacific Northwest. Rich, fruity, and fragrant, this California twist to the traditional French tradition of Cassis is ideal drizzled over salads, grilled figs, goat cheese, and more. For more information, call 888-827-7148, or visit www.ooliveoil.com.
Bombay Emerald Chutney Companydebuted a line of spicy chutneys. Available in four flavors, including Royal Mint Chutney, Royal Plum Chutney, Royal Tomato Chutney, and Royal Cranberry Chutney. These 100-percent all-natural, with no preservatives, oil or chemicals-added chutneys can be used as condiments, spreads, sauces, glazes, or marinades. Created with treasured family recipes, they can also be used hot or cold. For more information, call 571-333-4154, or visit www.bombayemeraldchutneyco.com.
Award-winning cookbook author Maya Kaimal introduced a new flavor to her line of fresh Indian sauces. Tamarind Curry is made with tart tamarind juice, coconut milk, fresh curry leaves, and fenugreek to produce a tangy, full-flavored sauce with a medium spiciness. All natural, vegan, and perfect for shrimp, chicken, or eggplant. For more information, call 315-691-6560, or visit www.mayakaimal.com
