The Gourmet Retailer’s Editor Anna Wolfe was on hand for the Winter Fancy Food Show. Here are a few things that caught her eye.
If the Winter Fancy Food Show is any indication, 2012 is off to a strong start.
The food show was the largest in its 37-year history and featured 80,000 products from 1,300 exhibitors from 35 countries. Plus, the show, which wrapped up Jan. 17, seemed very well attended. According to preliminary figures, more than 18,000 buyers attended the show. And like at Natural Products Expo East, exhibitors seemed pleased with the show and the traffic. I didn’t hear any complaints!
The Trends
I started off the Winter Fancy Food Show by attending some of the stand-out educational sessions where I heard that chickpeas and quinoa are hot, and soy is not, according to SPINS’ prognostications for 2012. This makes sense, when you think about Mexican and Latin food trends; the increasing interest in Asian foods such as Indian cooking; the rising popularity of eating meat-free meals; cooking and eating more at home; the growing awareness healthy eating; and the prevalence of healthier snacks.
In a nutshell, there wasn’t anything so new and so revolutionary it knocked my socks off. What I did see and taste, however, were products that expanded or built upon existing industry trends. (Better tasting gluten-free products; salty-sweet chocolates, caramels and snacks; and pickled fruits and DIY pickling kits, to name a few.)
I definitely noticed more coconut, more teas, more barbecue sauces, and more Indian foods and sauces. It was a lot to take in, literally. Indeed, I did have a lot of fantastic new products or new-to-me products. Here are a few of the stand outs from the 2012 Winter Fancy Food Show:
Boat Street Pickles
These pickled fruit preserves from Boat Street Pickles, an off-shoot of Boat Street Cafe in Seattle, were one of my favorite, new-to-me products. (This was the first time I’ve sampled them, but I learned these gems have been on the market a while, and are available at Bi-Rite Market, Murray’s Cheese and other specialty food retailers.) My favorite was the pickled apricots. Black Mission figs, raisins and prunes are also available. Suggested retail price is $9.99 per 9-ounce jar.
Crackers
Crackers, flatbreads,crisps, biscuits -- whatever you want to call them, they were definitely on my radar. Here are a few that piqued my interest:
Brownie Crunch
Seth Greenberg’s family has been baking in the Big Apple for years. At the FFS, he sampled his latest creation: Brownie Crunch, a thin brownie in three flavors: Toffee Chip, Mint Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Chip. Available in 4-ounce bags and in foodservice sizes.
34 Degrees
Speaking of sweet and thin, 34 Degrees added three sweet flavors to its Crispbread line: Cinnamon, Chocolate, Caramel and Graham. These wafer-thin crackers will be available to ship in March. The suggested manufacturer’s retail price is $4.99 per pack.
Flatbread Crackers
Salem Baking Co., known for its sweet and thin Moravian-style cookies, added a new line of flatbread crackers. Flavors include Rosemary & Olive Oil, Cracked Pepper & Sea Salt, Italian Herb & Tomato, and Cheddar & Chive.
Whole grains has been gaining steam these past few years. At the Summer FFS and again at the winter show, Dancing Deer Baking Co. showed off its delicious whole grain range.
Chicago Importing Co. introduced the new multigrain crackers from the venerable Swedish brand Leksands. Each 6.7-ounce package has a suggested retail price of $3.69.
Pumpkin Seed with Rye
Daelia’s Food Co. Ltd. introduced this new savory cracker, or biscuit, at the Summer Fancy Food Show. It is a departure from the other two sweet flavors Almond with Raisin and Hazelnut with Fig. This biscuit pairs well with Alpine style cheeses such as Gruyere and Comte as well as stinky washed rind cheeses and soft-ripened cheeses. The Pumpkin Seed with Rye biscuits are available in 4-ounce packs. Each case comes with merchandising sleeves for retail displays.
Kitchen Table Bakers unveiled its Basil Pesto Parmesan Crisps and Ozery Bakery introduced its crispy pita chips.
For more new products introduced at the Winter Fancy Food Show, see the February 2012 issue of The Gourmet Retailer magazine.
