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Consumers Willing to Pay More for Healthier Goods
According to a recent survey sponsored by the United Soybean Board (USB), U.S. consumers are willing to increase grocery spending on healthier foods, says an article on FoodNavigator-USA.com

As part of the 14th such annual research, the 2007 Consumer Attitudes about Nutrition survey found that — unlike in recent years — 60 percent of consumers indicated they are willing to pay extra for healthier foods. This reverses a four-year downward trend and represents a 7 percent rise over the previous year’s figure alone.

Other recent surveys have also found that consumers are more willing to pay a premium to switch trans fats to healthy fats, or to get added nutritional value from their foods as awareness spreads on the benefits of a better lifestyle.

“The fact that consumers say they will dig deeper into their pocketbooks for healthier versions of food represents a significant shift in attitude,” said USB spokesperson Lisa Kelly. “Consumers want nutritious products that are readily available at the grocery store. Fortunately, healthful eating can be quite affordable.”

Not surprisingly, respondents insinuated they would like the products they already enjoy to be made healthier — two-thirds of participants indicated they would be more likely to purchase these products if they were reformulated with zero grams trans fat. This rate is up 10 percent over the previous year.

Retailer Spotlight
Pastoral Partners With Williams-Sonoma; Opens Second Store
Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine recently opened its second location at 53 East Lake Street in Chicago and announced a partnership with specialty retailer Williams-Sonoma to create an exclusive collection of handcrafted artisan cheeses from American family farms throughout the U.S. The collection retails for $69 (three-cheese assortment) and $99 (deluxe five-cheese assortment), and is available only through the Williams-Sonoma catalog and Web site.
Pastoral’s new store incorporates special features such as a window-enclosed cheese cave and, in true European style, salami and hams hanging on the wall in an open refrigerated space. Local farm antiques will complement the shop’s décor. Limited indoor seating will be available, with additional outdoor seating beginning in summer 2008.

Retailer Briefs
Dean & DeLuca has acquired IWA (International Wine Accessories) effective July 31, 2007. IWA, currently headquartered in Dallas, Texas, has been a leading catalog and online seller of wine storage units and wine accessories for over 24 years. The Fosters Group sold IWA to Leslie Rudd, chairman of Dean & DeLuca in April of this year. Over the next few months, IWA’s operations will be transitioned to Wichita, Kan., where Dean & DeLuca bases its online, catalog and back office operations. IWA will continue to be operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Dean & DeLuca with its own identity in the marketplace. The sales operations of IWA will remain in Dallas, Texas.

Specialty grocer Fresh Market is still in expansion mode, and one market it is particularly keen on is Baltimore, reported Progressive Grocer. The retailer opened its first Baltimore location in August, but COO Craig Carlock told the Baltimore Business Journal it would like to add more stores in Annapolis and the Baltimore suburbs. Fresh Market now has more than 70 stores in 16 states, mainly in the Southeast and Midwest. The retailer opened 10 new stores last year and anticipates opening 12 to 14 this year and about that many in 2008.

People in the News
After an extensive six-week search, the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) announced the hiring of Ric Rhinehart as the association’s interim executive director. He takes over for Dawn Jantsch who resigned the executive director position on July 26, 2007. Rhinehart is an industry professional with more than 18 years of executive experience in the specialty coffee sector, and comes to the SCAA from the Los Angeles coffee roaster-retailer, Groundwork Coffee Company, where he most recently served as president.
Jørgen Bodum, owner of Bodum AG (worldwide) , announced that Thomas Perez will take over the helm of Bodum, Inc. (USA) as president, effective October 1, 2007. Perez has been managing director for Bodum Australia and Asia Pacific, based in Sydney, for the last four-and-a-half years. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Perez began his career in the tabletop/housewares industry in 1988 as export manager for Europe for the Danish company Royal Copenhagen. He later became the export director for Royal Scandinavia, overseeing 45 countries, including the U.S.A. In 2000, Perez began working with Bodum in Luzerne, Switzerland, to build the Bodum brand in the export markets. In 2003, he moved to Sydney, Australia, to set up the Bodum organization in New Zealand and Australia with the aim of building the brand in the region. In 2006, after a successful implementation, Perez became responsible for Bodum in Asia and the Pacific. Nils Göran Lindblad, current president of Bodum, Inc., will remain active in the company and has decided to leave when his contract runs out next year.
Charlie Cortellini announced his departure from First Colony Coffee & Tea Co. Inc. , effective September 30, 2007. The Antioquian Comite of the Colombian Federation, which as of September 2006 makes up majority ownership of First Colony, has expressed their desire to take the company in a different direction. Effective October 1, 2007, Miguel Abisambra assumed the role of president & CEO.

Krups-Rowenta announced the hiring of Amanda Wilson as its new director of marketing, and John Morosini as manager of human resources. Wilson comes from an extensive marketing background with 10 years of brand management with The Gillette Company. She will directly supervise the Krups and Rowenta product management teams, and take responsibility for market strategy in the U.S; Morosini comes from an extensive background in human resources, most recently as human resources director for SEi Companies in Boston.

Lori Pierson Cripe has taken a seat at the Mama Mellace family table as director of national sales. She is responsible for developing and managing key accounts, and will build a national broker network to further product distribution. Before joining the Mama Mellace’s team, she worked with the American Licorice Company.

Supplier Spotlight
Numi Opens First Teahouse & Retail Store in Oakland
Numi Organic Tea, homegrown in Oaktown, opened an enchanted Tea Garden in Oakland’s Embarcadero Cove in October. The Numi Tea Garden, located at 2230 Livingston Street, is positioned as an urban tea oasis where one can unwind, relax and be immersed in tea. Guests can discover and enjoy Numi’s full selection of loose tea and teasan varieties as well as a menu of light snacks. The Numi Tea Garden is also a retail store that includes a lounge for music and community events. For more information, call 510-533-8720.

Supplier Briefs
Taylors of Harrogate Teas & Coffees Ltd. announced the appointment of Brands of Britain, LLC as the exclusive U.S. importer of the company’s complete line of specialty teas, Yorkshire teas and coffees. For more information, contact Brands of Britain, LLC, 4 Crow Canyon Court, Suite 210, San Ramon, CA 94583; call 925-362-9050; or e-mail: info@brandsofbritain.com.

Miam.Miam announced that the Pasadena Museum of California Art (PMCA) has selected three of the company’s products to be included in its Design Biennial 2007. The chosen products include the Delite Plate series, the Mushroom series of bowls and the Espresso Towers. The PMCA California Design Biennial is the only exhibition that highlights the unique achievements of California designers. For more information, visit www.unitedbrands.us.

All-natural pâtès maker Trois Petits Cochons has found a new home located in Brooklyn, N.Y. As of September, their new address is as follows: Les Trois Petits Cochons; 4223 1st Avenue, 2nd Floor; Brooklyn, NY 11232; the phone number will remain 212-219-1230.

Capresso has expanded its high-end, zinc die-cast line of Infinity Conical Burr Grinders with a version in a stainless steel finish, tying into kitchen décor trends with an impressive high-end look. Designed for the home, this top-of-the-line grinder features the same commercial-grade burrs found in the Jura-Capresso line of automatic coffee centers. Capresso now offers 10 grinder SKUs, including four in the Infinity collection, which marries artful design with the best in burr grinder technology. For more information, call 201-767-3999.

Trade and Association News
Cameron Elected Chairman of IHA Directors, New Members Appointed
Four new directors have been elected to the board of directors of the International Housewares Association (IHA), the full-service trade association for the housewares industry.

The new directors are Sheldon Goodman, president, Spectrum Diversified Designs, Inc.; Keith Jaffee, chief executive officer (CEO), Focus Products Groups LLC; Mary Ann Knaus, senior vice president, strategic development & global marketing, Jarden Consumer Solutions; and Gavin Lam, CEO & president, Lynns Concepts Inc. They were elected to three-year terms that began on October 1, 2007, and expire September 30, 2010.

In addition, newly elected board officers are: Chairman – Peter Cameron, CEO, Waterford Wedgwood; Vice Chairman/Chairman Elect – Jeff Siegel, president/CEO, Lifetime Brands Inc.; and Treasurer – Robert L. Trudeau, chairman, Trudeau Corporation. All officers serve one-year terms from October 1, 2007, to September 30, 2008.

Leaving the board are Jordan Glatt, president, Magla Products; Linda Graebner, LGA Inc.; Fred Howard, Fred Howard, Inc.; and Douglas Taeckens, president, Jokari/US, Inc. Re-elected to a second three-year term were Jeff Siegel and Robert Trudeau.

New York Intl. Gift Fair Enjoys Successful Summer Market
Expanded museum and children’s resources, a new integration of home textiles, and a focus on environmentally friendly products were among the highlights of a robust summer 2007 New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF). The 153rd semi-annual NYIGF featured 2,710 exhibitors at three New York City locations — Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Passenger Ship Terminal Piers and Metropolitan Pavilion — with some 283 first-time exhibitors, representing more than 10 percent of the total, bringing fresh, new resources to market. More than 36,000 buyers from all 50 states and some 78 countries attended the August 2007 market, with a marked increase in international buyers, especially from South America.

Three by Three Opens First Showroom at Pacific Market Center
Pacific Market Center announces its latest showroom addition, Three by Three Seattle, featuring designer home, office and school products including desk and wall organizers, bulletin boards, magnets, frames, and bookmarks. The new Three by Three Seattle showroom will feature a number of product lines all aimed at design-conscious consumers across the globe.

Industry Stat
More Consumers to Shop Online for Holiday Gifts
Cyber Monday, the ceremonial kickoff to the online holiday shopping season, will likely be even bigger this year as retailers target at-work shoppers with lunch-hour promotions and special savings. Online retailers have good reason to focus on the office crowd, as the number of people who will shop online for holiday gifts from work is expected to surge to 61.0 million people this year, up from 51.7 million people last year, according to a recent Shop.org survey conducted by BIGresearch. In fact, more than half of consumers (50.7%) with Internet access at work plan to do some holiday shopping online from the office, up from 44.7 percent last year. Young adults with online access at work are the most likely to shop, with almost three-fourths (71.5%) of 18- to 24-year-olds and two-thirds (66.4%) of 25- to 34-year-olds planning to browse or buy online from the office this holiday season. While some shoppers are undoubtedly shopping during working hours, employers find most people shopping online during their lunch hours or before and after work.

Clarification
In the Sales Support Materials Guide published in the August issue, the e-mail address for Kuhn Rikon’s VP Steve White should have read: stevew@kuhnrikon.com . Any inconvenience caused is regretted.

When there’s a good idea presented about merchandising or marketing, we like to make sure our readers know about it. In this year’s Best Merchandising Ideas section, we republished a portion of the materials presented in earlier editions of the Kitchen Storage section. The category sponsor at that time was Click Clack USA, who pioneered the use of polycarbonate materials in the retail food storage category, and we want to thank them and acknowledge their contribution. We hope you enjoyed the section this year as well and were inspired by these fun, fresh ideas, repackaged for your benefit.

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