db cover aprmay...finding value with brands.....53 a brand’s value comes from being familiar and...

DeliBUSINESSApril/May ’06 $14.95

ALSOINSIDECheddarItalian CheeseMediterranean FoodsFried ChickenSandwich Program

SPECIALSECTION

¿QuéPasa?Understanding the Hispanic market.

Reader Service No. 217

44444

FEATURESMediterranean Foods Gaining Popularity ......37Deli retailers can capitalize on consumer interest in all things new and different.

Americans Still Love Fried Chicken ................44They may profess health concerns,but they still buy fried chicken.

Destination Deli ..............................................46Keys to a successful sandwich program.

DELI BUSINESS (ISSN 1088-7059) is published by Phoenix Media Network, Inc., P.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DELI BUSINESS, P.O. Box 810217, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0217

DELI BUSINESS Quiz ..........................................4Deli Watch ....................................................5TechNews ....................................................52Blast From The Past ....................................54Information Showcase ................................54

COMMENTARYEDITOR’S NOTEEthnic Marketing Lessons................................6Diversity goes well beyond country of origin.

PUBLISHER’S INSIGHTSRestaurant Foodservice for Mainstream Supermarkets ..............................8There is no reason why supermarkets can’t use foodservice to express fresh.

MARKETING PERSPECTIVEFinding Value With Brands ..............................53A brand’s value comes from being familiar and fully understood by a significant buying population.

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TABLE OF CONTENTSAPRIL/MAY ’06 • VOL. 11/NO. 2

DeliBUSINESS

COVER STORY

IN EVERY ISSUE

DEPARTMENTSPECIALTY CHEESE CORNERCheddar Rules! Part 2 ....................................15Regional differences are a good entry point for educatingconsumers about the endlessvarieties of Cheddar.

Authentic Italian Cheese Creates Mainstream Interest ........................18Italian cheeses are back to being ethnic.

SPECIALSECTIONstarts on page 21

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WIN A GENUINE TURKISH BATHROBE Thick, 100 percent Turkish cotton robe absorbs water readily and helps conserve

body heat. Machine washable, 52” long with a shawl collar, raglan sleeves and belt.Your choice of unisex sizes from XS to XXXL.

HOW TO WINTo win the DELI BUSINESS Quiz, the first thing you have to do is enter. The rules are

simple: Read through the articles and advertisements in this issue to find the answers.Fill in the blanks corresponding to the questions below, and either cut along the dot-ted line or photocopy the page and send your answers, along with a business card orcompany letterhead, to the address listed below. The winner will be chosen by drawingfrom the responses received before the publication of the Aug./Sept. 2006 issue of DELIBUSINESS. The winner must agree to submit a photo to be published in that issue.

ERICK TEN KATEDeli BuyerC&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc.Keene, NH

Erick is in charge of handling the deli procurement for TopsSupermarkets, headquartered in Carlisle, PA. C&S, one of thenation’s largest grocery wholesalers, has been providing warehousing

and distribution services for over 85 years supplying some of the largest supermarketschains in the nation.

Erick has been reading DELI BUSINESS since he started in the business two years ago.“I like to read about new and upcoming deli products before they are in-store. I alsolike the informative pieces that talk about new developments and innovations in thedeli world. I am happy to learn about product history, uses and different preparationtechniques,” he explains.

As the winner of the DELI BUSINESS Quiz, Erick wins a digital camera.

Quiz Questions1) What is the toll-free number for Anco Fine Cheese? _________________

___________________________________________________________2) When was King’s Hawaiian founded? _____________________________

___________________________________________________________3) What is the P.O. Box number for Bridgford? ________________________

___________________________________________________________4) What is the fax number for Chloé Foods? _________________________5) What is the phone number for Redondo Iglesias?____________________

___________________________________________________________6) What is the web address for DeLallo? _____________________________

___________________________________________________________

This issue was: ■■ Personally addressed to me ■■ Addressed to someone else

Name:_________________________________________________________Company:______________________________________________________

Position: _______________________________________________________

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City/State: _________________________________________ Zip:________

Phone: ( ) ___________________ Fax: ( ) ________________

Please send answers to:DELI BUSINESS QUIZ: April/May 2006 IssueP.O. Box 810217 • Boca Raton, FL 33481-0217

President and Editor-in-Chief • JAMES E. [email protected]

Publishing Director • KENNETH L. [email protected]

Publisher/Editorial Director • LEE [email protected]

Managing Editor • JAN [email protected]

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Circulation Manager • KELLY [email protected]

Production Director • DIANA [email protected]

Production Leader • JACKIE [email protected]

Production Department • FREDDY PULIDO

JOANNA ARMSTRONG

Research Director • SHARON OLSON

Contributing EditorsDARBY BRINDAMORE HEATHER NELSONBECKY BILLINGSLEY KAREN SILVERSTONLIZ CAMPBELL TRISHA J. WOOLDRIDGE

AdvertisingJORDAN BAUM

[email protected]

ERIC [email protected]

Send insertion orders, payments, press releases,photos, letters to the editor, etc., to:

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DELI BUSINESS is published byPhoenix Media Network, Inc.

P.O. Box 810425Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425

Phone: 561-994-1118 Fax: 561-994-1610Entire contents © Copyright 2006

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DeliBUSINESSApril/May

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DeliBUSINESS QUIZDeliBUSINESS QUIZ

mailto:[email protected]












D E L I W A T C H DeliBUSINESSApril/May

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DeliBUSINESS

Chinet For TakeoutHuhtamaki, Chicago, IL, introducesChinet Handleware containers for deliand take-out services. Containers have asturdy integrated handle to make servinghot and cold applications easier and moreefficient. Made with polypropylene, theyare microwavable and refrigerator-safe.Available in 8-,16- and 32-ounce sizes.


Cheese PleasersBrickstone Fine Food, Prevost, Que-bec, has introduced a new flavor toits Cheese Pleasers line. Cranberry &Cracked Pepper has joined Apricot &Jalapeño, Maple Syrup & Walnut andCherry & Calvados. These comple-mentary items can be served either

warm or cold and are available in 240-milliliter jars.


Beer Cheese SoupHarry’s Fresh Foods, Portland, OR,has partnered with Rogue Ales, locat-ed in Newport, OR, to create BeerCheese Soup. This soup is a combi-nation of locally produced Cheddarand American cheeses with DeadGuy Ale for a bold flavor.


Thomas’ BagelbreadThomas’, Greenwich, CT, has intro-duced Thomas’ Squares Bagelbread, asquare bagel with a small hole in themiddle to help keep condiments in. Ithas a soft texture that is part bageland part bread. Available in plain,everything and 100 percent whole

wheat, they are low fat, have no trans-fat and are great sources ofprotein, calcium and iron.


Heavy Duty PailsRemco Products, Zionsville, IN, hasadded a multi-functional 3-gallon pailto its line of polypropylene tools. It isFDA-approved, color coded anddesigned to withstand harsh chemi-cals and heat. Ergonomic characteris-tics include a wide pour spout, flat

rear panel with a grip molded into the base and easy-to-read U.S.and metric measurement marks.


Reser’s ExpansionReser’s Fine Foods, Portland, OR,unveiled its new $22 million manufac-turing plant on April 21 in Topeka, KS.This expansion will make the Topekafacility the largest Reser’s producer and

distributor. In 1991, Reser’s opened its first facility in Kansas, and ithas since expanded to operate three processing facilities employingover 600 workers.


Sandwich SaucesHellmann’s, a division of UnileverFood Solutions, Lisle, IL, has intro-duced a new line of ready-to-useSandwich Sauces for hot and coldsandwiches, burgers, panini, wraps andsubs. The flavors include ancho chipo-tle, red pepper basil, creamy pesto,

horseradish Dijon and sweet curry. They are available in 16-ouncepouches with an easy-open pour spout.


AppetizersFarm Rich Appetizer Company, St.Simons Island, GA, has introducedCheese Bites and Cheese Straws. TheBites are available in Mexican, Buffa-lo-style and other flavors. The Strawsare available in only Italian and Buf-falo-style. All are made with real moz-

zarella and blue cheese and then wrapped in Farm Rich’s signaturebreadcrumb coating.


DELI WATCH is a regular feature of DELI BUSINESS. Please send information on new products, personnel changes, industry, corporateand personal milestones and available literature, along with a color photo, slide or transparency to: Editor, DELI BUSINESS, P.O. Box810217 • Boca Raton, FL 33481-0217 • Phone: 561-994-1118 • Fax: 561-994-1610 • E-mail: [email protected]✍

Healthful Snacks Athena’s Silverland Desserts, ForestPark, IL, offers six new NaturalDessert Bars. The flavors includeOasis, Flax Seed, Flax Seed withPeanut Butter, Figaro, The Big Fig,and Oat and Date Bars. Thesehealthful snack alternatives are com-

pletely natural with no trans-fat and no preservatives.Reader Service No. 410

World Cheese AwardsThe Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board(WMMB), Madison, WI, announces Wis-consin won more awards than any stateor country at the World Cheese Champi-onship Contest, It took best in class in 18of 47 cheese categories. WMMB is a non-profit organization promoting the con-sumption of Wisconsin cheese


A n n o u n c e m e n t s

N e w P r o d u c t s

Correction: In Packed With Promise in the Feb./Mar. issue of DELI BUSINESS, we incorrectly identified PWP Industries (Packed withPromise), Vernon, CA, as Paul Winkler Plastics Industries. We regret any confusion this may have caused.



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F R O M T H E E D I T O R ’ S D E S K

Whenever businesses look to capitalize on specificmarket segments, they run the risk of emphasiz-ing differences rather than the similarities.

There are significant differences between the food tastesof different ethnic groups and those of the general popula-tion. For the most part, retailers located in areas of dramaticdifferences are acutely aware of the situation. They usuallyconfront specialized retailers pursuing these groups and facecustomer demand for specificbrands and products.

But as you read this month’sfascinating cover story, note howauthor Joe Albonetti, a noted con-sultant on marketing to Hispanics,points in so many ways to the sim-ilarities between Hispanics andthe general consumer population.He quotes an FMI study thatbreaks the Hispanic market down into four categories: Loy-alists, very brand conscious shoppers; Budgeters, for whommoney is tight; Impulsives, who buy spontaneously andrespond heavily to promotions; and Inquirers, who look forconsumer information and consider purchases carefully.

Let us accept this division of Hispanic shoppers as cor-rect but ask whether these classifications are just as apt forconsumers in general. Even the specific products we might

want to promote beg the same question: Successmarketing to Hispanics might be achieved by pro-moting such products as Kraft Miracle Whip,cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, Swiss cheese,Cheddar cheese and American processed singles!

One of the most valuable sections emphasizesthe Latino population is not monolithic. PuertoRicans in New York, Cubans in Miami, and Mexi-cans in LA — the tip of the iceberg when itcomes to the diversity of the Latino community.

The diversity goes well beyond country of ori-gin. For example, some marketers think puttingsignage in Spanish is a great way to appeal to Lati-

nos. Perhaps. But take a look at the table below to see howdiverse the language practices of the U.S. Latino communityare based on how long they have been in the country.

In 72 percent of households of first-generation immi-grants, Spanish is the dominant language. By third genera-tion, 78 percent of these households are English-dominant.The remaining households are bi-lingual; the Spanish dom-inant category actually disappears.

If you are in an area that justifies stores geared towardone ethnic group, then you can develop those concepts.Typically, though, specialty market niches are served byindependents specializing in that area.

Most chains will do better by focusing on four key ethnicmarketing lessons:

1. Play to your strength. By far the biggest marketer toHispanic immigrants is Wal-Mart. Why? It emphasizes lowprices. Very important to first-generation immigrants whotend to have large families and lower incomes without

multi-generational capital built up.Obviously, Wal-Mart tries to carry the products its cus-

tomers want. But there is a common misunderstandinghere. Mexican immigrants probably drink a lot more fruitnectars than do the general population, but they spend a loton Coca-Cola, too. And you can bet second generationconsumption is heavily weighted to conventional products.

Your store needs to offer a compelling proposition on itsown terms. Grafting a hundredSKUs of Latino products and abunch of Spanish language signsto a store doing poorly is not likelyto be a recipe for success.

2. Don’t patronize. You mayoffer kosher-for-Passover productsbut probably don’t write the signsin Yiddish on the assumption thatthe people are ignorant of English.

All too often, people think Hispanic and leap to stereo-typical assumptions. In some places at some times, a Span-ish language sign can be an indication of welcome. In otherplaces at other times, it is an offensive way of segregating agroup and making assumptions about their English fluency.

Make sure you’ve thoroughly researched your client baseand determined what will facilitate their enjoyment of yourstore. Research, don’t assume.

3. Micro-market. Most supermarkets draw their clientelefrom a small radius — maybe two miles; virtually no chainof any size is going to have a homogenous client base.

If your stores are geographically compact enough, youmay decide to always have certain ethnic products. Largerchains will have to change the offer based on the communi-ty to a maximize sales. Wal-Mart focuses on this with its“Store of the Community” concept.

This means the whole notion of carrying “ethnic” prod-ucts is irrelevant. Each store has to carry the products —ethnic or not — its clientele will value.

It means trading a little bit of the operating efficiencystrict planogram conformity could bring about for highersales and profits from carrying a more optimal product mix.

4. Leverage the product. This is America: egg rolls, pizzaand bagels are now part of our cuisine. If an ethnic groupenjoys a product, it is highly likely that with promotion,recipes, sampling, etc., a far broader clientele can be built up.

The biggest profit from selling ethnic foods can comefrom turning your broader base on to the product. ThinkCostco: its snack bars sell only kosher all-beef franks. Thatis not because they are trying to attract a Jewish clientele.DB

Jim Prevoris the

Editor-in-Chief of

DELI BUSINESS

Ethnic Marketing LessonsByJimPrevor

Diversity goes well beyondcountry of origin.

PRIMARY LANGUAGE BY GENERATION IN THE U.S.1st generation 2nd generation 3rd generation

English- 4% 46% 78%dominantBilingual 24% 47% 22%Spanish- 72% 7% —dominant

Source: The Pew Hispanic Center, National Survey of Latinos, 2002

Reader Service No.124

http://www.belgioioso.com


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P U B L I S H E R ’ S I N S I G H T S

H as the time come for supermarkets — not just thefancy, high-end concepts but mainstream middle-American retailers — to seriously think about

adding restaurant-style foodservice concepts to their stores?Carol Christison, executive director of the International

Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA), says, “When [con-sumers] go to a restaurant, they wait for the food. Whenthey go to a supermarket, the food is waiting for them. Itcould be the same food fromthe same manufacturer, but theperception is different. The cus-tomer doesn’t understand that— all they think about is the‘freshness’ factor and how longit’s been sitting in the case.”

There are three basic rea-sons traditional supermarketexecutives should be thinkingabout adding foodservice discussions into their strategicplanning. First, restaurants make money. Second, consumerslike to eat at restaurants. Third, there is no longer any rea-son retailers can’t figure it out.

Long gone are the days when restaurants hadto have qualified chefs. Today, many restaurantsavail themselves of pre-made, ready-to-use foods— fresh-cut fruits, vegetables and salads, highquality desserts plus pre-cooked proteins, soupsand side dishes. Of course, the best still makemany, if not most, menu items from scratch.

The same holds true of most supermarkets.The finest retailers have executive chefs as seniormanagers and chefs in every store. Virtually allsupermarkets use products from the same compa-nies that prepare the same foods for restaurants —ribs, wings, soups, potatoes, etc. Classic desserts

are available from bakeries with national distribution. Every-thing is available equally — for the restaurateur or retailer.

That leaves the last obstacle — store and restaurantassociates. One look at the average restaurant and it is clearwe are all drawing from the same labor pool. Most operatorswould be surprised how many of their deli associates workedin restaurants before joining the retail team, and manyrestaurateurs would be surprised how many of their starsnow work retail, thankful for year-round employment, healthinsurance, no midnight hours and a steady paycheck.

But there are other more subtle reasons. Freshness maybe the new differentiator between success and failure, and it’snot all rotation and code dating. That’s what it used to be —making sure everything had a sell-by date and was in code.

The key word is “was.” Past tense.Kash N’ Karry, based in Tampa, FL, is converting all its

stores to Sweetbay Supermarkets, its high-end version of atraditional supermarket. In a recent news report, Steve

Smith, vice president of marketing, is quoted as saying, “Wesaw a huge growth opportunity in Florida, one focused onfresh, delicious foods.” And, I have to make my own com-ment — I bet at a higher gross profit margin on higher sales.

Smith is right, and the Sweetbay concept is a stunningexample of how to bring fresh foods to consumers. There isa huge opportunity for supermarkets to focus on fresh, deli-cious foods — which is what makes it so scary. Shouldn’t all

supermarkets be focused onfresh, delicious foods? I guessnot, because fresh food con-cepts are the newest trend.

Safeway has its Lifestylestores, Bashas’ is opening a newfarmers’ market concept, Weg-mans has Wegmans, and WholeFoods has shown what a free-thinker can do. Publix and a

dozen other retailers are rapidly adding organics to theirline-ups, but what is the ultimate in fresh food? Maybe it’srestaurants and other foodservice concepts, like juice andcoffee bars, buffet-style restaurants, pizzerias and sub shops.

By definition, foods that are waiting for you are not fresh,at least in the prepared food arena. Fresh produce, freshbaked bread and fresh meat work for consumers because noone expects to see corn stalks growing next to the parkinglot or chickens on the roof, but prepared foods are different.

Consumers make a huge assumption, often incorrect,that the ribs they ordered were cooked in-house and thegarlic mashed potatoes weren’t frozen an hour earlier. Givecustomers a great steak, and they think the triple-layerchocolate cake was also made in-house. Lies or perception?

I live in Boca Raton, FL, where 25-year-old homes aresold with ovens that have never been used. Close by is ashopping plaza anchored by a major supermarket chain, anice store in a small plaza. There is also a Chinese takeout,an ice cream shop, a Thai restaurant and an Italian one.There is an intimate fine dining restaurant, a Japaneserestaurant, a hot-concept hamburger chain, a Subway and asit-down deli with the best matzo ball soup in town. In com-parison, the supermarket has good rotisserie chicken.

The shopping center layout and what the retail chainagreed to when it signed the lease justify the perception thatrestaurants are where you go when you want to eat; super-markets are where you go when you want to cook. That wasa fine concept 25 years ago, but not so hot today.

Not every retailer can offer the same foodservice con-cept. It depends on location, neighborhood and, most of all,the retailer’s own image. But great food can and should bepart of every supermarket’s offer. We use the same labor pooland have very smart people at the helm. We should be theplace where people go for fresh, delicious food, and weshould be more than just a solution to a problem. DB

Lee Smithis the

publisher and

editorial director

of DELI BUSINESS

Restaurant Foodservice ForMainstream SupermarketsByLee Smith

There is no reason whysupermarkets can’t use

foodservice to express fresh.


http://www.resers.com


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¿QuéPasa?Understanding the Hispanic market.

By Joseph G.Albonetti

What if there were a largely untapped group of customerswho frequented groceries and supermarkets up to threetimes as often as the average consumer? What if thissegment had large families — 3.5 consumers versus 2.6for the average U.S. household? What if grocery spend-

ing for the group was 35 percent more than other shoppers? And what ifthese consumers were drawn to everything fresh? That is exactly what deliretailers have in the burgeoning U.S. Hispanic market.

With buying power surpassing the $675 billion dollar mark, accordingto 2005 estimates from the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the Uni-versity of Georgia, Athens, GA, this segment could be key to future delidepartment growth. It behooves retailers to learn how to reach this poten-tially lucrative segment — the sooner the better.

Hispanics have brought not only their food preferences to influencethe nation’s palates but also their language. Major studies on languageusage, such as the 2000 Roslow Research Study, conducted by the RoslowResearch Group, Port Washington, NY, confirm that 63 percent of U.S.Hispanics use Spanish at home more frequently than English, and another14 percent use it equally. Experts believe Spanish is being retained andspread because of the proximity of the Hispanic home countries, whichprovide a constant influx of Spanish-dominant speakers.

Another key component reinforcing Spanish-language usage is thestrong and growing national Spanish-language media infrastructure. It pro-vides the “critical mass” of support to the lifestyle and language of nativespeakers in this highly urbanized segment. Spanish-language TV is in allmajor markets, serving up a 24-hour mélange of sports, news, novelas(soap operas), game and variety shows that reflect the new U.S. culture, aswell as the fare of the mother country.

According to Mediabuyerplanner.com, Spanish-language radio hasgrown to over 690 stations nationally, even influencing Latinos living insuch unlikely places as Yakima, WA, and rural Arkansas, where communi-ties of workers serve industries such as timber and poultry. Finally, theInternet and dozens of Spanish-language weekly and daily newspapersplus national magazines serve this growing group of consumers. Theresult? Hispanics are learning English and their kids are becoming “Ameri-can,” but the very definition of “American” is being changed forever. Bilin-gualism is here to stay, along with tacos and hot sauce.

Brand Loyalty And Shopping PatternsThe Roslow study confirmed Hispanics are open to advertising and

consider it informational and believable, unlike many more skeptical non-Hispanics. The study shows Spanish to be 40 percent more effective thanEnglish at building brand awareness among Hispanics, five times more per-suasive than English and 60 percent better at achieving comprehensionand recall for the advertised brand.

Hispanic festivals have become a huge way to sample products andintroduce brands. In 2004, MediaPost.com found seven of 10 Hispanicsrespond they are likely to purchase products from companies with a visualpresence at Hispanic festivals and events, of which there are hundredseach year all over the country.

In-store product sampling with bilingual demonstrators, bilingual mer-chandising materials and an offer of a premium or for multiple purchasesalso work exceptionally well to boost trial. Hispanics like the human touch.

A report from Food Marketing Institute (FMI), Washington, DC, citesfour distinct Latino groups based on acculturation and adaptation to theU.S. lifestyle and points clearly to the need not to treat them as a mono-lithic group in terms of shopping behaviors.

60 Percent of U.S. Latinos Reside in 10 Metropolitan Markets

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“Loyalists” are very brand conscious, planand adhere closely to a shopping list and wantto see bilingual signage and promotional materi-als and information. This has great implicationsfor deli. Since these Hispanics see name brandsas superior, retailers and manufacturers who flagbrand content at the deli counter with bilingualsignage will likely find it very helpful to sales. Forexample, Kraft Foods heavily promotes itsbrands to Latinos, so saying a sandwich is madewith Kraft Miracle Whip could be a real plus.

“Budgeters” spend the least because theyhave a tight budget and must follow the shop-ping list closely. They buy bulk items and largersizes, so family packs of value- and store-brandsoriented to Hispanics could be successful. Fami-ly-sized salads or trays of luncheon meats pre-ferred by Hispanics could be a draw to the delifor those looking for more affordable portions.A special for larger portions on a name brandwould also be a plus for all Latino buyers.

“Impulsives” make more spontaneous mealdecisions, compare brands and respond morereadily to coupons, promotions and sales.

“Inquirers” shop carefully, consume adver-tising for information and can be influenced bycoupons and promotions. This fits with long-standing experience that Hispanics tend toread labels, crave Spanish-language materialsand respond exceptionally well to the personal

appeal of live demon-strators offering pre-miums for pantry-loading purchases

Hispanics are usedto having Mom makesit-down meals of tra-ditional dishes. InApril, HispanicBusi-ness.com reported theHispanic mom worksoutside the home full-or part-time over 50percent of the time.Yet she is still expectedto provide healthful,tasty meals at home.

What The Deli Can DoThe deli can successfully serve this market

because the deli is where prepared foods aresold. Like most Americans, Hispanics also craveconvenience. And, since Hispanic foods areamong the fastest-growing ethnic cuisines,preparing meal solutions to attract Latino con-sumers will also be a boon to sales amongmainstream deli patrons.

A key to stocking the right dishes is to knowa store’s customers since the Latino communityvaries by area. In the East, Caribbeans and

South Americans dominate, with many PuertoRicans, Colombians and Cubans in New Yorkand New Jersey. Cubans, Nicaraguans, Vene-zuelans and Colombians populate Miami. TheSouthwest and West population is predomi-nately Mexican, but there are large numbers ofCentral and South Americans as well. Chicagohas Hispanics from everywhere, even thoughMexicans are a strong sub segment.

In areas of high Hispanic population pene-tration, many Latino independent stores havebecome established, leveraging the demand ofconsumers looking for a shopping experiencemore like that of their home countries. Thesestores are prospering by serving the growingHispanic population with the flavors and foodsthey want. Successful chains include SedanosSupermarket in South Florida, H. E. Butt andFiesta Mart in Texas, and Superior in Los Ange-les. For these chains, bilingual store signage.Spanish-language in-store circulars or advertis-ing in Hispanic media was never an issue.

For traditional chains like Publix Super Mar-kets Inc., based in Lakeland, FL, the move tobilingual signage, advertising and merchandis-ing was years in the making, despite head-oncompetition for Hispanic consumers. Once itmade the move, Publix found Hispanics addedto the chain’s bottom line. In May 2005, Publixbegan launching Hispanic-themed supermar-kets named Publix Sabor (Publix Flavor/Taste).Current advertising in Spanish, with ads specifi-cally touting convenient deli offerings, demon-strates the supermarket’s outreach to Hispanics.

It Really Is The CheeseHispanics consume cheese as a part of the

traditional diet. And Latino taste in cheeses hasincreasingly influenced the mainstream palate.According to U.S. Department of Agriculturefigures from 2005, Hispanic cheese productionincreased to 142 million pounds in 2004, up 65percent since 1999.

Cream cheese is popular with Hispanics, butso are Swiss, Cheddar and even American


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QUESO CAMPESINO...The answer to your complete

Deli Hispanic “Queso” Program

Visit our web site: www.QuesoCampesino.comPh: 303-316-4251

See us at IDDBA Booth #3130

http://www.QuesoCampesino.com


http://www.anchorpackaging.com

processed singles. Hispanics appreciate manytraditional cheeses, such as queso fresco (freshcheese), cotija and manchego. Larger bulkpacks of store- and value-brand cheeses His-panics use are becoming more available atretail, and this kind of large portion offeringmakes sense for the segment.

Incredible EggsLatinos love eggs — huevos in Spanish —

consuming them at over twice the rate of non-Hispanics, according to data from Chicago, IL-

based Information Resources,Inc. (IRI/InfoScan). They cookthem in every imaginable way,from Spanish-inspired tortillade huevo, quiche-like pies soldin slices among Caribbean His-panics, to Mexican breakfastdishes, including tacos conhuevo, and dessert custards.Flan (egg custard), one of thebetter-known Latino desserts,can be sold cold in cups or


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C O V E R S T O R Y

GOURMET EURO-MEX CUISINE

Corn Maiden Foods, Inc.Handmade! • No Lard! • No Preservatives!

Corn Maiden Foods retail packs offer diversity and gourmet flare toyour current “grab-n-go” meal replacement section. Our productsare trans fat free with only the finest ingredients. We currently offer

tamales, flautas, empanadas, and burrito orenchilada combo packs.

To request samples and pricing, please contactJannette Webb at (310) 784-0400 ex. 157

Check us out at: www.cornmaidenfoods.com

Corn Maiden Foods, Inc.24201 Frampton Ave.Harbor City, CA 90710

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Joe Albonetti is president of LatinoLandia USA, Inc., amarketing firm in Irvine, CA. LatinoLandia USA helpscompanies leverage the Hispanic market with integratedcommunications programs, including strategic advertis-ing, promotions, creative, media, PR and the Internet.

trays, in flavors such as plain with caramelizedsugar syrup, coconut and raisin. Bread pudding(pudín de pan) is also a popular dessert with lotsof eggs. Egg-based deli items prepared specifi-cally with Latinos in mind are a very safe bet fortesting.

Lots Of Meat ProteinIRI/InfoScan reports show Latinos indexing

very high for consumption of sausage (280),meat (227), luncheon meats (152) and frozenseafood (127). Hispanic dishes feature pork,chicken, beef, goat and rabbit, a direct result ofthe collision between the cooking of Spain andthat of indigenous cultures in Latin America.

In most high Hispanic penetration stores,the deli already serves hot food by the pound,including Latino recipes. On the East Coast,items such as carne con papas (a Cuba beefstew) and picadillo (Caribbean ground beef )with rice and black beans are abundant. On theWest Coast, it could be carnitas (roast pork) orpollo asado (spit-roasted chicken) with theaccompanying rice and beans. Arroz con pollo(chicken and rice) could be served anywhere.

Delis in areas not considered Hispanicshould look carefully to gauge Latino traffic intheir stores, particularly those with a large num-ber of construction and other blue-collar work-ers. Chances are good that many are Hispanic.

For working mothers, meal solutions couldfeature heat-and-serve trays of traditional dish-es, such as the previous items plus other Latinofoods such as tacos, enchiladas, tamales orCuban sandwiches, depending on the clientele.

Latinos live to eat, rather than eating to live.Retailers seeking to boost deli business have apotentially lucrative segment, eager to beserved more directly as their need for conve-nience increases. Finding out how to please Lati-no customers may be as close as talking to yourown staff or your frequent shoppers. If indoubt, get professional help, por favor. DB

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S p e c i a l t y C h e e s e C o r n e r

Cheddar Rules! Part 2

By Karen Silverston

N early all consumers know what Ched-dar tastes like, so there’s no need tointroduce this popular cheese. Howev-

er, using in-store demos to introduce new vari-eties, assorted ages and examples from differentregions is an easy way to increase sales.

“Show people who always buy mild Cheddarthe beauty of the way the cheese develops byoffering a vertical sampling. Having them try fourages, starting with mild and working up to super-aged, will get them to migrate to premium, agedcheeses,” advises Linda Hook, marketing vicepresident, DCI Cheese Company, Richfield,WI.

“Sampling is the best way to increase Ched-dar sales. People are amazed to see the vast arrayof styles and tastes, and it is changing the waythey feel about Cheddar,” says Kelly Tan, specialtyfoods team leader for Whole Foods Market, head-quartered in Austin,TX.

“To make displays as aesthetically pleasing aspossible, I cut different shapes and sizes and stackthem different ways, sometimes with edible flow-ers. For sampling, I pick cheeses that are differentin color for visual contrast. Knowing the storybehind it always helps sell cheese. Everyone likesto know where it comes from, why it is orange orwhy it isn’t, and who made it,” she continues.

“Moisture, fat, ‘cheddaring’ the curds and ageare the defining characteristics of Cheddar, yet allof these may vary in cheeses on the markettoday,” relates Hook. “Everything from the han-

dling of the milk to the length of aging affectsCheddar flavor, with age having a huge impact.The cheesemaker or manufacturer chooseswhether to pasteurize or heat-treat the milk priorto using it to make the cheese or whether to useraw milk, and the choice affects how the cheeseages. Using heat-treated milk rather than pasteur-ized milk produces a cheese with more nuancesand better flavor as the cheeses ages out.”

New York State CheddarNew York State has a long tradition of creat-

ing distinct and unique Cheddar cheeses.Erin Shirkey and Jeff Mazanec, brand man-

agers for Adams Reserve Cheddar, a product ofGreat Lakes Cheese Company, headquartered inHiram, OH, attribute the cheese’s characteristicflavor of to the minerals, nutrients and acidity inthe soil. These contribute to the unique flavor ofNew York milk, which goes into the production of

Regional differences are

a good entry point for

educating consumers

about the endless

varieties of Cheddar.


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the New York Cheddar.“In the Northeast, the flavor preference is

sharp. Our New York Cheddar is aged ninemonths for Sharp and 12 months for Extra Sharp.The color preference is generally white,” saysShirkey.

New York State, where the first U.S. Cheddarfactory was founded in 1851, produced over 81.9million pounds of Cheddar in 2004, according tothe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)National Agricultural Statistics Service — almost3 percent of U.S. production.

“Great Lakes Cheese produces the lion’s shareof New York Cheddar. We produce it only in ourAdams, NY, cheesemaking plant,” says Mazanec.

“We repeatedly won the competitions we hadentered to gauge how we compare to other Ched-dars. After winning the Wisconsin Cheese Mak-ers Association (WCMA) Best of Class two yearsin a row, the 2003 United States ChampionshipCheese Contest and the 2004 World Champi-onship Cheese Contest, we decided to market ourNew York Extra Sharp Cheddar as the AdamsReserve brand,” explains Shirkey.

“It is a large-production cheese, not hand-made, but it uses today’s technology for consisten-cy. We are marketing Adams Reserve NY ExtraSharp Cheddar as reasonably priced, premiumcheese — an upscale cheese for everyday. It isnaturally aged for 12 months, not force cured orenzyme modified. It is a very consistent product,smooth and creamy with a clean finish. It goeswell with hearty wines, fresh fruit, apple pie andin many recipes offered on our website,” she adds.

Yancey’s Fancy, Corfu, NY, produces hand-crafted aged raw milk Sharp, Extra Sharp, XXX-tra Sharp and pasteurized process flavored Ched-dars using Western New York milk from theUpstate Farms Food and Beverage Cooperative,Buffalo, NY. “We individually handle each wheelas it cures on wooden shelves. We wanted toappeal to all the senses with our flavored Ched-dars. We developed enhanced flavor profiles, thenwaxed the rounds and cut them into wedges foreye-appeal” says Candice Yancey, marketing man-ager at Yancey’s.

“Buffalo Wings Hot Sauce Cheddar and Pep-padew Cheddar are the first of their kind,” shecontinues. “Flavored Cheddars are excellent forentertaining and adding to sandwiches becausethey add great flavor with no hassle. “

“Even if people know New York Cheddar,they might not realize that New York State has soRegional Cheddars offer marketing opportunties.

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at the American Cheese Society [ACS,Louisville, KY],” Fletcher adds.

According to John Fiscalini, owner of FiscaliniCheese Company, “Our cheeses are truly ‘ched-dared,’ that is, stacked and run through a mill.There are only a handful of American cheese-makers following this tradition today. Our 18-month aged bandage-wrapped Cheddar is clothbound and hand turned for the first 60 days, then

stored for the next 16 months and turned whennecessary.”

“Fiscalini and Bravo Farms [Visalia, CA] makegreat bandaged Cheddars that people are reallyexcited about, and there are many vacuum Ched-dars that aren’t as romantic but are really tasty,”says Whole Foods’ Tan. “People don’t want thesame thing day in and day out. When I buyCheddar, I bring in different profiles, colors andshapes. Factory cheeses have their place, too, butit is very romantic to have cheese that the cheese-maker put time and love into.

“Hilmar Cheese Company [Hilmar, CA] isthe largest single-site cheese manufacturer in theworld, supplier to the national, regional and pri-vate-label branded portion of the industry. Allour products are expected to be consistent so theycan be converted to the consumer or foodservicesector and used consistently by others in the sup-ply chain,” explains Phil Robnett, cheese salesvice president.

“When we make mild Cheddar, it stays mildfor several months. We make Cheddar that isintended to be aged out to become medium andsharp differently with that end goal in mind. Over22 years, we have worked to develop a specificmilk supply that is focused on cheese. The milk isvery consistent day-to-day and only varies nor-mally from season to season in solids content. Weproduce over 1.3 million pounds of cheese a day.None of our direct-ship milk is ever over 24 hoursold when it arrives at our plant, and most of the


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HealthfulGoat Milk

A ccording to Shana Adams, direc-tor of marketing for MeyenbergGoat Milk Products, based in

Turlock, CA, “The goat milk consumer isusually a health-conscious shopper look-ing for alternatives to cow or soy products.Goat milk is ‘real milk’ that tastes greatanywhere one might use cow milk. It iseasier to digest because of its smaller fatglobules and different protein structure. Ithas only trace amounts of the major pro-tein in cow milk to which many people areallergic — alpha s-1 casein. It is higher inmany nutrients than cow or soy milk, anddairy goats are not treated with growthhormones.” DB

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0much cheese heritage. It is fourth for cheese pro-duction as a whole. Upstate New York has pas-tures, cows and open lands, and it’s a wholesomeand hardworking area.”

California CheddarCalifornia is one of the largest Cheddar pro-

ducing areas of the country. “California Cheddarcomes from two distinct climates, the warm, drySan Joaquin Valley in central California and thecoastal area. Cheesemakers adapt their tech-niques for making and aging cheese to their cli-mate, and cheese made in two different placesusing the same approach and recipe does nottaste the same,” according to Nancy Fletcher, vicepresident of communications, California MilkAdvisory Board (CMAB), based in Modesto, CA.

“Differences in aging techniques influenceflavor. If you were to age two cheeses made frommilk in the same vat on the same day, one cloth-wrapped and one sealed in vacuum, you would beable taste a difference in the flavors. Whether it’sperceived as better or not is subjective — tastershave liked both variations. The texture of cloth-wrapped Cheddar becomes drier. Cheddar invacuum is more moist and creamy,” says Fletcher.

“Almost 20 percent of U.S. Cheddar produc-tion is from California. Fiscalini Cheese Compa-ny [Modesto, CA] won a prestigious WorldCheese Award, and since 2002, California Ched-dar producers have taken home more than 20percent of the awards in the Cheddar categories

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the fuller-flavored ones. Make recipes and usageideas available. We developed a recipe bookletwith a series of recipes to encourage use of theproduct. We make it available to any retailers whowant it,” says Hook.

Goat CheddarCheesemakers are always looking for ways to

differentiate themselves, and one way is to usenon-traditional milks to create a “traditional”cheese. Goat milk cheddar is the latest variationin this time-honored practice. Goat Cheddars donot have to meet U.S. Cheddar standards formoisture (39 percent maximum) or fat in drymatter (50 percent minimum) because the stan-dards apply only to cheese made from cow milk.

“Our Chèvre Noir is made completely withinthe cheddaring tradition,” says John Eggena,exports marketing director for Fromagerie Tourn-event, based in Chesterville, QC.

“We amass the curd to form thick slabs thatwe then flip from side to side, heat and stack tofurther firm up the curd. The slabs are then putthrough a dicer and salted. The salted curd isplaced in molds and put under pressure for 17hours. Technically — and by U.S. Customs — itis not Cheddar. It is a firm, ripened goat cheese,28 percent fat in dry matter, 42 percent moisture,aged at least 12 months,” he continues.

“All true maturing cheddar types are best


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milk comes from within a 50-mile radius of ourplant,” says Robnett.

Canadian CheddarNorth America is home to another country

with a great cheddar-making tradition — Canada.“Canadian Cheddar has a distinctive creami-

ness and mouthfeel combined with a sharpnessthat does not become bitter with age. Buyers andsales associates need to know that some agedCheddars become more crumbly, and this is not adefect but an acceptable characteristic. Still, theyshould not be recommended when consumers areseeking a cheese for slicing,” says DCI’s Hook.

“The most well-known Canadian Cheddarbrand in the United States is Black Diamond.One-year, used for pre-sliced product, 2-year and4-year varieties are available. DCI offers a verylimited quantity of 5-year Canadian Cheddarunder the Balderson brand. With age, Cheddarbecomes very pleasing and creamy, with a full fla-vored taste, almost nutty, and a more pronouncedsharpness. Cheeses that have more age on themare typically white, super-aged, premium products,and there is a very small amount of aged premiumCheddar with color,” she continues.

“Recommend aged Cheddar for adding tocream-based soups — it melts beautifully insauces and soups and over hot vegetables. Ched-dar is more than just a snacking cheese, especially

served cool. They are excellent with fresh fruit, anomelet or as a gratin. We’ve matched aged goatCheddars with Port wines and heavier malt beerswith much success,” says Eggena.

“Sales of specialty goat milk products are sky-rocketing due to widespread acceptance of goatcheese by gourmet food enthusiasts,” explainsShana Adams, director of marketing for Meyen-berg Goat Milk Products, based in Turlock, CA.The prominent goat milk distributor and high-end European-style goat milk butter maker nowmakes 3-month aged goat milk Cheddar, hor-mone- and preservative-free, and certified kosher.

“The trend toward nutrient-dense, naturalproducts has helped the fresh goat milk categorygrow at least 10 percent a year. All milk used inour fresh goat milk products is produced within a200-mile radius of our company located in Cali-fornia. For the 3-month winter period when ourgoat milk production is less, we reduce cheeseand butter production, and we increase in thespring, summer and fall when milk is more abun-dant,” she says.

“Goat milk cheeses usually sell best in thespecialty cheese case alongside other gourmetcheeses,” says Adams, who advises retailers to edu-cate buyers and dairy managers about the benefitsof goat milk products and to use shelf-talkers,other POS materials and product demos to edu-cate consumers. DB

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DeliBUSINESS

Authentic Italian Cheese Creates Mainstream Interest

“The PDO system is an objective way of judg-ing authenticity and quality,” says EmmanuelleHofer Louis, director of marketing for Anco FineCheese, Fairfield, NJ, importer and distributorspecializing in fine cheeses, complementary prod-ucts and specialty meats. “There are too manyproducts [on the market] that are ‘me too’ prod-ucts using the same name as PDO products. Itjust serves to confuse the customer.

“All products with PDO status are guaranteedby the state or other government organization tobe made in the same traditional way because it isoverseeing the production, aging, raw materials,etc. PDOs help to assure buyers that they are get-ting a quality product,” continues Hofer Louis.

Guaranteed But Not EqualAs the world becomes more globalized and

industrialized, food processing techniques changeto make production more efficient at a lower cost.

“Patents are granted that foods can be madein radically different ways. Traditional foods can-not employ modern manufacturing processes thatsave money through industrialization. At whatpoint, without protection, can they no longercompete? At what subjective juncture does thefinished product change enough that it is nolonger even close to the original?” asks Radke.The question becomes, should the new productstill be allowed to be called the same name?

PDO products guarantee that traditionaltechniques are used to produce a cheese from thespecific type of animal that can produce the milkand that the feed and grazing techniques, produc-tion methods, aging and inspections conform toprescribed guidelines. However, asserts HoferLouis, “There are variations within PDOs.”

The PDO guarantees a high level of consis-tent quality, but there are still differences betweenbrands and the age of the cheese. Some cheesesare better because of better cheesemakers, season-al differences in animal feed and different grazingareas within the same geographic area.

Il Villaggio is Anco’s brand of fine Italiancheeses. “All are selected from the best Italiancheesemakers, and many carry the PDO qualitystamp and exceed the aging standards defined bythe Italian Consorzio,” asserts Hofer Louis. “It isour goal to bring not just PDO cheeses to theUnited States but also to assure that only thefinest PDO cheeses bear the Il Villaggio brand.”

Parmigiano-Reggiano is an example of whatAnco is doing with its Il Villaggio line, explainsHofer Louis. All the Parmigiano-Reggiano soldunder the brand is aged for 24 months in Italy

By Lee Smith


Italian cheeses remain popular.

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I talian cuisine is no longer ethnic food in theUnited States. It is so widespread and soaccepted that it is as American as apple pie

and fried chicken. Virtually every U.S. town has apizzeria and Italian-style dishes are found inschool lunches, restaurants and fast-food outlets.Retailers, from supermarkets to specialty stores,carry canned, frozen and fresh Italian domesticand imported ingredients and prepared entrées,soups, pastas and desserts with the quality rang-ing from the mundane to the extraordinary.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, asreported in the Madison, WI-based InternationalDairy-Deli-Bakery Associations’ (IDDBA) What’sIn Store 2006, reports that in 2004 Americansconsumed 9,410 million pounds of cheese andbreaks consumption into the following categories:American at 41 percent; Italian at 41 percent; andall others at 17 percent. Italian cheeses (withoutdifferentiation between domestic and imported)rank as highly as American cheeses.

“Italian” no longer means “imported fromItaly” but rather refers to a category of foods thatis broken down into categories for everythingfrom restaurants to frozen foods to cheese.

Authentic Does CountDue to a number of factors, not the least of

which is the mainstreaming of Italian, there istremendous interest in authentic Italian cheeses,among other Italian imports. Parmigiano-Reg-giano, Gorgonzola, Fontina Valle d’Aosta, GranaPadano and Taleggio are just a few of the Protect-ed Denomination of Origin (PDO) cheeses gain-ing in popularity.

The American populace is finally gettinginterested in issues that relate to food sourcetraceability and the guarantee of safe, wholesomefoods. Interest also is growing in environmentalissues, sustainable agriculture, organic and natural

foods and food manufacturing techniques, mak-ing the PDO and Geographic Indication (GI)products even more attractive.

This interest in authentic is turning the tidefrom Italian being a category to Italian, onceagain, being an ethnic food, with the concurrenthigh regard for products imported from Italy. Ital-ian cheese sections in specialty cheese depart-

ments will always have an assortment of importedand domestic Italian-style cheeses, but importedcheeses are gaining popularity as consumersbecome better educated and understand theirnuances.

As Italian cheeses become more popular andreadily available, more hard-to-find cheeses aresurfacing. Italian consolidators, such as Luigi Guf-fanti 1876, are bringing artisanal cheeses, such asCastelmagno, Bras and Mortarats from the Pied-mont area, and Ubriaco rosso trevigiano fromVeneto to the U.S. marketplace.

PDO And GI classificationsThe PDO and GI are two systems that are

often talked about interchangeably, but they actu-ally are very different and often misunderstood.

Nancy Radke, president of Syracuse, NY-based Ciao Ltd., a culinary consultancy specializ-ing in marketing Italian food products with a spe-cialty in cheese, is also the director of the U. S.information offices for Parmigiano-Reggiano andFontina Valle d’Aosta, both PDO cheeses fromItaly. “The PDO certification is a quality controlsystem, while the GI is an intellectual propertyaccord,” according to Radke.

“The PDO is a European system to protectand promote traditional and regional products. Itsgoals are to encourage diverse agricultural produc-tion, protect the names of products from misuseand imitation and to help consumers know thespecific character and nature of a product,” sheexplains. “Products with PDO certification mustbe handcrafted utilizing traditional means andmust have an origin in a specific geographic loca-tion that influences the finished product. PDOproducts have guaranteed and certified character-istics and assurances of naturalness, long aging,fully developed flavor and aroma qualities, andcomplete traceability from field to fork.”

Italian cheeses are

back to being ethnic.

and, legally, they do not have to, but the issue isnot at that simple.

BelGioioso Cheese, based in Denmark, WI, isan American cheesemaker that produces classicItalian cheeses that have won over 30 nationaland international awards, earning respect fromcheesemakers worldwide, including Italy.

According to Jamie Wichlacz, marketing man-ager for BelGioioso, “We believe our cheeses areas authentic as they can be. The family broughtover the recipes from Italy and has stayed faithfulto them. The only difference is the cows the milkcomes from, and Wisconsin milk is better.”

Wichlacz says it is a common misconceptionto believe all cheeses imported from Italy areidentical. “Every cheesemaker, whether Italian orAmerican, makes a cheese that tastes a little dif-ferent. The qualities of the pasture and the skill ofthe cheesemaker influence the outcome. Bel-Gioioso’s cheeses have their own flavor, but thatdoesn’t make them the least bit un-authentic.”

“I think it would a tragic mistake to makeAmerican cheesemakers change the names ofPDO cheeses from Italy,” says Errico Auricchio,president, BelGioioso. “These names were alwaysgeneric names with no geographical borders.”

“It wasn’t until sometime around 1945 that theItalian government decided to limit the nameusage. It was a gift to a small group of producersand it was political,” continues Auricchio. “Thename Gorgonzola has been in use since the 1500s— a generic name with no registration. Theentire PDO system does nothing to protect theconsumer — it is a way to protect the producers.

“If it were decided that American cheesemak-ers would not be allowed to use a certain name,we would change it, but it would make sense if allthe cheesemakers agreed to a new name. It wouldtake time — but not too long — and the namewould be accepted by the consumer,” he adds.

“Reserving the name for cheeses from Italy justisn’t right,” says Wichlacz. “Many PDO cheeseshave been made here for years — they weren’tavailable from Italy. The Italian-American cheese-makers ‘readied’ the market for the imports and it’swrong to imply American-made specialties aresomehow less and should change their names.”

“They [the Italians] are fooling themselves,”asserts Auricchio. “Gorgonzola would virtuallydisappear, and the market for Italian Gorgonzolawould shrink. Today, 95 percent of Gorgonzolaconsumed is domestic; only 5 percent is imported.If the American producers changed the name, itwould be accepted and Gorgonzola would quicklybecome a rarity. Besides, in many cases, thedomestic version is far superior. It is not unusualfor imported Gorgonzola to be past its primewhen it gets in the hands of [U.S.] consumers.”

“U.S.-made cheeses can be equal to or betterthan the imported version,” says Wichlacz, point-ing out the number of awards BelGioioso Cheesehas won over the years. “Bottom line— Americancheesemakers are not going to change the namesof their cheeses unless forced to.” DB


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1and has the firebrand that says ‘Parmigiano-Reg-giano Extra’ or ‘Parmigiano-Reggiano Export.’ Justbefore export, the cheese is cut and wrapped, inItaly, under the scrutiny on the Consorzio.

“This is an important distinction,” says HoferLouis. There is a big difference between a cheesepurchased at 20 months, shipped to the UnitedStates and held in a warehouse and a cheeseproperly aged and handled in Italy. There is ahigher cost involved in doing it our way. Packag-ing in Italy also guarantees the cheese is exactlywhat we say it is, since it is inspected every step ofthe way by Consorzio officials, which is very

important since buyers cannot read the datestamp or ‘Extra’ firebrand on individual pieces.

Hofer Louis says all of Anco’s imported ItalianIl Villaggio cheeses are aged in Italy, includingGrana Padano, which is aged for 18 months, andthe Provolone Picante, which is aged for one year.The line includes Gorgonzola Dolce and Picanteand Ricotta Salata. The exception is mozzarella,which is made in the United States.

Authentic American SpecialtiesAmerican cheesemakers often do not wish to

comply with or honor the PDO or the GI systems

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DeliBUSINESS

ACH Food Companies Inc.Ft. Worth, TX

Introducing MazolaZT, a new ZERO-TRANS deep frying oil from the makers ofFrymaxZT. MazolaZT is made from a uniqueblend of oils specially formulated to providelonger fry life and a light, clean flavor profile.

IDDBA Booth # 1121

Amy Food Inc.Houston, TX

Amy Foods specializes in egg rolls but car-ries an extensive list of Asian food products. Allproducts are free of added MSG and preserva-tives and are USDA approved. This is a gour-met quality line of foods with traditional orien-tal taste. All items are handmade forconsistency and high infiber/low in fat with 30 per-cent protein.

IDDBA Booth # 1946

Anchor PackagingSt. Louis, MO

Anchor Packaging introduces the Incredi-Bowl, a polypropylene bowl for staging foodsunder heat lamps or in warming units/tunnelsor for re-heating in the microwave. A classicblack bowl is matched with a clear, vented,anti-fog lid for excellent food visibility makingthe Incredi-Bowlideal for increasingvisual appeal whileassuring orderaccuracy.

IDDBA Booth # 1209

Bake’n JoyNorth Andover, MA

Bake’n Joy will showcase its All NaturalWhole Grains’ line of FreshBakes predepositedbakery items at the show and introduce itsnewest addition All Natural/Whole Wheat3.5-ounce predeposited muffin batters. Madewith wholesome natural ingredi-ents and white whole wheat,these muffin battersbake up to delicious,moist muffins cus-tomers will love.

IDDBA Booth # 1222

Benson’s Bakery Inc.Bogart, GA

Benson’s has been a supplier of quality bak-ery products since 1918. It produces a widevariety of fruitcake formulas, shapes and sizesfor many of the better retail grocery chains inthe country. Benson’s has recently had greatsuccess with angel food cakes, pound cakes,quick breads, creme cakes and brownies.

IDDBA Booth # 2208

Beatrice Bakery Co.Beatrice, NE

Beatrice Bakery will present its classicGrandma’s Bake Shoppe line that brings youthe finest assortment of premium fruit and nutdessert cakes, including ournew No Sugar Added Fruitand Nut Cake. New fromthe Grandma’s line is theApple Cinnamon Nut Cake,a combination of crisp appleslices and crunchy walnutsand pecans with just a hintof cinnamon.

IDDBA Booth # 2240

Best Cheese Corp.Mt. Kisco, NY

Best Cheese Corporation presents Mantu-anella Farmstead Parmesan. Aged 24 months,Mantuanella has a richflavor and flaky texture.Perfect for grating, itcomplements pasta dish-es, salads and soups andis perfect in antipasto.Please visit our booth.

IDDBA Booth # 1635

®

BelGioioso Cheese Inc.Denmark, WI

Wisconsin’s own BelGioioso Cheese will befeaturing Crescenza Stracchino,its newestcheese. Recently introduced in the UnitedStates, Crescenza Stracchino is a fresh, rind-less cheese made fromwhole pasteurized cow’smilk with a mild, milky,somewhat yeasty flavor.Please stop by our boothfor samples.

IDDBA Booth # 2015

Bridgford Foods Corp.Huntersville, NC

Bridgford will display Baked Buttermilk Bis-cuits in a variety of pack sizes, ready to takeout and display in your bakery section or nextto the hot deli items. It also will feature the fullline of Micro-ReadySandwiches, a new line ofsub sandwiches thatincludes BBQ Pork, Ham& Cheese, SmokedTurkey Breast, RoastBeef and Cheese.

IDDBA Booth # 2248

Alexian Pâtés & Specialty MeatsNeptune, NJ

Alexian’s new line of natural pâtés and ter-rines follows its 20-year-old tradition of innova-tion. On the industry shelf, staying fresh forover two decades is no easy task! And, theuniqueness of its Vermousse, White Aspara-gus, Duck Rillette and Pheasant, Duck andRosemary pâtés does just that.

IDDBA Booth # 1816

Anco Fine CheeseFairfield, NJ

As the specialty cheese division of Schrat-ter Foods Inc., we distribute gourmet cheesebrands such as Ile de France, Il Villaggio and St.Andre. For 70 years, Ile de France has enjoyedan excellent reputation in theUnited States for its Brieand goat cheeses. IlVillaggio offers 11varieties of themost popular andtraditional Italiancheese specialties.

IDDBA Booth # 1511


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Cabot Creamery CooperativeMontpelier,VT

Cabot Creamery introduces Cabot MildReserve Cheddar with a rich, buttery taste andcreamy texture. Available for national distribu-tion in random-weight bars packed 12 poundsper case, MildReserve is natu-rally aged andhand selected byCabot’s cheesegraders to deliverthe perfect flavorprofile.

IDDBA Booth # 2338

Celebration FoodsRocky Hill, CT

Celebration Foods, adivision of FOCUSBrands Inc., introducesthe Snickers ice creamcake. This cake is madefrom 40 fluid ounces ofCarvel creamy peanutbutter ice cream, Snickers candypieces, caramel swirl, chocolate crunchies andis covered in milk chocolate. Please stop by fora sample.

IDDBA Booth #2635

Chloe Foods CorporationBrooklyn, NY

Chloe Foods will showcase its fine line ofimported olives and Mediterranean foods. Wewill be displaying our Blue Ridge Farms salads,EZ Cuisine prepared foods andsoups, The Cookie Storeholiday cookie selections,Joshua's Kosher Kitchenpickles and delicacies,Texas Superior Meatsfresh and frozen skewers,and high energy drink,Bomba.

IDDBA Booth # 1623

Conroy Foods Inc.Pittsburgh, PA

Conroy presents Beano's Little Dippers,our most popular sandwichsauces packaged into easy-to-use 2-ounce portion-control dipping cups.They are great for dip-ping chicken wings,poppers, onion rings andcheese sticks. They alsocan be used on deli sand-wiches, when portion packsare just not enough.

IDDBA Booth # 1828

Corn Maiden Foods Inc.Los Angeles, CA

Corn Maiden Foods retail packs offer diver-sity and gourmet flare to your current grab-and-go meal replacementsection. All are trans-fatfree with only the finestingredients. We currentlyoffer tamales, flautas,empanadas, and burrito orenchilada combo packs.

IDDBA Booth # 1343

Fantasy Cookie CompanySylmar, CA

Fantasy Cookie will be displaying threenew healthful cookie products. Eco Planetcookies are organic and shaped like the earth,available in vanilla and cinnamon. San AnselmoOatmeal cookies and Whole Grain ChocolateChip cookies are bite-sized and can be custompacked for volume accounts.

IDDBA Booth # 2322

Finlandia CheeseParsippany, NJ

Finlandia Cheese willintroduce a new variety ofpre-sliced, pre-packaged DeliSlices Thin-Sliced Swiss. Fin-landia also will introduce re-designed packaging for itsentire Deli Slices productline. Finlandia Deli SlicesThin-Sliced Swiss will be thefirst thin-sliced, pre-pack-aged Swiss cheese to appearin the supermarket deli case.

IDDBA Booth # 2511

DCI Cheese CompanyRichfield, WI

DCI’s Black DiamondSpread took home top honorsin the cold-pack cheese cate-gory at the 26th biennial 2006World Cheese Championship.The spread placed first in itsdivision receiving a 99.80 outof 100 points. This spread is available in 8-ounce containers for retail and a 24-ounce sizefor foodservice. Please stop by for a taste.

IDDBA Booth # 2059

California Milk Advisory BoardModesto, CA

The California Milk Advisory Board hasexpanded and updated its online guide to pro-moting, merchandising and stor-ing cheese. The websiteincludes Retail & Foodser-vice Professionals’ Guideto California Cheesewith informationabout how cheese ismade and the ways inwhich it develops flavor.

IDDBA Booth #1571

FoodMatch Inc.New York, NY

FoodMatch is a specialty food importer andmanufacturer of all-natural Mediterraneanproducts ranging from olives and antipasti tooils and spreads. Our exciting new line ofpreservative-free Gigandes Bean Spreads fromGreece is available in three varieties. Thesecreamy white bean purées are delicious as dipsand as sandwich spreads.

IDDBA Booth #1269

ChocoFreshBuffalo, NY

ChocoFresh will be featuring its “In StoreConfectionery Center” concept, focusing onproduction of fresh European-style chocolatesin a compact, efficient workspace. ChocoFreshoffers a complete line of ingredients, packaging,fixtures and equipment in addition to recipedevelopment, merchandising support and fin-ished chocolate products.

IDDBA Booth # 3048

1308 N. Patt Street, P.O.Box 3773, Anaheim, CA 92803 (800) 854-3255 (714) 526-5533 www.bridgford.com

Old South®, Fully Baked & Wrapped Buttermilk Biscuits!A perfect addition to your hot deli chicken dinners and in-store bakery.

The Fresh Baked Idea Company™

Upstairs Deli Sandwiches & Meal Kits

A full line of convenient upscalesandwiches that taste great

and are just as convenient for theretailer as for the consumer!

Buttermilk Biscuit Deli Pack

Ready to merchandise with a 35 day shelf-life!

Visit us at IDDBA, Booth#2248


http://www.bridgford.com


2005

26

DeliBUSINESS

IPL PackagingSaint Damien, QC

IPL Packaging is launching a new line ofwholesale, club store and foodservice contain-ers featuring the In-Mold Labeling (IML) injec-tion process. The lineincludes round, squareand rectangular IMLtamper-evident con-tainers and two IMLdecorated pails. Theseare an ideal packagingsolution for a widerange of food products.

IDDBA Booth # 2079

Klondike Cheese Co.Monroe, WI

Under the direction ofthree master cheesemakers,Klondike Cheese manufac-tures Odyssey brand tradi-tional and flavored Feta forretail, foodservice andindustrial applications.Klondike’s two newest retailitems include Fat-Free Crumbled Feta and Tra-ditional Feta in Brine. Please visit us at ourbooth and try our award-winning cheese!

IDDBA Booth # 2059

Montchevre-Betin Inc.Rolling Hills Estates, CA

Montchevre, a manufac-turer of domestic goat cheese,is expanding its line of cheesesand adding new flavors. Thenew flavors include fresh goatcheese with Peppadew andfresh goat cheese with fig.They are both made withprime quality goat milk fromWisconsin and are available in4-ounce logs.

IDDBA Booth # 1838

Kangaroo Brands Inc.Milwaukee, WI

Kangaroo, America’s best-known pita com-pany, is establishing itself as akey player in the fast-growingpita chip category. KangarooPita Chips are made using allnatural ingredients andbaked with heart-healthysunflower oil. Current PitaChip flavors include SeaSalt and Cinnamon Sugar.Please visit our booth.

IDDBA Booth # 2136

Fresh Food Concepts Inc.Buena Park, CA

Fresh Food Concepts manufactures mar-ket-leading brands of refrigerated salsas, lay-ered dips, seafood salads and other dips. Theseinclude Rojo’s, San Francisco, Fresh Food Con-cepts and De La Casa brands. Please stop bythe booth to tryour latest innova-tions — newCream CheeseSalsa Dip, PartySalsas andSeafood Salads.

IDDBA Booth #1940

Kahiki Foods Inc.Gahanna, OH

Kahiki Foods is proud to once again displayits Asian in Minutes! line of deli products. Ourproducts are MAP-packed for up to 21 daysextended shelf life.With nutritiousingredients, notrans fat and noadded MSG, ourproducts can helpyou differentiateyour deli businessand boost sales!

IDDBA Booth # 1823

Fresh Express Inc.Salinas, CA

Fresh Express,continues to leadthe value-addedsalad categorythrough supply chainefficiencies, newproduct developmentand category management.This expertise is now focused on categoriessuch as deli. Our goal is to help transform thedeli department into a bigger sales and profitcontributor.

IDDBA Booth # 1808

Great Lakes Cheese Co.Cornelius, NC

Great Lakes Cheese is showcasing a broadarray of cheese varieties, packaging and retailprograms that have made it a leading supplierto dairy and deli departments. Ondisplay will be an ensembleof shreds, bars, slices,processed cheeses and deliloaves featured in itsstore-brand programs.

IDDBA Booth #2308

Inline Plastics Corp.Shelton, CT

Inline Plastics will be presenting CrystalVue cake packaging in three styles, Party Plat-ters, a multi-compartment crudités containerand three new sizes of the Safe-T-Fresh line.All the new containers are made of PETE.Please visit our booth.

IDDBA Booth # 1749

Hickory FarmsMaumee, OH

Our new All-Seasons Program offerssound marketing strategies designed to keepour premium snacks moving off deli shelves.The program is anchoredby permanent merchan-dising and seasonaldisplays built to capi-talize on majorsnacking events.High-impact graphicsand exciting special offersgenerate strong impulse sales.

IDDBA Booth # 1923

King’s Hawaiian BreadTorrance, CA

King's Hawaiian willshowcase its 100 percentWhole Wheat and SavoryButter Rolls, the latest addi-tions to the company's familyof top-selling Hawaiian Sweetand Honey Wheat Rolls.Geared toward health-conscious consumers,the 100 percent Whole Wheat Rolls, with theirhealthy blend of fiber, whole grain and 100 per-cent whole wheat, offer an alternative to whitebread products.

IDDBA Booth # 2641


2006

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DeliBUSINESS

IDDBA’S Dairy-Deli-Bake 2006 Seminar & ExpoOrlando, FL June 11-13

Norseland Inc.Stamford, CT

Norseland has launched a new line of pre-packaged blue cheeses from Saga. These “Bestof Blues” were devel-oped in response toconsumers’ prefer-ences regarding flavor,portion, packagingand price point. Theline includes SagaTrue Blue, Gorgonzo-la, Crumbled Blue andSliced Blue.

IDDBA Booth # 2071

Perdue Farms Inc.Salisbury, MD

Hear your customers say wow again andagain. Today’s customers crave exciting flavors,and only Perdue Deli offers the new flavor pro-file of Salt & Vinegar Wings to keep themcoming back for more. Visit our booth to learnmore about this proprietary, patented recipe.

IDDBA Booth # 2409

Pactiv Corp.Lake Forest, IL

Pactiv is pleased tointroduce new 16-ounceand 32-ounce squatDELItainer microwav-able containers fromNewspring, a practicalchoice in containers for a variety of menu appli-cations. They are ideal for hot and cold, wet ordry applications — from soups and stir fry tosalsas and salads.

IDDBA Booth # 1359


2006

29

DeliBUSINESS

Pilgrim’s Pride Corp.Pittsburg, TX

Pilgrim’s Pride willunveil its new Eat WellStay Healthy Deli Prod-ucts. The line is full of fla-vor and carries the certifi-cation of the AmericanHeart Association. Someof the items includechicken salad, key limechicken breast and rotis-serie skinless split breast.

IDDBA Booth # 2749

Plumrose USA Inc.East Brunswick, NJ

Plumrose is highlighting its popular gold foil-wrapped DAK Deli Hams in a new two mus-cle, lower sodium formulation. It will also unveilnew thinner sliced deli meats in a gas flushedpackage. Plumrose’sline of premiumsliced meats with thez i p - p a c kslider alsowill be ondisplay.

IDDBA Booth # 1184

Principe Foods Inc.Newton, MA

Principe introduces Italianimported Tartufotto TruffleHam. This is an infusedcooked ham made of threemuscles and Dutch rawmaterial. This 6.6-poundham is cooked in its ownjuices with no water added, no MSGand no artificial flavors or colors. Pleasestop by our booth for some samples.

IDDBA Booth # 2236

Keynote Speakers

Sunday, June 11Michael EisnerFormer chairman and CEO

of Walt Disney CompanyLeadership: Succeeding by Failing and Other

Paradoxes

Monday, June 12President William Jefferson Clinton 42nd President of the United StatesEmbracing Our Common Humanity —

Security and Prosperity in the 21st Century

Tuesday, June 13Terry Bradshaw Legendary Hall-of-Fame quarterbackWhy Not Your Best?

SeminarsSelling the InvisibleHarry Beckwith, author of Selling the Invisible and What Clients Love: a Field Guide to Growing Your Business

Dave's World: From the Far Side Internationally syndicated columnist Dave Barry

The War for Talent: How Prepared Are You?Mary Bentley, president of the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association and director of industry relations, General Mills Bakeries & Foodservice

Walk the Talk: The Best & Worst of Product AdvertisingDr. Frank Luntz, nationally-known pollster and author

The Customer is Always RightStew Leonard, Jr., president of the world famous Stew Leonard's dairy stores, often called “The Disney of Retail”

Food World: The E-Ticket RideCarol Christison, executive director, International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association

Re-energizing Resistant Customers: Transforming Marketing Through Consumer Understanding

J. Walker Smith, president of Yankelovich Inc.

Traffic Studies: Increase Sales by Driving the Customer Harold Lloyd, president, Harold Lloyd Presents, and Dr. Kenneth C. Herbst, assistant professor of marketing, Mason School of Business at the College of William and Mary

Chilled Foods Mean Cold CashMark Jansen, vice president of product strategy, Schwan's Consumer Brands North America

The Organic Advantage — Naturally Katherine DiMatteo, executive director, The Organic Trade Association, and Maryellen Molyneaux, president, The Natural Marketing Institute

Merchandising a Healthier Department: Marketing to ConsumersTerry Roberts, president, Merchandising by Design Inc.

Merchandising a Healthier Department: Impact of Whole Grains and Dietary GuidelinesJoanne Slavin, PhD, RD, professor in the department of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota


2006

30

DeliBUSINESS

Queso CampesinoDenver, CO

Queso Campesino, “country man cheese,”is domestically produced Mexican cheese,including Asadero,Cotija, Menonita,Muenster Enchilado,Oaxaca, Panela,Queso Fresco andQuesadilla Cremas.All made with 100percent whole milk,sold in random, bulk and exact weights, forretail and foodservice.

IDDBA Booth # 3130

Restaurant Technologies Inc.Eagan, MN

Restaurant Technologies (RTI) will featurean operational model of its oil management sys-tem. Proprietary two-tank system for collectingand replacing usedoil with clean oileliminates potentialworkplace slips,spills, burns andback injuries andincreases workplacesafety and workerproductivity.

IDDBA Booth # 2724

Saputo Cheese USA Inc.Lincolnshire, IL

Saputo Cheese introduces Treasure Cave,a reduced-fat, crumbled blue cheese for thehealth-conscious consumer. Treasure Cave has25 percent less fat and 25 percent fewer calo-ries than regular blue cheese. It is offered inpackaged crumbled varieties of blue, Gor-gonzola and feta cheeses plus blue chunks andwedges as well asshredded Parme-san cheese.

IDDBA Booth # 2043

Summer Fresh Salads Inc.Woodbridge, ON

Summer Fresh recentlyadded single-serve dips, gour-met falafels, pakoras andsamosas to its product list. Allthe products are made frompreservative-free ingredientsand are guaranteed fresh andnutritious. Summer Fresh has acomplete line of pasta, grainand vegetable salads, dips,soups and appetizers.

IDDBA Booth #1111

Wisconsin Milk Marketing BoardMadison, WI

Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board will unveilupcoming retail promotions and spotlight newcheeses from America’s Dairyland. Cheeseswill include Roth Kase’s Fontiago, SeymourDairy Crest and Ellsworth CooperativeCreamery cheese curds.Cheesemakers includeseveral Wisconsin mas-ter cheesemakers, anelite licensed group.

IDDBA Booth # 2001

Woolwich Dairy Inc.Orangeville, Ontario

Enjoy the naturally clean taste of our richand creamy Chevrai Pyramid, a 100percent pure, soft, unripenedgoat’s milk cheese. Thisdelightfully light and spread-able cheese comes in a styl-ish and re-sealable pyramidpackage and is perfect as aspread on breads or fruit.

IDDBA Booth # 1933

The Snack FactoryPrinceton, NJ,

The Snack Factory introduces PretzelCrisps, the latest innovation in healthful snackfoods. Pretzel Crisps are the only spreadablepretzel cracker — great for spreads, cheesesand dips. The crackers arebaked and made with allnatural ingredients, arefat-free and contain 110calories per serving.

IDDBA Booth #3138

Redondo Iglesias USA Inc.Long Island City, NY

R e d o n d oIglesias is a thirdgeneration com-pany from Spain.Redondo SerranoHam is availablein 12- and 18-month aged, bone-in or boneless, and now,ready-to-serve deli loaf. Please stop by ourbooth.

IDDBA Booth # 3029

Rubschlager Baking Corp.Chicago, IL

Rubschlager Baking now has 17 productsbearing WholeGrains Councilstamps. Stampsindicating 100percent Whole Grain appear on six items, withthe rest bearing Excellent or Good stamps.Rubschlager, whose specialty has been whole-grain products since 1913, is pleased with con-sumer recognition of the importance of wholegrains.

IDDBA Booth # 2314

Robbie ManufacturingLenexa, KS

Robbie Manufacturing introduces a newline of Hot N Handy Pouches specificallydesigned for rotisserie and fried chicken, ribs,roasts and turkey breasts. These pouches canupdate the look of deli packaging with vibrantcolors assured to draw the attention of theconsumer.

IDDBA Booth # 2257

Reser’s Fine Foods Beaverton, OR

Reser's Fine Foods introduces its latestinnovations in fresh prepared deli foods. As thecategory leader in fresh prepared side dishesand entrées, Reser's has taken fresh deli foodsto a whole new level. Stop by to sample ourfour new product line offerings: SensationalSides, Holiday Favorites, Continental CuisineEntrées and EasySpreads.

IDDBA Booth #1469

BEST OF THE BATCH

King’s Hawaiian produces the nation’stop-selling branded dinner roll andenjoys the highest ranking in volumesold among the top 20 rolls. In terms ofoverall sales, King’s Hawaiian ownsthree of the top 10 dollar amounts soldin roll items. As an industry leader,King’s Hawaiian possesses two of thetop 20 spots in growth items. With theseperformance measures to the compa-ny’s credit, supermarket delis nation-wide are noting the opportunity to stockKing’s Hawaiian bread and rolls. Lead-ing delis are attracting sales by offeringtheir consumers leading products.

THE GOLDEN TICKET

As a key component in any meal deal combination,King’s Hawaiian rolls have proven to be the idealcomplement to chicken, ham, turkey and a varyingselection of sides found in most delis. Since theirinception as a component of meal deals, King’sHawaiian rolls have not only increased meal deal

sales, but have offereddelis added value byhelping to continuallyposit ion them as aresource for meal solu-tions.

ANY TIME, ANY PLACE

King’s Hawaiian rolls aremulti-seasonal and multi-functional, providing 365days of potential addedvalue. With the consistentquality of King’s Hawai-ian, a little culinary inno-vation, and a year’s worthof opportunities for vari-ous consumer offerings:

• Holiday gather ings &celebrations

• Cocktail f inger sand-wiches

• Party platter pairings

• Cheese fondue

STOP TRAFFIC

King’s Hawaiian is continuously lookingfor unique ways to stay ahead of con-sumer trends and needs by implement-ing eye-catching display solutions thatwill attract consumers to the deli section.

JACK OF ALL TRADES

King’s Hawaiian dinner rolls providean ideal accompaniment to any meal.The versatility of the company’s prod-ucts speaks for i tsel f. The King’sHawaiian port-fol io of rol ls

ranges from the OriginalHawaiian Sweet Rolls, anindulgent solution for thosetaste-focused consumerswho want a sweet, cake-likedinner roll, to 100 percentWhole Wheat for the morehealth-minded consumers.

KING’S HAWAIIAN STORY

Founded 54 years ago in Hilo, Hawaii, when RobertTaira opened his first bakery and tempted the tastebuds of local residents with his unique PortugueseSweet Bread recipe, King’s Hawaiian continues to bewell known as the original, family-owned producer ofHawaiian sweet bread and national sales leader inthis category. After introducing their delicious sweetbread to the mainland, the Taira family opened thepopular King’s Hawaiian Restaurant & Bakery in Tor-rance, California, in 1988 and launched a quick-ser-vice restaurant concept, The Local Place, in 2002.For more information, visit the company’s web site atwww.kingshawaiian.com.


'ROLL' YOUR SALES TO HIGHER LEVELS WITH KING’S HAWAIIAN

King’s HawaiianOriginal Sweet Rolls

Visit the our booth at IDDBA –King’s Hawaiian #2641

KING’S HAWAIIAN

ROLL SELECTIONS

• Original Sweet• Honey Wheat• 100% Whole

Wheat• Savory Butter

http://www.kingshawaiian.com


2006

32

DeliBUSINESS

DELI BUSINESS: Everyone knows the IDDBA has been around for along time, before most people who are reading this started their careers.How has the IDDBA changed over the years?

Christison: When it started, back in 1964, it was a small group of cheesemanufacturers who got together to talk about common problems and sharesome marketing ideas. Forty-two years later, we still do that but we’ve expand-ed the product categories to include dairy, deli, bakery, cheese and foodser-vice. And it’s no longer just manufacturers — we have a mix of supermarketoperators, brokers, distributors, trade associations, publications and otherinterested professionals. What started as a way to sell products has evolvedinto an organization that teaches and educates — as well as sells products.

Our first trade shows had manufacturers cutting up blocks of cheese,putting them out on tables and talking about taste, flavor and how they weremade. We were educating customers. An educated buyer is just good business.

We still do the face-to-face selling at trade shows, but we also provide year-round services critical to the business of the entire industry. Most of our pro-grams are free or sold below cost to members. Many are free to all. We publishthe annual What’s in Store trends report, an annual consumer research study,four newsletters, and we offer a full line of video training programs.

DELI BUSINESS: Who belongs to the organization, who should belong,and how does one become a member?

Christison: Our membership roster reads like a Who’s Who in the foodindustry — our membership directory is called Who’s Who in Dairy, Deli, andBakery. These companies are the backbone of the perishable food businessand a collective of the world’s finest products and services. Our membership isa blend of manufacturers, supermarkets, wholesalers, brokers and distributors.The retailers range in size from the biggest international chains to the small-est independent. The manufacturers include large multi-national corpora-tions, mid-sized operations and small entrepreneurial or farmstead specialtymanufacturers. This incredible range of brand names and innovative productsmakes our trade show an important part of the retail buyer’s business plan.Being able to see all the vendors, all the products, all the new ideas under oneroof at one time is an incredible time-saver.

The people who should belong to the IDDBA are those who buy and sellwithin our product lines. The buying/selling relationship is important but so isthe value in having information on product movement, sales data, consumerbuying behavior, employee training, legislative activities, new products, semi-nars and, of course, a trade show that is focused on dairy, deli, and bakery.

People who want more information on membership or other programs cancall us or sign up on our website. Annual dues are $200 for supermarkets and$450 for all others. We haven’t raised dues since the mid-’80s! Our membershipbase keeps growing and, as the saying goes, “We didn’t need to raise prices, wemake it up on volume.” Or maybe that only applies to selling widgets!

DELI BUSINESS: The IDDBA Seminar & Expo is one of the few showsgrowing in both exhibitors and attendance. Why is this?

Christison: We’ve been fortunate that even with the merger and acquisi-tion activity that has inundated our industry, we’ve been able to hold ourown. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a challenge. As with any organization,you experience attrition when you lose members. That means that before youcan count one new member in the plus column, you must recoup all the lostmembers. You’re always playing catch-up.

Our exhibit and attendance growth has mirrored our membership growth.Growth has been steady, so we haven’t needed to raise dues or registration feessince the mid-’80s. This is really special since qualified retailers are allowed to

register for the show for free. As to the secret ofour success, there is none. A long time ago, ourBoard had the McKenzie Company do a long-range plan for us. At that time, they told us topick the categories we wanted to focus on andto stick with them. And that’s what we’ve done.That’s our secret — but don’t tell anyone.

DELI BUSINESS: The Seminar & Expo isoften called a trade show, but it seems to be somuch more. The seminar program is worth attending all by itself. Howdoes the IDDBA plan its seminar program?

Christison: Back when the world was young — and so was I — our namewas The Wisconsin Cheese Seminar. Over time, we reinvented ourselves andbecame a national seminar and then we added deli and then bakery andother services that enabled us to become an association. The Seminar &Expo name comes from those roots. Our speakers, who all used to be from theindustry, talked about common problems. When we started bringing inkeynote speakers and professional growth speakers, attendance and, conse-quently, our exhibits, began to grow.

When it comes time for retailers to choose which event they’ll attend, weknow there are a lot to choose from and the cost is not just the dollar costbut the value of their time. Our Board felt that offering a complete package oftop speakers and a targeted exhibit hall would offer the greatest attraction.

The Program Committee puts together our program. The membersunderstand what’s going on in the industry because they’re leaders in theirown organizations. The committee suggests speakers and topics. We rate themon what we think the interest level of the attendee would be in that particu-lar topic or speaker, and then we find the right person to do the presentation.The biggest part of our speaker budget is for the keynoter. As a nonprofitassociation, we have been able to negotiate reduced rates for speakers and, inmany cases, get them at no cost. It really does pay to have friends in highplaces.

DELI BUSINESS: Your presentation at the Seminar & Expo is alwaysone of best attended, which is a real accomplishment since you are in thecompany of former Presidents of the United States — this year’s speaker isPresident William Jefferson Clinton — as well as military leaders, sportsfigures and CEOs of prominent companies. How do you stay in touchwith what is going on?

Christison: Thank you for those kind words. My philosophy is simple. I domy own research. I do it all year long. I do my own writing — even the dumbjokes. I believe my role is to interpret what’s going on in our industry. I don’tmake the news, I just report it. Every one in the audience has access to thesame information I put in my presentation. What they don’t have is the timeto pull it all together and to see the patterns. I look at the patterns, draw someobvious conclusions and explain what things are important to our industry oroffer a different way of looking at trends.

When it’s time to prepare, I immerse myself in the research I’ve been col-lecting all year. Things start to emerge in patterns, ideas bubble to the surface,and the speech starts to take shape. I talk about the things that interest meand hope they’ll interest the audience. They’re not coming to see a greatspeaker — they’re coming to learn about their business. If I’m having a goodtime on that stage, they will, too. It’s really fun when they get my jokes , It’sembarrassing to be the only one laughing — but that hasn’t stopped me yet.

In April, DELI BUSINESS publisher/editorial director Lee Smith sat down withCarol Christison, executive director of the International Dairy-Deli-BakeryAssociation (IDDBA), Madison, WI, to discuss the organization, the upcomingSeminar & Expo, Katrina and many other issues affecting deli operators.AQ

and

Carol Christison


http://www.resers.com

DELI BUSINESS: Who else is going to speak? Christison: Michael Eisner is our Sunday keynot-

er. The Disney Company is really good at training,and any time you can get someone from there to speak, it will be entertaining.And we have the former head cheese! As you mentioned, former PresidentWilliam Jefferson Clinton will be speaking on Monday as our featured keynot-er. I’m his opening act — I don’t think he’s too worried. Our Tuesday keynoteris Terry Bradshaw, football hall of famer. We also have some great workshopsand other fantastic general sessions. I’m particularly excited about J. WalkerSmith from Yankelovich; Dave Barry, the humor columnist; Harry Beckwithon Selling the Invisible; and Dr. Frank Luntz, a trend watcher and pollster.

DELI BUSINESS: I know you always have something up your sleeve toexcite retailers attending the show. What’s up for this year?

Christison: Well, if a star-studded program isn’t enough to get them excit-ed, we do have a few more things in store. The creative teams planning theShow & Sell Center have turned it up a notch and are adding more “teach-ing” elements to the merchandising displays. One of the most fun things wedo is watch the retailers who visit our “model store” take pictures. And thenhear from them after the show when they tell us about the reaction and thechanges they made based on the ideas they took home. Last year the retailersdidn’t even wait until they got home. They started taking photos with theircell phones and e-mailing them back to their stores.

The one concept that is often lost is very simple — it’s what we call TotalTheme Selling. Merchandisers will tell us they aren’t creative or don’t knowhow to carry out a theme. And then they attend the IDDBA show and see ahundred themes staring them in the face. And they get it. Then they’re offand running with their own creative genius. That’s why we do it — to helpthe attendees capture the interest, the excitement, the energy and the experi-ence. If we do that, if the retailer can do that, then we’ll all sell a little moreproduct and our customers will be a little more satisfied.

DELI BUSINESS: Originally, the show was to be held in New Orleans,but due to Hurricane Katrina, plans had to be changed. When and whywas the decision made?

Christison: Katrina was at the end of August. Our contacts in NewOrleans couldn’t get back to assess the damage for several weeks. Our Boardmet at the end of September and made the difficult decision to find a new sitefor our 2006 show. We were able to flip-flop our 2008 show dates with Orlan-do. It required a huge effort on the part of hotels and convention centers andstaff in both cities — plus six other cities we looked at — but we got the jobdone. After the damage to the infrastructure was evaluated, we knew wecould not successfully hold our show in New Orleans and the best thing wecould do for that city was to relocate so we could come back in a future year.

The time that it took to assess the damage, evaluate options for relocation,visit potential cities to check out convention centers and hotels, cancel andrenegotiate contracts took a heavy toll on our planning year. We lost betweentwo and three months of planning and selling time. Our exhibit prospectusfor booths couldn’t be printed until we knew what city we were going to be in,our contract negotiation with speakers was delayed — they have this fetishabout knowing what city they’re going to speak in and on what date! — andwe couldn’t print any promotional brochures until all of that was orchestrated.In the middle of that, we also moved our offices into new space. The onlything that would have made the year more hectic would have been if I’d had ababy — that would have been the third miracle.

DELI BUSINESS: Did the IDDBA do anything to offset the loss of amajor convention and help the victims of this terrible tragedy?

Christison: The easiest decision would have been to just cancel the showoutright and move to a new city but we didn’t do that. Instead of losing ahuge show, we rebooked it to the next available date, and the city of NewOrleans was given the time it needed to rebuild. The Board of Directors ofIDDBA also approved a donation of $100,000 to buy textbooks for the K-12

program in New Orleans.

DELI BUSINESS: What is the IDDBA doing towill help retailers building their business?

Christison: Our mission is to be the essentialresource for dairy, deli and bakery categories and toprovide retailers tools to help them help themselves.One of the biggest thing retailers can do to helpbuild their business is teach their employees ANDtheir customers about their business. An informedcustomer is a better customer. We provide associateand management training courses to do just that.

One of the comments we’ve heard about train-ing is that employees will sometimes quit just afteryou got them trained. Well, there’s only one thingworse than training employees and losing them.And that’s not training them and keeping them.

To help with the training, the IDDBA is reim-bursing retail members for some out-of-pocketexpenses spent on training for food safety certifica-tion. So far, we’ve given away almost $90,000 on thisprogram. We are also helping member companies byoffering scholarships to employees pursuing highereducation. We also provide free training and videomaterials to qualified vocational schools and col-leges. Our total scholarship/reimbursement programruns $100,000 a year.

In addition to our many video and workbooktraining programs, we have free Web downloads onvarious topics and we’re just starting a major e-learning initiative that will offer 24/7 trainingoptions. DB


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Manda Fine Meats is not another “Me Too” product line.Manda’s unique authentic cajun line compliments any Deli

program, not just trading business but rather producinglong lasting incremental deli sales!

Authentic CajunDeli Meats by:

✔ Cajun Roast Beef✔ Cajun Turkey Breast

✔ Cajun Smoked Ham✔ Cajun Smoked Sausage

For more information please contact:

MANDA FINE MEATSP.O. Box 3374 • Baton Rouge, LA 70821

1-800-343-2642 • Fax: 225-344-7647www.mandafinemeats.com

“Flavor Says It All”

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AQand

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T he popularity of Mediterraneanfoods has grown considerably asconsumers seek the bright flavors

and health attributes associated withthe foods from the countries of thissun-drenched area. Hummus, olives,feta cheese and breads are the majorcontributors to the growth of Mediter-ranean at retail.

Mediterranean foods hit all the currenthealth trends. They tend to be low fat, highfiber and low cholesterol. They are relativelyfree of trans fat and have relatively low netcarbs when prepared in the traditional man-ner. But most importantly, they are filledwith intense flavors.

“I see Mediterranean foods not onlymaintaining but also increasing. People inthe Mediterranean live longer and theMediterranean food pyramid was developedbefore the American pyramid. The Mediter-ranean diet is very healthful. A large portionof it is seafood and vegetables. I see the deliproviding more and more paninis with crossutilization with the seafood department,” sayschef Demetrios Haralambatos, KontosFoods, Inc., Paterson, NJ.

“Mediterranean has shown great growthbecause of the healthful attributes of our

p ro d -ucts,” notesDominick Frocione,vice president of sales forCedars Mediterranean Foods,Ward Hill, MA. “The trendof growth will continue asthe category grows across thecountry. We still see sustainedgrowth in established marketsand expect the rest of the coun-try to catch on as more consumerssee Mediterranean sections in thelocal supermarkets. From the retailers’prospective, Mediterranean is a great profit-

F E A T U R E

Mediterranean Foods Gaining Popularity

Deli retailers can capitalize on consumer

interest in all things new and different.

By Nalini Maharaj

maker if they are willing to build a trueMediterranean category in their stores.

“Hummus in particular has exploded intothe market in recent years with what contin-ues to be double-digit growth. Hummus willoutperform cheese ifit has a big enoughdisplay to create acategory presence,”continues Frocione.

Hummus canalso be used as ahealthful alternativeto mayonnaise and isa delicious ready-to-eat snack.

Cedars was oneof the first U.S. com-panies to producehummus. It manu-factures and distrib-utes three forms ofhummus: conven-tional with preserva-tive added, all-natur-al (preservative-free)and organic. The company also produces aline of Mediterranean salads, such as tab-bouleh, plus bruschetta, feta spreads and aline of fresh salsas.

Cedars’ bakery produces a full line of fla-vored and low-carb wraps along with pitachips and rice crackers. The companyimports some of its own ingredients, such astahini from Israel and some olive productsfrom Italy and Turkey. Later this summer, itwill introduce a line of authentic feta prod-ucts form Greece. Cedars offers dedicateddirect store delivery (DSD) services to manyparts of the country.

Consumers Like FlatbreadKontos Foods, a leading manufacturer of

authentic hand-stretched flatbreads for 16years, offers 24 different varieties of flatbreadincluding Kalamata olive bread, onion flat-

bread, panini breadand multigrain flat-bread with sevenseeds and grains.According to Har-alambatos, traditionalMediterranean flat-bread is a pocket-lesspita.

With the continu-ing popularity of pitaand the growing pop-ularity of paninis, delidepartments canexpect to see anexpansion of theMediterranean flat-bread category. Flat-bread contains ironand protein but nocholesterol or trans-

fatty acids. It replaces traditional slicedbreads and can be used to create signaturesandwiches.

The convenience of folding over or wrap-ping with a flatbread saves time for deli oper-ators. Pita breads can also be used to makeindividual-size pizzas, which can be a boonto lunchtime prepared foods sales. And offer-ing pre-packed hummus and pita or salsaand pita can attract the grab-and-go cus-tomer.

Mediterranean CheeseGreece will gain Protected Denomina-

tion of Origin (PDO) status for feta effective


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F E A T U R ERe

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Greek StyleFETA CHEESE

2005 U.S. Cheese Championship Silver MedalManufactured by Klondike Cheese Co.

Phone 608-325-3021 Monroe, Wisconsin

“It is important to statethe country of origin,show the ethnicity ofthe product, and add

romance and glamourto heighten the

expectations of theconsumer.”

— Demetrios HaralambatosKontos Foods, Inc.

Hummus has exploded onto the market and continues to show double-digit sales increases.

http://www.easternbag.com

in 2007. All other European countries willhave to change the name of their owndomestic fetas.

The organization responsible for GreekPDO products is the Greek Ministry ofAgriculture, according to Spyros A. Abat-zopoulos, economic and commercial generalcounselor, head of office for the Greek Gen-eral Consulate, New York, NY. Some specificregions have their own feta PDO, like fetadodonis and kefalonias. Barrel feta, which isaged in wooden barrels instead of tin con-

tainers, is generally regarded as higher quali-ty. Types of feta exported to the UnitedStates include dodoni, fage and vikos.

“I think [PDO] is both good and bad,”explains Sheree Cardoos, president of Mt.Vikos, Inc., a Marshfield, MA, importer ofGreek cheeses and condiments. “I think inthe short term it will put a strain on Greece.It’s difficult to produce dairy products whenthe price is increasing, when there aren’tenough sheep and there’s a shortage of milk.In a few years, it will be OK, but right now,

it’s supply and demand.“Overall, I think [the PDO status

change] is good. I’m excited about it. It’simportant to keep food of an area authenticand that includes where it came from origi-nally. Mt. Vikos will continue to educate thecustomer on the feta taste,” she adds.

Mt. Vikos imports feta from Thessaly. It ismade with 80 percent sheep’s milk, has a fullflavor and is very creamy. Mt. Vikos uses onlyfresh milk, no stored or commodity milk.

Other popular Greek cheeses includekasseri, which is the basis for saganaki, thepopular Greek appetizer; kefalotyri, whichcan be grated and is often referred to as the


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KalamataOlives

A ccording to Spyros A. Abat-zopoulos, economic and com-mercial general counselor,

head of office for the Greek GeneralConsulate, New York, NY, Kalamataolives take their name from the townof Kalamata, the capital of theMessinia prefecture in southwestPeloponnese, Greece. The climatologicand soil conditions of this area, plusthe traditional growing methods forthe fruit, created this unique product,which is valued not only in the UnitedStates but also in many countriesaround the world.

Abatzopoulos says Kalamata olivesattracted the interest of consumersworldwide and created a very strong“brand name,” which is why olivesthat resemble Kalamatas in appear-ance but are grown outside this geo-graphical area are sold as Kalamata orKalamata-style olives. However, theydefinitely lack the complete taste andthe flavor of true Kalamatas.

Greek government officials inspectand certify that olives to be exportedare true Kalamatas and not anothervariety. The usual labeling for theseolives include a size designation andthe words “variety Kalamata.”

In the past a small number of lotswere imported to Greece from othercountries and then exported as “Kala-mata” olives, but when Greek authori-ties learned about it, they took theappropriate measures to stop it.

Other olive varieties exported tothe United States are mainly amfissa,agrinio, nafplio, halkidiki, thassos andvolos. DB


Visit usat IDDBA

Booth#3163

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Parmesan of Greece; and manouri which is amild, white, silky cheese. Greek cheeses gowell with savories, such as olives and roastedtomatoes, or with sweets from Greece.Glazed, roasted figs drizzled with honey or anapricot and almond spread is a deliciousaccompaniment to feta cheese.

Merchandising And Marketing“It is important to state the country of

origin, show the ethnicity of the product,and add romance and glamour to heightenthe expectations of the consumer,” enthusesHaralambatos. “For the holiday seasons, pro-mote throwing an ethnic party. Post flyersstating ‘Have a Mediterranean party!’ Thisshould be done for all ethnicities as well.Glamorizing is the key.”

Mediterranean foods need to be adver-tised more than some other ethnic foodsbecause many of them are not as wellknown — yet. Creating a Mediterraneansection that merchandises feta, olives andpita bread together, for example, providescross-merchandising opportunities and edu-cates consumers about which products workwell together.

A Mediterranean section can be used topique consumer curiosity, and sampling willencourage them to try new items.

Retailers can increase the sales of hum-mus by expanding its shelf space to establishit as a category. Promoting it as a healthfulsnack, appetizer or condiment will result inincreased sales.

Mediterranean foods can also be featuredin the prepared foods area. Many traditionalslow-cooked casseroles stand up well on hottables and reheat without losing any of their

flavor or texture. Moussaka is a Greek casse-role made of sautéed eggplant and an aro-matic meat mixture topped with béchamelsauce and then baked. Other Mediterraneancasseroles are French cassoulet, a mélange ofwhite beans, chicken or duck, tomato andsausage, and ratatouille, a mixture of egg-plant, tomatoes, zucchini, onion, garlic andherbs. DB


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F E A T U R E

Arneg is Branching Out!

Introducing the Olive Cart— the newest addition to

the Arneg line

4243 Lonat Drive, Nazareth, PA 18064

Phone: (610) 746-9570Fax: (610) 746-9580www.arnegusacanada.com

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Olives are a quintessential part of Mediterranean cuisines.

http://www.arnegusacanada.com

Chloé Farms

The Chloé Farms product line includes traditional Mediterranean specialties such as olives, olive oil and dipping oils, grown inSparta, Greece, where the climate and soil conditions are ideal for olive harvesting and production.

We distinguish ourselves as an innovative leader in the marketplace by cultivating, harvesting, processing, packing, manufacturing anddistributing our core products. By controlling the process, we ensure that our products are of exceptional quality and value.

A Taste of the MediterraneanChloé Farms

Chloé Foods Corporation • [email protected] • Ph: 718-827-9000 • Fax: 718-647-0052 • www.chloefoods.com



http://www.chloefoods.com

Americans StillLove Fried Chicken

They may profess health concerns, but they still buy fried chicken.

By Nalini Maharaj


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terns in America. Balzer surveys 3,500 peoplea day on what they eat and where. He trackstheir behaviors, lifestyles and purchasing pat-terns. In the beginning of his speech Balzerquoted Albert Szent-Gyorgi, a Hungarianphysiologist who won the Nobel Prize in1937: “Research is to see what everybody elsesees, but to think what nobody else thinks.”This quote set the tone for Balzer’s updateon American’s eating habits. He offered avariety of surprising statistics and suppliedmuch useful information.

What’s In A Name?According to Balzer, “Americans are eat-

ing fried chicken, but they just don’t like tocall it ‘fried’ chicken.” Health reasons, dietcrazes and concern about trans fat are thecurrent reasons for avoiding the word fried.

That being said, fried chicken accountsfor 40.5 percent of deli sales, according toWhat’s In Store 2006 from the InternationalDairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA),Madison,WI.

Balzer believes Americans can feel goodabout ordering a “chicken sandwich,” even ifit is breaded and fried — as long as they donot have to say fried. Even consumers whogo to the deli with the intention of buyingfried chicken to bring home to their families

Americans love fried chicken, so muchso that many eat it on a weekly basis.Whether out of hand, in a sandwich

or atop a salad, Americans eat lots of friedchicken. They may love its great taste andconvenience, but many consumers are con-cerned about some of the health issues.

The NPD Group, Port Washington, NY, aconsumer research firm, provides retailersand manufacturers with information abouttheir customers and markets. Harry Balzer,NPD vice president, opened this year’s con-ference of the Atlanta, GA-based Refrigerat-ed Foods Association (RFA) in Orlando, FL,with his 20th annual report on Eating Pat-

prefer to order an 8-piece dinner rather thanan 8-piece fried chicken dinner.

“Although, people don’t like the word‘fried’ because of the connotation behind itor because of the emphasis on more health-ful eating habits, the statistics do not show adrop in fried chicken purchases,” says TaraDowning, project manager for Robbie Manu-facturing Inc., Lenexa, KS.

“Due to the recent popularity of fad dietsand some unfavorable publicity directedtoward fast-food chains as a result of themovie Super Size Me, a negative connotationhas been attached to the term ‘fried,’” sayssays Mark Markwardt, director of marketingfor The Broaster Company, Beloit, WI.“Despite fad diets and more healthful eatingconcerns, average consumers still greatlyenjoy fried foods and like to reward them-selves with a delicious meal that includesfried items. Fried chicken has shownresilience, weathering recent diet crazes andremained a favored comfort food for con-sumers worldwide.”

The Broaster Company is aware of thehealth-conscious consumer so it offers Gen-uine Broaster Chicken. Broaster’s pressure-frying process seals in flavors for better taste,lower calories, fewer carbs and less fat thentraditional fried chicken. A unique marinat-ing process flavors the chicken to the bone.The pressure frying process allows the chick-en to cook in its own natural juices, resultingin a chicken that absorbs less oil than tradi-tional frying methods. The process also usesa much lighter coating.

Broaster has introduced BroasterieChicken, a new variety of fried chicken thatis marinated and seasoned with a rotisserieflavor, then pressure-fried to ensure tender-

ness and taste. Since it is not heavily bread-ed, it has fewer calories than fried chicken.

Move To No Trans FatTrans fat is a major concern for some

consumers, especially with all of the mediareports about its adverse effects. However,not all consumers are paying attention tothose reports. Health-conscious consumerswho have taken note of trans-fatty acidswant their chicken cooked in trans-fat freeoils. The others just want to indulge in somegood old-fashioned fried chicken.

“Retailers are moving to a trans-fat-freebase oil, and many are just taking trans-fatout all together,” says Gregg Moore, directorof marketing for Gold Kist Inc., Atlanta, GA.Moore feels this is a major health issue andsooner or later the consumer is going todemand the use of trans-fat-free oils.

The Broaster Company has been offeringmore healthful cooking oils for several years.Bro-Oil rice bran oil and Bro-Oil canola oilare naturally low in saturated fat content andhave no cholesterol and no trans-fatty acids.

“There has been quite a bit of movementto trans-fat-free oils. Retailers are testingthem and are prepared to use them. They arejust waiting for a little more demand fromconsumers,” notes Tom Bandler, nationalbusiness director of oil products for ACHFood Companies, Inc., a Memphis, TN, sup-plier of two zero-gram trans-fat oils.

Frymax ZT and Mazola ZT are hydro-genated oils that are crossbred with sun-flower corn oils. They have a good fry lifeconsidering they have no trans fat. MazolaZT is the more popular oil among chainsupermarkets and in-store delis.

“Is this going to be like carbs and diedown? You do not know how much to jumpon the bandwagon of using trans-fat-free oil.Retailers are minimally pushing the oilchange because you don’t know if the peoplethat are buying want to indulge or if, in fact,they want no trans-fat,” says Eric Le Blanc,director of marketing for Tyson Foods Inc.,Springdale,AR.

Le Blanc feels fried chicken should justbe great fried chicken and should not bemarketed as healthful. It should be preparedcorrectly with the right breading and flavorto satisfy consumers’ cravings. “The maingoal for retailers should be to maximize saleby promoting and meal deals rather thanfocusing on low-fat chicken,” he advises.

“If a health concern exists, it is notapparent in our recent packaging sales,”addsRobbie’s Downing. “Our current fried chick-en packaging is outselling our rotisseriepackaging. The main concern pertaining tofried chicken is the excess grease left on thechicken.”

Merchandising And MarketingMeal combos are a significant consumer

attraction. Many consumers would prefer towalk into the deli for a fried chicken dinnerwith a few sides than go to a fast-food chainfor the same type of meal. Offering combomeals turns the deli into a convenient one-stop shopping experience.

“The consumer is the driving force intoday’s deli packaging with conveniencebeing a major focus,” says Downing. “Conve-nience is the key; customers want to be inand out of the deli quickly after a long day atwork.”

Many packaging manufacturers are pro-ducing microwavable fried chicken packageswith handles, resealable zippers and see-through covers. Most consumers turn to thehot case for fried chicken, but there hasbeen an increase of fried chicken sales fromthe cold case. The cold case extends theshelf life of fried chicken and also helps con-sumers preserve the chicken until they areready to eat it.

Fried chicken sales from the hot case arestill strong and growing. “I think that puttingwarming tables in the front of the storeinstead of the back will increase sales sub-stantially. It would make it a lot easier for theconsumer to run in and grab,” suggests EdSussman, co-owner of Merit Paper Corpora-tion, Melville, NY. DB


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What TheFuture Holds

H arry Balzer, vice president,NPD Group, Port Washington,NY, supports the idea of

expanding the deli department into adrive-through take-out forum. He feelsfood needs to be delivered in a newfashion and cites the curbside pickupbegun by many restaurants, includingApplebee’s and Outback Steakhouse.Consumers call in their order, describetheir car and have their food deliveredto them.

This concept has changed therestaurant business. The fast-foodfranchises taught an entire generationto pick up food without having toleave their cars.

“It is overlooked that many Ameri-cans do not want to get out of the carwhen they go to purchase food. Thesupermarket is preparing the food, butit is not easy to get to. It needs to getto me more quickly,” says Balzer. DB

Broaster chicken ispressure fried for few

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sumption by the 18-29 age groupAccording to David Adams, business

development, Mills Family Farms, Salinas,CA, the keys are “bread, vegetables and fastservice. When the bread is fresh and thevegetables are sweet and tasty, the majorityof the sandwich issues are solved. When thedeli service people are swift and get yourorder correct and offer a smile, it’s sandwichperfection at retail.”

Consumers Want More VarietyToday’s consumers demand variety and

the ability to choose from an assortment ofproducts. Signature sandwiches add varietyto the menu, and a large assortment ofcondiments and breads allows consumers tocustomize their orders.

“A broad offering is necessary, since mostdelis offer a broad range of meats andcheeses. Most customers visit a deli so theycan purchase made-to-order items from alarge selection,” says Richard Witter, directorof sales, Joseph Gallo Farms,Atwater, CA.

Ethnic flavor profiles are currently in thespotlight.

“People are looking for contemporary fla-

vors — Asian is in — and a healthful feelsuch as 7-grain bread. Freshness is anotherkey attribute. However, I feel the main thingis contemporary. If restaurants could be suc-cessful serving the same foods all the time,they wouldn’t have specials,” says JeffreySiegel, president, Chloe Foods Inc., Brook-lyn, NY.

“Retailers should offer a wide variety ofsandwich options. Ethnic and diversity mealsare huge these days so a Mexican, oriental orItalian sandwich is a great idea. Diversity iscrucial,” echoes Jim Conroy, president, Con-roy Foods Inc., Pittsburg, PA.

Dorthe Schechter, marketing manager,Norseland Inc., Stamford, CT, suggests retail-ers offer a French sandwich, called La Parisi-enne — Boursin cheese and Madrange, aFrench ham, on a baguette or croissant.

Keeping The Consumer Happy“Sandwich programs are very important

and very crucial. It is all a matter of conve-nience and what customers prefer. If theycan get it at a Subway or Blimpie, they willgo there. Some customers prefer running inand grabbing a sandwich from the grab-and-

Destination DeliKeys to a successful sandwich program.

By Nalini Maharaj

A mericans love their sandwiches —they are quick, easy, portable anddelicious. Sandwiches are such a

part of the American culture that Joey Trib-iani, a character on Friends, showed up onTV screens each week for 11 years — profess-ing his great love for sandwiches. So is it anywonder sandwich chains such as Subway,Blimpie, Quizno’s and Panera Bread are pro-liferating? Or that sandwich programs in thesupermarket deli face stiff competition?

“Over $1.4 billion of sandwiches are soldin the in-store delis. We believe that delis areabout providing meal solutions to con-sumers, and since the sandwich is clearly oneof the most popular meals consumed, webelieve that sandwiches will continue to playan important role in the deli,” states DerekBowen, director of marketing, Sara Lee Deli,Downer’s Grove, IL.

According to What’s In Store 2006, thepublication of the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA), Madison WI,service deli sandwiches brought in 7.1 per-cent of annual deli sales. Sandwiches madein the supermarket are consumed on averageof 2.7 times per week with the heaviest con-

Photo courtesy of Mills Family Farms


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DeliBUSINESS

Beano’s Heavenly Horse Radish Sauce

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go and others prefer watching it made. Itreally is just a matter of what type of con-sumer you are dealing with,” adds Conroy.

During busy lunchtime hours, customersdo not want to wait in long lines for theirmeals. Convenience is the key to keepingthem coming back.

“The made-to-order department shouldbe properly staffed so that people do nothave to wait in long lines. A separate check-out for the deli would be a great idea if possi-ble. It would make the lunchtime rush a lotquicker. Maybe even opening extra countersin the front of the supermarket would workas well,” suggests Schechter.

Gallo’s Witter agrees adding a separatecheckout in the deli would appeal to thoseconsumers looking for the quick in-and-out.

Pre-packaged sandwiches are quicker andmore convenient than made-to-order. Agrab-and-go sandwich is perfect for the on-the-run shopper — when it is made withcare and quality ingredients.

“I think a good sandwich program shouldbe run around demand. The deli managerwill know what the demand will be. The delishould have an appetizing display set up in ahigh traffic area, so the customer will grab-and-go. The product must have eye appeal

and be priced right to entice the consumerto pick it up,” says Jay Allison, vice presidentof sales and marketing for Tillamook CheeseInc.,Tigard, OR.

“Made-to-order will always be the pre-ferred form of sandwich purchase for con-sumers — their choice of bread, meat, top-pings and condiments. Pre-packaged, ifmade well, fills a huge need for busy shop-pers. Many times they just don’t have theluxury to wait in line for a sandwich to bemade. Also the fact that most pre-packagedsandwiches don’t have condiments on themallows the shopper the option of customiza-tion at home,” adds Mills’Adams.

Sandwich programs, like any food appli-cation, are based on consumer demand. Inthe case of pre-packed sandwiches, quickand easy top the list of consumer prefer-ences. But deli operators should never forgetthat their pre-packed sandwiches should befresh and made with high quality ingredientsjust like a made-to-order sandwich.

Side Dishes Play An Important Role“Side dishes should play a very important

role in a sandwich program. If you get asandwich, you should get a pickle or somesort of side. These days, gourmet sandwiches,

such as a panini, pita or wrap, are usuallyaccompanied by a gourmet side such as agrain or couscous. Side dishes are evolvingwith sandwiches,” says Chloe’s Siegel.

Consumers have been conditioned to eatsomething with a sandwich. When a bever-age and a bag of chips are included in acombo, consumers feel they are getting moreof a meal. Other popular sides include soupand salad. Side dishes are a great way toincrease incremental sales and maximize theticket price of the meal.

Some sides, such as a pickle or a smallcup of cole slaw, macaroni salad or potatosalad, can be included in the price of thesandwich as a way to differentiate the storefrom its competition.

“We are seeing growth in soups and sal-ads overall, so adding them as part of a valuemeal or as a side would be consistent withoverall consumption trends. The concept ofthe ‘Value Meal’ where retailers combine thesandwich offer with a side and a drink arethe most popular sandwich offers sold,” statesSara Lee’s Bowen.

Despite a lot of talk about health, con-sumers still crave potato chips to accompanya sandwich. The No. 1 eating occasion forpotato chips is lunch, according to Daryl


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Lookingfor a complete deli selection.

© 2004 Hormel Foods. All rights reserved.

They’re


Thomas, vice president of marketing, HerrFoods, Nottingham, PA. Herr offers manysizes of potato chip packages, including acomplementary 1⁄2-ounce bag and a largersize bag for 99¢ to boost incremental sales.Its Kettle Chips are available in a variety offlavor such as Salt and Vinegar, Jalapeño andthe new Philly Cheese Steak chips.

“Side dishes have been a great successrecently and will continue to grow. Whenconsumers are waiting for their sandwichesto be made, they may be hungry and grab abag of potato chips as their side but eat themwhile they are waiting,” adds Thomas.

Some consumers are looking for morehealthful sides, such as a fruit cup or piece offresh fruit. Some even want organic options.

“Organic is happening now, but not allretailers will follow it because organic foodsdon’t have a long shelf life. We all know whatthe trends are. It just depends on if retailerswant to follow them,” says Chloe’s Siegel.

According to Thomas, the percentage oforganic eaters is no greater than 3 percent.“It is an obvious segment with a lot of playbut only a very small chance there will be aconversion to all organic foods. Everyone hashigh expectations from the press, but in real-ity, the trend has not hit that hard. Con-

sumers are buying because of taste experi-ences. They like savory flavors.”

Making The SandwichThe two main fillings in a good sandwich

are meat and cheese. They must be of goodquality and great taste or the consumer willnot be satisfied.

Sandwich deli meat posts a weekly aver-age sales figure of $4,318, which amounts to28.2 percent of deli department sales,according to ACNielsen. Deli meat salesmake the greatest contribution on the EastCoast where the weekly average per store is35.8 percent. The central region follows withan average of 32.5 percent.

“Premium deli meat exists for every pro-tein for a reason — the consumer demand isthere. As such, all retailers should carry pre-mium brand meats with a range of proteinsand flavors,” adds Sara Lee’s Bowen.

Turkey and ham are the top sellers in thebulk and pre-sliced categories, according tothe Perishables Group, E. Dundee, IL. Bothsliced-to-order and pre-sliced meats offer dis-tinct consumer advantages; sliced-to-order isfresher and pre-sliced is quicker.

“Anything goes these days. Consumersare getting more sophisticated, and the

anatomy of a sandwich has changed. It is notjust two pieces of bread, meat and cheeseanymore,” notes Norseland’s Schechter. Shesays more than 50 percent of people havesome type of cheese on their sandwiches.Cheese adds value and complements themeats and vegetables.

Any cheese in the deli can be added to asandwich, although the traditional cheeses,such as sliced cheddar, pepper jack, Swiss,provolone and havarti, are the most popular.However, consumers are embracing newtastes. Crumbled goat or feta cheese can addan intense burst of flavor to a sandwich.Cheese spreads, such as Boursin, as well asBrie and blue cheese are also popular.

“I think the addition of cheese is impera-tive to any sandwich program,” states Tillam-ook’s Allison. “It not only offers different fla-vors to the meal but also can add value andquality to the meal. Up-scaling the cheeseoffered from a very basic processed Americanto a great aged natural cheese exudes qualityto the consumer and adds value to themeal.”

Lettuce and tomato may be the mostcommon additions to sandwiches. For someconsumers, adding these two vegetables is away to turn a sandwich into a healthful


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DeliBUSINESS

F E A T U R E

You both want HORMEL® Deli Foods.When it comes to delis, one size never fits all. That’s why we offeroperators a full range of products and programs to choose from.

HORMEL® Authentic Deli…from products to POS to taste, no other branded deli programs even come close to ours.

HORMEL® Prepared Foods…what’s hot in restaurant producttrends is what’s hot – and cold – in your service deli.

HORMEL® Quick Picks…a complete line of prepackaged itemsspecifically designed for grab-and-go convenience.

When they’re looking for selection, when you’re looking for a solution, look to HORMEL® DeliFoods. Because, when HORMEL® productsare in your deli, success is in your future.

I’m Lookingfor a complete deli solution.

Togetherwe make it

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meal. For retailers, the lettuce can be a vitalpart of the integrity of the sandwich itself.

“Lettuce is hugely important to a sand-wich. It makes the sandwich, if the produceis fresh and not dripping out of the wrapper.In many retail deli sandwiches, lettuce isused as a liner or a barrier for moisture. Thelettuce acts as an edible barrier between thetomatoes and other sandwich veggies andthe bread,” explains Mills’ Adams. “The let-tuce can increase the total shelf life andreduce the water activity in the sandwich.Meat on a sandwich acts as the center-of-the-plate draw, but the fresh onions, lettuceand tomatoes are what the consumerremembers halfway through the sandwich.”

Vegetarian sandwiches are very popularin the deli. According to Adams, “healthy,”businesswomen are the trendsetters for thiscategory. Popular items on the veggie sand-wich are roasted portobello mushrooms, bal-samic vinegar, seasonings and cheese.

“Retailers need to be aware that somewomen just don’t need processed meat inthe middle of the day — especially meatssuch as turkey that are high in tryptophan,which can make you sleepy. A high-proteinsandwich takes more time to digest than ahealthful vegetable sandwich. Active busi-nesswomen don’t have time to recover from a

heavy lunch sandwich,” adds Adams.

Merchandising And Marketing“As with the overall offering of food, the

more that the program can offer to enhancethe experience the better it is for the cus-tomer,” adds Steve Byrnes, president, VanHolten’s Inc.,Waterloo,WI.

Marketing sandwiches in the deli as acombo meal is the best way to increase theirvalue. It is an example of the lagniappe con-cept, in which a consumer gets a gift withpurchase. With a combo, customers feel theyare getting more for their money.

Promoting sandwiches by offering sam-ples to customers waiting in line enticesthem to try new items. Sampling also makesthe waiting time go by faster.

“I can not stress how important it is tobrand items, especially the meats andcheeses used in making a sandwich. Brand-ing is a great way to get the image and quali-ty of a sandwich up,” says Norseland’sSchechter, who believes a ham and Jarlsbergcheese sandwich is more appealing justbecause of the name. She feels it is especiallyimportant to use names in pre-packed sand-wiches to make them more appealing and todifferentiate them.

“Consumer engagement is critical to

driving trial. The ability to surround the con-sumer in-store, out-of-store, and at thepoint-of-purchase will help to differentiateretailers and attract consumers. Retailersshould be proud of their deli and proud ofthe high quality products that they offerconsumers,” adds Sara Lee’s Bowen. DB


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CondimentsAdd Flavor

M ustard and mayonnaise are themost common condiments toadd to a sandwich, but plain

mayo and yellow mustard have competi-tion from a variety of flavor profiles.

“Mustards are very popular condi-ments. The varieties of mustards we sup-ply can really change flavors and makethe sandwich unique,” says DominicBiggi, vice president of Beaverton FoodsInc., Hillsboro, OR.

Beaverton offerings include Honey N’Mustard Mayonnaise, Honey Mustard,Sweet Hot Mustard, Hawaiian PineappleMustard, horseradish and extra hot horse-radish. Biggi believes mustards should bemerchandised on deli counters because itmakes sense to offer them where sand-wiches are made. “If consumers like thetaste of the mustard, they can purchasesome on their own,” he says.

Pickles are another oldie-but-goodiesandwich accompaniment. Van Holten’sInc., Waterloo, WI, offers a pickle-in-a-pouch. The pickles need no refrigerationand have a 2-year shelf life. The individ-ual packages eliminate the need to reachinto a pickle jar with tongs.

“I believe the deli departments can dif-ferentiate themselves from the standardsandwich offerings with the variety andquality of the other items they offer.Retailers aren’t going to create a consis-tent customer following by doing exactlywhat everyone else does. The delis thatseparate themselves by offering these extraitems are the ones that are going to createthe loyalty,” says Steve Byrnes, presidentof Van Holten’s.

Other condiments that can spice up asandwich program are black olives,jalapeño peppers, chopped onions,banana peppers and sweet peppers. Con-sumers also like sprinkling salt, pepper,paprika, oil and vinegar on their sand-wiches. Having these available on acounter or table within the departmentallows consumers to customize even pre-packaged sandwiches. DB

Read

er S

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ce N

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http://www.vanholtenpickles.com


http://www.millsfamilyfarms.com



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Nonthermal Ways To Kill Food PathogensMarch 31, 2006www.live.psu.edu/story/16992

“I don’t like pathogens,” says Ali Demirci,associate professor of agricultural and bio-logical engineering in Penn State’s College ofAgricultural Sciences. “My work is all aboutfinding novel ways to kill them without usingheat. Employing nonthermal ways to destroypathogens allows us to decontaminate foodwithout damaging the products.”

Foodborne pathogens cause serious out-breaks due to consumption of contaminatedmeat, poultry, eggs, milk, fruits and vegeta-bles, Demirci points out. To produce safefoods, novel technologies are being investi-gated for various applications. “I have beeninvestigating the use of ozone, supercriticalcarbon dioxide, electrolyzed oxidizing waterand pulsed UV-light,” he says. “They all seempromising to combat foodborne pathogens.”

Ozone has been proven to be a moreeffective antimicrobial than the most com-monly used disinfectant, chlorine, against awide range of microorganisms, Demirciexplains. It has been used safely in watertreatment plants for decades.

In 2001, the FDA approved using ozone totreat raw commodities and decontaminateminimally processed fruits and vegetables.“In Europe and Japan, ozone is used toincrease shelf life of foods such as meats,fruits and cheeses. Ozone has certain charac-teristics that make it attractive for use as asanitizer in food processing. It is a strongantimicrobial agent with high reactivity andspontaneous decomposition to a nontoxicproduct — oxygen.

“Ozone decays quickly in water, thus, itsuse may be considered as a process ratherthan a food additive, with no safety concernsabout consumption of residual ozone in foodproducts,” he says. “Ozone has been usedwith varied success to inactivate microfloraon meat, poultry, eggs, fish, fruits, vegetablesand dry fruits.”

Electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water is pro-duced by electrolysis of a very dilute saltwa-ter solution in an electrolysis chamber. “EOwater has demonstrated strong bactericidalproperties,” says Demirci. “Our studies alsosuggest that EO water can be used instead ofexpensive cleaning and sanitizing productsfor clean-in-place cleaning of certain food-processing systems, such as dairies.”

Pulsed ultraviolet light also has a lot ofpotential. Ultraviolet light, an electromag-netic radiation in the spectral region, pos-sesses germicidal properties, according toDemirci. It deactivates the DNA of microor-

TechNewsganisms, destroying their ability to multiplyand cause disease. “Ultraviolet technology isa nonchemical approach to disinfection,” hesays. “In this method, nothing is added,which makes this process simple, inexpensiveand very low-maintenance.”

The key to making this technology afford-able is that the ultraviolet light is pulsed.“We have evaluated pulsed UV technologyfor decontamination of alfalfa seeds, cornmeal, fish, honey, milk and water.”

Demirci explains, “NASA is interested inour research and gave Penn State a foodgrant to fund part of it because we areexperimenting with a dry system of deconta-mination that doesn’t require chemicals orwater and would be a useful process on aspace station or shuttle because it requiresonly electricity.”

Documenting that these technologies areeffective in a controlled setting is just part ofthe challenge, Demirci notes. “We haveproved they work, but now we have to figureout how to make them work on the produc-tion line. It is a huge challenge to boost theirability to kill pathogens to near 100 percentat production line speeds and transfer thetechnology to the commercial arena.”

The necessary equipment is all commer-cially available to food-processing companies,“but they don’t know what to do with them,”Demirci says. “We are focused right now ontrying to determine what we need to do tomake these cutting-edge concepts work com-mercially to reduce foodborne illness.”

He says the research has applications tohomeland security. “If a terrorist contaminat-ed the food supply or the water supply, thesenovel food-safety technologies, if perfected,could be used to decontaminate food andwater supplies. We are investigating fundingsources for our work with the Defense andHomeland Security Departments.”

New Way To Battle ListeriaApril 4, 2006Meatingplace.comAnn Bagel

Scientists at the University of Georgia(UGA) have discovered bacteria that kill liste-ria in processing plant floor drains, wherethey multiply in the wet environment.

The scientists took biofilm samples frompoultry, dairy and infant food processingplants. They found nine different bacteriafrom biofilms that were highly effective inkilling listeria and use.

The researchers first tested the twostrains in a fresh poultry processing plant,using a foaming agent to apply the bacteria

to drains. “The foam adheres to the drain’ssurface and gives the bacteria an opportunityto attach and grow in their new environ-ment,” said Michael Doyle, director of theUGA Center for Food Safety in Griffin, GA.

UGA has licensed the technology to asupplier, and the product should be commer-cially available pending regulatory reviewand approval.

FDA Guidance On Allergens RevisedThe second edition of the FDA guidance

“Questions and Answers Regarding FoodAllergens, including the Food Allergen Label-ing and Consumer Protection Act of 2004,”which the FDA issued on December 14, 2005,has been revised. New additions are at thebottom of the document.

The updated guidance document is avail-able at ww.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/alrguid3.html

Single Minimum Internal TemperatureEstablished for Cooked PoultryApril 5, 2006www.fsis.usda.gov/Food_Safety_Education/Ask_Karen/index.asp#Question

The Food Safety and Inspection Servicetoday advised consumers that cooking rawpoultry to a minimum internal temperature of165°F will eliminate pathogens and viruses.

The single minimum internal temperaturerequirement of 165°F was recommended bythe National Advisory Committee on Micro-biological Criteria for Foods.

“The Committee was asked to determinea single minimum temperature for poultry atwhich consumers can be confident thatpathogens and viruses will be destroyed,”said Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr.Richard Raymond. “The recommendation isbased on the best scientific data availableand will serve as a foundation for our pro-grams designed to reduce foodborne illnessand protect public health.” DB

MartinMitchell,technical

director of theRefrigerated FoodsAssociation (RFA)and managingdirector of Certified Laboratoriescompiles TechNews.

The information has been com-plied from press releases, news arti-cles and government announce-ments and policy clarifications. Addi-tional information may be obtainedby contacting RFA by phone at 770-452-0660 or online at www.refrigeratedfoods.org.

http://www.live.psu.edu/story/16992

http://www.refrigeratedfoods.org

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Food_Safety_Education/Ask_Kare


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W ith so much publicity about the value of brands,not much product specific “branding” is going onin the deli department. So many retailers are

jumping on the house-brand bandwagon that any hope fordistinctive, product-specific branding is all but gone. Whenproducts are truly exceptional, the notion that one (store)brand fits all may not deliver the best possible results.

Consider the nature of presentations in the majority ofdeli departments today. Display cases are lined with pre-sliced meats, cheeses and prepared foods in trays. Along sideare whole, unsliced meats in their original wrappers withproducer graphics. Consideringthat the only prominent identifiersprovided by the retailer for theseproducts are small price-per-poundsigns, the dominant value proposi-tion is price alone. Although someof these little placards contain theretailer’s logo, they are not quality-oriented presentations that attemptto appeal to the emotions, enhancethe buying experience or add value.

Customers can rarely learnmore about the products, and without meaningful experi-ences, opportunities to establish brand relationships are lost.

Offering detailed information about ingredients, spicesand flavor profiles would be valuable. Serving suggestions

and recipes would be better still, assuming the rec-ommendations are well founded. This can beaccomplished without embracing displays, signageor other visual intrusions on a house-brandedenvironment. Providing a little extra informationto explain products and validate price differencesheightens the shopping experience.

When retailers choose not to describe productsor not to provide meaningful incentives (otherthan price) that compel a purchasing decision, therelationship with the customer relies on factorsbeyond the quality of the products. Store location,parking, cleanliness, service and amenities such as

banking, pharmacy and food court, become important.From a shopper’s perspective, even high-end stores do lit-

tle to advocate brands or provide useful information. Theirdeli departments seem to be cut from the same mold. To befair, I must admit higher-end stores — where staff tends tobe a bit more enthusiastic — provide more opportunities toask questions and get meaningful answers. In my experi-ence, however, knowledgeable staff is usually in short supplyor not always easy to find. In the absence of familiar brands,consumers are left to their own devices to evaluate optionsand make the right choice.

So where does branding fit in? First, let’s agree on a basicdefinition. Brands are intangible. They are perceptions inthe minds of buyers based on previous experiences. Abrand’s value comes from being familiar and fully under-stood by a significant buying population. This intimacyallows individuals to make well-founded purchasing deci-sions appropriate to their needs.

Manufacturers and retailers work hard to extract thegreatest possible impact and return on investment fromtheir brand building activities. But when you get to the delicase, producers don’t have much chance to succeed. Andhouse brands aren’t fairing much better.

When grocery chains pursue branding, they tend to relyon major national brands, such as Coca Cola, Tide, Laysand Campbell’s, whose products occupy significant shelfspace. In the deli, where manufacturers such as Dietz &Watson, Perdue or Hebrew National may have only a fewproduct facings, it’s easy to understand how a brand loses

impact.At specialty grocers such as Bal-

ducci’s, AJ’s or Andronico’s, therearen’t many brands exploitedthroughout the store, let alone thedeli case. That the deli counter mayinclude products from top qualitycategory leaders, such as GraftonVillage (cheese), D’Artagnan (patésand terrines) or Molinari (salami),doesn’t matter much. The onlybrand responsible for creating famil-

iarity and trust in these cases is the retailer’s.If the retailer is willing to invest mostly in house brands

but would consider advocating a few national brands, itwould be more productive to limit variety and thoroughlyidentify and advocate its choices. Contrary to the ideas that“bigger is better” (i.e., Wegmans, HEB Plus), the deli casecould be limited to two or three tiers. The everyday storebrand, assuming it delivers the greatest margin to the retail-er, would occupy the most prominent space with price cardsand signage explaining features and benefits.

Specialty brands could be displayed in separate yet fullyidentified groupings to the side or in display cases withshelving above the house brands. The manufacturer’s mer-chandising materials would feature imagery and informationabout the merits of the brand. And if the retailer offers ahandful of one-of-a-kind specialty products, they can begrouped in their own section.

In every case, regardless of brands featured, the staffshould be trained to answer questions about everythingthat’s available. In many stores, manufacturer’s reps conducttastings and explain features and benefits of individual prod-ucts to staff. When I was in retail, I found this very helpfulbecause it allowed me to better inform my customers. Whenmy colleagues and I were available on a regular basis to pro-vide meaningful answers to questions, we experienced loyal-ty from customers who made regular purchases.

Deli branding opportunities are numerous and can beshared between manufacturer and retailer. It’s simply a mat-ter of recognizing what’s best for your customer and doingeverything you can to support that. Hire or train staff sothey have both conversational skills and product knowledge.

These ideas are all part of branding. It’s experiential andvery personal. If you take the time to make each visit to thedeli counter a rewarding and satisfying experience for yourcustomers, they’ll reward you in the checkout lanes. db

M A R K E T I N G P E R S P E C T I V E

Jeffrey SpearConsultantStudio SpearBaltimore, MD

Finding Value With BrandsByJeffreySpear

A brand’s value comes frombeing familiar and fully

understood by a significantbuying population.

GENERAL POLICIESAdvertisers and advertising agencies agree and accept responsibility for all statements and product claims made in their advertisements for themselves or their organizations. The publisher is not responsible,

nor does he necessarily agree with any of the opinions or statements expressed in such advertisements. Advertisers and advertising agencies agree to accept responsibility for all content of such advertisements,and agree to assume liability involving any claims arising from such advertising that are made against the publisher. Advertiser and advertising agencies agree to indemnify the publisher and to hold him harm-less and to defend him from any such claim or claims, and to be responsible for the payment of any expenses or legal fees incurred by the publisher associated with such legal action or claims. The publisherreserves the right to accept or reject advertising that he believes does not meet the publication’s standards. Advertising appearing in editorial format may or may not be accepted by the publisher, and if pub-lished will be properly labeled "advertisement." Publisher is not liable for non-delivery or delays, caused by any federal or state agency or association, or by fire, flood, riot, explosion, strike, embargo, either legalor illegal, material or labor shortage, transportation or work interruption or slowdown, or any condition or act of God affecting delivery and beyond the control of the publisher.

P ilgrim’s Pride Corporation, Pittsburgh, TX, started as a single feedstore in 1946. Aubrey Pilgrim, the elder of the Pilgrim brothers, beganthe company and was soon joined by his brother Bo, who is seen at

right as a young man and in a recent photo.Through the 1950s, demand for chicken sparked the company’s growth.

By 1958, the brothers bought out Mt. Pleasant Hatchery, Mt. Pleasant, TX,and joined in on the lease for the its plant. Aubrey passed away in 1966, thesame year Bo bought a controlling interest in the Mt. Pleasant plant.

Throughout the years, Pilgrim’s Pride expanded its business by meetingconsumer needs and developing new facilities. By 1996, a state-of-the-arthatchery and high-tech spiral oven were installed in two different facilities.At present, Pilgrim’s Pride has 31 major facilities located throughout theUnited States and exports to over 70 countries. Each week the companyprocesses about 30 million birds that are sold to foodservice, retail and frozenentrée customers.

CCC OO MM PPAA NN YY PPAA GG EE ## RR EE AA DD EE RR ## CC AATT EE GG OO RRRYY PP HH OO NN EE FFAA XXAnchor Packaging ..................................................................13 ......................................213................................Packaging..............................................800-467-3900 ..................................314-822-2035Anco Foods ............................................................................19 ......................................212................................Formaggio Cheese..................................800-592-4337 ..................................201-641-3059Arneg USA, Inc. ......................................................................42 ......................................200................................Olive Bars..............................................610-746-9570 ..................................610-746-9580BelGioioso Cheese, Inc...............................................................7 ......................................124................................Cheese ..................................................877-863-2123 ..................................920-863-8791Bridgeford Foods Corporation ..................................................25 ......................................559................................Breads ..................................................800-854-3255 ..................................714-526-4360Chloe Foods, Inc. ....................................................................43 ......................................215................................Olives ....................................................718-827-9000 ..................................718-547-0052Churny Co., Inc. ......................................................................39 ......................................106................................Pita Chips ..............................................800-527-4610 ..................................847-480-5591Ciao Ltd. ................................................................................20 ......................................201................................Fontina Cheese ......................................315-475-0475 ..................................315-475-0557Conroy Foods ..........................................................................47 ......................................104................................Condiments............................................800-317-8316 ..................................412-781-1409Corn Maiden Foods, Inc. ..........................................................14 ......................................202................................Mexican Foods ......................................310-784-0400 ..................................310-784-0404George E. DeLallo Co...............................................................56 ......................................107................................Olives & Antipasto..................................800-433-9100 ..................................724-523-0981Eastern Bag & Paper ..............................................................38 ......................................203................................Packaging..............................................800-972-9622 ..................................203-882-2887Fairbault Dairy ......................................................................16 ......................................220................................Cheese ..................................................507-334-5260 ..................................507-332-9011FoodMatch, Inc. ......................................................................40 ......................................204................................Olives ....................................................800-350-3411 ..................................212-334-5042Vincent Giordano ....................................................................36 ......................................132................................Deli Meats ............................................215-467-6629 ..................................215-467-6339Great Lakes Cheeses ..............................................................17 ......................................205................................Cheese ..................................................800-677-7181 ..................................940-834-1002Hickory Farms, Inc. ................................................................27 ......................................218................................Deli Meats ............................................866-231-0863 ..................................419-893-3451Hormel Foods Corporation..................................................48-49 ......................................206................................Grab-and-Go..........................................800-523-4635 ..................................612-931-9372IDDBA ....................................................................................11 ......................................111................................Trade Association ..................................608-238-7908 ..................................608-238-6330Inline Plastics Corp. ................................................................22 ......................................211................................Packaging..............................................800-826-5567 ..................................203-924-0370Kings Hawaiian Bread ............................................................31 ......................................214................................Breads ..................................................310-533-3250 ..................................310-533-8352Klondike Cheese Co.................................................................38 ......................................207................................Cheese ..................................................608-325-3021 ..................................608-325-3027Kontos Foods, Inc. ..................................................................41 ......................................219................................Flatbreads..............................................973-278-2800 ..................................973-278-7943Manda Fine Meats ..................................................................34 ......................................208................................Deli Meats ............................................800-343-2642 ..................................225-344-7647Mills, Inc. ................................................................................51 ......................................171................................Fresh Produce ........................................831-757-3061 ..................................831-424-9475Pilgrims Pride ..........................................................................2 ......................................217................................Poultry ..................................................800-321-1470 ..................................214-920-2396Queso Campesino....................................................................12 ......................................209................................Hispanic Cheese ....................................303-316-4251 ..................................303-316-4249Redondo Iglesias USA..............................................................55 ......................................216................................Ham From Spain....................................718-729-2763 ..................................718-937-3250Reser’s Fine Foods ..................................................................33 ......................................225................................Potato Salad ..........................................800-333-6431 ..................................503-646-9233Reser’s Fine Foods ....................................................................9 ......................................117................................Side Dishes ............................................800-333-6431 ..................................503-646-9233Robbie Manufacturing ............................................................35 ......................................554................................Packaging - Prepared Chicken ................800-255-6328 ..................................913-492-1543Rubschlager Baking Corporation..............................................16 ......................................210................................Bakery ..................................................773-826-1245 ..................................773-826-6619J.G. Van Holten & Son, Inc ......................................................50 ......................................221................................Pickles ..................................................800-255-0619 ..................................920-478-2316


2006

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DeliBUSINESS Blast

Blast From The Past is a regular feature of DELI BUSINESS. We welcome submissions of your old photos, labels or advertise-ments along with a brief description of the photo. Please send material to: Editor, DELI BUSINESS, P.O. Box 810217, BocaRaton, FL 33481-0217 or e-mail [email protected]. For more information contact us at (561)994-1118

from the Past

Receive supplier information fast using the DELI BUSINESS Information ShowcaseBy Phone • By Fax • By the Reader Service Cards in each issue of DELI BUSINESS.

Here’s How: 1) On the reader service cards between pages 4-5 and 52-53, just circle the numbers that correspond to theads and Information Showcase listings 2) Mail or fax the reader service card today or phone the supplier of your choice directly.



http://www.redondoigesias.com



http://www.delallo.com

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