Gourmet by the Bay

A smorgasbord of gastronomical delights.

That would be the best way to describe the Specialty Food Association’s 2017 Winter Fancy Food Show that was held in late January at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. More than 80,000 products from 1,400 companies were on display or being sampled at the show, which filled 58 aisles in two halls of the convention center. Many filled unique niches that retailers can stock to set themselves apart from the competition. 

Take Bee Free Honee, for example. Made from Wisconsin apples, the vegan “honey” is so unique it was singled out by the show’s organizers as being one of the 10 most innovative products.

“Our mission is to save the bees,” says Katie Sanchez, founder and co-owner of Minneapolis-based Bee Free Honee. “We can’t expect to keep consuming honey and expect it to be available year-long in unlimited quantities. Bee Free Honee is available in four flavors: Original, Mint, Ancho Chile and Slippery Elm, packaged in 12-ounce jars retailing between $6-$8.

Best known for its jams and jellies, officials of Sarabeth’s Kitchen were sampling cups of their new Kashmir Hot Chocolate Mix, designed to be mixed with milk. “Sarabeth’s Kashmir Hot Chocolate Mix contains cardamom, cloves, allspice and ginger,” says William Levine, CEO of Sarabeth’s Kitchen, based in New York.

One would have to be a real sap to turn down a chance to sample the new flavored maple syrups from Crown Maple. “We have our Bourbon Barrel Aged Syrup that we introduced in 2015, and now we are introducing Madagascar Vanilla Infused, Cinnamon Infused and Applewood Smoked maple syrups,” says Michael Cobb, CEO of Crown Maple, based in Dover Plains, N.Y. “The syrups pair well with cheeses, as a glaze for salmon, on other proteins and in the world of mixology, like a Smoked Manhattan.”

It would be wise to pour them over a stack of SweetStacks Pancakes, created by using an authentic Guam family recipe. “I was born and raised in Guam and this is my mom’s recipe. We made it from scratch and it was so popular we decided to make it into a mix,” says Elaine Babauta, president of San Diego-based SweetStacks. 

At the Harry & David booth, officials were touting the relaunch of their Moose Munch premium popcorn snack. “We are retargeting to a younger, Millennial customer with smaller packages of Moose Munch as the anytime snack,” says Steven Lightman, president of Medford, Ore.-based Harry & David, a division of 1-800 Flowers. Harry & David is also looking for new venues to merchandise its famous Royal Riviera Comice Pears. “We are starting to look at other ways to put some of the pears that we have into the market,” Lightman says.  

Officials at Crio were sampling Crio BRU, a coffee alternative brewed from cocoa beans. It is available in a variety of ground roasts, depending on where the beans are sourced from, and is prepared just like a pot of coffee. “We like to say that Crio BRU is smarter than coffee because cocoa is a superfood, so you are getting all of the benefits of cocoa without the added sugar,” says Mandy Karlsven, account representative for the Lindon, Utah-based company. “It is only 10 calories per cup, has three times the antioxidants as blueberries and less caffeine than a cup of decaf coffee.”

The Republic of Tea, based in Novato, Calif., was celebrating its 25th anniversary by sampling 29 varieties of tea and showcasing its new limited edition Ginger Peach Chocolate Truffle Black Tea that was created for the special occasion. Other new teas being sampled included Organic Pitya SuperFruit Green Tea and Black Currant Rosemary Iced Tea. 

Officials with Sparks, Nev.-based Davidson’s Organic  were celebrating their 40th year in business by sampling their line of Organic Chocolate Bars infused with tea leaves. Available in Earl Grey Lavender, Classic Chai and Coconut Vanilla, the chocolates are produced in Ecuador where the tea leaves are sprinkled into the cacao as part of its cooling process. 

Celebrating its 100th year in business, Beatrice Bakery Co., best known for its Grandma’s brand of fruitcake, was sampling fruitcakes and other goodies. “Our fruitcakes are handmade and not mass produced, which makes them special,” says Rebecca S. Brown, vice president of sales and marketing for the Beatrice, Neb.-based company.