What a month this has been for product launches in our industry! And while I am sure that is due in no small part to being the time for Specialty Foods Association’s Winter Fancy Food Show, I think that winter slumber is also a credit to the innovative spark of our industry—a hibernation of a productive kind that we can’t get enough of here at Deli Market News.
Venus Wafers New Ancient Grains CäPeachio’s Crackers
Timeless but modern has quite a ring to it—a register ring. It is the perfect description of Venus Wafers’ highly anticipated new look for its loyally followed CäPeachio’s Crackers. When I heard of a new Ancient Grains flavor, featuring sesame seeds, chives, minced garlic, and onion, would accompany the launch, I was hooked on the idea alone. I can’t wait to add these to home charcuterie boards!
Carr Valley Cheese Company’s Bread Cheese®
This product was a recent spotlight option for a reason. Sheep, goat, and mixed milk cheeses come together to make a fluffy treat for cheese lovers that can be baked in the oven and served by itself, with dips, or—a new favorite in our home—accompanying soup. In case anyone was looking for a cross-merchandising idea for the remaining cold months!
Terrapin Ridge Farms Balsamic Onion Jam
Savory and jam—I need this on a sandwich with some prosciutto as soon as possible. I am not an expert in the kitchen, and already this product has me whipping up exciting lunch and snack options in my head. I can only think how it will inspire shoppers who know their way around food, let alone chefs and foodservice professionals.
Shaft’s Cheese & Co. Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives Retail Pack
I love cheese, and I love olives. Put them together, and I am a willing customer. The point that especially stands out to me here is the packaging. The fact that it is offered in a convenient resealable bag entices consumers to do more with them than add to cocktails or Hors D’oeuvre. This packaging says “take them with you and snack on them anywhere.” All it takes is one time in the car to have shoppers buying two packs on their next shopping trip—one for home and one for the drive back.
Trinity Fruit Company Pomegranate Squeezed Juice
Full disclosure—pomegranates are a paradox for me. I love their look, their smell, their flavor, and the rich color they bring to any food or beverage they join. The health halo plus their allure is a two-pack punch, but rarely do I have the time and whimsy to go all in on getting the seeds out myself. So prepared is a great and convenient way to indulge, and Trinity Fruit Company’s seems to me the purest form in which to do that. Not only is the Pomegranate Squeezed Juice a gorgeously enticing color, it is 100 percent not from concentrate, so no buyer—business or consumer—has to wonder what is in it. A great sell on its own, don’t even get me started on the mixing possibilities…
That is just a sample of the tasty plethora of product launches we have seen, setting the stage for an exciting 2023 for our industry’s ingenuity. I, for one, am here for every morsel.