6 Products Worth Checking Out at the Summer Fancy Food Show
The sheer number of products on display can be daunting, but it’s always fun to walk the aisles of the Summer Fancy Food Show, taking place June 23-25 at the Javits Center in New York, to at least try to get a taste of some of the many innovative items being sampled at the annual event, which brings together scores of specialty food producers and those interested in connecting with them, including grocers. In no particular order — and certainly not meant to be considered a comprehensive list — are six noteworthy products encountered at this year’s show:
1.The Happy Egg Co. Heritage Breed Eggs
It’s hard to come up with something truly new in the egg category, but the Happy Egg Co. has done it with its free-range blue and brown Heritage Breed Eggs, laid by chickens specially bred in Europe and pasture raised on more than 8 acres. The uniquely colored eggs offer one more surprise inside: rich amber-colored yolks, which impart a signature deeper hue to dishes created with them.
2. Soda Press Co.
It may be brand-new in the United States, but Australia- and New Zealand-based Soda Press Co. is already well established in its home countries, where it makes organic concentrated soda syrups in such unexpected flavors as Pink Grapefruit and Blonde Cola (explained to Progressive Grocer as a cola with all of the additives removed), plus a line of kombucha syrups, with all items containing half as much sugar as their mainstream counterparts. Proudly touting itself as a plastic-free company, Soda Press is part-owned by sparkling water maker Sodastream, with whom it envisions being cross-merchandised on retailers’ shelves in the States.
3. Schuman Cheese Bella Rosa Cheese to Go
Everyone wants convenience, but no one wants to skimp on quality. Convenience and quality are present in abundance in Schuman Cheese’s Bella Rosa Snacks to Go line, which offers cheese, nuts and dried fruit as a portion-controlled, portable snack with 8 grams of protein and only 180 calories per serving. The line is available in two varieties: White Cheddar Cheese, Roasted Sea-Salted Almonds and Sweetened Dried Cranberries, and Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Roasted Sea-Salted Cashews and Cherry Juice-Infused Dried Cranberries.
4. Brownie Brittle Blondies
Already beloved for its indulgent but actually better-for-you brownie offerings, Brownie Brittle has now gone blonde with its newest varieties, which are made even better with the addition of Meyer Lemon flavor or chocolate chips. Each Blondie SKU contains just 130 calories per 1-ounce serving. The company also has some new holiday items in the offing.
5. Trois Petits Cochons Organic Mousse au Poulet
Described by the storied company, which began back in 1975 as small charcuterie in New York’s Greenwich Village and now offers a complete line of artisanal pâtés, mousses, terrines, sausages, saucissons, smoked meats and other French specialties, as a kind of pâté for people who don’t generally care for that delicacy, this product blends pork-free chicken liver and pepper for a smooth, tasty spread that should satisfy the most finicky eater.
6. Caulipower Chicken Tenders
Making its debut at the show, this latest product line from Caulipower, which already offers cauliflower-crust pizza and cauliflower tortillas, features white meat Naked Truth chicken with a golden, crispy coating that’s cauliflower-packed and gluten-free, with no added sugar. They’re also the only frozen items of their kind to be baked rather than fried, according to the brand. The line is also featured as a Progressive Grocer new product, and company founder Gail Becker spoke to PG on the Summer Fancy Food Show floor about these game-changing tenders.
