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Author - Bonnie Gemmell
Category - Marketing, Food show
Posted - 01/27/2011
0 Comments | Add Comment Winter Fancy Food Show Food Recap & Trends

The Winter 2011 Fancy Food Show in San Francisco wrapped up last Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 18) and hosted 1300 exhibitors from 35 countries. The isles were packed with attendees ranging from large retailers (think Costco) to smaller high-end gourmet grocers (my favorite is Sonoma Market). This is a good sign for the industry -- one that has been hard hit by the suffering US economy.

What a selection!

It was uplifting to see the "Product Launch" area full of new, notable and unusual food and beverages products. One of my favorite new products was a delicious cookie called a Wine Snap produced by The Napa Cookie Company. A mix of sweet yet peppery flavors to compliment your glass of wine… outstanding!

An interesting food item that we'd never heard of was Pollen Ranch. Pollen Ranch takes fennel pollen and mixes it with other herbs to create an amazing flavor on meats. Fennel pollen is also being used in Purple Haze cheese from Cypress Grove Chevre. Now, put that cheese on the Wine Snap and you'll be in heaven!

Squeezing down the packed isles I came across the most amazing chocolate from Patric Chocolate, a Missouri based chocolatier called the In-NIB-itable Bar it is made of 70% Madagascar chocolate with roasted cocoa nibs mixed in that gave it a fruity yet intense flavor with a contrasting texture. I need to find a local retailer!

2011 food trends

And then there were the obvious food trends-- can you say bacon, bacon, BACON?? Bacon was showing up everywhere- popcorn (JD's Baconpop), Lolli pops (Das Lolli), bacon toothpicks and so on. It looks as though chipotle seasoning is on the heals of bacon. It's also being used in a personal favorite, Krave Jerky.

Cheese was a huge hit at the show as well -- Artisan cow, goat, and sheep cheeses are growing in both production and consumption. I must say it was rather cheesy! There was a new cheese I spotted called Black Garlic. It was sweet and tangy at the same time -- very delicious and unique.

Another huge trend was tea. There were tea companies present in every category imaginable: organic, fair trade, sustainable, herbal, fruity and estate teas. There were 40 or so non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers with beverages that promise health benefits (Ayala's Herbal Water), palate cleansing capabilities (SanTasti) and a beverage that can be paired perfectly with food (12 noon to midnight).

Good Food Awards

This year a new category of awards were created called the Good Food Awards. These awards salute companies that focus on superior products that create a more tasty, authentic and responsible food system. We were happy to see our local favorite, the girl + the fig (Sonoma) won for their excellent Coppa (an Italian pork charcuterie), as well as Blue Bottle Coffee, who won for their Ethiopia-Kemgin coffee -- the best darn coffee this side of just about anywhere!

The Winter Fancy Food Show was so delicious, inspiring and huge -- we're definitely going back next year.

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