GroceryGlobe

February 2016

New Sauce Flavors a Hit for Atalanta at WFFS

FEELING SAUCY?
You’re not alone if you left the San Francisco based Winter Fancy Food Show feeling a bit sauced! Grocery generated a lot of interest in their new concepts, but the ones that resonated most with buyers were these sauce varieties; classic tomato, sweet dessert, and spicy pepper options which where focus items at the booth.

Next to the pepper bar, Menu’s new concept for the repack tomato pasta sauces and fruit spreads created loads of interest for in-store, upscale opportunities. The center booth display of San Ignacio’s authentic Argentinean dulce de leche, along with their two new spreads chocolate and peanut butter, got creative juices flowing. South America continues to reign supreme on trending charts and our new colorful line of pepper sauces was of interest to various distributors, retailers, and chefs. Flavors include the green Mochero pepper, red Rocoto, and the traditional yellow Aji Huancaina sauce. These unique appetizer dips accommodate the customer’s need for more interesting flavors. “People have a growing appreciation for layered and more complex flavors,” says Mary Chapman, Senior Director, Product Innovation, for Chicago-based Technomic, Inc. “Sweet flavors are always popular, of course, however a majority of consumers now say they like spicy flavors…” Speaking of spicy, we would be remiss to not mention the newest addition to our line: Harissa Sauce. This North African marinade and soup base has a warm and spicy profile that TIME magazine says is “The Next Sriracha.” For samples and information contact the grocery department.

DEL DESTINO
BRAND UPDATE FOR 2016

Del Destino, one of Atalanta's original brands, is under going a re-branding campaign. With over $50 MM in sales in premium Mediterranean products, including vegetables, condiments and grains, the updated brand image will communicate the product benefits more effectively at retail and food service levels. The project began in fall of 2015 and will continue until all the items have been updated.

The new logo design reflects premium Mediterranean products and includes a compass that visually communicates the brand name; Del Destino translated means Destiny/Fate. The rich blue color clearly distinguishes the brand in kitchens and large product images will help identify each variety.

Bob Gellert, Executive Vice President of Atalanta, head of the Grocery Division, stated." We are very excited to roll out this new brand identity with our customers, and expect to help our already strong sales with both food service and retail/club customers."

APRICOTS
South Africa reports the impact of rain experienced towards the end of January 2015 is more significant than initially reported. Some farmers have lost 40-60% of their crops. Estimates of crop sizes will be smaller then expected.

JALAPENOS
Mexico reports in Mid-January there where several consecutive bouts of temperatures that dipped into the low 20’s. A significant portion of the crop was either lost or damaged, and supplies of fresh jalapeños are extremely limited today. As the season progressed, the cold snap continued north further damaging the crops. Supplies of jalapeños remain extremely limited. Due to this shortage from Mexico, the worldwide prices for canned jalapeños is trending higher, at least through June. We expect a 7-10% price increase over the next 4 months.

MANDARIN ORANGES
The Chinese Mandarin orange pack season has finished and all reports indicate a short crop in the largest growing areas (Hunan, Hubei Zhejiang Provinces). According to sources in China, rainy weather throughout November damaged fruit trees and ripe fruit, forcing growers to dump up to 40% of fruit at the end of the harvest. The remaining fruit, according to reports, is of “very poor” quality. The price of mandarin oranges has been fairly low for the last few seasons, but it can be expected the prices will increase throughout the New Year, if demand surpasses supply.

RED PEPPERS
Some areas in Peru have been severely impacted due to El Nino. Most suppliers are reporting a 15-20% total crop reduction. Prices for new contracts are now at 5% over prices from November and December 2015. We expect for these higher prices to remain steady through May 2016.

PINEAPPLES
El Niño continues to affect the quantity and quality of pineapple harvested in the Far East. Some factories have been closing several times a month due to lack of raw material. Prices have gone up again, as factories are forced to pay higher prices for their raw material. This situation will continue to be similar for the rest of 2016 with most areas hoping that the winter crop at the end of this year will be at normal levels.

QUINOA
There have been some price increases at the grower level in the last 2-3 weeks caused by low expectations for the new crop in April/May. About 40% of the crop has been lost due to drought, 30% severely damaged (which will result in low yields). Expectation is that overall demand will probably exceed supply this year, causing a slow rise in prices that might not be mitigated by the May harvest.

WHEAT
Prices should be stable until March. Long term we foresee stable prices until June, unless a drought hits Canada, which could cause a slight increase. For the time being, both the crops and weather are stable.

Dalmatia's take on flatbread

This simple flatbread recipe from Dalmatia highlights the all natural figs from Croatia. Prosciutto and goat cheese brings out the sweet essence of this fig spread.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:
2 naan or flatbreads
1/2 cup Dalmatia Fig Spread
1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese
2 ounces of prosciutto, torn into pieces
2 sprigs of chopped fresh sage

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Spread 1/2 cup of Dalmatia Fig Spread over each Naan then sprinkle with goat cheese and prosciutto. Bake 8 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with sage.

Servings 4

Understanding the Market: Tuna

Tuna:
Skipjack
Raw materials have been slowing down. There is a steady tightening up of raw materials and finished good supply for February/first half of March. Trading continues at $1150-$1200 mt. There is uncertainty of where raw prices will be once they start to negotiate for March deliveries. The Dubai Food show which accounts for a substantial volume of tuna sales (February 21-25th) can impact overall supply. The fishing ban in the Eastern Tropical Pacific has ended and fleets are again fishing this region. Initial results appear to be favorable.

Yellowfin
Raw material prices continue to slowly firm and are now trading at levels between $1650-$1700 mt. Philippine fleets have returned to their primary fishing grounds, but to continue to report that the catch is slow. Much of the supply going to EU countries. Supply out of Thailand remains somewhat limited, as the catch ratio (yellowfin to skipjack) has overall reduced to less than !0%.

Tongol
Supply from Thailand and Vietnam is limited with no signs of improvement. Supply is expected to be short/difficult through Q1 and Q2.

Albacore
Raw material prices are stable at levels between $2950-$3000 mt. Indonesia supplies are limited, as the Department of Fisheries enforces stricter regulations on foreign flagged vessels fishing in Indonesian waters, as well as prohibiting the importation of fish for finished product. This source country is becoming tighter in regulations. Expectations for raw material remain stable at current levels through February.

Around the Industry: Trends & Forecasts

Pizza, Pizza and MORE PIZZA

With the Pizza Expo right around the corner, March 8-10 in Las Vegas, here are some of the industry trends and statistics for 2016.

The past few years have brought all kinds of changes. Everywhere you look, the industry is taking on a new personality. Pizza and pizzerias are definitely … hip.

Fast Casual is coming on strong. New pizzerias are being designed to deliver high quality individualized pizzas to the customer in the time it takes to walk down the line, specify your toppings, order a drink, maybe a cookie … and pay for it.
Mobile Pizzerias whether they’re driven or dragged, these are becoming the rage for both “weekend pizzaiolos” looking to build a new business, and for those established “brick & mortar” operators looking to expand their reach, increase their revenue and build their brand.
Regional Styles New Haven, St. Louis, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, California and of course, New York-style pizzas are FINALLY being offered through out the country! Pizza does not just have to be pizza. Specializing in one or more styles of pie is setting pizzerias apart from their immediate competitors.
Coal & Wood-fired Artisan Pizzerias are far more popular and easier to find than they were even a couple of years ago. Pizza Today’s Hot 100 Independent pizzerias in the country reflect this growing trend. These pizzerias offer a new dining experience as well as a new taste and appearance to pizza.
Online Ordering is rapidly growing in popularity. New apps and custom websites are being developed and offered to the industry every month. Right now, 50% of Domino’s business is e-commerce generated.

Gluten Free Menus are definitely here to stay! While most pizzerias refer to their menu as “Gluten Friendly” this grass roots trend is posing both challenges and opportunities for today’s pizzerias … and is showing no signs of slowing down in the near future.

Top 3 Pizzeria Chains

Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza, Papa John’s
Control an estimated 30,317 units worldwide
Control an estimated 16,132 units within the U.S.A.
Total U.S. Sales: $12.6 billion

U.S. Sales/Unit: $781,000 per year

Source: Pizza Today

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