from Trois-Rivieres, Que.-based Margarine
Thibault, available in tubs of Olive Oil, Omega- 3
and Light varieties, and sold in the U.S. under pri-
vate label and controlled brands. “We are healthier
than regular margarine because we took all of the
best traits that can sometimes be one at a time in
one product and lumped them all together,” said
Nicolas Adam, executive vice president, Bergeron-
Thibault Group. “They are all high in omega- 3,
GMO-free, vegan, which can be tricky with mar-
garines because of the vitamin A and vitamin
D, and have single-source palm oil and expeller
pressed canola oil.”
Originally from the U.K., American retailers
can expect to see more exotic juices and carbon-
ated drinks from Rubicon hitting their shelves
now that the company has established a plant in
Richmond Hill, Ont. “We have been exporting
to the U.S., and our new non-sugar-added prod-
ucts are growing amazingly fast,” said Masud
Sethi, key account manager for Rubicon Food
Products Limited. Lychee, Mango, Pomegranate,
Passionfruit, Guava and Soursop are some of the
flavors offered. “Depending on the chain we can
be sold in the soft drinks or ethnic aisles,” he said.
Organic energy drink company Guru Beverage
was at the show touting its energy drinks and sparkling energy water. Packaged in 355-ml cans, Guru
Energy Water is available in Pomegranate, Lime
and Grapefruit flavors. “We are made with green
tea extract, which naturally has caffeine to give
you energy, along with guarana,” said Catherine
Michaud, account manager in the Montreal office
of the San Francisco-based company.
Officials at The Black Shank were using SIAL
Toronto to promote their line of flavored maple
syrups, available in 15 varieties, including Pear,
Pineapple, Chili Pepper, Tangerine and Hazelnut.
“The syrups are naturally flavored and were
mainly developed for cooking,” said Steve Perron,
international sales manager at The Black Shank,
based in St. Ferdinand, Que. “They can be used
as a finishing sauce at the very end. It brings the
sweetness of the maple. Our Raspberry is very
good drizzled on salmon, while the Hazelnut is
really good in coffee or mixed half and half with
oil to make a terrific salad dressing.”
SPROUTED IN IOWA
Several American manufacturers had a presence at
the show.
Officials at Bio-Kinetics, based in Sheldon,
Iowa, were promoting their Living Flour
sprouted grains, available in Sprouted Flax,
Sprouted Wheat, Sprouted Barley, Sprouted
Brown Rice and Sprouted Multigrain varieties.
They also make a line of Baby Cereal made from
sprouted grains in Oats, Wheat, Brown Rice,
Quinoa and Buckwheat varieties.
“The Baby Cereal provides kids with 100 per-
cent of the nutrition that they need on a daily
basis,” said Naum Bespaly, sales director. “We
are considered to be one of the ‘cleanest’ prod-
ucts and everything is done under kosher super-
vision. Health-wise, a standard flour cannot
compare. The grain is sprouted and then dehy-
drated and ground. Our Living Flour is ground
and can be added to meats, used in baking and
for any other use where one would use flour.”
At the U.S. Pavilion, Brian Golinvaux, presi-
dent of Chicago-based Lillie’s Q Sauces & Ribs,
was talking up retailers about what sets his line
of barbecue sauces apart from the competition.
“We have a northern Alabama white sauce,
a South Carolina mustard sauce and western
Carolina, which has tomato. All Carolina sauces
are going to be vinegar based, so they are a little
bit thinner, and we do Memphis sauces too.”
The brand is packaged in distinctive glass
bottles, reminiscent of vinegar or old-fashioned
apothecary containers.
“Our packaging is distinctive because barbe-
cue sauce is primarily all the same color, and
nine times out of 10 they are in the same three
bottles,” Golinvaux said. “We do a simplistic,
less-is-more approach with everything from our
simplistic throwback label, to the hand applied
wax seal.”
Drinking vinegars are one of the hottest trends,
and officials from Shire City Herbal were touting
their Fire Cider brand of organic apple cider vin-
egar infused with honey, fruits, roots and spices.
“We recommend you take at least a tablespoon a
day, and a lot of people are mixing it with juice,
tea or lemon water,” said Caitlin Porter Loverin,
marketing coordinator for the Pittsfield, Mass.-
based company. “We sell Fire Cider in 8- and
16-ounce bottles, and growlers, half-gallons and
gallons for foodservice, like juice bars. A lot of
bars are using it for innovative cocktails and
mocktails and restaurants have started using it
for things like Bloody Marys,” she said.
