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Gourmet Food

Ghirardelli Sends a Valentine: Brownie Cookie Bar Mix

Elevating dessert with premium chocolate is a Ghirardelli specialty so it’s only natural the chocolatier would bring together two of America’s most beloved chocolatey desserts – cookie and brownie – for a decadent new Brownie Cookie Bar Mix. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the new mix celebrates the perfect pairing of brownie and cookie and brings the craftsmanship, rich-taste and indulgence of Ghirardelli into the kitchens of home bakers.

The mix combines rich, fudgy brownies with chocolate chip cookies loaded with premium Ghirardelli chocolate chips made from high-quality cocoa beans for a decadent chocolate taste in every bite. Convenient and simple to make anytime, just add butter, water, oil and an egg to the mix, place into an 8×8 pan and bake as directed.

“Why choose one when you can have both? Home bakers have been hacking “brookie” recipes for some time, so we knew with our fan favorite brownie and chocolate chip cookie mixes, we were the right brand to play matchmaker and officially bring the two together,” says Megan Wright, Marketing Director of Ghirardelli. “Combining two favorites in one mix, the rich chocolate brownie layer topped with chocolate chip cookie creates a delicious dessert and delectable treat for any occasion.”

Ghirardelli Brownie Cookie Bar Mix (SRP: $3.99) is now available nationwide at Walmart with additional distribution at Kroger beginning in February. The mix is available in 16.5oz packages containing one brownie pouch and one cookie pouch, yielding an 8×8 pan of brownie cookie bars.

For more information about Ghirardelli products, visit www.ghirardelli.com.

Ghirardelli strives to create the finest chocolate products from bean to bar that delight and satisfy its consumers.  Founded in 1852 and now a part of the Lindt & Sprüngli group, the global leader in premium chocolate, Ghirardelli is passionate about producing consistently excellent chocolate products with high quality ingredients.  Ghirardelli takes pride in the manufacturing process, from cocoa bean sourcing and production to finished product.  Ghirardelli’s proprietary bean blend and unique methods of roasting and processing contribute to the quality, craftsmanship, and flavor of their chocolate products.  Ghirardelli Makes Life A Bite Better! For more information, visit https://www.ghirardelli.com/about-ghirardelli.

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Better Foods Attracts Investment From Cleveland Avenue

 

Better Foods and Shinsegae Food CEO Song Hyun-suk (left) and Cleveland Avenue Founder & CEO Don Thompson pose after signing the investment agreement at the head office of Shinsegae Food in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. (Photo: Shinsegae Food)

Better Foods, Shinsegae Food’s subsidiary specializing in plant-based products, announced investment attraction from Cleveland Avenue, a U.S. venture capital.

Shinsegae Food established Better Foods, in the United States in 2022 to strengthen the global competitiveness of plant-based products, which the company is fostering as a future growth engine, and to target the U.S. market. Since its establishment, Better Foods has set up a local operating organization for business expansion and discovered partners to increase production and online and offline sales.

Based in Chicago, Cleveland Avenue is a global venture capital established in 2015 by Don Thompson, the former president & CEO of McDonald’s. Cleveland Avenue is investing in lifestyle consumer brands and technologies that lead to growing markets in positive ways. The key investment targets are Bear Robotics, a self-driving serving robot company, and Bemyfriends, a global fandom business company, as well as Beyond Meat, a meat substitute startup in the U.S.

Cleveland Avenue decided on the investment after it highly evaluated Better Foods for its R&D capacity for plant-based products, such as not only meat substitutes, but also milk and cheese substitutes, using the company’s independent technologies, and future growth potential. In particular, Cleveland Avenue positively evaluated the steady business growth achieved by Shinsegae Food, the parent company of Better Foods, through the application of meat substitutes in various fields including food manufacturing, bakery, meal service and restaurant business.

In addition to monetary investment, Cleveland Avenue also agreed to actively cooperate with Better Foods for its global market entry as a strategic investor. Based on the cooperation, Better Foods will develop plant-based products including milk and cheese substitutes for which it is conducting R&D, perform consumer marketing activities, and expand their business in the U.S. market.

“This investment holds great significance as it indicates that Better Foods has won recognition for its growth potential in the U.S., the largest market for plant-based products,” said a Shinsegae Food official. “We will develop Better Foods as a company specializing in plant-based products that leads the global market through R&D on a variety of plant-based products including meat substitutes.”

Better Foods is a global alternative food company established in the United States by Shinsegae Group, Korea’s leading distribution group, in 2022. Under the vision of “We Dream Big to Make a Better World with Better Foods,” various activities are being carried out to develop and promote various alternative foods and to continue innovation for a better future.

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Fortune International Appoints Top Executives

Fortune International, LLC, the country’s leading processor, distributor and importer of quality seafood, meats and gourmet products, has appointed six senior executives to further strengthen and expand the company’s financial, operational and marketing capabilities.

Joel Jorgensen

Fortune named Joel Jorgensen as chief financial officer, Richard Deferia as chief revenue officer and Kevin Hoople as chief information officer, all reporting to President and CEO Sean O’Scannlain. The company also named Ethan Farber as vice president of marketing, Steven Gwozdz as vice president of frozen seafood and Trey Kidd as market vice president of Texas.

“We are very pleased to announce the addition of six exceptional new senior executives to our leadership, corporate and regional teams at the start of 2024,” O’Scannlain said. “We continue to attract the industry’s very best talent, which allows us to invest in and build stronger customer relationships, accelerate business momentum and drive growth into new markets. I look forward to supporting my new colleagues in their new responsibilities. This is an exciting way to start off the new year.”

Jorgensen will oversee overall financial and operational management at Fortune, as well as play a key leadership role in strategic business planning, M&A execution and integration. He brings over 15 years of financial executive experience in food distribution and packaging to Fortune.

Previously, Jorgensen was chief financial officer at B2B Industrial Packaging, LLC in Addison, Ill., where he led and supported the acquisition of 16 companies and built out the company’s leadership, treasury and HR functions. Before that, he was CFO at Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors in Detroit. He received his B.A. in Accounting from the University of Northern Iowa.

Richard Deferia

Deferia will lead and support the continued national expansion of the Fortune Fish & Gourmet distribution business. He has over 15 years of experience in the food and restaurant industries, starting his career as a chef before transitioning into sales and marketing. Before Fortune, Deferia spent 13 years at Sysco, starting his career as a marketing associate before working up to Regional vice president of sales mideast region.

Prior, he was an executive chef at Dockside Jack’s and JB’s Wharf in Michigan. Deferia received a degree of culinary arts from the French Culinary Institute and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame.

Kevin Hoople

Hoople will be responsible for overseeing Fortune’s IT, information security teams and strategy, with an initial focus on data collection infrastructure. He has been an IT executive in the food and distribution industries for over 20 years.

Prior to Fortune, he spent 14 years at Lawson Products, starting as a director of ERP integration & deployment and rising eventually to chief information officer. Before Lawson, Hoople spent 10 years at Reyes Holdings L.L.C. and Martin-Brower L.L.C. He received his B.A. in management computer systems from the University of Wisconsin.

Farber brings nearly 20 years of experience in brand and creative strategy, strategic planning and business insights to the company. Prior to joining Fortune, he was Senior vice president and partner in creative planning at FleishmanHillard in Chicago. Before that, he was executive vice president and U.S. head of planning at BCW Global, formerly Burson-Marsteller, for nearly six years. He is an alumnus of Bowdoin College.

Experienced in front-line retail operations, Gwozdz is a senior food industry leader with expertise across fresh commodities and other categories. Before joining Fortune, he was a category manager III of Seafood Merchandising at Stop and Shop Supermarkets. Gwozdz also spent three years as category manager III of meat merchandising at Giant Food Stores and, before that, as a manager of meat merchandising at Price Chopper/Market 32. He is an alumnus of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams.

Based in the Greater Houston area, Kidd is a proven sales and operations leader with over 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. Before joining Fortune to oversee Texas operations, he was general manager for three years at BakeMark, a manufacturer and distributor of bakery ingredients. Prior to that, he spent nearly 22 years at Sysco, rising from a marketing associate to vice president of field sales for the Southern Market. He received his B.S. in agriculture from Texas A&M University.

Fortune International, LLC, is the parent operating company of Fortune Fish & Gourmet, a full-service processor and distributor providing white-tablecloth restaurants, private clubs, elegant hotels and gourmet retail stores with the finest quality fresh, live and frozen seafood and gourmet foods. The company handles more than 18,000 unique products daily and delivers to more than 35,000 customer locations throughout the United States with a fleet of refrigerated vehicles, and nationally through FedEx and common carriers. For more information, visit www.fortunefishco.net.

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