Southern Recipe Aids Truck Drivers in Annual Campaign
In Southern Recipe’s Annual Truck Driver Appreciation Week campaign, the brand will once again shine a light on the truck driving industry and support St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund with a $7,500 donation plus an additional $5,000 donation from Rudolph Foods going directly to the wellness programs. Bringing awareness to the truck driving community and Truck Driver Appreciation Week has been a passion of Southern Recipe’s for more than a decade. Throughout August and into Truck Driver Appreciation Week, which is Sept. 10-16, drivers will be encouraged to sign up for free health screenings and services on the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund website.
This year, Southern Recipe will honor truckers by aiding in their overall wellbeing and encouraging sign ups to the free health programs available to them, such as Rigs Without Cigs and the Diabetes Prevention Program. Southern Recipe’s Truck Driver Appreciation Week celebration also invites fans to share the “Tune Up Challenge” with their social media communities to build awareness of the wellness programs offered by the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund. Every share accounts for an entry for free product from Southern Recipe, and every trucker who signs up for a program on the SCF website is entered to win a free case of pork rinds as well.
“Everything we do, and everything we buy, is touched by a truck driver. Every year, we strive to support drivers as best we can,” shared Mark Singleton, vice president of sales and marketing at Southern Recipe and Rudolph Foods. “These men and women help fuel our families with food and comfort. We’ve been celebrating these important road heroes for more than a decade now, with our incredible charity partner, the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund.”
“We want to support our road warriors in their health journey and let them know that they’re not alone,” said Shannon Currier, director of philanthropy at St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund. “Partnering with brands like Southern Recipe helps us educate consumers and helps us share our wellness initiatives.”
Through the charity’s Rigs Without Cigs program, SCF helps drivers reduce their tobacco intake, and through programs that help with common health issues truckers face such as the Diabetes Prevention Program and Driven To Be Healthy, SCF helps drivers stay true to their wellness goals. SCF’s new GPS (Get Preventative Screenings) program gives truckers free cancer screening kits, helping drivers check in on their health from the privacy of their truck, home or at a lab of their choosing. The charity’s overall goal is to continue to build awareness of these programs so that America’s truckers are healthy and happy. Members of the trucking community and consumers across America are encouraged to celebrate Truck Driver Appreciation Week with Southern Recipe and SCF across the social space at SouthernRecipe.com and @SouthernRecipe.
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Nassau Candy Brings Stix Back as Clever Candy Straws
Nassau Candy, leading manufacturer of specialty and private label confections, announced at the 2023 Sweets & Snacks Expo (Booth #11948) its mission to bring back candy stix in a big way with the launch of its Clever Candy Straws.
Clever Candy Straws are a refreshing take on a candy icon: candy powder stix. While the candy powder might look the same, the flavor in Clever Candy Straws is more intense offering an entirely new experience.
“Newstalgia, new takes on a candy classic, is such a popular trend in the confectionery space right now, we wanted to develop a product that brought new attention to a longtime candy favorite for a new generation,” said Andrew Reitman, executive vice president, national brand confections for Nassau Candy. “Our new Clever Candy Straws line offers all the fun customers remember from classic candy stix like Pixie Stix, but with even more intense flavors to tickle their taste buds.”
Originally, Clever Candy Straws will be available in two versions. A 2.7-ounce peg bag full of single straws as well as a 15-inch giant straw. The Clever Candy Straws Peg Bag will feature popular flavors tropical punch, cherry, grape, and orange. Giant straws will come in over-the-top flavors cherry, blue raspberry, strawberry, and green apple.
Keeping with the look and feel of the Clever Candy brand, each straw’s packaging features brilliant graphics, including the brand’s signature splats in vivid colors and a joke. This allows Clever Candy Straws peg bags to be merchandised in line with other Clever Candy packaged offerings.
Clever Candy Giant Straws will come in their own standup box, creating an instant merchandising display that can be placed anywhere.
A bulk option will soon be available, with talks of new flavors and packaging options being introduced.
The Peg Bag and Giant Straws will be shipping later this year.
Nassau Candy is a wholesale manufacturer, importer, and distributor of confectionery and gourmet food products. Along with distribution of thousands of sweets and snacks to retailers across the country, the company also specializes in manufacturing and importing private label confectionery, and manufactures, develops, and merchandises customized souvenir, food, apparel, and promotional products.
From its six strategically located distribution centers in New York, Florida, Michigan, Texas and California (San Francisco and Los Angeles), and two manufacturing facilities, the company manufactures and distributes more than 10,000 products to thousands of customers ranging from the largest retailers in North America, to thousands of independent confectionery stores, corporate, foodservice, grocery and alternative market customers.
Clever Candy, a brand of Nassau Candy, is the source of playful and whimsical packaged and bulk confections that “make your sweet tooth smile.” From gummies, to licorice, to dextrose, to chocolate, to seasonal creations, Clever Candy looks to spark imagination and happiness in every bite.
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Barry Callebaut Showcases Innovations at Sweets & Snacks
Barry Callebaut announced its continued commitment to providing innovations for food manufacturers aligned to the company’s Future of Indulgence report that was debuted at last year’s Sweets & Snacks show. Barry Callebaut will showcase two recent innovations this year: Ruby Chip and the first taste of the 2nd Generation of Chocolate.
Consumers’ changing attitudes to life are affecting the way they indulge. Barry Callebaut revealed this at last year’s show with its The Future of Indulgence report, which included the discovery of three different types of indulgences that consumers shift between and pursue: mindful, healthy and intense. The Intense Indulgence attitude, Barry Callebaut’s focus at this year’s Sweets & Snacks Expo, is about enjoying life to the fullest, turning the moment into something special and looking for intense experiences.
The Ruby Chocolate Chip
Barry Callebaut’s dedication to providing consumers with innovations that satisfy the Intense Indulgence mindset is shown through the debut of the Ruby Chip. Following ruby chocolate’s 2017 debut as one of the biggest breakthroughs in the confectionery industry in decades, Barry Callebaut’s continuous expansion and innovation with ruby chocolate underscores its commitment to the premium and flavor-forward product range, including solutions for confections, ice cream and now baking and snacks. “We are excited to bring ruby chocolate into a new segment and category for our customers,” said Steve Woolley, president & CEO Americas. “The Ruby Chip offers a new flavor and taste experience for the snack and baking manufacturer.”
The 2nd Generation of Chocolate
Additionally, Barry Callebaut will be showcasing a first look at its upcoming innovation, the 2nd Generation of Chocolate, which was announced last fall. It is a redesigned approach to traditional chocolate production. Through the careful selection of beans, precise fermentation and roasting, the Second Generation offers a range of chocolates with low bitterness, allowing for the ingredient deck to list cocoa as the first ingredient and sugar as the last. This new product design achieves a 50% sugar reduction versus the most consumed chocolates on the market. The 2nd Generation of Chocolate honors the Mindful Indulgence pillar of consumer attitudes – an attitude that will be highlighted in coming months.
“The emergence of Intense Indulgence is apparent in consumers’ desire to indulge more, find more excitement in life, and turn little moments into something special,” said Laura Bergan, Barry Callebaut’s director of marketing, BC Brand. “We’ve been intently focused on providing solutions and innovations, like the ruby chip to satisfy this evolving consumer attitude.” Show attendees are invited to join the educational session, “Barry Callebaut’s Playbook to Win in the Indulgence Space,” which will occur at 12 pm CDT on Tuesday, May 23 on the Innovation Stage in Skyline Hall.
The 2023 Sweets & Snacks Expo (May 22-25) at 2301 S King Dr, Chicago. Attendees are invited to stop by to learn more about Barry Callebaut at Booth #11956 in the West Hall. For more information about Barry Callebaut, please visit https://www.barry-callebaut.com/en-US.
About Barry Callebaut Group
The Zurich-based Barry Callebaut Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products – from sourcing and processing cocoa beans to producing the finest chocolates, including chocolate fillings, decorations, and compounds. The Barry Callebaut Group serves the entire food industry, from industrial food manufacturers to artisanal and professional users of chocolate, such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers, hotels, restaurants, or caterers. The Group runs more than 60 production facilities worldwide and employs a diverse and dedicated global workforce of more than 12,000 people. The Barry Callebaut Group is committed to make sustainable chocolate the norm by 2025 to help ensure future supplies of cocoa and improve farmer livelihoods. It supports the Cocoa Horizons Foundation in its goal to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future.
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