Gourmet News

Epicure Adds Ballard as VP of Field Development

Published October 30, 2024

Epicure, the company whose core value is that good food is the foundation of healthy living, offering customers easy, healthy meal solutions, announces a new executive is joining its team, Samantha Toomey Ballard as vice president of field development.

With over 27 years of success in the Canadian market, the company expanded into the United States just five short years ago. With the addition of a new U.S. executive, Epicure is positioning itself for further expansion in the U.S. market and a continuation of its legacy business in Canada.

Ballard has over a decade of direct sales experience with Stella & Dot and was top in global recruitment four years in a row; her personal lifetime sales exceed half a million dollars. She has worked with several other growing food and beverage direct sales brands, including ONEHOPE Wine and oHHo Botanicals, where she grew sales by 300 percent in her first month and in six months increased its field sales business by 10x. Ballard has a background in sales, management, business development and strategic field training. A social media expert, she’ll lead the company’s social strategy, which has a combined following of nearly half a million followers across various social platforms as well as directly manage the sales and field development efforts of the business.

Amelia Warren, Epicure CEO says, “With Ballard joining our leadership team, we anticipate a strong next wave of growth in the U.S. As part of our U.S. expansion plan, we’ll also launch our Good Food. Real Results program in 2025 to make healthy cooking and staying on track easy, allowing people to meet their health and wellness goals and see real results.”

Founded in 1997 in Victoria, British Columbia by Sylvie Rochette, Epicure’s core value is that good food is the foundation of healthy living, families and community. Its goal is to change the course of the next generation’s wellness and relationship with food by making mealtime easy. It offers 100 percent gluten-free and 85 percent Non-GMO Project Verified meal prep kits for dinner, dessert, baking and drinks, as well as cookware. All products are free of high fructose corn syrup, preservatives and artificial colors.

The largest direct-selling company in Canada, Epicure’s business model supports thousands of entrepreneurs in Canada and the United States. A female-founded and female-led family business, the mission of Founder Rochette and her daughter, CEO Warren, is to bring people together and support those in need. Epicure has donated over two million meals through its partnerships with Food Banks Canada and Feeding America. Through its Epic Life Challenge, over 22,000 people have joined Epicure’s supportive community with the goal of transforming their bodies. To learn more visit www.Epicure.com and follow the company on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest.

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SpartanNash to Acquire Markham Enterprises/Oil

Published October 29, 2024

Food solutions company SpartanNash has entered into an Asset Purchase Agreement with Markham Enterprises, Markham Oil and its affiliates, a three-store chain of convenience stores and fuel distributor in mid-Michigan. Following the closing of this transaction in early December, SpartanNash will continue employment of Markham Enterprises’ 42 team members.

This deal follows the company’s acquisition of Fresh Encounter Inc., announced earlier this month.

“Markham Enterprises fits well in our current retail portfolio, as we look to expand our fuel center and convenience store footprint,” said SpartanNash Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Information Officer Masiar Tayebi. “We are in the process of refreshing many of our existing fuel centers, so this acquisition is another exciting milestone in our investment in this part of our business – and in our strategic growth plans overall.

“We will continue to leverage insights from our fuel centers and convenience stores to continuously innovate our products and operations across our wholesale business, unlocking new customer potential.”

“Our team is impressed with SpartanNash’s business model and the importance they place on their People First culture,” said Markham President and CEO Denise Markham. “We are excited for the ways SpartanNash will expand this business and continue to serve the Perry, Howell and Lansing communities – and our associates.”

The transaction is expected to close in December, subject to customary closing conditions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

SpartanNash is a food solutions company that delivers the ingredients for a better life. Committed to fostering a People First culture, the SpartanNash family of Associates is 17,000 strong. SpartanNash operates two complementary business segments – food wholesale and grocery retail.

Its global supply chain network serves wholesale customers that include independent and chain grocers, national retail brands, e-commerce platforms, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges. The company distributes products for every aisle in the grocery store, from fresh produce to household goods to its OwnBrands, which include the Our Family portfolio of products.

On the retail side, SpartanNash operates 147 brick-and-mortar grocery stores, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market, in addition to dozens of pharmacies and fuel centers. Leveraging insights and solutions across its segments, SpartanNash offers a full suite of support services for independent grocers.

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Elmhurst 1925 Brings Seasonal Collection Back Again

Published October 28, 2024

Elmhurst 1925 , maker of the world’s finest plant-based dairy products, announces the return of its seasonal collection of fan-favorite products: Apple Pie Spice Blend, Pumpkin Spice Oat Creamer and OatNog. These limited-edition flavors are now available for purchase as shoppers gear up for the holiday season.

Elmhurst 1925’s Apple Pie Spice Blend starts with a creamy oat-cashew base infused with notes of baked apple and flaky pie crust. Barista-approved for crafting the perfect plant-based latte, Apple Pie Spice performs beautifully in hot or iced coffee, and even shines in hot applications like baking. Another fall must-have, Elmhurst’s Pumpkin Spice Oat Creamer, is a simple dairy-free option for adding a touch of cozy sweetness to coffee or tea, with just 1 gram of sugar and 15 calories per serving. And for the winter season, Elmhurst is reintroducing a festive favorite – OatNog! This vegan twist on the holiday classic is crafted with the simplest ingredients and can be sipped on its own, frothed into coffee or hot chocolate, or even spiked with your choice of liquor for holiday cocktails. True to Elmhurst’s clean-label promise, these seasonal treats are made without added gums, oils, or emulsifiers. Available for a limited time, they’ll be on shelves alongside Elmhurst’s core lines of Plant Milks and Creamers.

“Year after year, our customers eagerly await the return of these popular, limited-edition flavors, which made it an easy decision to offer them once again,” said Heba Mahmoud Senior Director of Brand Innovation at Elmhurst. “Fall and winter are a time to indulge in our favorite seasonal treats, and we wanted plant-based consumers to be able to partake without sacrificing flavor or texture. These better-for-you, clean-label alternatives to classic holiday flavors enable everyone to savor the season without the usual sugary syrups, gums or oils found in other seasonal offerings.”

Last year, 46% of consumers purchased fall-flavored food and beverage products and that number is continuing to rise, with more and more companies creating fall flavored products. As consumers prioritize exceptionally made, clean-label products, the brand’s seasonal flavor offerings are perfect for indulging without any sugar-coated guilt.

With roots as a former dairy, Elmhurst’s standards are high when it comes to how plant-based beverages should taste. This is why the brand has expertly selected the simplest ingredients to get these fan-favorite flavors just right, so dairy-free drinkers don’t miss out on any of the fun this season. Indulgent holiday classics consumers can feel good about, Apple Pie Spice Seasonal Blend, OatNog and Pumpkin Spice Oat Creamer are unbelievably creamy, flavor-packed, never diluted, plant-based options with minimal sugar. Known to satisfy even the most passionate dairy-lovers, the three seasonal varieties are crafted with no more than six simple ingredients.

– Apple Pie Spice Seasonal Blend: Enjoy the warm flavors of apple pie with no baking required. Elmhurst’s thoughtfully crafted Apple Pie Spice Blend delivers the classic flavor with just six wholesome ingredients, including dreamy whole grain oats and cashews. Now available exclusively in stores for fall sipping at an SRP of $6.99 (32 fl. oz.)

– Pumpkin Spice Oat Creamer: Celebrate autumn with this delectable limited-edition creamer. At just 15 calories, it’s crafted with whole grain oats and a touch of cane sugar for the perfect sweetness, and free from gums and oils. Enjoy a velvety, creamy texture that brings the taste of autumn to your cup all season long. Now available exclusively in stores at an SRP of $5.99 (16 fl. oz.)

– OatNog: Get into the holiday spirit with this plant-based nog, guaranteed to make your season bright. Made with whole grain oats, buttery cashews, and cozy holiday spices, it’s so luxuriously creamy and rich, you’ll be amazed it’s dairy-free. Now available at an SRP of $6.99 (32 fl. oz.)

Like all Elmhurst products, the seasonal collection is Non-GMO Product Verified, gluten-free, dairy-free, OU Kosher, vegan, and crafted through the company’s unique HydroRelease™ method. Using just water, this process separates the nutritional components of a nut, grain or seed before reassembling them as a creamy plant milk, maintaining the full nutrition of the source ingredient without added gums or emulsifiers. HydroRelease™ upcycles any waste into energy and is powered by 100% renewable Hydroelectric Power to drive sustainability every step of the way.

As a part of Elmhurst’s ongoing recycling program, currently saving approximately 10,000 mature trees annually, all cartons are 100% recyclable and made from FSC-certified paperboard. The brand transitioned from plastic to paper-based shipping materials for direct-to-consumer orders and uses primarily PCR materials for molded fiberboard trays and scrap corrugate as protective filler.

Apple Pie Spice Blend is now available nationwide in Sprouts, Whole Foods Market, World Market, Fresh Thyme, Haggen, Tops and New Seasons Market stores as well as online through Fresh Direct at an SRP of $6.99. Pumpkin Spice Oat Creamer is now available nationwide at Sprouts, The Fresh Market, World Market, Earth Fare, and Tops stores at an SRP of $5.99. OatNog is now available online at Elmhurst1925.com, and will be available later this season through Fresh Direct as well as at Sprouts, Whole Foods, Wegmans, The Fresh Market, Fresh Thyme, World Market, Earth Fare, Jewel Osco, Haggen, Tops and New Seasons Market stores at an SRP of $6.99. To learn more about Elmhurst’s plant-based milks, please visit www.elmhurst1925.com.

Elmhurst 1925 makes simple, nutritious, and incredibly delicious plant-based dairy products. Elmhurst was founded in 2017, but the company’s roots date back to 1925. Originally Elmhurst Dairy, the multigenerational, family-run organization operated for almost a century under Max Schwartz and son Henry. After a meeting with plant nutrition pioneer, Dr. Cheryl Mitchell, Henry made a progressive pivot and decided to close his famous dairy plant and found Elmhurst Milked. All Elmhurst plant milks are created through a unique HydroRelease™ method, which uses water to harness the full nutritional content of raw nuts, grains, and seeds. Nutrients are separated and recombined naturally to form a smooth, creamy beverage without the use of added gums or stabilizers. All Elmhurst varieties have six ingredients or less, no added gums or emulsifiers, and up to four times as many nuts as other leading brands. To learn more about Elmhurst, please visit www.elmhurst1925.com, or find us on Facebook and Instagram.

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