Gourmet News

‘Tip for Heinz’ Campaign Urges Fans to Ask for Brand

Published December 1, 2022

Three in 4 North Americans prefer Heinz Ketchup when dining out, yet nearly half feel there is nothing they can do when restaurants don’t carry their beloved condiment, according to a recent survey commissioned by Heinz. Even more, the word used most to describe respondents’ feelings when a restaurant doesn’t serve Heinz was “disappointment,” according to the survey. Heinz has launched “Tip for Heinz,” a first-of-its-kind program that emboldens fans to enact change and end their condiment disappointment for good.

Now through Dec. 21, ketchup fans can leave restaurants a “Tip for Heinz” to send a subtle, yet powerful message requesting their preferred ketchup. Simply add an extra $1 “Tip for Heinz” to the receipt, share a photo of the receipt on Instagram with #TipforHeinz and #sweepstakes or submit directly to www.tipforheinz.com for full gratuity reimbursement up to $20, and for a lucky few, Heinz will pick up the full tab, too! Heinz is committing a total of $125,000 to cover these gratuities and meals.

“Gone are the days of subjecting delicious foods to subpar ketchup. We support Americans who demand more from the condiments restaurants serve, and ‘Tip for Heinz’ aims to elevate fans’ voices for their preferred ketchup,” says Jacqueline Chao, senior brand manager, Heinz. “Together with fellow ketchup lovers, we hope to work towards a future where fans can expect the unmistakably delicious taste of Heinz whenever they dine out.”

Heinz is offering to provide a free year’s supply of ketchup to the first 10 restaurant locations that take the “tip” and trade up their ketchup. In addition to restaurants making the swap, Heinz superfans will be reminded to “Tip for Heinz” while they are on their way to dine out through large-scale out-of-home placements in Times Square and via billboards in Chicago. They will also be encouraged to participate and enter on the site or through Instagram and TikTok, in a first-to-market media execution.

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Burlap & Barrel’s Spice Passport Allows for Tasteful Travels

Published November 29, 2022

Burlap & Barrel, a leading purveyor of single origin spices sourced directly from smallholder farmers around the world, is launching a Spice Passport featuring eight pods of its best-selling spices, packaged in a whimsical, recyclable format that’s perfect for holiday travel, gifting, camping and spicing up meals on the go.

The Spice Passport is a perfect size to be slipped into a carry-on bag, glove box, or holiday stocking. It holds a sample pod of each of the following single origin spices:

Cobanero Chili Flakes
Royal Cinnamon
Smoked Pimenton Paprika
Purple Stripe Garlic
Robusta Black Peppercorns
Sun-Dried Tomato Powder
Flowering Hyssop Thyme
Black Lime

Ethan Frisch, co-founder of Burlap & Barrel, says, “We created the Spice Passport as a travel sampler kit, so you never have to eat bland food on the road again! It’s perfect for spicing up your meals when you’re visiting relatives, cooking in other people’s kitchens, and camping expeditions. A mix of sweet, savory and hot spices, the kit includes 8 of our most popular spices and will set you up to cook thousands of different dishes.”

Spice Passports retail for $9.99 (with free shipping) and are available for national shipping via www.burlapandbarrel.com and at select specialty food retailers.

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Dave Flitman Joins US Foods as CEO

Published November 28, 2022

Foodservice distributor US Foods Holding Corp. has named Dave Flitman as CEO effective Jan. 5. Flitman will also be a member of the US Foods Board of Directors.

Flitman has a background of global business leadership, executive management skills and extensive commercial distribution experience, along with significant expertise in operational excellence, supply chain, and general management with more than 35 years of experience in manufacturing and distribution across multiple, including food distribution.

“Dave is a highly accomplished executive who brings an impressive combination of CEO, supply chain and commercial experience and a proven track record of driving operational excellence, profitable growth, shareholder returns and a people-centric, high-performing culture,” said Bob Dutkowsky, executive chairman.

“This is a perfect time to join US Foods,” said Flitman. “It’s an honor and a privilege to lead US Foods into the future, alongside its talented 28,000 associates. I look forward to building on the current momentum the team has built in executing the company’s long-range plan, driving operational excellence, creating value for our customers and shareholders and fostering a culture where associates thrive.”

Since April 2021, Flitman has served as president and CEO of Builders FirstSource, the largest U.S. supplier of building products, prefabricated components and value-added services with annual revenues of approximately $23 billion. He was president and CEO at BMC Stock Holdings prior to the merger of the two companies. In these roles, he led his teams to consistently deliver industry-leading growth and profitability, exceed merger-related synergies in less than half the committed time and generate significant returns for shareholders.

Importantly, Flitman brings to the company significant knowledge and experience in the food distribution industry. From 2015 to 2018, he was president and CEO of Performance Foodservice, the largest segment of Performance Food Group, a U.S. foodservice distribution company.

Prior to that, he served as COO and president, USA & Latin America at Univar; senior executive vice president at Nalco; executive vice president and president, Water and Process Services at Ecolab and president at Allegheny Power. Flitman began his career at DuPont, where he spent two decades in various operational, commercial and global business leadership positions.

In addition to his previous experience as a director of Builders FirstSource and BMC Stock Holdings, Flitman also has been a director since 2017 at Veritiv Corporation, a leading packaging distribution company, where he is a member of the Audit and Finance Committee and chair of the Compensation and Leadership Development Committee.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University.

Dutkowsky will become non-executive chairman of the US Foods Board of Directors effective Jan. 5.

Andrew Iacobucci, interim CEO, will continue to lead US Foods until Flitman joins the company.

“I want to thank Andrew for his steadfast leadership over the past several months and as we finish the year,” said Dutkowsky. “In his interim role, he drove strong progress in executing our long-range plan as demonstrated in our third-quarter 2022 results.”

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