Gourmet News

DYI Monster Chocolate Pops Kit to Launch for Limited Time

Published August 9, 2022

Families looking for a fun Halloween activity have a unique new option: tinyB Monster Chocolate Pops, an at-home chocolate-popsicle making experience. This easy-to-use kit helps kids of all ages make monster, ghost, or mummy popsicles with creamy brigadeiro (Brazilian chocolate truffle) filling.

The limited edition kit contains everything needed to temper and mold chocolate popsicle shells, fill them with brigadeiro and cover them with colorful toppings, making it simple to make chocolate Halloween ghouls and let children, family, friends and co-workers express their creativity. Kits will be available exclusively online starting on Sept. 5.

“We’ve had such a great reception for our DIY brigadeiro kits, we decided to make a Halloween monster version,” said tinyB Chocolate founder Renata Stoica, who uses her Brazilian family recipe to make tinyB brigadeiros. “The kits are a fun at-home activity for families and a great team-building activity in corporate settings. Besides, shouldn’t everyone know how to make a Monster Pop?!”

The one-of-a-kind popsicle kit comes with pouches of dark and white chocolate (used to make the outside of the popsicle) and 4 ounces of dark chocolate brigadeiro and pumpkin spice latte brigadeiro for the inside. The kit also includes an array of spooky decorative toppings like googly eyes, colorful sprinkles, nuts, popsicle sticks and a silicone popsicle mold.

tinyB Monster Chocolate Pops are gluten-free and preservative-free. Each kit makes four complete popsicles and retails for $59. Supplies are limited and orders will be fulfilled on a first come, first served basis.

San Francisco-based chocolatier tinyB Chocolate specializes in making brigadeiros, extraordinary Brazilian truffles that are adored the world over. Family-owned and operated, tinyB Chocolate makes its authentic brigadeiros fresh to order.

Stoica’s recipe strikes a perfect balance — avoiding the bitterness of dark chocolate or the sweetness of extra sugar. Perfect as gifts or wedding favors, tinyB brigadeiros are handcrafted, beautifully packaged and delivered within two days anywhere in the continental United States.

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Greene Concepts Donates Truckload of Be Water for Kentucky Flood Relief

Published August 5, 2022

Donations for Kentucky flood disaster relief are being accepted through the state at https://secure.kentucky.gov/FormServices/Finance/EKYFloodRelief

North Carolina beverage bottler Greene Concepts Inc. has donated a truckload of Be Water premium artisan bottled water to support rural residents in the surrounding areas affected by the recent Kentucky flood who have yet to receive aid.

Greene Concepts sent 1,540 cases (36,960 bottles) of Be Water to the First Church of God in Jackson for distribution among the area’s residents still in need of supplies. The truckload of Be Water arrived on Aug. 4.

“This is one of the most devastating deadly floods that we have seen in our history. These are proud, hardworking folks that just lost it all, and maybe even lost someone they love. The least we can do as human beings, as people of faith and values, is to give and do what we can to get them back on their feet,” said Gov. Andy Beshear.

“We are very grateful for the opportunity to donate Be Water to the people of Breathitt County, so that it may be delivered to the county’s most rural residents who have yet to receive potable water,” said Amy McNally, Greene Concepts’ vice president of sales and marketing. “In addition to the 37 lives lost, and many others unaccounted for, the state also lost approximately 440 homes, which equates to over 31 square miles of families that have had their homes destroyed. While nothing can replace the lives lost in this tragedy, we want to do our small part in helping Kentucky residents that have been tremendously impacted.”

“We understand the urgency to assist those in peril and importance of getting our bottled water into their hands as quickly as possible,” CEO Lenny Greene said. “Many people had no advance warning of the floods, nor had any evacuation routes from the rising floodwaters. The people who reside there are proud patriots; in fact, Breathitt County is historically known as the only County in the United States to 100% volunteer for World War I and World War II.

“Mayor of Jackson, Laura Thomas, is working tirelessly to provide aid to citizens in distress, and her immediate action and resilient spirit is a testament to the Kentuckian strength. It is our hope that our donation is a catalyst for others to also support the eastern Kentucky region whose residents have suffered during this unimaginable calamity. Kentucky, we are here for you.”

Due to the overwhelming in-kind donations still being processed, volunteer organizations are asking for monetary donations to support the work being done in Breathitt County. Proceeds of donations to the Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief will go toward room and board for the volunteer teams and other relief efforts helping those impacted by the deadly flood.

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Hearthside Food Solutions Names Darlene Nicosia CEO

Published August 5, 2022

Hearthside Food Solutions has appointed Darlene Nicosia as its new CEO. She succeeds Chuck Metzger, who is leaving the post after nearly five years as part of a long-term succession plan.

Most recently, Nicosia served as president of Coca-Cola’s Canada & Northeast U.S. Zone. She brings more than three decades of food industry experience with roles at The Coca-Cola Company, Kraft and PepsiCo. A seasoned supply chain and operations executive, she held leadership roles at The Coca-Cola Company that spanned 29 years and included running the company’s global Commercial Product Supply organization and serving as its chief procurement officer.

Hearthside is a portfolio company of Charlesbank Capital Partners and Partners Group.

“We sought a senior executive with proven abilities to foster and deliver transformational change across an enterprise and are delighted to have found Darlene Nicosia to lead this organization,” said Charlesbank Managing Director John Flannery. “Her strong operational credentials, deep industry relationships and experience managing complex businesses in the food category will immediately benefit the business.”

Nicosia’s appointment comes at a crucial time in Hearthside’s growth. The company expanded during the Covid crisis and also added six additional bakeries in the past year. The demand for high-quality outsourced manufacturing has continued to grow, as have the exacting requirements of world-class brands. Hearthside believes that future growth belongs to firms that can form preferred partner relationships with leading brands, delivering superior performance and value.

“For me, it’s all about teams learning and growing together, achieving ever-greater levels of performance, deepening commitment to our customers and striving to be their preferred partner. With three decades at one of the world’s great consumer brands, I have seen what is possible when people, process, and purpose unite,” said Nicosia. “Hearthside’s organization and culture are poised for transformational performance and growth, and I look forward to leading the company on that valuable mission.”

Leading Hearthside will be a homecoming for Nicosia, who grew up in the Chicago area. She is a graduate of The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business and holds an MSM from Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business.

Headquartered in Downers Grove, Ill., Hearthside Food Solutions is a leading contract manufacturer and producer of baked foods, snacks, nutrition bars, frozen, refrigerated, and fresh sandwiches/entrees, and a full-service provider of food packaging services for many of the world’s premier brands. The company is also the industry’s largest private bakery. Hearthside’s production network includes 43 facilities, including four in Europe, with a workforce of 12,000. In 2018 Hearthside was acquired by Charlesbank Capital Partners and Partners Group. For more information on Hearthside Food Solutions, please visit www.hearthsidefoods.com.

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