Gourmet News

Jason, Travis Kelce Buy Into Small Batch Garage Beer

Published June 18, 2024

Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce team up as significant owners and operators of Garage Beer

For the first time, Jason and Travis Kelce are teaming up as significant owners and operators of a business – and of course, it is with one of the fastest growing beer brands in the country, Garage Beer! The small batch brewed, classic light beer was founded in their home state of Ohio and has been growing rapidly across the country.

The Kelce brothers are passionate about beer and business and have talked for years about partnering together in the category. With this passion, they wanted to be thoughtful and find the right opportunity with the highest quality brewery and brand that aligned with their values of how a business should be run. And most importantly, a company built to serve the customer. Jason and Travis believe that beer should be fun, and they want to partner with a brand that embodies the spirit of a neighborhood feel, a light beer all will enjoy.

Serendipitously, through a prior relationship, the Kelces’ learned about Garage Beer and for the past two years have been laying the groundwork to join forces with the company.

The brothers join Garage as significant investors, partners, owners, and operators. Jason and Travis will be involved in every aspect of the business, including brewing, distribution, sales, marketing, and national expansion efforts. Retail displays will be in stores shortly along with social content, billboards, and other promotional activities.

The Garage Beer recipe was originally created in Cincinnati, Ohio (where Jason and Travis both played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats) and the business headquarters is now just north in Columbus, Ohio. The beer is sold in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, West Virginia, Idaho, Montana and New Jersey, with planned expansion into dozens of new states this year.

“People crave quality and simplicity, and Garage Beer nails both for me. We are light beer drinkers and Garage is the best light beer,” said Jason Kelce. “For me, the brand fits my lifestyle, and having a few beers is a great excuse to get the neighbors together.”

“It comes down to quality for me. I think everyone knows I like to have a couple beers now and then, so being an owner of Garage Beer and heavily involved in making the best light beer is exciting, man! There is nothing better to bring people together than an ice-cold beer, and for Jason and me that is what beer is all about – friends, family and fun. I have worked with Andy for years and I really trust the team and their approach to running the business. We look forward to taking Garage Beer to the next level,” added Travis Kelce.

“We want a beer that tastes like beer and one that keeps the stories alive in the neighborhood. Garage prides ourselves on small batch brewing and a commitment to quality. Ever since our first conversation with Travis and Jason, it was clear we had similar opinions about beer, but they also had brilliant, and very funny, business sensibility. Our team better be on their toes now,” quipped Garage Beer co-owner Andy Sauer. “The garage is a symbol for building stronger communities one beer at a time, and I think we can all use more time with friends, family, and neighbors to talk, smile, laugh, and enjoy that time together.”

Garage Beer is a 4% ABV, 95 Calories and 3g Carbohydrate light lager beer served in two varieties: classic regular and lime. Merchandise store and beer finder. Garage Instagram and Twitter.

For more news of interest to the alcohol beverage industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.

Herring Returns to Giant Food as Chief Merchant

Published June 18, 2024

Giant Food, the leading greater Washington, D.C. regional grocery chain, has hired Tonya Herring as chief merchant effective immediately. In her role, Herring will oversee all merchandising strategy and execution across Giant Food.

With more than 30 years of retail grocery experience, Herring most recently served as the senior vice president of omnichannel development for Peapod Digital Labs, which supports Ahold Delhaize USA. There, Herring led the commercial evolution of Ahold Delhaize USA’s omnichannel ambitions. Prior to that, Herring was the senior vice president of merchandising for Giant Food, where she was responsible for strategic leadership, business plan design and merchandising organization including category management, pharmacy, pricing, promotion and merchandising planning.

“The entire Giant Food family is thrilled to welcome Tonya back to our team,” said Ira Kress, president of Giant Food. “With her deep merchandising expertise, she will bring a wealth of knowledge and leadership to the Giant Food brand in this role.”

Throughout her experience, Herring has held multiple roles including over two decades at Safeway Inc., where her positions included vice president of category development, group director category development for consumer brands and regional director.

“As a Maryland local, Giant Food has been part of my community for years,” said Herring. “I am ecstatic to be continuing my career back at Giant and look forward to implementing positive changes within our merchandising sector.”

Tonya lives in Odenton, Md., with her husband, Brent, and enjoys their leisure time walking their dogs, golfing, bike riding and visiting family in their home state of California.

Since opening its first location over 88 years ago in Washington, D.C., in 1936, Giant has been an integral part of the communities and customers it serves. Giant is committed to being a Better Neighbor and has designated four main giving pillars that address local Food Insecurity, Military Support, Pediatric Cancer Research, and Social Equality.

Giant is headquartered in Landover, Md., and operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia with approximately 20,000 associates. Included within the 164 stores are 154 full-service pharmacies and 28 Starbucks locations. Giant fits all the way today’s busy customers want to shop – in-store or online.

With 162 Giant Pickup locations and delivery options available in all its markets, customers have even more convenient options to get the best products and prices whenever and however they choose.

For more news of interest to the grocery industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.

Palacios, EVERY Partner to Make Products Using Animal-Free Eggs

Published June 17, 2024

Grupo Empresarial Palacios Alimentación – the world’s largest producer of string chorizo and Spanish omelets and Spain’s leading producer of frozen desserts – has formalized a commercial agreement with The EVERY Company, a trailblazer in crafting highly functional ingredients without the use of animals.

This partnership marks a significant milestone for the food industry as Palacios will incorporate EVERY Egg, the world’s first chicken egg created without hens, into its flagship Spanish omelets and into the research and development of new products.

EVERY Egg made its prestigious debut at the 3-Michelin-Star restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, where its exceptional quality and versatility were showcased across a variety of dishes. From the delicate textures of a French omelet and the rich depths of a crème brûlée to the intricate layers of a chawanmushi and the innovative twist in a foaming cocktail, EVERY Egg has proven its culinary prowess, mirroring the traditional hen egg in both taste and functionality.

Palacios — which began as a local butcher shop in Albelda de Iregua, La Rioja, Spain before transforming itself into the world’s leading producer of Spanish omelets — has been on the forefront of integrating breakthrough innovations into traditional recipes. Palacios has a firm commitment to innovation, and proof of this is the start of this joint collaboration: quality, tradition and innovation go hand in hand.

“We were genuinely amazed by the delicious taste and culinary versatility of EVERY Egg,” the company says. “Its ability to seamlessly blend into a wide range of dishes while maintaining the authentic taste and texture of a high-quality hen egg is remarkable.”

With EVERY Egg, food companies finally have access to a guaranteed safe, reliable and humane egg source.

The partnership between EVERY and Palacios is a pioneering alliance that promises to revolutionize the food industry, bringing better ingredients to traditional dishes and introducing new culinary experiences for chefs and food enthusiasts worldwide.

Grupo Palacios originated in the 1960s, when Jaime Palacios and his wife, Dolores, continued the family business of a butcher shop in Albelda de Iregua, La Rioja. The big leap for the company began in 1983, with the inauguration of its sausage factory in Albelda de Iregua.

Since 1999, the company implemented a diversification strategy by introducing other value-added food products, including fresh tortillas, refrigerated pizzas, and frozen pastries, in addition to a complete range of 100 percent plant based products. Palacios has generated a turnover of more than 380 million euros in 2023, has 11 production plants in Spain, 1 in the United Kingdom and another in the United States, and its products are distributed in more than 50 countries.

In addition, Palacios has consolidated its position as the world’s leading company in the manufacture and marketing of chorizo sarta and refrigerated potato tortillas, with a workforce of more than 1,000 employees. The company constantly seeks innovative ways to reduce its environmental impact and promote responsible practices throughout its value chain.

The EVERY Company is a leader in the food technology space and is the first company in the world to commercialize highly functional egg proteins produced without chickens. Based in Daly City, Calif., EVERY has enhanced numerous commercial categories with its game-changing proteins, including pressed juice, baked goods and beverage alcohol, with more to come. With investors including AB InBev, the world’s largest fermentation company, and Anne Hathaway, EVERY has been recognized as one of the 50 Hottest Tech Companies in the World by Crunchbase, and among the 50 NEXT companies to Disrupt the World.

For more news of interest to the frozen foods industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.