Gourmet News

Community Coffee Launches ‘Generations’ Ad Brand Campaign

Published December 2, 2024

Community Coffee, the #1 family-owned retail coffee brand in America, has launched its brand campaign, “Generations.” Highlighting the Baton Rouge, La., brand’s 105-year history, the campaign celebrates Community Coffee’s founding mission – to bring people together and foster community in every cup. This sentiment is at the heart of the “Generations” campaign, displayed across TV, streaming video, digital, social media and audio.

“This campaign resonates deeply with me because it highlights the rich history and connection we share as a community over a simple cup of coffee,” said third-generation Community Coffee owner Donna Saurage. “It reminds me that every sip is not just about the beverage, but about the relationships and values that bind us together.”

The campaign commercial opens with an image of the F.L. and H.N. Saurage General Merchandise Store, which was run by Community Coffee founder Henry Norman “Cap” Saurage and his brother. Cap blended coffee for store customers according to his own secret recipe — a recipe that became Community Coffee in 1919. After five generations, Cap’s family is still roasting smooth, rich coffee that builds community one cup at a time.

“With this new campaign, we aim to show that Community Coffee is about more than just a great cup of coffee,” said CEO Tom Corley. “Our company is committed to supporting communities locally here in Baton Rouge and far beyond. What truly sets Community Coffee apart is our unwavering commitment to serving our customers and communities with integrity, consistency and excellence.”

Kicking off the partnership, the campaign was produced by TMA, a marketing and creative agency based in Dallas and aims to connect Community Coffee with a new generation of coffee drinkers while paying respect to those that came before.

“Sharing a cup of coffee with an old neighbor or a new friend is as relevant and rewarding today as it was in the past,” said fourth-generation owner Matt Saurage. “So often, it’s through conversations over coffee that people share ideas, relationships are built and communities are inspired.”

The campaign spotlights two of Community’s best-selling coffees: Breakfast Blend and the year-round Mardi Gras King Cake, a flavored coffee that celebrates the brand’s Louisiana heritage.

Community Coffee’s commitment to giving back is referenced in the commercial’s 1980s classroom scene. Since 1988, the Community Cash for Schools^® program has raised over $8.5 million for students and teachers by enabling schools to redeem product proofs of purchase for funds. The company also recognizes community leaders through the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Community Leader Award, which celebrates educators and administrators positively impacting student-athletes, and the H. Norman Saurage III Service Award, established in partnership with Dream Teachers to honor exceptional Louisiana teachers.

In addition to education, Community Coffee gives back to military service members and disaster relief while being a proud founding member of World Coffee Research.

For more about “Generations,” follow Community Coffee on social media and visit www.communitycoffee.com.

Founded in 1919 by “Cap” Saurage in Louisiana, Community Coffee Company is the nation’s #1 family-owned premium retail coffee brand. The fifth-generation company is an importer, roaster and distributor of premium coffee products available online, at select retail stores and in business nationwide. Community Coffee offers ground, whole-bean, single-serve and ready-to-drink coffee beverages. The company remains true to its purpose of giving back to those who help communities thrive with programs supporting education, military service members, and disaster relief. See how they’ve put Community in Every Cup Since 1919 at CommunityCoffee.com, @communitycoffeecompany on Facebook and @communitycoffee on Instagram and TikTok.

TMA (https://www.wearetma.agency) pushes past relevance to create true cultural resonance for brands. A fully integrated agency with strategic and creative expertise across all forms of content, experience and partnership, TMA is headquartered in Dallas, with offices across the country and staff around the globe. It is a part of Omnicom (NYSE: OMC; www.omnicomgroup.com), a leading provider of data-inspired, creative marketing and sales solutions.

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Avant-Garde Chefs Explore Japanese Green Tea Experiences

Published December 2, 2024

The Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center is collaborating with 16 leading restaurants and sweets shops in New York and Los Angeles to develop and offer special menus using Japanese green teas. Through this initiative, JFOODO is seeking to get people around the world to drink Japanese green teas and understand their appeal and benefits, including their rich yet refreshing taste and many health advantages; produced by artisan farmers, their manifold varieties offer a holistic approach to well-being as the ultimate health drink.

People interested in experiencing new flavor profiles are invited to try premium Japanese green teas in boundary-redefining pairings with French, Italian and other cuisines, as well as exquisite sweets that incorporate green teas, through partnerships with world-class fine dining restaurants including Le Bernardin, Crown Shy, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and Restaurant Yuu, which have all received high rankings from the world’s most prestigious restaurant guides. Renowned chefs in the forefront of the global food scene have developed Japanese green tea pairings, unique non-alcoholic drinks, and sweets available for a limited time. See the Appendix below for the full list of participating restaurants and their menus.

In addition to pairing Japanese green teas as drinks, JFOODO is also collaborating with select sweet shops, including Van Leeuwen Ice Cream in 10 states and Wanderlust Creamery in Los Angeles, in its largest-ever overseas promotion of Japanese green teas. These collaborations, developed with preeminent pastry chefs, offer new ways to taste Japanese green teas in unique creations such as a matcha monaka mont blanc ice cream, matcha milk jam toast, and a savory matcha dish named Oeufs Cocotte.

New York:
abcV / Bar Moga / Blue Hill at Stone Barns / Crown Shy / Le Bernardin / Overstory / Restaurant Yuu / Time and Tide / Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

Los Angeles:
Piknik / Shibumi / Shunji Japanese Cuisine / SQIRL / The Brothers Sushi / The Lonely Oyster / Wanderlust Creamery

JFOODO runs The “GREEN TEA” Room, an educational and promotional website, and an Instagram account to showcase the artisanship and appeal of premium Japanese green teas. Until December 7, 2024 you can enter the #MatchaMoments giveaway on Instagram for a chance to win authentic ceremonial matcha from Japan!

The Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center was launched in 2017 within The Japan External Trade Organization. JFOODO is an organization responsible for consumer promotions to stimulate overseas demand for Japanese agricultural, forestry and fishery products and foods.

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Middleby Acquires Italy’s Gorreri Food Processing Technology

Published December 2, 2024

Photo courtesy Middleby Corporation

The Middleby Corporation has acquired Gorreri Food Processing Technology based outside Parma, Italy. Gorreri is a leading manufacturer of equipment for the baked goods industry, including cakes, pies, muffins, tarts and other desert line solutions. The company operates in a state-of-the-art, 50,000-square-foot facility, which was recently expanded to accommodate growth. Gorreri has revenues of $20 million annually.

“Gorreri is a highly respected brand recognized worldwide for premium-quality advanced industrial and semi-industrial baked goods solutions. This acquisition adds a broad line of complementary products to our food processing group, including turbo mixers, dosing, injecting, decorating, enrobing and ultrasonic portioning solutions. The Gorreri innovative end-to-end solutions extend and significantly strengthen the current Middleby offerings as a leader in the cake and desert categories, with meaningful growth synergies,” said Tim FitzGerald, Middleby CEO.

Visit www.gorreri.com for more information on the company and their full line bakery solutions.

In early November, Middleby announced the acquisition of JC Ford, a leading manufacturer of tortilla production equipment systems. Founded in 1945, the company is based in Columbia, Tenn., and has $70 million in annual revenues.

JC Ford offers a broad range of automated, full-line solutions for corn and flour tortillas, tortilla chips, and other corn-based snacks. In 2021, the company moved into a state-of-the-art, 132,000-square-foot production facility in its Nashville-area headquarters. The consistent increase in consumer demand for tortilla products has made it one of the fastest growing baked food segments both in the U.S. and abroad.

“We have targeted the snack food category as an attractive growing market for our Food Processing Group. The acquisition of JC Ford complements our existing product offerings, significantly strengthening our presence in this faster growing category. The company has developed innovative solutions that have been quickly accepted as the industry standard, allowing customers to automate production lines with a low cost of ownership. JC Ford has highly recognizable customers with a strong base of recurring revenue,” FitzGerald said. “We see significant opportunities to leverage synergies providing for added growth and margin opportunities.”

More information on JC Ford can be found at www.jcford.com.

The Middleby Corporation is a global leader in the foodservice industry. The company develops and manufactures a broad line of solutions used in commercial foodservice, food processing and residential kitchens. The company showcases its advanced solutions in its Innovation Kitchens for commercial foodservice, industrial baking and protein Innovation Centers for food processing solutions and state-of-the-art, award-winning Residential showrooms. For more information, please visit www.middleby.com.

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