Supplier Side

WholeVine Products introduces grape seed and grape skin flours

When wines are harvested in California’s fine wine industry, only about 80 percent of the tonnage is used for wine. The remaining 20 percent, called pomace, is composted. Of that pomace, half is water and half consists of grape seeds, grape skins and bits of stem. Most wine companies are willing to cast off the pomace, but WholeVine Products, a Santa Rosa, Calif.-based company, uses these “leftovers” for ingredient production, specifically grape seed and grape skin flour, explained Paul Novak, general manager.

Using a proprietary process, WholeVine Products removes the stems, sorts seeds from skins and then dries and grinds each group individually. The process produces flours such as Cabernet Seed flour and Chardonnay Skin flour. In all, WholeVine Products offers 16 different flours — one seed-based and one skin-based option for eight different wine varietals. WholeVine Products believes the nutritional and functional values of these grape flours are their most important aspects, Novak said.

The flours, in just small amounts, could replace the nutrients lost during current food processing techniques. They generally provide much higher amounts of fiber, potassium, antioxidants, protein, calcium and polyphenols per serving size when compared to “super foods” such as chia seeds, kale, blueberries and more. And if the protein in the seed flours had just a little more tryptophan, the flours would be viewed as a complete protein by the World Health Organization, Novak said. Retailers could use these flours as a gluten-free option for store brand bakery products or as a functional ingredient in traditional bakery products. — M. Escobar

HALO Food Connect debuts premium cold-pressed cooking oils

Atlanta-based HALO Food Connect, a U.S. importer of European food products, announced the debut of a line of premium cooking oils imported from Germany. The oils will be sold under the Brassola brand and also will be available for private labeling.

They feature a unique production process that first removes the outer hull of the seed before cold-pressing only the pure kernel, the company said. The resulting kernel oil is extremely pure and flavorful and requires no further processing such as refining, bleaching, deodorizing or chemical solvent use.

“Brassola raises the bar in the premium cooking oil category to a level unmatched by any other producer,” said Lars Oltmanns, CEO, HALO Food Connect. “Brassola kernel oils target the discerning consumer who cares about quality, taste and health.”

The line features an assortment of both organic and conventional oils, all of which use non-GMO seeds. The assortment focuses on canola oil and other seed oils that are high in vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids, and contain lower amounts of saturated fat than other common cooking oils, the company said.

HALO said it will be working with retailers to customize a portfolio of quality oils for their store brand programs.

Orchids Paper partners with Fabrica de Papel San Francisco

Pryor, Okla.-based Orchids Paper Products Co., a manufacturer of private label household paper products, said it entered into a strategic alliance with Fabrica de Papel San Francisco, S.A. de C.V. to support the growth of Orchid’s U.S. West Coast sales. Fabrica, Mexicali, Mexico, is a recognized low-cost manufacturer of high-quality tissue paper products. Orchids said the alliance will allow it to effectively and efficiently service customers in the western United States and support the company’s vision to become a national supplier of high-quality consumer tissue products in the value, premium and ultra-premium tier markets.

“We are excited to begin our partnership with Fabrica,” said Jeffrey Schoen, president and CEO of Orchids Paper Products. “This alliance is expected to allow us to cost-effectively provide high-quality products and superior customer service to a portion of the market that was previously difficult to access. It supports our vision of being recognized as a national supplier of high-quality consumer tissue products in the value, premium and ultra-premium tier product categories, and we are confident it will lead to long-term value for our stockholders.”

As part of the alliance, Orchids said it acquired Fabrica’s current U.S. business, including certain manufacturing assets and access to 18,000 metric tons of capacity each year to support the value, premium and ultra-premium requirements of the U.S. market, with an option to purchase an additional 7,000 metric tons in each of the first two years. Products will be produced at Fabrica’s facility in Mexicali, Mexico, and shipped directly to Orchids’ U.S. customers. Additionally, Orchids will receive a non-compete agreement in the United States from Fabrica, as well as an exclusive license to use certain of Fabrica’s trademarks in the United States.

Lauterbach Group invests to fight brand vulnerability

According to the Lauterbach Group, a labeling and product marking company based in Sussex, Wis., a brand is most vulnerable when its products are in the logistical stage and mobile. Because many companies don’t have printing capabilities in-house, they expose their products to scratches, dents, fading, peeling and other problems that might occur out of house. To help clients — including retailers — here, the Lauterbach Group developed a suite of services and purchased a revolutionary printer to protect its clients’ products.

The Lauterbach Group suite of services gives clients the advantage of having their products in-house throughout the entire process. From the initial sending of the visual asset to the distribution, everything is overseen by seasoned professionals who know nothing but brands, the company said.

The new printer, the Domino N610i UV Inkjet printer, reduces lead times, produces the highest-quality labels and prints consistently, the Lauterbach Group said. It can work on 10 separate jobs at once and allows the company to track every aspect of each job and store the information in a central database.

“In the labeling world, clients trust us with their most important asset — the representation of their company as it exists in the world,” said Shane Lauterbach, president of Lauterbach Group. “We are here to make sure their brand is never exposed to anything that can devalue it.”

Allens Inc. changes name to Sager Creek Vegetable Co.

Allens Inc., a Siloam Springs, Ark.-based supplier of canned vegetables under its own brands and retailers’ store brands, said it is changing its moniker effective immediately to Sager Creek Vegetable Co. as part of new ownership and management changes.

The company said product brand names such as Allens, veg-all, Allens Popeye Spinach, Freshlike, Trappey’s, Princella, Allens Butterfield, Royal Prince and Sugary Sam will not change.