How Hostess brought back its brand Hostess Brands relaunched in July after a bankruptcy shut the business down completely, and bringing products including Twinkies and Ding Dongs back to the market took "a herculean effort," Hostess President Rich Seban said. The company expanded bakeries and added new equipment in an effort to increase production and keep up with demand that exceeded expectations. "While the snack cakes have obviously been around for generations, this company was operating as a startup, with many key operational elements starting from scratch," Seban said. BakeryAndSnacks.com (France) (4/14) Crumbs debuts the Crumbnut Cupcake chain Crumbs Bake Shop is offering the Crumbnut, a croissant-doughnut combo product, in BJ's Wholesale Clubs in addition to its traditional cupcake products. The company also is licensing its brand name to coffee and baking mixes that will be available in supermarkets. The move is part of the cupcake chain's plan to diversify as its standalone stores see a decline in sales. "We're modifying and retuning our objectives from opening stores to a franchise model, looking at product extensions, and licensing -- extending our brand through great products being sold at terrific retailers," said Crumbs CEO Ed Slezak. Bloomberg Businessweek (4/14) DRY Soda finds success with cans DRY Soda, founded in 2005, got its start distributing bottles of its minimally-sweetened sodas to high-end restaurants. Founder and CEO Sharelle Klaus said the brand really hit its stride when it began packaging the product in slim aluminum cans. "We were worried that it might just cannibalize sales of the bottled product, but it's been incremental. It's been a really exciting launch and we're now nationwide with Kroger, we're going nationwide with Safeway, and we're in several Whole Foods regions," Klaus said. FoodNavigator (4/14) Other News | Peruvian ingredients gain momentum in the U.S. Peruvian food is carving out a niche in the culinary landscape, according to a report from Packaged Facts. When the National Restaurant Association polled chefs about the top ethnic flavor trend of 2014, 57% said Peruvian cuisine. Some mainstay ingredients in Peruvian cooking include purple corn, which contains wellness properties and cancer-fighting flavonoids that are popular in nutritional drinks; aji peppers that bring a "lighter, fruitier heat" to dipping sauces and amaranth, which is packed with protein. FoodNavigator (4/14)  | Identify internal bottlenecks to keep production humming
Production can be upended, or grind to a halt, when key equipment breaks down or a highly-skilled worker gets hurt. These and other process bottlenecks hidden inside a plant can be as devastating and costly as a catastrophic event. Beware of Bottlenecks in Manufacturing shows you where these bottlenecks can occur and offers tips on how to avoid them. |
 |  | White Paper: An Uncanny Solution
Today's retail market is more challenging than ever, with the average supermarket carrying nearly 47,000 products. Well designed packaging is a brand's greatest tool to engage with the overwhelmed consumer. Download this white paper to find out how the right packaging can influence shoppers in the store and after they've taken your product home. |
 | | Corporate Social Responsibility | Novelis signs first commercial user for evercan Red Hare Brewing Co. has partnered with Novelis, an aluminum rolling and recycling company, to use evercan, made from 90% recycled content, for its craft beer line. "This is the world's first certified high-recycled content beverage can," said John Gardner, vice president and chief sustainability officer for Novelis. "With evercan, brand owners have third-party certification to guarantee the content in the aluminum can sheet -- that's an industry first." BeverageDaily.com (France) (4/14), The Marietta Daily Journal (Ga.) (4/12) | Maxwell House revamps marketing, says "good" is good enough Maxwell House is updating its logo and packaging and will roughly triple its advertising budget for a campaign under a "Say good morning to a good day" theme. Wieden+Kennedy in Portland, Ore., which took over the account last year, is one of seven agencies working on the push. "In pursuit of all things awesome, amazing and 'That's epic, bro,' we've forgotten just how good good is," a Maxwell House character says in one W+K spot. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (4/13) | FreshDirect ranks best in online experience, survey says FreshDirect took the top spot in an online experience study by e-commerce service provider Fluid. The study ranked the online-only grocer high for its user-friendly experience, grocery-centricity, product quality and services, including wine recommendations made based on shoppers' carts. Following FreshDirect in the rankings were Google Shopping Express, Safeway, AmazonFresh, Peapod, Walmart to Go, Harris Teeter and Whole Foods Market's Whole Shopper. Supermarket News (free registration) (4/14) | General Mills seeks patent for dough lower in trans, saturated fats General Mills has filed a patent for use of dough shortening that contains less than 3% trans fat and 61% saturated fat by weight due to a combination of nontropical oils and hard stock fat. Nontropical oils, such as soybean, canola or sunflower, are less expensive and contain less saturated fat than tropical oils, such as palm or coconut. "With the present trend towards healthier food products, there is a high demand for bakery products that contain healthier fat compositions, i.e., fats having a reduced amount of saturated fats and/or trans fatty acids," the company's patent filing said. BakeryAndSnacks.com (France) (4/14) | Leverage your networks to enhance social media discussions Avoiding negative brand impressions on social media is a rapidly growing concern. Learn how to leverage social media to convert complaints into loyal customers by crafting an effective strategy. Gain valuable insight from leading experts on this and more than 10 other hot-button issues at GMA's 2014 Consumer Complaints Management Conference. |  | It is easy to sit up and take notice. What is difficult is getting up and taking action." -- Al Batt, American writer | | | Please contact one of our specialists for advertising opportunities, editorial inquiries, job placements, or any other questions.
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