Idahoan Foods announced Richard Hoelzel as corporate executive chef, foodservice. In his new role, Hoelzel will work closely with Idahoan’s current and future customers on menu engineering as well as supporting new product development.

The old saying is that when life gives you lemons—you make lemonade. Yet here’s a case where a world leading cooperative, Ocean Spray Cranberries, is seemingly now making everything—from just a single berry. In mid-2019, Ocean Spray hired 18-year CPG innovation and marketing veteran Rizal Hamdallah as Chief Global Innovation Officer.

CHERRiSH is a functional beverage with health properties to strengthen a natural line of defense. The company announced that its 12oz ready-to-drink 100% Montmorency tart and sweet Bing cherry juices are now available in the produce section of 61 Washington and Oregon QFC stores.   

From sweet pastry fillings to savory almond-and-rice mixes, food scientists should be aware of all the unique processed versions of fruits and nuts and the applications that they work best in. Handling these often delicate ingredients with care will ensure optimal presentation as well as safety and flavor quality for the duration of that application’s shelf life.

Consumer demand for products offering both indulgence and health, unexpected ingredient pairings, and an emphasis on textures influenced recipes like a luxurious Aztec Almond Hot Chocolate, Almond Candied Orange & Coconut Mendiant, Almond Goji Berry Chocolate Bonbons and Almond Coriander Praline Truffles.

Eat Howl Inc., a chef-driven, plant-based foods company, launched Mac & Chef, available nationwide at Whole Foods and online via VeganEssentials. Under the Howl™ brand, the company released its flagship product Mac & Chef™, a cashew-based mac and cheese.

As a result of this transaction, Sensient will be named a core supplier of flavors, colors, and other related products used by Frulact in its fruit preparation business. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2020.

Black Ridge Oil & Gas, Inc. announced that it has entered into an asset purchase agreement with S-FDF LLC, owned by entrepreneurs Ira Goldfarb and Claudia Goldfarb, to acquire the assets related to S-FDF LLC’s freeze drier technology and freeze dried fruits and vegetables for human consumption.

Bare Snacks®, creator of Snacks Gone Simple®, announced the debut of Simply Pineapple Chips. The newest addition to bare’s fruit chip portfolio, Simply Pineapple Chips are real pineapples baked into crunchy chips with no added oil, sugar or preservatives.