Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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Cheese straws | Cookie straws Cookies | tea Cookies simple, all Natural ingredients. No Preservatives & No trans Fats. N a t u r a l l y 800.264.2278 | www.jm-foods.com Join our family at facebook.com/jm.foods SQF 2000 – LEVEL 2 CERTIFIED DISTINCTIVELY DIRTY Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 4120 Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 4639 about the bacon seasoning. It was her own concoction, some spices and brown sugar, and she freely gave out the recipe. Only later did she realize it was something she could sell. Candied Bacon Rub, Bourbon Pecan Praline Bacon Rub, and Cajun Bacon Rub were born. Andre was involved at the beginning, her main salesman and cheerleader. "He'd be shouting, 'Hey, come over here and try the best pancake mix in the world!'" she says with a laugh. Now that she's established, Andre is concentrating on his own tech company. Today, more than 3,000 stores nationwide carry Southern Culture Artisan Foods, and Barrett expects to be in 4,000 outlets by the end of 2015. Sales were about $500,000 last year and will reach $1 million this year. The ascent has been rapid, but Barrett built her business on a bedrock of research and education. For the past few years she's walked grocery aisles and trade shows to see what other producers are doing (and not doing). In her eyes, breakfast options continued to be neglected, so she brainstormed some more. Her f lavored stone-ground grits found a receptive audience. "Why just have plain grits when you can have them with garlic and herbs or truff le and sea salt?" she explains. "Growing up in the South we had a pot of grits every morning, so it was inspiration I could take from my childhood. I'm a Southern girl and very proud of it." Planning for the Future A proponent of staying ahead of the curve, Barrett attends lectures at trade shows whenever she can. Natural and specialty products consultant Bob Burke's class at the 2011 Summer Fancy Food Show is where she learned non-GMO verification was the future. For labeling, she decided it was more important than organic certifica- tion. With Whole Foods on track to mandate GMO labeling in its stores by 2018, Barrett made sure her ingredients were GMO-free, determined to keep her brand clear of carrying any kind of stigma. Further propelling sales last year was an appearance Barrett made on season five of the ABC investment program, "Shark Tank." SUMMER 2015 107