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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Deck P age IntroPara and Page IntroPara ital BYLINE Headline The Future Califia Farms' Horchata with Almondmilk, in Classic Cinnamon and Vanilla Coconut flavors, was such a hit last summer, Steltenpohl recently announced production will expand into year-round availability. "Our horchata became one of our top 10 best-selling products within a few months of the product launch," he notes. Specialty coffee is another aspect of the business that has energized him. "Cold-brew coffee is something I've been involved in for nine years," he says, "and it's finally emerged as a major growth industry. It used to be this esoteric practice. Now, it's pulling people into being coffee drinkers who couldn't take the acid of regular coffee." Given Califia Farms' packaged Cold Brew Coffee, available in f lavors like Peppermint Mocha, Concentrated Cold Brew, and Pumpkin Spice Latte, having a cup of cold-brew coffee now is simply a matter of mixing it with water. "When it's combined with the nuttiness of almond milk, it's a little bit of a marriage made in heaven," Steltenpohl says. The company is also launching a plant-based half-and-half substitute based on almond and coconut. Califia Farms products are found in 18,000 outlets nationwide, balanced between natural food shops and conventional grocers, and the company expects to sell more than 50 SKUs by 2016. 2016 LEADERSHIP AWARD: CITIZENSHIP Kimberly Jung, Co-Founder & CEO, Rumi Spice A rmy veteran and Harvard Business School alum Kimberly Jung is helping saffron makers in Afghanistan grow their businesses—and find a new way to support their communities. Inspiration During Jung's deployment in Afghanistan as an Army engineer, she was looking for roadside bombs, not a business opportunity. By the time her tour was up in 2010, she had gained an appreciation for Afghan culture and a love for its people. In 2014, her short-term mission became a long-term commitment when she co-founded Rumi Spice, which sources pure saffron directly from Afghan farmers. Jung, 29, grew up in Los Angeles and her parents wanted her to go to an Ivy League school. "It was a bit of a rebellion that I wanted to go to West Point," she says. "I wanted to see the world, see what I was made of, do something greater than myself." After graduation she spent five years in the army and after leaving the military, Jung entered Harvard Business School. While there, she remembers a professor asking, "What will you do with your one wild and precious life?" The question, adapted from a Mary Oliver poem, stuck with her. For her one wild and pre- cious life, investment banking was not meaningful enough. Instead, it was helping Afghanistan that called to her the most. A military friend, Keith Alaniz, told her about an Afghan farmer growing saffron, an entrepreneur who had developed marketing materials but had no access to international markets—and he wasn't the only farmer ready to do business. She was so inspired she bought a ticket to go back to Afghanistan, this time as a civilian. Aside from underdeveloped roads, language barriers, and cultural and Taliban issues, closing a partnership deal with Afghan farmers was unsettling at first. "The men would not shake my hand since they were not allowed to touch a woman who was not their wife," Jung recalls over the phone from Chicago, where Rumi Spice is based. "But I just got back from another trip to Afghanistan and have a ton of photos of these same farmers who are not only shaking my hand, they're all part of our business. It's truly become a foundation for peace." Alaniz and several other military veterans helped Jung co- found Rumi Spice. They realized the country's hot, arid land was ideal for growing the saffron crocus f lower. Most of the world's saffron comes from neighboring Kashmir, Iran, which has a similar She remembers a professor asking, "What will you do with your one wild and precious life?" The question, adapted from a Mary Oliver poem, stuck with her. For her one wild and precious life, investment banking was not meaningful enough. (continued on next page) WINTER 2016 33