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We have now compiled our regular “Market Reports” on dehydrated garlic and onion. These reports give an overview of the market and its direction.

Dehydrated Garlic Market Report – December 2008

Currently, there are few issues with availability but we are concerned about the position for Q4 2009 when we predict tighter supplies from much lower plantings in China.

The key issue with pricing in 2008 is the significant weakening of the GBP v. USD. Current price levels might be maintained until mid-2009, but both currency and raw materials are expected to firm pricing significantly in Q3-4 2009.

(click here for the full garlic report)

Dehydrated Onion Market Report- December 2008

The supply constraints on all crops from agricultural land competition and from the cost of oil-based inputs have raised concerns over availability. Although adequate supplies are arriving to meet current demand, there is uncertainty about how the current economic conditions will affect onion availability in the longer term.

With the USA being the dominant producer and consumer, pricing in the US market dictates onion pricing globally. Further, the strengthening of the USD at the end of 2008 has raised significantly the delivered price of onion into the UK. Given this, it is almost inevitable that selling prices will have to rise.

(click here for the full onion report)

December 2008 - Champagne Foods Captures the Essence of Spice from AVT Natural in India

Champagne Foods Ltd is pleased to have represented AVT companies for several years.

The on site laboratories provide a state of the art back up to customer services and are capable of analysing for –

Further, there are R&D labs for ongoing product improvements and new product development and microbiology and microsanitory laboratories shared with AVT McCormick. All employees receive training in food safety, GMP and food allergens.

At the recent Leatherhead Taste Trends conference in Abingdon, our very own Paul Anderson gave a presentation about Ancient Grains (click here for Powerpoint presentation).

The subject of Ancient Grains is a fascinating one. If you are looking for some history and provenance to your food then looks no further. The Ancient Grain Kamut has been harvested since the Egyptians built the pyramids and Spelt was a part of the daily ration of the Roman legions. The grains Emmer and Einkorn have been discovered in civilization sites dating back to 17000 BC. Of course, these grains have gradually been replaced by more modern varieties but development chefs are looking towards these ancient wheats to offer different flavours and textures as well as better nutrition and that all important provenance.

Quinoa and Amaranth are also classed as Ancient Grains although they are more correctly called seeds; these also have interesting and sometimes gruesome histories.

Amaranth was so important in the lives of the pre-Columbian Aztecs that they incorporated it into their religious ceremonies and it was associated with human sacrifice. Quinoa is classed as a superfood and, in ancient times the first crop of the season was planted by the Emperor using golden tools.

If we look at new product launches across Europe over the last two years, in the bakery sector alone there has been nearly 200 containing Spelt, Kamut and Quinoa which are clearly the 3 most popular Ancient Grains.

Since most Ancient Grains are grown organically and often have lower yields than most modern staples they tend to be expensive. Consequently development using these grains and seeds is predominantly in the high value added and niche sectors. However, they are becoming more popular and we see this as a trend which will continue. If you would like more information about Ancient Grains then please don’t hesitate to contact us.

We are pleased to announce the addition to our portfolio of two new principals namely Agraz and Golden State Herbs.

Our recently formed alliance with Agraz S.A.U. will add high quality tomato powders and possibly pastes to the list already available through Champagne Foods. Set in the tomato growing heartlands of the Guadiana Valley – one of the most important growing areas in the world – Agraz specialises in the production of hot and cold break tomato powders and tomato pastes.

They are a sister company to the American Agusa company who, themselves, are located in the Californian San Joaquin valley, the largest fresh tomato and tomato paste production area in the world. Combined, this makes for a very strong supplier with unbounded knowledge of the market place and production of tomato related products.

Agraz will guarantee the quality of its products through due diligence and the traceability, of all products, from field to final packing. Production equipment includes machinery from such renowned manufacturers as Niro, Rossi, Manzini and Catelly.

Accreditations include EFSIS, ISO9000 and BRC and manufacturing is run under the strict control of HACCP system. Associated to tomato production, Agraz has the following certification – AENOR E R, EMAS and AENOR Gestión Ambiental.

The production areas are supported by a -25°Celsius frozen warehouse in order to maintain processed and semi processed material in optimum condition.

Nestled in the picturesque surroundings of the Coachella Valley in Southern California, the joint venture company (with Van Drunen Farms, Illinois) is ideally located to take advantage of this superb agricultural area where the growing conditions for Dill, Italian Style Parsley, Basil, Greek Style Oregano, Marjoram and many others, are second to none. The shareholders’ family have been in agriculture in excess of 50 years growing vegetables and for the last 25 years have concentrated on the herb business with outstanding success.

The green leaf products can be supplied in a variety of forms from powder to large leaf sizes, heat treated or standard and although organic material is available, Champagne Foods will not import this quality of material, at this time until demand has been quantified. Due to the exceptionally good soil and growing conditions, volatile oils and colour values are much higher than herbs purchased from other world origins.

Production is run under strict HACCP controls with farm to fork traceability. The plant and farms are certified by Quality Assurance International (QAI) and the plant and all products are Kosher approved. Quality and consistency are key words within the Golden State Herbs operation and they are proud to be able to offer top quality herbs grown from their own seed planted and cultivated in and on their own well rotated farm lands.

The addition of high quality tomato powder and herbs will broaden and strengthen the ingredients range available from Champagne Foods Ltd.

Jack Sollazzo President of Cascade Food Ingredients Inc."We were approached some years ago to make a joint venture of sorts with an engineering firm that wanted to utilize the methane gas generated by a nearby waste site. In order for the engineering firm to be able to burn the methane gas in a Co-Gen (a facility that makes electricity to be sold to electric companies) it was required by law to have a use for its’ bi-product, which is hot water. Cascade Specialties, as the only company near enough for the Co-Gen to work with, was a natural partner.

How it works: Waste sites, after approximately seven years, start to produce enough methane gas for the owner of it to take necessary steps for the gases not to be emitted into the atmosphere. Most waste sites just burn the gas which is collected through a series of pre-laid pipes throughout them. The gas for our purposes is pumped out a into a holding tank, and then pumped to the Co-Gen factory to be burned by generators for the purpose of making electricity. The generator engines have to be cooled and are done so by water jackets which surround them. The water gets heated up and then pumped to Cascade’s facility. Once the hot water enters our factory it gets pumped into heat exchangers, which pre-heat outside air prior to entering our dryers. This enables us to use air that is at approximately 90 – 100 degrees F instead of direct outside air that could be as cold as zero degrees F. It also heats the air in the factory making it more comfortable for our employees on cold days.

If this works as well as we anticipate, and the waste site can generate enough methane gas to run not only the Co-Gen, but our boilers, we will convert our A and B stages from natural gas to steam. It is not allowed to burn methane gas directly to heat or to dry food products therefore requiring the conversion. We feel that this will not only be a savings to Cascade but will help us do our part to save on energy and the environment. I believe that we are the first to utilize methane gas generated from a waste site in the dehydrating industry."

October 2008 - Champagne Foods Newest Principle Promotes The Goodness From Grain

These days in food, the ingredients are often the first thing that a customer will look at, so where the ingredients come from and how transparent they are is a key consideration in food manufacturing.

The Good We Get From Grain™. InfraReady Products, is a Canadian food ingredient supplier, committed to providing major and SME food companies with ingredients they can count on. Promising to provide measurably superior quality, innovative and nutritious food ingredients that have recognizable consumer benefits in an environment of open, honest and transparent communication with all clients, InfraReady Products are supplied in the UK by Champagne Foods .

Established in 1994, InfraReady uses a unique cooking technology to precook and heat treat cereal grains, oilseeds and pulses for easy use in many types of finished food products. These precooked whole, bumped, flaked, grit and flour ingredients can be used in bakery, breakfast cereal, energy bars, baby food, food service, soups, gravies and more.

Located in Saskatchewan, Canada, a place long considered the world’s bread basket; InfraReady capitalizes on its location by sourcing the best quality raw materials available. The company cultivates mutually beneficial relationships with farmers and producers to ensure that our quality standards are met and maintained year after year. Diversification is also a key to the company’s success. By contracting farmers to grow key ingredients in different growing regions of the province, InfraReady can ensure that adequate raw material supplies are maintained to meet client needs in the up coming year.

The heat technology employed by InfraReady has a number of recognizable consumer benefits that are realized by food manufacturers and subsequently to the end consumer.

• Enhanced flavour. Each grain has a noticeably toasted and soft, nutty flavour.

• Higher starch gelatinization. Gelatinized starch is easier to access and break down into the basic energy components needed by the body to function. However, because InfraReady uses whole grain ingredients, these starches are complex, meaning the body takes longer to break them into simple sugars, imparting energy over a longer period of time.

• Greater water absorption capacity. For a baker, this is ideal, as water is the cheapest ingredient a baker can use. InfraReady’s ingredients absorb and retain higher volumes of water, ensuring baked goods stay moist for as long as possible.

• Reduced microbial and enzymatic activity.

• Extended shelf life. The enzymes in a processed cereal grain that contribute to quicker rancidity are neutralized with the InfraReady process, ensuring that our ingredients will stay as fresh as the day they were made.

InfraReady’s extensive list of ingredients and depth of experience enables us to craft a food ingredient to meet any client’s needs. With a catalogue of over 300 custom designed ingredients, our in-house R&D team will work with you to develop a healthful and nutritious and delicious food product that consumers will love.

To read the article by Paul Anderson on the Ready Meals Info website at http://readymealsinfo.com/ingredients.html

On a recent training workshop at the Limagrain research centre in Riom, John and Paul were highly impressed by the quality of the Baguettes and Croissants produced in the pilot plant. The baguettes were baked from defrosted dough made with a special frozen dough bread improver which maximises the volume of the baguette. Usually the proofing process is dramatically halted by freezing and the baguettes are thin and heavy. The development scientists at Limagrain have found a way of making sure that the frozen dough can last for months and still produce a wonderfully open authentic French baguette. The croissants were made using an improver with a clean ingredient declaration and were tasty indeed.

In our humble opinion these ingredients offer the British baker the chance to make authentic French bakery products in the comfort of their own ovens. It's not only French products that the Limagrain development chefs specialize in; they have a solution for reducing the amount of added gluten to wholegrain bread, still maintaining the desired light texture. Sure to save money with the current high price of gluten.

John and Paul were also treated to some ready meal sauces made using the Functional flours from Westhove, of particular interest was a fat reduced Hollandaise sauce which had 10% of the cream and butter replaced by a unique functional wheat flour (made from a waxy wheat variety)

We are sure that bakers and ready meal manufacturers in the UK will benefit from the technical advances we saw at the very impressive Limagrain research facility - one word of advice; if you ever go there, don't travel all the way by train!

For further details please call us and we will be happy to help.

It was always going to be interesting returning to New Orleans just less than 3 years since the city had been devastated but I must say that much work has been done (and a great deal of money spent) and most of the downtown areas appeared to have been restored to their former faded glory.

Unfortunately for the city the size of the show and the numbers of both exhibitors and visitors was much reduced so less money came to the municipally but the locals all seemed to appreciate the boost for the local economy.

And the show? It depends on one's reason for going. I went to meet all of our USA Principals so as to avoid a long trip around the former colony - so for me it was extremely worthwhile. However, if you were going to look for something new, forget it. Nothing there to stop me in my tracks other than the plethora of Chinese exhibitors milling around!

Juan Navarro Garcia are now certified for the supply of organic paprika as well as being BRC and ISO accredited for all their business activities. The organic sector is small but growing and will give customers yet another reason to buy from our long established Principal in Spain.

On 14 April, Mike Ball makes his return to the ingredients industry when he takes up the position of Business Development Manager concentrating mainly on oleoresins and essential oils from our Cochin based principal, AVT McCormick (at least to start with).

He will then also be involved with rolling out our fuller range to a broader spectrum of food manufacturers especially in the Ready Meals sector.

John (our MD) is on record of saying that within Seasonings Manufacturers and snack/breakfast food companies everybody knows us but there are other sectors where we are "Champagne Who?".

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On 21 April, Paul Anderson, joins us to help grow and manage, amongst other things, the cereal ingredients categories (i.e. Champagne Mais, Westhove and InfraReady Products). Having 20 years experience in extrusion and coatings technologies and subsequent sales experience, he is well qualified to take us into new areas where his technical expertise will be put to full use.