Each spring, SCA hosts a large expo in Seattle, Washington to aid in industry education and prosperity. This Specialty Coffee Expo (commonly referred to as the SCA Expo) allows industry manufacturers and producers to showcase their products and give coffee operators, distributors, and enthusiasts alike the chance to peruse the newest and greatest offerings. Over the years, the show as grown “expo-nentially,” selling out exhibition space that now fills three halls of the Seattle Convention Center.

The overall focus of this year’s show was diversity, featuring coffees grown/produced in countries around the world, with Asia and South America as some of the most prevalent. Countries such as China and Brazil were particularly popular with booths that were made to impress.

While Houston’s does not exhibit at the expo, we do attend each year. The show provides us with the opportunity to meet with vendors and customers, and to get an idea of what to expect from the future of the coffee industry. Many of our manufacturer/vendor partners exhibit at the show including Torani, Monin, Dr. Smoothie, David Rio, Urnex, Kerry Foodservice, and Two Leaves and a Bud, as well as newer Houston’s vendors like Pacific Foods, Califia Farms, and ITO EN.

Monitoring current and upcoming trends in the coffee industry is crucial, and SCA Expo is always a perfect opportunity to assess the crowd. With the busy summer season in mind, many exhibitors at SCA Expo 2018 opted to offer taste tests of cold beverages from iced coffee and frappes, to non-coffee beverages like lemonade and flavored sparkling water. The absence of previously popular oatmeal products was painfully obvious this year, but made way for other healthier trends that ranged from convenient grab-and-go products, to handcrafted, premium products. Turmeric offerings seem to be surging with David Rio’s latte powder leading the pack. All natural, sugar-free, and/or low-calorie beverage options also seem to be on the rise, as are dairy/milk alternatives. While nut milks have been popular in years’ past, it appears oat milk will be giving the ever-popular almond milk a run for its money in 2018.

Contributing to the theme of diversity, Torani showcased its new Asian fruit-inspired Longan Syrup, among other products, by serving up Butterfly Lemonade that combined the syrup with Lemonade Real Fruit Smoothie mix. The vibrant purple color and sweet Longan flavor paired with the tart lemonade for a perfect summer offering.

Monin served its new Brown Butter Toffee Syrup in frappe, but most notable was the flavored sparkling water. Monin’s new, all-natural Concentrated Flavors line provides sugar-free, low calorie flavor to any drink, but the Strawberry Basil and Watermelon Jalapeno Sparkling Water offered expo attendees a light, yet flavorful beverage.

Celebrity Latte Artist, Melannie Aquino showed off her skills in booth #2100, drawing pictures with foam and chocolate on the tops of various lattes prepared with David Rio chai products. After attendees were wowed by the latte art, many were also impressed with the authentic turmeric flavor in David Rio’s Turmeric Lattes, Turmeric macaroons, and turmeric cupcakes provided by a local bakery and made using David Rio’s powdered product. The philanthropic organization also used the show as an opportunity to introduce Nalin, the white tiger and newest adoptee under the company’s endangered species initiative.

While many exhibitors utilize SCA Expo to introduce new product, Dr. Smoothie (a Bevolution Group brand) took this year’s show as an opportunity to reintroduce itself entirely, launching a rebrand of the 1997 logo. The new logo has opted away from retro and moved towards simplistic, yet refined. All of the brand’s packaging will have a consistent, clean look, featuring photos of fresh fruit and color-coded frappe categories. Watch for a soft rollout of the new branding sometime this summer.

Each year, SCA Expo exhibitors are given the opportunity to enter their products in a new product showcase, with the chance to win “Best New Product” bragging rights for the year. Our friends at Pacific Foods took home top honors in the Specialty Beverage Flavor Additive Category by winning Best New Product for their new Barista Series Oat, a plant-based dairy alternative that will be released this summer. Crowds gathered around the Pacific booth while attendees (including our own Rebecca Phillips and Amanda Hackathorn) tried their hands at latte art in the exhibitor’s Latte Art Throwdown. The winner of the competition got a chance to pour the latte art featured on the Pacific Foods’ new product packaging, also due out later this year. Sadly, neither Rebecca nor Amanda won the honor, but they certainly gave it their all!

As Houston’s shifts its focus towards the rapidly growing coffee segment, these vendor relationships and industry/product insights are key to our continued growth and success. With many coffee-based vendor partnerships, Houston’s controls a unique niche as a redistributor to the specialty coffee industry, providing access to hundreds of ancillary products sold and used by roasters and baristas across the country. It’s no secret that coffee’s popularity and progress will continue to grow, making events such as this more and more valuable. That’s why we can’t wait until next April when SCA Expo 2019 tackles Boston, Massachusetts! Will we see you there?

The post SCA Expo: Specialty Coffee Insights & Inspiration appeared first on Houston's Blog.

From left to right: Ross C., Candice M., Amanda H., Rebecca P., Christina G., Richard C., Jennifer V., and Sam L.

Dr. Smoothie Brands originally came on board with Houston’s in June 2011, starting with approximately 50 different smoothie and frappe mixes. Over the past six and half years, our relationship with Dr. Smoothie Brands has blossomed, and they have quickly become one of Houston’s top vendors. “Dr. Smoothie has become one of our lead-in vendors that gets our sales team in the door with prospective customers,” says Rebecca Phillips, Executive Vice President, “customers know the brand name, and they want the products.”

Dr. Smoothie Brands was purchased by Chicago-based Bevolution Group in late 2016. Taking the opportunity to introduce new management teams for both Houston’s and Bevolution Group, members of our team ventured down to Fullerton, California to visit one of three Bevolution locations. With plants also located in Chicago, Illinois and Frostproof, Florida; the Fullerton plant is where both Dr. Smoothie and Café Essentials products are manufactured and warehoused.

After an introduction to Bevolution Group by CEO Sam Lteif and VP of Sales Richard Crabill, we were given a behind-the-scenes tour of the plant. (For confidentiality purposes, photos weren’t allowed to be taken on the plant floor.) The overall process is extremely efficient, maximizing the production time for both liquid smoothie concentrates and powdered beverage mixes. The ingredients for the liquid smoothie concentrates are mixed onsite in large vats before being hot-packed into clear plastic bottles, and then slowly cooled under streams of chilled water for 45 minutes. Once the bottles are cooled (but still warm to the touch), they are labeled, boxed, and palletized for shipment or storage.

Café Essentials powdered beverage mixes are manufactured by a team of no more than 6 people at a single time, further emphasizing the necessary efficiencies. Again, ingredients are mixed onsite before being dumped into a large hopper than filters, mixes, and dispenses the appropriate amount of product into each package.

THE PRODUCT

Houston’s carries a variety of products from Dr. Smoothie Brands including Classic Smoothie concentrates, 100% Crushed Fruit Smoothie concentrates, Café Essentials frappe and warm beverage mixes, as well as a variety of add-ins and supplements which are not currently manufactured at the Fullerton facility. Dr. Smoothie equates their Classic Smoothie line to other competitive smoothie brands, while positioning 100% Crushed as the all-natural, premium line.

After Bevolution Group acquired Dr. Smoothie Brands last year, Houston’s brought in products from the Tropics Refreshers brand line, also owned by Bevolution. After a soft, off-season introduction, Houston’s and Bevolution have collaborated on a new plan to reintroduce the line in 2018 in conjunction with Coffee Fest and the SCA Global Expo. Often compared to Starbucks’s beverage of the same name, Tropics Refreshers are “handcrafted with a fruit flavored twist that get a little extra oomph from green bean coffee extract,” and the perfect natural, clean-label alternative to other caffeinated beverages. Available in Citrus Mint, Strawberry Acai, and Wildberry, there is sure to be a flavor to suit any pallet.

ABOUT BEVOLUTION

Bevolution’s mission is “setting a standard focused on creating the right culture and putting customers first,” which aligns well with Houston’s focus on customer service and enhancing our internal culture. Bevolution touts themselves as “small enough to be nimble, yet large enough to have scale.” Does that sound familiar?

The company is comprised of four foodservice/beverage industry leaders: Juice Tyme, Lemon-X, Tropics, and Dr. Smoothie Brands. Founded with the purchase of Juice Tyme in 2013, Lteif describes Bevolution as “a fresh thinking company, offering the highest quality beverages, fortified with honesty, innovation, and savvy business growth.” This shows in the organizations continued expansion. Bevolution also acquired Lemon-X (2014) and Tropics (2015) all before bringing Dr. Smoothie Brands on board in 2016. That same year, Bevolution also introduced a new brand of bag-in-a-box beverages, Refrasia, targeting the healthcare industry.

Targeting primarily the specialty coffee and healthcare industries, Bevolution is committed to working with Houston’s to meet the needs of foodservice industry dealers and distributors nationwide.

We look forward to helping Bevolution develop their brands by assisting in nationwide availability and decreasing lead-time to our mutual customers. Keep any eye out for more information on Tropics Refreshers, coming in Spring 2018

The post Vendor Spotlight: Dr. Smoothie Brands (Bevolution Group) appeared first on Houston's Blog.

The Houstons team supporting Monbana Chocolaterie at Coffee Fest

The weekend of October 13th – 16th brought coffee aficionados from around the country to Portland, Oregon for Coffee Fest Portland. Coffee Fest holds three regional shows across the country each year, with shows held in Nashville, Tennessee and Chicago, Illinois earlier this year.

Our Sales and Marketing Teams have worked the Coffee Fest Shows, as well as the SCAA Global Coffee Expo in Seattle, since June 2015 in support of our international vendor, Monbana Chocolaterie. Coffee Fest Portland was the culmination of Houston’s tradeshow support for the French chocolate and frappe manufacturer, and we went out with a bang!

The entire Outside Sales team was present for opening day of the show, following a two-day sales meeting hosted at the Wilsonville office. The Regional Managers manned the Monbana booth all three days of the show, passing out samples of Supreme, Tresor, and White Tresor sipping chocolates. West coast Regional Managers Matt Clark, Angie Lightening, and Steve Franklin had the chance to touch base with customers who were in attendance. Oregon/Idaho Regional Manager, Matt Clark, was able to refer several interested local attendees to Houston’s customer, Longbottom Coffee & Tea of Hillsboro, Oregon.

Coffee Fest typically caters towards companies involved in the retailing of coffee, tea, and related products, but the show provides Houston’s with an excellent opportunity to connect with vendors and keep tabs on industry trends.

Houston’s had 15 vendors exhibiting at Coffee Fest Portland including: Torani, Monin, Bevolution Group, Two Leaves Tea Company, and David Rio, among many others. The Inside Sales and Purchasing teams attended the show on Saturday, October 15th, giving them the opportunity to try vendor products and make vendor connections, as it’s rare for these teams to have the opportunity to meet some of their vendor contacts face-to-face.

In terms of trends, this year’s shows have proven that tea is making a comeback within the industry, as consumers are looking for natural, healthier options to coffee (and sugar or creamer), especially in the evening. Oatmeal, while it was big in previous years, seems to have taken a backseat to Matcha, with vendors showcasing everything from individual ceremonial Matcha sticks to baked or packaged goods containing the finely ground green tea leaves. Cold brew also continues to gain popularity, especially Nitro cold brew which provides consumers with a smoother flavor experience than traditional cold brew.

As the 2017 show schedule comes to a close, we look forward to the 2018 shows in Baltimore, Denver, and Los Angeles and the trends those shows will present from their various regions.

David Rio

Torani

Monin

Umpqua Oats

Dr. Smoothie

Almond Breeze

Two Leaves and a Bud

Java Jacket

Cappucine

Espresso Supply

The post In Our Own Backyard: Coffee Fest Portland appeared first on Houston's Blog.

On behalf of our vendors, we invite you to stop by, say hi, and see what’s new!

Torani® – Booth #506, 508

Flavor seekers around the globe enjoy Torani® in their favorite beverages every day. And Torani® has continued to stay on the creative edge with new product lines and ideas for the last 80 years.

Monin® – Booth #613, 615

Monin®’s sole purpose is to create flavors that people around the world can easily use in their everyday life.  Founder Georges Monin’s motto La Passion de la Qualit® (“Passion for Quality”) became the Monin® slogan.

Monbana Chocolaterie, USA – Booth #402

Monbana has combined a respect for tradition and a continuous passion for chocolate innovation through selecting the finest ingredients and the very best varieties of cocoa from Ivory Coast. Creator of chocolate squares to accompany coffee, Monbana is also famous in the HoReCa sector for its excellence of its indulgent chocolate drinks.

Java Jacket – Booth #701

The original green coffee sleeve is the best insulating cup sleeve on the market.

Dr. Smoothie® – Booth #618

Dr. Smoothie® formulates its beverages with your health in mind to maximize the benefits to your body. Functional beverages are what Dr. Smoothie® is all about since 1997.

Cappuccine® – Booth #413, 415

Many people don’t know that Cappuccine® created the first blended iced coffee mix over 15 years ago. Today, its product line consists of more than 20 gourmet flavors that are proudly served all over the world.

David Rio™ – Booth #406

David Rio™ makes chai because it is inspired by traditional Indian milk tea, and it set out to blend Eastern traditions with Western style to create America’s Premier Chai.

Pacific® Natural Foods – Booth #409

Pacific® Foods has one simple goal – to make tasty, healthy foods with integrity. Making foods it can be proud of is as much about the ingredients it uses and the way those ingredients are grown, as it is the actual recipe. And GMO’s? Not on Pacific® Foods’ watch.

Espresso Supply – Booth #709

Espresso Supply, Inc. has used its expertise to develop a full line of espresso accessories and small wares designed to facilitate the operation of an espresso bar or coffee business.

Kerry Big Train / Oregon Chai – Booth #600, 602

Kerry is a known innovator in the food and beverage industry. Kerry shakes up the industry with its unique approach and inventive solutions in beverage, coatings, and seasonings providing consumer driven, operationally friendly menu solutions.

Maya Tea Company – Booth #713

Maya Tea Company custom blends the finest teas from far reaching regions of the globe, creating tantalizing and tasteful teas for use from home and in restaurants, hotels, and coffee shops across the nation.

The post Check Out Houstons’ Vendors at Coffee Fest Chicago! appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Unfamiliar with SCAA? – “The Global Specialty Coffee Expo was designed to be the coffee professional’s one stop shop for everything they need to succeed in the coffee industry. As the industry’s standard setter, the SCA has built a solid reputation over the last 30 years of providing the most up to date, qualified information and providing our members the tools to succeed. ”

Here is a list of our vendors that will be at the show:

Torani® – Booth #1244

Flavor seekers around the globe enjoy Torani® in their favorite beverages every day. And Torani® has continued to stay on the creative edge with new product lines and ideas for the last 80 years.

Monin® – Booth #2519

Monin®’s sole purpose is to create flavors that people around the world can easily use in their everyday life.  Founder Georges Monin’s motto La Passion de la Qualit® (“Passion for Quality”) became the Monin® slogan.

Dr. Smoothie® – Booth #840

Dr. Smoothie® formulates its beverages with your health in mind to maximize the benefits to your body. Functional beverages are what Dr. Smoothie® is all about since 1997.

Mocafe™ – Booth #606

Innovative Beverage Concepts Inc., creators of Mocafé™, has been a leader in developing award winning cafe beverages since 1996. Come taste and compare the difference real ingredients make.

Urnex Brands® – Booth #1438 

Urnex® doesn’t make coffee or coffee equipment; it helps make them better. With over four generations of experience, Urnex® is the world leader in specialty cleaning products for coffee and espresso equipment.

Cappuccine® – Booth #1005

Many people don’t know that Cappuccine® created the first blended iced coffee mix over 15 years ago. Today, its product line consists of more than 20 gourmet flavors that are proudly served all over the world.

David Rio Chai and Tea™ – Booth #939

David Rio™ makes chai because it is inspired by traditional Indian milk tea, and it set out to blend Eastern traditions with Western style to create America’s Premier Chai.

Pacific® Natural Foods – Booth #1542

Pacific® Foods has one simple goal – to make tasty, healthy foods with integrity. Making foods it can be proud of is as much about the ingredients it uses and the way those ingredients are grown, as it is the actual recipe. And GMO’s? Not on Pacific® Foods’ watch.

Vitamix® – Booth #304

Since 1921, The Vitamix® Corporation has been an award-winning innovator in blending technology. It is a quality-based organization creating, producing, and marketing high performance, durable, reliable, and innovative equipment.0

Espresso Supply – Booth #1142

Espresso Supply, Inc. has used its expertise to develop a full line of espresso accessories and small wares designed to facilitate the operation of an espresso bar or coffee business.

Kerry Big Train / Oregon Chai – Booth #946

Kerry is a known innovator in the food and beverage industry. Kerry shakes up the industry with its unique approach and inventive solutions in beverage, coatings, and seasonings providing consumer driven, operationally friendly menu solutions.

Two Leaves And A Bud – Booth #2204

Two Leaves and a Bud is an independent tea company known internationally for producing organic and fairly traded whole leaf tea sachets, iced tea, and now traditional teabags from their Paisley Label Tea collection. They take tea personally and are passionate about connecting tea lovers to the tea they love and introducing new tea drinkers to truly great tea.

Frozen Bean – Booth #1539

Frozen Bean is the leading premium beverage mix provider, providing delicious gourmet beverages and specialty desserts that are easy to make. Their passion is to create the finest beverages, using only the highest quality ingredients sourced from around the world.

Monbana Chocolaterie, USA – Booth #643

Monbana has combined a respect for tradition and a continuous passion for chocolate innovation through selecting the finest ingredients and the very best varieties of cocoa from Ivory Coast. Creator of chocolate squares to accompany coffee, Monbana is also famous in the HoReCa sector for its excellence of its indulgent chocolate drinks.

Zojirushi – Booth #1004

Zojirushi Corporation began operation more than 90 years ago with the launch of its first glass-lined vacuum bottle. Improving customers’ quality of life through creation of innovative products remains the heart of Zojirushi’s corporate philosophy.

Service Ideas – Booth #2105

Since 1946, Service Ideas has been an innovative worldwide provider in the service industry. Today, Service Ideas continues to push forward with an uncompromising commitment to provide quality products and service to our ever-expanding audience.

Remember, if any of these vendors have new products you need in your restaurant or warehouse, call Houston’s to see how we can help!

Credit: All of the above company descriptions were paraphrased from the vendor’s website linked to the vendor name. Logos courtesy of our vendors.

The post Next Stop: SCAA Seattle! appeared first on Houston's Blog.

DR. SMOOTHIE – Frappes & ADDins

Leafy Greens ADDins

As summer quickly approaches and temperatures begin to rise, frappes and smoothies are becoming more popular with customers. Dr. Smoothie has introduced four new frappe flavors to the Cafe Essentials line: Chocolate Mint Chip, Horchata, Java Chip, and Kona Mocha. Touting less sugar and truer flavors, these four new “gourmet specialty frappe” flavors offer added dimension to any menu, and are sure to please your customers with their authentic taste.

With healthy veggie trends continuing to grow, Dr. Smoothie has also introduced an easy way to get your “5 [servings] a day” with their new beverage blend-ins; Dr. Smoothie ADDins are available in Leafy Green and Veggie blends, as well as the per-existing customer-favorite, Yogurt Lover’s Plus concentrate blend. Add a single scoop of these nutrient-packed supplements to any smoothie concentrate for that daily dose of fruits and veggies that your customers are looking for.

TORANI® – Chai Concentrates

Torani Tradition Chai (left) vs. current category leader (right). Credit: C. Graiff

Keeping up with current trends, Torani® has introduced Chai concentrates to their product line-up, available now in both Traditional and Spicy flavor profiles. Made with all-natural spices including cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, black pepper, cloves and allspice, these concentrates provide an ideal upgrade from traditional mainstream chai concentrates and offer a “well-rounded and balanced combination of sweetness, tea, and spice.” Chai has year-round appeal as it can be served hot, over ice, blended, and even “dirty” with an espresso shot. Compare Torani® Chai to your current brand and you’ll be sure to taste and see the difference!

MONIN®- Hawaiian Island & Cookie Butter Syrups

Monin® released two new innovative flavors this spring made with pure cane sugar and natural flavors: Hawaiian Island and Cookie Butter. Blending the fresh tropical fruit flavors of passion fruit, guava, and orange, Monin® Hawaiian Island syrup is an on-trend flavor that provides an “authentic, multidimensional flavor for crafting memorable specialty beverages.” Perfect for specialty coffees, milkshakes, and cocktails Monin® Cookie Butter syrup provides an indulgent coupling of spices and speculoos cookie flavoring. This versatile syrup is ideal for hot or frozen coffee beverages or specialty cocoas, milkshakes and cocktails. Both syrups are Kosher, Halal, Vegan, GMO free, dairy free, and gluten free and are now available through Houston’s!

DAVID RIO – Cub Chai Super Concentrate

Jodet, of David Rio, discussing product with a show attendee at SCAA 2016. Credit: C. Graiff

Described as the “audacious extensions of the original Cub Chai line”, David Rio recently released their Cub Chai Super Concentrate. The new 5:1 concentrate utilizes the same high-quality organic spices (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and ginger) combined with organic Indian black tea for a super tasty, all natural, and vegan chai beverage. Already being served at the organization’s Chai Bar in San Francisco, Cub Chai Super Concentrate can be served hot or cold and “offers your customers a creamy, less sweet, and distinctively spicy chai latte that will have them raving.” Continuing their commitment to supporting animal welfare, David Rio has designed the packaging so that both the bottle and full shrink label are 100% recyclable. Contact us today to request a sample of this “chai perfection.”

SCAA 2016: You may have seen it…

As a redistributor in the foodservice industry, we at Houston’s like to utilize our time at industry shows not only catching up with vendors and customers alike, but also perusing the show as attendees – to see what’s new, what’s trending, and what the “next best thing” might be. At SCAA in Atlanta this past month we had the opportunity to taste new products launched by various vendors.

Add A Scoop (C. Graiff)

Crafted for those with an active lifestyle, Add a Scoop by Smoothie Essentials provides an alternative source of dailynutrients. Eighteen tasteless blends including Antioxidant, Probiotics, Energy, Protein and even a Matcha premix provide a wide variety of options that won’t affect the flavor of your smoothies, frappes, and oatmeals. All Add a Scoop supplements are tasteless as well non-GMO, gluten-free, and certified Kosher, Halal and Vegan.

Powdered frappe, gelato and specialty beverage manufacturer Frozen Bean debuted their latest project, Cocktail Lab, at SCAA. “At Cocktail Lab, we source the finest, all-natural ingredients from around the world to create rimmers that pair beautifully with your favorite beverages.” From coffees to teas, beers to cocktails, and even frappes – Cocktail Lab now allows your customers to experience their favorite beverages in new and exciting ways.

Not to miss out on the dairy-free trend, Frozen Bean also debuted a dairy-free version of their Belgian Hot Chocolate mix that substitutes coconut milk as the dairy alternative. The light coconut notes accent the sweet chocolate flavor without detracting from the creamy quality.

Industry leader in the non-dairy beverages segment, Pacific Foods, continues to promote their new Barista Series line of dairy-alternatives. Created to withstand the high heat involved with foaming, the Barista Series delivers a consistent and smooth micro-foam while complimenting the flavor of your coffee or espresso making the line “perfect for latte art.”

Making their U.S. debut, France-based Chocolaterie Monbana® (Monbana®) created a stir with their indulgent beverages in the gourmet powdered frappe and powdered chocolate segments. Started in 1934, Mobana® is now on its third generation of family owners, all of whom have had a deep passion for premium-quality chocolate. Their continued success has been attributed to respect for European traditions, the use of high-quality ingredients, and continuous innovation.

International Barista, Geoffroy Maubon, discussing Monbana with an SCAA Show attendee (C. Graiff)

Mobana® offers a wide range of extremely versatile products and flavors, providing for the needs of all establishment types in every season. From lucious frappe, to indulgent drinking chocolates and delightful dark chocolate accompaniments, Monbana® has a product to please any demographic. “This isn’t you mother’s Swiss Miss,” one attendee stated after tasting the decadent Trésor Hot Chocolate served up by famed International Barista Geoffroy Maubon. Maubon has been crucial in the development of Monbana®’s product line, developing unique recipes (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) that highlight the versatility of these premium products, showing that frappe mixes and hot chocolates are not just for coffee shops anymore.

If you didn’t attend SCAA, or didn’t get a chance to stop by the Monbana® booth, we heavily suggest you stop by their booth (#819) at Coffee Fest in Dallas, Texas. With the help of Brandenburger-FBG, Monbana® products will be available for U.S. distributors to purchase in late-May or early-June. For more information, contact Brandenburger-FBG.

SCAA 2016 provided attendees the opportunity to experience a wide variety of new products and flavors like those discussed above. Did you attend SCAA 2016 in Atlanta? Which vendors or products were of interest to you?

The post Kicking off the Foodservice Show Season appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Torani® – Booth #829

Flavor seekers around the globe enjoy Torani® in their favorite beverages every day. And Torani has continued to stay on the creative edge with new product lines and ideas for the last 80 years.

Dr. Smoothie® – Booth #1408

Dr. Smoothie® formulates its beverages with your health in mind to maximize the benefits to your body. Functional beverages are what Dr. Smoothie® is all about since 1997.

Monin®– Booth #1203

Monin®’s sole purpose is to create flavors that people around the world can easily use in their everyday life.  Founder Georges Monin’s motto La Passion de la Qualit® (“Passion for Quality”) became the Monin® slogan.

Pacific® Foods – Booth #1736

Pacific® Foods has one simple goal- to make tasty, healthy foods with integrity. Making foods it can be proud of is as much about the ingredients it uses and the way those ingredients are grown, as it is the actual recipe. And GMO’s? Not on Pacific® Foods’ watch.

David Rio™ – Booth #1536

David Rio™, makes chai because it is inspired by traditional Indian milk tea, and it set out to blend Eastern traditions with Western style to create America’s Premier Chai.

Urnex® – Booth #1409

Urnex® doesn’t make coffee or coffee equipment; it helps make them better. With over four generations of experience, Urnex® is the world leader in specialty cleaning products for coffee and espresso equipment.

Mocafé™ – Booth #429

Innovative Beverage Concepts Inc., creators of Mocafé™, has been a leader in developing award winning cafe beverages since 1996. Come taste and compare the difference real ingredients make.

Vitamix® – Booth #707

Since 1921, The Vitamix® Corporation has been an award-winning innovator in blending technology. It is a quality-based organization creating, producing, and marketing high performance, durable, reliable, and innovative equipment.

Espresso Supply Inc. – Booth #1137

Espresso Supply, Inc. has used its expertise to develop a full line of espresso accessories and small wares designed to facilitate the operation of an espresso bar or coffee business.

Cappuccine® – Booth #813

Many people don’ know that Cappuccine® created the first blended iced coffee mix over 15 years ago. Today, its product line consists of more than 20 gourmet flavors that are proudly served all over the world.

Add a Scoop™ – Booth #1621

The Add a Scoop™ by Smoothie Essentials line of products fits an active life style. Being a powder they travel well – from hikes to back packing to vacations. Add a Scoop™ Blends are a wide range of functional supplements; see which one works for you.

The Frozen Bean – Booth #1808

The Frozen Bean, their passion is to create the finest beverages, using only the highest quality ingredients sourced from around the world.

Zojirushi – Booth #817

Zojirushi Corporation began operation more than 90 years ago with the launch of its first glass-lined vacuum bottle. Improving customers’ quality of life through creation of innovative products remains the heart of Zojirushi’s corporate philosophy.

Straw Propeller Gourmet Foods – Booth #1813

Straw Propeller Gourmet Foods offers 15 flavors of oatmeal and 5 flavors of muesli. All of its artisan products are made with certified gluten-free oats, non-GMO, all-natural and kosher certified ingredients.

Remember, if any of these vendors have hot new products you need in your restaurant or warehouse, call Houston’s to see how we can help.

Credit: All of the above company descriptions were paraphrased from the vendor’s website linked to the vendor name. The logos are also courtesy of the vendors.

The post See you at SCAA Atlanta! appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Horchata Frappe, courtesy of Cafe Essentials

If you want a new flavor that is a little rich to start your morning, try Horchata, one of the four new Café Essentials’ frappe flavors by Dr. Smoothie. Horchata is a Latin flavor that has been permeating the major markets.  It has the rich flavor of simmered rice, cinnamon bark, and just a hint of vanilla.  The Horchata frappe is a new way to get your morning lift and out of that flavor rut.  If you would like chocolate or just aren’t into cinnamon, Café Essentials released the Horchata as part of four new frappe flavors including: Chocolate Chip Mint, Kona Mocha, and Java Chip.

Cookie Butter Latte, image courtesy of Monin

For those who just want to add a little flavor to your morning drink Monin has two new syrups: Hawaiian Island and Cookie Butter.  I’ll bet many of you are now drooling at the idea of a cookie flavored drink.  If it doesn’t strike you right away think of a latte flavored like a speculoos cookie.  The speculoos cookie is a spiced butter cookie from the Netherlands area, often made before Christmas.  You don’t have to wait until December to try this warm flavor; you can indulge in it now with a Cookie Butter Latte.

Yuzu Lemonade, image courtesy of Monin

Monin didn’t stop with new syrups, they also have a new fruit purée called Yuzu.  Unless you are in the know for flavor trends you probably did the same thing we did when it came in the office, “What is Yuzu?”  It is a fruit that looks remarkably like a small grapefruit, and tastes like a tart cross between a grapefruit, lemon, and mandarin.  Yuzu is often used in Japanese and Korean recipes as a replacement for lemon or lime.  Monin has a recipe to make a mean Yuzu Lemonade, which could be the answer to anyone who feels their lemonade is too sweet.  If you aren’t one for sour fruits then you can try the other new Monin fruit purées: Granny Smith Apple, Black Cherry, and Blackberry.

If you aren’t really the coffee type then checkout Sipp’s latest flavor, Organic Zesty Orange.  This sounds pretty normal but not when you get the kick of jalapeno at the end.  This isn’t your grandma’s orange soda! Organic Zesty Orange has bold flavors of blood orange and lime followed by that jalapeno extracts.  Sipp made a Zesty Orange Margarita just in time for Cinco de Mayo.

Image courtesy of Sipp

Spring is a great time to try new flavors and Houston’s has so many new options, what are you waiting for?  Contact your sales person today for more information or to place your order.

The post These Spring Flavors are No Joke! appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Add a Scoop powdered nutritives to boost your health. Photo courtesy of Add a Scoop.

Just as their name suggests, supplements are meant to be an addition to the normal food we consume.  Like many people, if you are someone who is conscious about the foods you eat and maintain a fairly balanced diet, yet still fall short in some nutritional areas, then dietary supplements can be helpful.  They can give you that extra boost you need to help you feel at your best.  A new line of nutritional supplements to Houston’s called Add a Scoop can do just that.  Add a Scoop powdered nutritives come in a wide variety of blends from antioxidant or calcium to smart or relaxing blends.  Wherever you feel you need a boost, Add a Scoop has an option to help fill in the gap.  While some people avoid supplements because they find them unpleasant to eat, Add a Scoop Blends have no color or flavor so they mix well in your drink of choice, oatmeal, or whatever you choose to add a scoop to.

Besides gaps in diets, certain health conditions can cause you to develop an insufficiency or deficiency in nutrients.  Brands like Add a Scoop or Smoothie-Ceuticals® by Dr. Smoothie aim to add functionality to every beverage that you would be drinking anyway in order to make it easy to get your nutritional levels up.  In the health conscious age we live in, being aware of our personal health is important and it’s not a bad thing to have access to a simple way to power up.  Which boost will you consider adding to your next drink?

The post Boost Your Beverage! appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Photo courtesy of Coffee Fest

Coffee Fest, bringing retailers, distributors, and manufacturers together for more than twenty years, buzzed the Portland Metro area this past weekend, offering up everything from demonstrations to samples, cuppings to competitions, trends to education. As described on the Coffee Fest website, “If it looks like coffee, smells like coffee, goes well with coffee, or is coffee, you are guaranteed to find it at Coffee Fest.” This proved to be true as we trekked our way through the 90+ booths at the Oregon Convention Center, tasting our way up and down the aisles in a maybe not-so-orderly fashion.

This year’s highlight for Torani was the utterly amazing Sweet Heat Syrup, which they showcased in a Mango Real Fruit Smoothie…delish! Just enough of a bite to know it’s there, not so much that it’s uncomfortable. While it was great in a mango smoothie, I couldn’t help but imagine other flavors I would love to try! Torani has also rolled out three new sweetener syrups—Agave, Honey, and Cane Sugar—for use in coffee, cocktails, sodas, teas, and more.

Stopping by the Monin booth was a treat. This year they highlighted their Soda Collection with such syrups as Old Fashioned Ginger Ale and Old Fashioned Root Beer, Orange Tangerine, and Vanilla Crème. With fantastic new flavors such as these, they still wowed with sweet concoctions such as lavender vanilla, a floral take on a Crème Soda that smelled and looked as heavenly as you might imagine.

Oatmeal is still as hot as it was in the 2013 show. Straw Propeller Gourmet Foods continues to impress with their innovative oatmeal flavors, and this year’s new addition of a children’s line, with smaller but sweeter portions that appeal to the youngsters hitting the coffee shops with their families. And Umpqua Oats has hit yet another homerun with its amazing Vanilla Almond Crunch, sure to be a coffeehouse favorite!

Dr. Smoothie booth at Coffee Fest PDX 2014. Photo Credit: Christina Graiff

If smoothies and frappes are more your thing, then Coffee Fest 2014 in Portland didn’t disappoint. Cappuccine, Dr. Smoothie Brands, Frozen Bean, Jet, and Ghiradelli chocolate Co. were whipping up decadence in their blenders: frozen concoctions of chocolates, fruits, nuts, and even vegetables were tantalizing the tastebuds of show-walkers. Cappuccine received second place honors in the Best New Product Consumables for their Tart Culture Smoothie.

Manish Shah, Maya Tea Co. Photo Credit: Christina Graiff

It seems as though every year has a top-trending product, and this year was no different. 2014 is sure to be the year of the chai tea, with the aromatic blend of Indian spices and herbs filling the air on every aisle of the show. This tea, prepared black, with or without milk, with or without sweetener, is hitting the market with a force. Oregon Chai continues to offer their tried-and-true concentrate or powder, with just the right amount of spice and sweet. And Maya Chai offers their Original and extra-spicy Devi 11:1 concentrates—just blend with milk and enjoy hot or cold. Stay tuned, too, for Raga, Maya Chai’s unsweetened version of their amazing blend,available in 2015.

Coffee beans, espresso machines, water filtration systems, blenders, teas, chocolates, cup sleeves and other accessories, and even Espresso Supply’s third place winner in the Best New Product Non-Consumable category—Bonavita 1.7L Gooseneck Variable Temperature Kettle, sure to become a favorite in shops across the nation. You name it, and Coffee Fest 2014 had it. A conglomerate of vendors and coffeehouse owners alike mingled the aisles, networking with and learning from one another, swapping ideas and comparing trends, and in general sharing a love of coffee. I will definitely attend next year’s Coffee Fest (again at the Convention Center)…will I see you there in 2015?

The post Coffee, Tea, and Trends: Coffee Fest Portland 2014 appeared first on Houston's Blog.