Winter Fancy Food Show wraps up in San Francisco

The Specialty Food Association's 2017 Winter Fancy Food Show ended on a high note today, say organizers, with the announcement of top innovations.

With over 80,000 products on display from 1,400 companies, creativity and new tastes were everywhere and it wasn't easy to select a top 10, says the Association.

But here are a handful of the notable introductions in the uber-tasty-and-healthful world of "fancy" foods:

Bee Free Honee – Bee Free Honee, Booth 306. Owner Katie Sanchez grew up on an apple orchard with a father who was a beekeeper. She came up with the recipe for this vegan honey made from apples by accident while trying to make apple jelly. Years later when learning about the decline of the bee population she revisited the recipe as a business idea. There are currently four flavors: Original, Mint, Ancho Chile, and Slippery Elm.

Blue Planet Chocolate – Superfoods Chocolate Squares, Booth 5711. An Ohio-based chocolatier started a new line of 70%+ dark chocolates with superfood ingredients like baobab and chia that are also enhanced with probiotics. There are currently four

flavors: Blueberry & Chia, Espresso, Cocoa Nib, and Cinnamon & Chia

Dang – Sticky-Rick Chips, Booth 521. Inspired by a popular Asian snack, Dang Foods takes steamed organic Thai sticky rice, soaks it in watermelon juice, and vacuum fries to create a crisped snack. They are made from whole rice rather than rice power and are gluten-free and non-GMO verified.

Copper Cow Coffee – Vietnamese Coffee Single Pour-Over Kit, New Brands on the Shelf. Consumers can create Vietnamese coffee on the go without all of the equipment. This all-in-one kit contains ground Vietnamese coffee served in a single-use pour over bag, along with a sleeve of condensed California milk. The product has a shelf life of over one year.

Primal Nutrition – Primal Kitchen Macadamia Sea Salt Bar with Collagen, Booth 5211. The collagen protein used in these bars is collagen hydrolysate from grass-fed cows, which is broken down into individual amino acids and easier to absorb and digest. The bars are high in protein, low in sugar and non-GMO.

Tea Drops – Tea Drops, Booth 384 Tea Drops are organic teas that dissolve in your cup. Made from finely ground organic tea, raw sugar and spices. Tea on the go with 100% recyclable packaging. Non-sweetened variety coming this spring. Currently available in 4 varieties: Rose Earl Gray, Citrus Ginger, Vanilla White Tea and Sweet Peppermint

"It was great to walk the aisles of this show and experience the sheer number of clever and tasty innovations the specialty food industry is launching. From the latest in proteins, sweets, snacks, sustainability and sheer inventiveness, this event proved once again that specialty foods are leading the way in expanding the food business," said Phil Kafarakis, President of the Specialty Food Association, "We're excited about the future as we prepare to highlight even more food innovations at our Summer Fancy Food Show in June."

Innovations were chosen by staff of the Specialty Food Association using the following criteria: new idea on market; twists on original; on trend; new packaging formats; new applications/uses; new flavor used unexpectedly; and new to show.

The Specialty Food Association hosts the Fancy Food Show twice a year. The trade-only event ran Jan. 22-24, at Moscone Center in San Francisco. The next show will take place in New York June 25-27, 2017

Photo: English: Colored flags flying high outside the Moscone Convention Center. 10 March 2006 (original upload date); transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Kyro using CommonsHelper. Author Mh at English Wikipedia