So this past week Peeled Snacks snuck over to San Francisco for this year's Winter Fancy Food Show.  We passed on the show last year, so we felt a little odd going this year, as if we were going to the sequel of a movie that we'd missed.  But go we did, and were pleased with the reception that we had, especially since we recently launched in....

Yup, Peeled Snacks is now available coast to coast (and in Canada) at a little coffee shop that you might have heard of named Starbucks.  This has been in the works for some time, but we've kept it under wraps because, a: you never know, b: we could hardly believe it, and c: to not do so would be distasteful.  But now the cat is out of the bag (the "grounds are out of the filter"?), and we were pleased to share the information at the Fancy Food Show.

The Fancy Food Show in San Francisco isn't nearly as large as either the New York Fancy Food Show or March's Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, but that cuter size makes for a more intimate, less stressful show.  We got to meet plenty of buyers, make impressions with OODLES of consumers, and (most fun) meet up with buddy companies and compare notes.  I tasted some great new products, like our buddies' at Sahale's new biscotti, and Vosges newest, frightfully delicious ice cream variety (Red Fire?  Oh BURN me, baby, BURN me!)...

But frankly, the show boasted no amazing trend that I just HAVE to report.  There wasn't all the honey from the 2009 New York show, nor the SUPER FRUITS of the year before, and while, sure, there was plenty of new tea companies, there still wasn't anyone that was going to take down Ineeka for the tastiest brews around.  I don't understand why they bother.

The only trend to speak of is that there were many more vendors looking to sell their wares.  I suppose that's just a factor of the "economy" and all, but I did see plenty of vendors marketing themselves with "Green" and "Socially Responsible".  If the words on the business cards represent reality, then THAT'S a trend to brag about.  Maybe something good will come from this recession after all.

One last note about Starbucks: they've been great to work with, but their version of "Green" and "Socially Responsible" is at such a high standard that it puts even Peeled Snacks' standards to shame (no easy feat, that).  They're inspired us to ramp up even further our efforts to buy from sustainable sources and practice business that we can all be proud of. 

It turns out that all the press about their efforts isn't just bull- they MEAN it, and they just might be helping to make a better world because of it.  Sometimes I get cynical about the marketing of such efforts, but I'm pleased to find Starbucks practicing MORE than they preach.  That's a trend the don't brag about as much as they could.  And Peeled Skinny thinks that's pretty cool.

Keep Peeling,

Ian, Peeled Skinny, from back on the East Coast, PHEW!!!

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Peeled Snacks' international headquarters is located in a rather nice neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York called Park Slope.  Park Slope looks like Sesame Street, has the cuisine of Manhattan, and has the politics of San Francisco.  Park Slope has great live music, a fantastic food coop, and two very credible Farmer's Markets.  It also now has chicken that you can spy on.

 Park Slope's grocery stores have the usual range of food available, from whatever slop Chef Boy-R-D is slinging to a growing smattering of organic produce.  Bit by bit, Organic Meat has been sneaking in, but Organic meat is tricky- just because it's organic doesn't mean that the animal was humanely raised, or fed an appropriate diet (as in the case of organic beef, which can be fed organic corn, which cows are NOT supposed to eat).

But our local grocery stores are now offering Murray's family farmed chicken, a delightfully affordable meat option that promises a bunch of things for which Peeled Snacks is always looking- no hormones; family farmed; free ranged.  And now Murray's is offering a BONUS: all their packs have a code by which you can use the internet to learn about your chicken!  How accountable is THAT?!?!

Unfortunately, it's not quite as accountable as I might like- I used Murray's website to track my latest chicken dinner and learned not specifically about the chicken but rather the chicken's farm of origin, and really only a map telling me where the farm is.  But at least it's a start.  At least it's a first step for a company that has the power to feed a lot of people to show some genuine accountability and concern for the quality of what they sell.

As a trend, this step by Murray's represents a great opportunity for food manufacturers to turn accountability into marketing.  If a company is proud about what they're selling, they can use packaging and the internet to brag about their goods, and help inform their consumers who'll likely come back for more.  Such steps can also make lower quality competitors look like chumps.

Hopefully Peeled Snacks can soon follow Murray's example- we know all the farms where we get our yummy ingredients, and we have a LOT to brag about.  We'll work on being able to show off to you what you're eating.  That'll be fun.

Coming soon: Peeled Snacks' best kept secret REVEALED!

Peeled Skinny sincerely hopes that you're having a great start to your decade.  Happy Snacking,

Ian K, Peeled Skinny

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