Hint Mint—Strong as a Bull, Smooth as Silk

In April 2000, Hint Mint (www.hintmint.com) sold their first order of 750 mint tins. By year’s end, only ten months later, they had sold over one million. These mints are vegan and free of sugar, wheat, gluten and animal-based ingredients. Further, Hint Mints are made without adding aspartame, gelatin, or any other animal by-product. Sympathetic to allergy sufferers, Hint Mints are not manufactured on equipment exposed to peanuts. IFANCA-certified Hint Mints include:

  • Hint Mint .275 Dia. Sugar Free Thick Irony Peppermint
  • Hint Mint½” Cool Licorice Breath Mints w/Leaf
  • Hint Mint½” Cinnamon Breath Mints w/Leaf-Japan
  • Hint Mint½” Chocolate Mints with embossed Leaf
  • Hint Mint .325 Dia. Sugar Free Mini Peppermint w/Leaf
  • Hint Mint .275 Dia. Sugar Free Thick Irony Cocoa Breath

 

About the Company

In the late 90s, fired by a desire to trademark and eventually sell the name “Hint Mint,” then 20-year-old Harley Cross quickly discovered that you can’t trademark a name without actually making a product. Completely unfamiliar with the world of manufacturing, he knew if he were to take on this challenge, he would need the help of someone he could trust. Harley called his childhood friend, Cooper Bates.

As partners, the two shared a similar artistic sensibility and tenacious drive. Headquarters were set up in Cooper’s one-bedroom apartment, where the two spent much time reading, sampling mints (and more mints) and designing and redesigning tin after tin, mint after mint…always striving for perfection.

In addition to being the founder of Hint Mint, Harley Cross is an actor, having performed in the Merchant-Ivory film “A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries” and “Interstate 84,” produced by Kevin Spacey. Copper Bates, who today runs all aspects of Hint Mint, is also an actor, a screenplay writer, and a director.

 

Where’s the (Better) Beef?

Canada-based Better Beef Ltd., a Cargill Company (www.betterbeef.ca), offers primals, sub-primals, regular cuts, custom cuts, and offals as certified Halal products labeled with the official IFANCA logo. Boxes are marked “Zabiha Halal” and each bulk shipment is accompanied by an IFANCA Halal Certificate. Better Beef provides beef products to major retailers, wholesalers, further processors and to the food service industry. They ship on a continuous basis to the USA, the Caribbean, Mexico, the Middle East, and the Pacific Rim. Besides IFANCA inspectors, all Better Beef products are federally inspected by the Canadian Federal Government whose standards are as high as any in the world. Federal Beef Inspectors from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are on the company’s premises and plants whenever product is being processed. They check every aspect of the production process on a continuing and rigorous basis, from the moment cattle are received to the moment final products are loaded onto trucks. All of this is in addition to Better Beef’s own standards, which are equally stringent and often go well beyond any formal regulations.

 

Better Beef, Ltd. Prepared and Processed Products

Beef Made Easy—The Beef Made Easy brand represents an exciting new product line specifically designed to make life easier for small families and busy couples. Beef Made Easy Pot Roast is a high quality, fully prepared and fully cooked beef pot roast that can be table-ready in a few short minutes.

Roast Beef—Better Beef Cooked Roast Beef is a top end, superior quality, deli style roast beef that has been perfectly cooked in its own natural juices. This roast can be prepared to customer’s individual specifications.

Rotisserie Beef—Better Beef Hot Deli Roast is a high end roast beef (prime rib) that has been expertly seasoned and is ready to be rotisserie cooked at the store level.

Tray-Ready Beef—Better Beef Limited, through Watson Foods, provides a variety of products known as Tray Ready or Retail Ready to major retailers and food wholesalers. Tray Ready products include fresh beef cut by expert fabricators and sorted into trays or servings of a predetermined size. They can be placed directly into a meat counter with no extra preparation required and are ready for the consumer to take home. Popular Tray Ready beef products include steaks, roasts, ground beef and sausage.

 

It’s Fruitfully Good!

“Why can’t something taste good and be good for you, without alot of fat and calories?” wondered Linda Kamm, former Miss Georgia. She gave it considerable thought and in February 1991 came up with a line of 100% natural treats under her banner Happy and Healthy Products, Inc. The results, today, include 21 flavors of IFANCA-certified Fruitfull® Frozen Fruitbars (www.fruitfuII.com).

“Our product has chunks of real fruit, whole raspberries, hunks of mango. In fact, the only complaints I’ve ever gotten are that there are too many cherries in the cherry bar,” says Kamm. With headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, and the factory in Southern California, Happy and Healthy distributes Fruitfull through more than 100 franchises in 39 states and Puerto Rico. A key strategy has been selling individual bars at gyms, universities, health food stores, and hospitals versus bulk packages alone. Its target market? Women interested in delicious, healthy, low-or-no-fat treats.

 

Where Can You Find Fruitfull?

Publix Grocery Stores, Whole Foods Natural Food Stores, Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Home Depot, Garfield Park Conservatory, and other locations. For an entire listing, go to www.fruitfull.com.

 

Which Happy and Healthy Products Are IFANCA Certified?

Fruit Goodness Banana Cream, Fruit Goodness Coconut Cream, Fruit Goodness Mango Cream, Fruit Goodness Strawberry Cream, Fruit Goodness Strawberry Juice, Fruit Goodness Lime Juice, Fruitfull Banana Cream, Fruitfull Blueberry Yogurt, Fruitfull Chocolate Yogurt, Fruitfull Coconut Cream, Fruitfull Fuzzy Navel Juice Bar, Fruitfull Guava Juice Bar, Fruitfull Lime Juice Bar, Fruitfull Lemon Juice Bar, Fruitfull Mango Cream, Fruitfull Peaches N Cream, Fruitfull Passionate Cherry Juice Bar, Fruitfull Pina Colada Cream, Fruitfull Pineapple Juice Bar, and more. The entire list can be read at www.ifanca.org.

 

Tom’s of Maine—Natural Leaders

Tom and Kate Chappell started Tom’s of Maine (www.tomsofmaine.com) in 1970 with the concept of natural personal care—products made without artificial or animal ingredients or chemicals. The Chappells pioneered natural toothpaste, mouthwash, and deodorant. Today, theirs is the #1 Oral Care Brand in the Natural category which is valued at $3 billion for oral and personal care products and is growing at 15 percent per year. The good news is that their products are now IFANCA-certified as well.

It is one of the few personal care companies to have this certification. IFANCA’s symbol will now appear on all Tom’s product packaging.

Tom Chappell, Co-founder and CEO of Tom’s of Maine, announced the certification, stating, “Tom’s of Maine now has the opportunity to serve a whole new community of people who make buying decisions based on their values. We’re excited by this news and believe when you create products with clear values in mind, you end up with higher quality ingredients and more effective products.”

A crossfunctional team of Tom’s of Maine employees worked with IFANCA to obtain certification.

Founded in Kennebunk, Maine, by Tom and Kate Chappell in 1970, Tom’s of Maine creates effective personal care products using simple, natural ingredients derived from plants and minerals. Tom’s of Maine products – toothpaste, mouthwash, floss, deodorant, and soap – do not contain artificial sweeteners, preservatives, colors, flavors, or animal ingredients; are tested for safety and efficacy without the use of animals; are biodegradable; and are packaged in earth-friendly ways.

“Our philosophy of ‘Natural Care’ guides us in doing what is right for our customers, employees, communities, and environment. We fulfill our Natural Care mission by donating 10% of our profits to charitable organizations; by encouraging our employees to use 5% of their paid time in volunteer work; by adhering to our standards of natural, sustainable, and responsible; and by not testing on animals.” In keeping with its values, the Toms of Maine factory is now powered by wind energy.

On December 5 and 6, 2005, CBS Evening News aired a health report on the use of aluminum in antiperspirants. Tom’s of Maine deodorants were featured as aluminum-free alternatives in the December 6 segment, and Tom Chappell himself was interviewed about their products, values, and the success of their Natural Long-Lasting Deodorants.

As of March 2006, the Maine-based company was sold to Colgate-Palmolive but will continue to be run by the Chappell’s on the same principles and values on which it was started. Tom’s of Maine gives Colgate the opportunity to enter the fast growing health and specialty trade channel where Tom’s toothpaste is the clear market leader commanding a 60% share of the market. Visit www.tomsofmaine.com for more information.

 

Not Just Premixes…Strategic Nutrition

Halal Certification to Expand Premix Manufacturing Opportunities for Fortitech Europe

Fortitech Europe’s new state-of-the-art premix manufacturing and testing facility in Gadstrup, Denmark is now certified Halal-compliant by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA). To earn the certification, Fortitech Europe’s manufacturing facility and laboratory had to successfully meet strict Islamic guidelines dealing with hygiene, dietary regulation, raw material processing and premix packaging.

“Meeting the rigorous Halal requirements is an excellent move for Fortitech’s growing business initiatives in our market,” says Peter Sorensen, managing director of Fortitech Europe ApS. “With more than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide, we see Halal as a form of guarantee that boosts our customers’ trust and confidence in our nutrient premixes.”

Part of the global network of manufacturing and distribution companies of Fortitech, Inc., the world leader in the development of custom nutrient premixes, Fortitech Europe ApS can now fully meet the growing demand for Halal-compliant premixes in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries throughout the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. Statistics show that not only are Muslims are choosing Halal products, demand is increasing among a diverse group of consumers on every continent because Halal is being perceived as a quality assurance and safety measure due to the necessary strict hygienic regulations needed for certification.

 

About Fortitech Europe ApS

Fortitech Europe ApS is part of the global network of manufacturing and distribution companies of Fortitech, Inc.—the world leader in the development of custom nutrient premixes—for the food, drink and pharmaceutical industries. Located in Gadstrup, Denmark, the company is exclusively dedicated to the manufacture of nutrient premixes. Fortitech Europe is ISO 9001:2000 certified. The company also meets HACCP and allergen monitoring program standards. For more information, visit fortitech.com—featuring FortiSourceTM—the ultimate fortification destination.

 

Naturex®-The Latest Ingredients Supplier to Seek Halal Certification with IFANCA

The French plant extract manufacturer Naturex® is the latest ingredients supplier to seek Halal certification for its production plants in France, Morocco, New Jersey, and California. Naturex offers a complete range of vegetable extracts that add aroma, color, antioxidant, or nutraceutic properties to food stuffs such as meat products, cooked food, drinks, or food complements. Its success can be attributed to its wide-ranging product offering. It now offers more than 300 different nutraceutical extracts, a number far exceeding those of its competition. The company has a global presence and attributed its decision to seek Halal certification as “a real market opportunity” that it wanted to tap into. The West has seen increasing numbers of its Muslim population seeking Halal-certified foods such as burgers and pizza or even Chinese take-out.

According to a report by nutraingredients.com, “the need to provide Halal certification has grown out of globalization and migration…Most of the Halal requirements govern meat and animal-related ingredients. Foods containing ingredients such as gelatin, enzymes, and emulsifiers, are considered Mashbooh (questionable) because the origin of the ingredients is not known.” Naturex has its headquarters in Avignon, France.

According to IFANCA, the worldwide Muslim headcount is approximately 1.4 billion, 30 million of whom are living in Europe. While European Muslims are a small segment of the overall population, they are believed to have huge purchasing power. The Halal food market has never been measured but estimates range from U.S. $150 to $500 billion.

Naturex’s decision to go Halal indicates its commitment to ensuring that nothing breaches Halal standards during either the extraction or formulation process. A company spokesperson was confident that Naturex’s existing procedures would allow it to maintain complete traceability. Other companies in the nutrition and supplement sector with certified Halal offerings include Aloecorp, McNeil Nutritionals, Ocean Nutrition Canada, and Reliv International.

 

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® Products Are Now Halal Certified

By Suzann Audi

IFANCA certified select coffee and tea varieties available from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, the oldest and largest privately held chain of specialty coffee and tea stores in the United States. With a reputation for excellence, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf serves more than 100 million coffee and tea beverages annually worldwide.

Providing the highest quality coffees and teas for forty years, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf currently has more than 315 stores in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Brunei, Indonesia, UAE, Israel, Australia, China, Kuwait, Egypt, Qatar, and the Philippines and continues to expand both domestically and internationally. Some locations also offer drive-thru service.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf recently partnered with Ralphs Grocery Company, CA and introduced on-site cafes. These in-store locations will provide a greater level of service for customers wanting to enjoy fresh products from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.

IFANCA currently certifies more than 30 coffee and tea varieties, with the list growing each month. The coffee and tea used in-store in a wide variety of beverages is IFANCA certified, as well as an assortment of delicious coffees, tea bags, and loose leaf teas you can brew and enjoy at home.

For more information, visit www.coffeebean.com.