Two U.S. companies – Brooklyn Brew Shop and Pereg Gourmet – were honored at the Salon International de l’Agroalimentaire (SIAL) Innovation Awards and exhibition in Paris last week.
New York-based Brooklyn Brew Shop won top honors in two categories – Alcoholic Beverages and Food Retail – for its Beer Making Kit, while Pereg Gourmet won a SIAL Innovation Selection award.
Brooklyn Brew Shop’s Beer Making Kit to make at-home brew was one of 16 grand-prize-winners selected from 1,757 entries, which were narrowed down to 675 products in September by SIAL’s Selection Committee comprised of food specialists. The kit – which contains grain, hops and yeasts for the first batch, a racking cane, thermometer, tubing clamp, glass fermenting jug, cleanser, airlock, clear vinyl tubing and a screw-cap stopper – is reusable. The product’s innovative characteristics included recipe, composition, packaging, wrapping, market positioning and merchandising, according to the judges.
Launched in 2009, Brooklyn Brew Shop offers home-brewing kits with easy-to-use instructions and stylish packaging. Co-founder Erica Shea said her mission is to simplify the beer-making process without dumbing it down, so that more people can enjoy the experience of brewing at home. The kits are sold nationwide at major retailers and specialty kitchen stores as well as internationally in 23 countries.
“Winning the Grand Prize in Alcohol for SIAL Innovation has been fantastic,” Shea told the Specialty Food Association at SIAL Paris. “When we started Brooklyn Brew Shop, our biggest challenge was in helping people understand that you can make really good beer at home. We now have instructions in English, French and Spanish, [and] our international customer base continues to grow. We’re really excited to talk to more retailers across Europe and get even more people brewing.”
Ancient grains and spice company Pereg Gourmet, also based in New York, was recognized for its Soup Mix and Quinoa with Spinach products.
“It’s an honor to receive the SIAL award,” said Gill Schneider, president of Pereg Gourmet. “We like to think that our company has found a unique blend of tradition and creative variation. We hold the SIAL Innovation Selection Award in such high regard; it is designed to reveal food trends and innovations worldwide.”
Other SIAL Innovation Award winners from France included Springwave from Springwave, in the Non-alcoholic Beverages category; Mushroom Kit from Ready to Grow (which tied with Eco Gumelo mushroom growing kit from CAP Portugal) in the Fruit & Vegetable category; Seaweed Spaghetti from Brittany Seaweed-Globe Export Sarl in the Seafood category; Churros With Potatoes from Cité Gourmande in Frozen Foods; Twists from New Food Packings in Delicatessen Products; Frozen Organic Foods in Baby Portions from Yooji in the Children’s Food category; Julienne of Vinegar from French Cooker in Savoury Groceries; and TS Continuous Roasting System from FCD System in the Equipment & Technologies category.
Winners from the Netherlands included The Frozen Butcher from Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat in the Meat category; and Cookie Notti Speculoos Spread from Peeters Produkten BV-Penotti in Sweet Groceries. Winners from Spain included Yoligur from Casa Ametller in Fresh Products; and Nice Fruit by Nice Fruit in the Foodservice category.
This year, SIAL celebrated its 50th anniversary, bringing together more than 6,000 global brand exhibitors and some 150,000 attendees to its annual trade show.
