Year End Product Reviews: Condiments

2008 saw the birth of some wonderful new products and food companies coupled with some interesting expansions from long standing companies.  It’s my hope that the following companies can weather this economic storm and continue to bring quality, style and flavour to the market in 2009 and beyond. This is in no way meant to represent a sampling of all the gourmet condiments that came out this year but a sampling of some of the top products from this year’s industry trade shows. If you have a product you absolutely love, please let me know.

This year was the year of the condiment where indigenous ingredients, innovation and stylish packaging out shown the tired and stale tomato based salsas and sauces that have dominated the market in years past.

Eswatini (meaning “made in Swaziland”) Swazi Kitchen creates a delicious range of natural jams, marmalade, chutneys and sauces while providing an income stream to disadvantaged Swazi women and the Manzini Youth Care center for children affected by HIV/AIDS. One of the best combinations of local sustainability paired with great products.

out of Cape Town South Africa blends their refreshing and unique products with simple, colorful and artsy packaging. They managed to produce an aloe product devoid of bitterness while maintaining the quitisential essence of the plant. Their Orange-Aloe Marmalade is delicious with translucent cubes of aloe suspended in bright orange sweetness with a hint of lemon. Their Aloe Pickle will surprise and delight you as well.

The  Zena food product company out of Senegal offers a wonderful array of exotic fruit including a lovely Hibiscus Jelly and fun Banana Jelly. Not to mention they produce wonderful sesame products and a great hand-crafted Peanut Nougat.

On the other side of the world Varia Condiments, based in Quebec has a lovely line of high end, small batch wine jellies, fruit jams, seasoned mustards dessert syrups and caramelized onion confits. Their Onion-Port Confit, Port-Cognac Wine Jelly and Absinthe Dessert Syrup shine the brightest and offer a fabulous accompaniment to meats and cheeses alike. For more product information contact Varia’s driving force, Liette Lussier, liettelussier@condimentsvaria.ca / 514.336.7858 .

Olio & Spices in Atlanta makes great all natural, Kosher products that include sauces, spice blends and great gift packages like their Chef’s Case and Camping Delight. Kudos to their Lemon & Mint Chili Sauce and their clean/chic packaging.

Peanut butter has come a long way since your mom cut the crusts off of your first lunch box sandwich. P. B. Loco leads the pack with their “Adult Peanut Butter”. It’s no wonder with flavours like Raspberry White Chocolate, Caramel Chunk, Sumatra Cinnamon & Raisin and Asian Curry Spice (my favorite). To complete the P.B. Loco experience visit one of their three cafe’s scattered around the US.

Pomegranate products are still going strong and Splash! ,all natural, pomegranate based reduction sauces, are a top performer with such mouthwatering combinations as Pomegranate Port, Tart Cherry Syrah, Black Currant Cabernet , Shiro Plum Sake, Blueberry Merlot, Mission Fig Port. Are you drooling yet?

SchoolHouse Kitchen is another great example of a food company lending an altruistic hand to help other non-profits succeed through product sales and in-kind donations for charitable events. Company founder Patsy Smith’s mustard, a “secret recipe” that was handed down to her with the promise that it only be used for personal gifts or for charitable purposes, has a loyal and long-lived following. With just three products (and more to come) it’s nice to enjoy a smear here and there knowing your helping a variety of Tri-State area organizations.

The final three companies are not new to the specialty food product arena, but even so they continue to produce high quality products packed full of flavour.

Lollipop Tree is a family-owned specialty food manufacturer located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, that has been in business since 1981. They are best known for their stunning selection of sweet and savory mixes including Monkey Bread (four different kinds), Chocolate Peppermint Bread, Pumpkin Oat Pancake Mix, Blueberry Ginger Scones and Popovers just to list a few. They’ve also expanded into the organic market with Cornbread, Popover, Buttermilk Biscuit, Pancake Mix and four savory bread mix offerings. Least we not forget their equally delicious jellies, jams, grilling/glazing sauces, dessert sauces and flavoured maple syrups.  Their Pepper Jellies, infused with fruit, citrus, garlic, hot peppers and/or wasabi are not only beautiful but truly delicious with bread, meat of cheeses.

I think Nuovo makes some of the best fresh-flash frozen sauces on the market and they have the awards to prove it. Though best known for their pastas, their sauce and pesto lines are fast growing in popularity for home and professional cooks alike. With flavours like White Asiago & Herb, Roasted Portabella & White Truffle, Cilantro Tequila & Lime and Yellow Pepper & Saffron it’s small wonder. Though their website leaves a great deal to be desired, with no ability to purchase retail product, you can find their sauces/pesto at fine, gourmet shops.

Last but definitely not least is The Savannah Bee Company in beautiful Savannah, Georgia. Gorgeous packaging combined with golden, delicious artisanal honey never looked (and tasted) so good. Ted Dennard has a true passion for honey and it shows across the board with their product line (which now includes bath & body products) and customer service. With a meager $5,000 business loan, an old pickup truck and lots of bees, Dennard, and his team, have grown Savannah steadily over the years since 1998. A partnership with another favorite company, Zhena’s Gypsy Tea has helped to foster their joint support of high quality, sustainable gourmet products.

If some, or all, of these companies and their products are new to you I hope you’ll take the time to look over their sites and try some items for yourself. I’m pretty picky so I think you’ll be happy with what you do find based on the recommendations above. When you do give them a try come on back and let me know what you think and stay tuned for additional End of Year Product Reviews for other gourmet food and beverage categories.

Eat well and be well!