This is the first issue of Furmano’s quarterly newsletter written for foodservice professionals. Our intention is to provide information and tools to inspire. Each issue of Furmano’s Fresh News will include feature articles, Chef’s tips, recipes and our crop update.
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More than ever, consumers care about what they eat. They want to know where their food comes from. They read labels and ask questions. They care about grower practices, sustainability and whether your ingredients are locally grown.
Local food sales in the U.S. grew from $5 billion to $12 billion between 2008 and 2014, according to food industry research firm Packaged Facts. The same study predicted local food sales would jump to $20 billion in 2019, outpacing the growth of the country’s total food and beverage sales.
Local Relationships
Locally grown is important because there is an assumed accountability built into local relationships. Local generally means higher care is taken and higher quality promoted because the growers live in the local community and have reputations to uphold. This creates a healthy dynamic between local business and local culture.
Furmano’s is proud to say our tomato products are grown locally by small regional farmers in PA, DE, MD, and NJ and packed at the peak of freshness for use throughout the year. Within hours of harvesting, the red ripe tomatoes are canned, capturing nature's freshness and flavor.
Face-To-Face
One of the biggest benefits of supporting local is the ability to talk face-to-face with the people who grow and pack the foods you are using. We are always willing to meet and talk about our values and practices. Furmano’s company values grow out of our family values and farming roots, roots that run deep.
Since consumers want to know the story behind the food they eat, the deeper you can tell the story, the better the connection. Plus, you can fold your story into the mix and leverage local benefits to your advantage. Once a customer adopts your narrative, they become loyal to your brand, even becoming advocates.
A Network of Local Farms
Furmano’s tomatoes are grown on over 600 acres of local Furmano's Family Farms, supplemented by a network of about 30 local grower partners, which are family-owned and operated. Most of these grower relationships have been in place for multiple generations and they share the same values and commitment to excellence as we do. Kreider Family Farms, a fourth generation farm from Lancaster County, PA is one such partner to Furmano's. Click here to read their story.
A Good Story
The demand for local products will continue to grow. More than ever, people want good food that has been responsibly farmed and caringly prepared with their best interests in mind. Furmano’s is committed to employing best practices and upholding the standards our customers expect. We are small enough to care and large enough to deliver. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.
What makes this Family Favorite so special? Furmano’s Bean Salads use fresh, in-season green beans, preserving both taste and texture, giving our products a quality you won’t find anywhere else. Furmano’s signature sweet and sour dressing, while typically considered a regional favorite, offers a flavor combination that transcends cultures and cuisines throughout the United States. This season brought a new and improved formula, removing high fructose corn syrup from our dressing and replacing it with sugar, making sure our products meet the standard for quality and taste our customers deserve.
Read more about Furmano’s Three Bean Salad from Chef Paul’s Blog.
To expedite the process of making hummus, place the chick peas on one side of the processor and add all the liquid ingredients on the other side. It will blend the ingredients much faster because it causes a vortex to form, pulling the beans down that much quicker.
It may still be cold outside but the planning for the upcoming 2018 tomato and bean seasons are well underway. You can read all about it here.