Ryan Hanan, COO for Hanan Products, joins R&FF’s Layan Dahhan to talk about the family-owned company’s evolution—this is Hanan’s 75th year in business—into an industry leader in whipped toppings, icings and fillings for the wholesale/retail bakery industry, including well-known brands like Tasty Whip and Whip Deelite. The company is also known for its kosher and vegan products today, and has expanded and upgraded its production facilities—including the addition of automation and sustainable initiatives—to help meet demand for Hanan’s products.

Milk Cult's Co-Founder and Co-Owner Ed Cornell sits down with R&FF's Layan Dahhan to talk about the origins and inspiration behind his hand-crafted, chef-inspired frozen novelty company, Milk Cult. What started in 2013 as a motorcycle version of a food truck in Washington D.C., has grown into a popular brand with grocery distribution and a devoted following throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. They also discuss the challenges and decisions a startup company faces when expanding production to meet rapidly growing demand, and much more.

Caulipower’s Founder & CEO, Gail Becker, joins Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa to discuss the company’s recent packaging redesign, the R&D process for bringing Caulipower products to market, how the company is faring with current supply chain issues, Caulipower’s community outreach as part of its sustainability strategy, and what really constitutes “better-for-you” cold foods in stores today.

Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa sits down with Peter Bartzis and Liz Vanderhoef from Devanco Foods—which placed first in our 2021 Best New Frozen Retail Products Contest—to discuss the company’s winning No-MSG Chicken Gyros Kits, as well as their overall retail sales growth (150% year-over-year), sustainability goals, new product launches, family focused company culture, and distribution strategies for e-commerce and foodservice, which is rapidly ramping up as pandemic restrictions are lifted.

If ever there was a beverage made for the cold chain, it would be kombucha. The fermented, nutrient-dense drink—which can be created in alcohol and non-alcohol versions—is a living product in need of stable temperatures throughout its journey to store shelves. One of the leading brands in the fast-growing kombucha category is Vermont-based Aqua ViTea. Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa caught up with Aqua ViTea CEO & Founder Jeff Weaber to discuss kombucha’s rise in popularity due to consumer demand for health and wellness options, and how Aqua ViTea successfully pivoted from a profitable keg-based distribution model to bottles and cans during the pandemic.

Lauren Edmonds, newly elected president of the Refrigerated Foods Association (RFA) joins Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa to discuss the RFA’s plans for the coming year, plus how the pandemic is still affecting the refrigerated foods industry through price hikes and shortages on ingredients, a shrinking labor pool, and more. They also discuss Edmonds’ company, St. Clair Foods, and their move to an automated production facility.

Mario DiFalco, VP of innovation and insights at Del Monte Foods, joins the Cold Corner with Austin Keating, multimedia specialist for Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, to discuss the brand’s Veggieful line of frozen foods, and in particular, their award-winning plant-based Pocket Pies.

Jeff Rumachik from the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) joins the Cold Corner again with Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa to analyze the industry’s record year for frozen food sales due to the pandemic and housebound consumers. This coincides with Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ annual Top 150 Frozen Foods Processors Report, which was just published and can be found under The eMagazine tab at the top of R&FF’s website.

Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa checks in with Pablo Rivero, Fresh Del Monte’s VP of marketing for North America, about the company’s new produce processing plant in Gonzales, California, operated by Del Monte subsidiary, Mann Packing, and the sustainable initiatives incorporated in and around the facility. They also discuss Fresh Del Monte’s plans for the rest of 2021.

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods Editor-in-Chief Michael Costa checks in Ryan Riddle, Senior R&D Specialist for Plant-Based Meal Solutions at Nestlé, about the company's Sweet Earth brand, which helped Nestlé grow its plant-based sales by nearly 40% this year. They also discuss why frozen and refrigerated plant-based foods are so popular today, which consumer markets are key targets for plant-based foods, how Nestlé incorporates its plant-based products into the brand’s freezer-aisle favorites like DiGiorno Pizza and Stouffer’s, plus much more.