There are brands that have proved staying power time and time again. One of the best examples is Kleenex®. Most of you reading this would agree you have more than often uttered the phrase “ I need a Kleenex®,” which of course is the brand. You should be saying, “I need a tissue.” These types… Read more »
WHAT’S COLD JUST KEEPS GETTING HOTTER!
You could say gelato is having the best year or decade ever, depending on which source you consult. While it’s an Italian frozen dessert that’s been around for thousands of years, to many Americans it’s the latest “IT” dessert to hit retail spaces and shelves, inching out traditional ice cream and trendy frozen yogurt. The Truth… Read more »
THE EVOLUTION OF PASTRY AND THE PASTRY CHEF
Desserts have always held a place in the world, but the carefully crafted and gourmet side that pastry falls under has managed to lead a rather unpredictable existence. Two years ago at a prominent industry event the moderator of a culinary panel made a bold statement claiming “the pastry chef is dead.” It sparked quite… Read more »
TOP 10: THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING
A FOOD INGREDIENT MANUFACTURER Why Meeting The Highest Standard Is So Important Sourcing ingredients is one of the top priorities for any food businesses from stocking a kitchen to packaging products delivered direct to retail. In recent years, it’s become increasingly important with consumers sizing up where things are made and from what. First a… Read more »
THE EVOLUTION OF QSRS
Change Is Abundant In This Competitive Sector The competition in quick service restaurants (QSRs) has always been stiff. Now more than ever the world of fast food is exploding with new ideas and concepts that are making it hard to keep score of who is leading the race. The need for this innovation stems from… Read more »
CONDIMENTS, SAUCES, & DRESSINGS, OH MY!
Taking Over The Food Industry Are These Little Additions, And The Next Frontier Is Desserts Guilty! I am one of millions of Americans guilty of dipping, spreading, layering and squeezing sauces, condiments and dressings all over my food. I am the one requesting a side of barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, sweet and sour sauce, and… Read more »
CHOCOLATE & FRUIT PAIRINGS
A Cheat Sheet To What Pairs Best When you think of desserts, usually a chocolate or fruit-based dish comes to mind. Both are classic dessert ingredients that transcend the ages. When you combine the two together, they become a powerful force that can make any dish pop. Whether made at home or in the world’s… Read more »
A CULTURE OF PROBIOTICS
A Look At The Latest Technology In Probiotics When did the food and beverage industry become so enthralled and proactive about our digestive health? From Activia® yogurt to ingredient supplements, a staunch focus on probiotics and the health benefits they offer is all over supermarkets and countless television advertisements. All of this attention has raised… Read more »
What We Are Loving
A look at the hottest products at PreGel right now Swirling Up Endless Pancake Combinations Our latest Super Sprint Pancakes & Maple Syrup has got our team in a frenzy of recipe creation as it opens the door for so many options. At the shows, we are swirling it with Blueberry Soft Serve to create… Read more »
The State of the Frozen Yogurt Industry
Is It In or Out, the Skinny on Frozen Yogurt Today Frozen yogurt is Dead! Froyo Is the Next Cupcake! Frozen Yogurt’s Future is Bleak! Endless Closings of Frozen Yogurt Shops, Who’s Next? Frozen Yogurt Is So Yesterday! Can FroYo Survive? Recent headlines on frozen yogurt are relentless and scary, but are they true? In… Read more »
What we are loving at PreGel right now
2015 Trends Checklist
2015 is here, are you ready to serve up the New Year’s most top anticipated trends? For most of you, I am betting you are just trying to survive wrapping up the holiday season before you can even digest and plan for the upcoming year. With that in mind, we are packaging up all the… Read more »
The Story of Views from the Tree
In our last official issue of Views from the Tree, there is no better story to tell than that of our very own magazine in the Back to Our Roots column. It’s been six years since its inauguration and it has evolved throughout the years, raising the bar each and every issue. As we close… Read more »
What we are loving at PreGel right now
Affogato You might say we have an espresso cult following here at PreGel. Perhaps it’s the Italian heritage, but I am not kidding when I tell you we even have a trio that has the same special espresso cups to sip their hot, caffeinated goodness with each day. So it’s no surprise that we also… Read more »
The Big 5: Frozen Dessert Basics
The frozen dessert category is growing and evolving every day with numerous additions to the category in all facets of business from grocery shelves to QSRs. Ice cream, gelato, sorbet, frozen yogurt and custard are only the cusp of what’s out there, but constitute the BIG 5 of what shops are outputting. However, consumers are… Read more »
What We Are Loving at PreGel Right Now
A Chocolate We Can Call Our Own PreGel Cacao Essenziale™ Azima 44% Milk Chocolate Couverture – say that five times fast. Better yet, just eat it. This is what I like to call the “sweet sister” in the company’s new line of chocolates that was created by our own Corporate Chef Frederic Monti. The couverture… Read more »
Frozen Novelties: Simple Additions to Increase Profits
As the evening rush comes to an end each night, you take inventory of the leftover pans of gelato, the blinking lights on the soft serve machines indicating which flavors are low and the dipping cabinet’s nearly empty ice cream buckets. You determine what needs to be produced and hesitate as you make the move… Read more »
PreGel Favorites: What We Are Loving Right Now
Winter White No we unfortunately aren’t talking about fashion, but we are talking about our favorite refreshing Mint – White Traditional Paste and PreGel 5-Star Chef Pastr y SelectTM White Mint Compound. Nothing says winter to us more than the burst of peppermint paste that is great for layering in pans of Pino Pinguino® Nero,… Read more »
Computers vs. People: Touch Screen Ordering
In a recent long layover at the Minnesota airport I ventured with a friend to a restaurant where as soon as we sat, an iPad awaited our order. It first asked us to swipe our card, and then we together navigated through it to order a drink, followed by dinner. For the most part it… Read more »
Berry Healthy: Basics 101: To Know Butter is to Love Butter
Paul Child once said to Julia Child, “You are the butter to my bread, you are the breath to my life.” A beautiful quote and sincere statement of love with a lot of truth to it, because bread just isn’t as wonderful unless it’s accompanied by true, creamy, melt-in-your mouth butter. Butter is a quintessential… Read more »
PreGel Favorites: Fall & Winter Flavors
Welcome back to the second installment of What We Are Loving at PreGel Right Now! We are so excited about some of our fall and winter products coming out and hope you are too. This time of year is always filled with nostalgia so planning product launches is always a favorite of the staff. We… Read more »
Top Ten: Crazy Flavor Ideas
Whether it’s froyo, gelato or good ol’ ice cream, flavors are becoming more and more unique as the minds of chefs and dessert professionals go wild with endless pairings of all kinds. From ethnic-inspired to savory meets sweet, the ideas are sometimes scary, oftentimes amazing and so out of this world it’s hard to imagine… Read more »
PreGel Favorites: What We Are Loving at PreGel Right Now
Our staff at PreGel AMERICA is very knowledgeable about the products we carry. It’s our job to taste them, try them in applications and determine if our customer base (you!) would be interested. Recently, it occurred to me why aren’t we sharing these experiences and the excitement of what we are loving with our customers…. Read more »
Back to Our Roots: Jack Duke – A Texan-Italian with a Passion for Sales
If you haven’t yet met Jack Duke, PreGel AMERICA’s national sales manager, rest assured he will make it to your businesses sooner or later for a face-to-face, and when he does, it’s hard to miss this 6’3″, Texan and Italian (more on that later), his passion for the job and of course gelato. In fact,… Read more »
Back to our Roots: PreGel’s Triumphant Return to the World’s Greatest Gelato Show
Every January, the seaside town of Rimini, Italy comes to life in the dead of winter when thousands make the homage to one of the dessert world’s largest events, Sigep. To most in the U.S. it sounds like another trade show complete with vendors exhibiting, attendees milling about and extremely overpriced lunch stands. In some… Read more »
Berry Healthy: Basics 101: Understanding the Benefits of Fresh Versus Powdered Egg Whites
If the culinary world had a boxing match, the headliner would be fresh ingredients versus powdered/concentrate ingredients. Trending are locally sourced, organic ingredients, which we can all appreciate, but are the alternatives really all that bad? In the culinary world, every ingredient out there serves a purpose. Today’s underdogs, the powders, concentrates and innovative ingredients… Read more »
Top Ten: Mistakes Dessert Businesses are Making
10. Don’t let the dessert be the low point of a dining experience. So many restaurants fail to recognize that a bad dessert can kill the experience, that’s why having a pastry chef or securing top-notch desserts to serve is so critical. 9. In pastry competitions, mise en place and cleanliness are just as important… Read more »
Back to Our Roots: A Glimpse at Our Neighbors Up North
This issue of Views from the Tree, we are toasting our neighbors up north at our Canadian subsidiary (if you turn to page 11, you will also find a Q&A with two of our Canadian customers) So similar yet so different, the subsidiary and employees, the market and the customers are relatable to U.S. specialty… Read more »
Back to our Roots: The Man Trapped in the Tangled Web of Logistics
Imports and exports to and from countries, distributors and businesses are an extremely important operation for global companies, and PreGel is no exception. Though the company has been doing it for over 45 years, the daily changes in legislation, paperwork, country requirements, taxes and every other detail can be and usually are extremely tedious. Shuffling… Read more »
Back to Our Roots: Conquering The World … of Desserts
PreGel AMERICA (PGA) caters to the greater market of the entire U.S., including Hawaii, Alaska and U.S. territories, but that’s not all. The “AMERICA” in the name means PGA also encompasses the continents of North and South America. I know you are thinking you’ve heard of PreGel CANADA and PreGel MEXICO, both which are wholly… Read more »
Berry Healthy: Basics 101: Creams for Pastry & Baking
Creams are abundant in the pastry, baking and frozen dessert world. Each variety of cream such as whipping cream, light cream and sour cream serves a very different purpose and has its own unique properties. The key is to not get them confused and understand what and when a type of cream can be used… Read more »
Back to Our Roots: Modern-Day Heroes Hiding in the Racks of PreGel’s Warehouse
They emulate the strong colors of blue and red with their carefully coordinated outfits that begin with blue pants and end with a pristine blue and red top. They are always moving and flexing their muscles as they haul heavy objects coming and going on a daily basis. They maneuver with their specialty vehicles in…
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After two years of research, a few glimpses at industry shows and a lot of anticipation, PreGel is finally ready to reveal its newest product line this winter, and it is really “Twisting Traditional Up” in the dessert and beverage world. A New Brand to Know Branded as Caféttone™, Fruittone™ and Yogurttone™, PreGel is serving… Read more » “Thank you for calling PreGel AMERICA.” This is the voice you hear everytime you call, the voice that places your order, the voice that helps you pronounce “Arabeschi®,” the voice that listens and offers advice on the newest recipe you tried, and the voice that helps you get through the latest crisis – this is… Read more » There’s a good, a bad and an ugly to the world of social couponing. The best way to avoid seeing your marketing investment flounder is to understand the intricacies of the strategy and investment before handing over your business’s marketing budget. A solid knowledge base and commitment to the program can result in a hefty… Read more » Seeking new markets and ventures, PreGel AMERICA’s Key Accounts division launched in 2008. The division was created based on the emerging and specific needs of the company’s high-level clients in key areas such as quick-service restaurants, cruise lines, high-yield bakeries, supermarkets and food manufacturers. Spearheaded by former East Coast Sales Manager Anna Pata, the department… Read more » For thousands of years, muses have inspired some of the world’s most creative works. Be it animal, plant or human, these muses have brought out the greatness in all fields of the arts including painting, sculpture, fashion and even culinary. For every fashion designer inspired by Gisele Bündchen’s Brazilian sexiness, there is a culinary chef… Read more » A closer look at the BIG trend of reinventing classic desserts As a professional marketer in the food industry, researching and reviewing the major trends in the industry and evaluating their staying power is a part of the everyday job. There are many trends that come and go like the seasons, while others are staples… Read more » In between the haute restaurant cultures of New York City and Chicago lies a business in the small town of Huron, Ohio, that is cultivating its own chic food culture through artisanal produce and herbs. From micro greens and herbs to specialty edible flowers, The Chef’s Garden, a sustainable family farm, is luring in top… Read more » PreGel is the global leader in specialty dessert ingredients, and while superior product quality is most often attributed as a major factor for this position, all too often overlooked is its global access. PreGel can be found around the world, it has a presence virtually everywhere frozen desserts and delicious pastries are consumed. This global… Read more »What’s Blooming: Twisting Traditional Up
Back to Our Roots: It All Starts with the Voice at the Other End of the Line
The World of SOCIAL COUPONING – A Trip to the Bank or Bankruptcy?
Back to Our Roots: Key Accounts – Steering PreGel AMERICA Toward New Waters
What’s Blooming: Vanilla, the Muse of Today’s Top Culinary Trends
Sweet Reinvention
Finding the Perfect Herb: The Chef’s Garden Is Simplifying the Journey for Pastry Chefs
Back to Our Roots: Around the World with PreGel
