Modmix: The First USDA Certified Organic Cocktail Mixer

"PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Inspired by three women and their love of organic living, clean design, and a finely crafted cocktail, Modmix, the first USDA certified organic cocktail mixer, makes its Oregon debut during Portland's 4th Annual PDX Fashion Week October 19-24. Designers, models and 'fashionistas' can unwind after a long day on the catwalk with a stylish Modmix cocktail available at the main and VIP bars during PDX Fashion Week.

Exclusive to the PDX Fashion Show, Modmix has created two signature drinks to celebrate the event entitled the "Fashionista Margarita" and the "Couture Mojito." Both specialty cocktails embody the spirit of Portland with the style of the show and can best be described as Portland perfection with a twist!"

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Whole Foods Launches Organic Wines

"Whole Foods Market , the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket, introduces Green Path wines, organically grown and sustainably packaged Chardonnay and Shiraz, to its stores this month.

Green Path wines are made with certified organic grapes using a growing process with minimal environmental impact. The winery’s sustainable practices also include vigilant water management and waste recycled as compost. Additionally, Green Path wines are bottled in environmentally friendly Tetra Pak Tetra Prisma packaging.

“Whole Foods Market has designated September as Organic Harvest Month, and with the launch of such products as Green Path wines, we hope to emphasize our dedication to organically grown and sustainably produced products,” said Ron Megahan, Whole Foods Market Pacific Northwest regional president."

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BrandStorm Inc. Introduces Gojilania Juice to the Nation

"BrandStorm Inc. announced today that it has expanded distribution for Gojilania, its organic fresh-pressed Goji juice. The full line of Gojilania-branded juices is now available at natural and organic foods markets throughout North America.

The Goji berry (Lycium Barbarum L.) has long been revered for its properties believed to be associated with vitality and longevity. Loaded with nutrients, Gojilania is made from all-natural Goji berries, contains no added sweeteners, no other juices, no artificial ingredients and is rich in high-potency antioxidant Vitamin C, beta carotene, B vitamins, amino acids, potassium, protein, and polysaccharides."

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Frutzzo Unveils New Yumberry Juice

"Frutzzo, a pioneer in producing high-antioxidant super juices since 1999 (pomegranate juices since 2002 and the first organic pomegranate juice since 2003), today introduces to the U.S. the first juice from the Yumberry, a subtropical fruit harvested for
over 2,000 years. Yumberry is unusually rich in Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins (OPCs), the most powerful class of free-radical-scavenging antioxidants believed to support every metabolic system in the body.

Natural healing defense in a bottle, Frutzzo's Yumberry juice and juice blends are uniquely high in vitamins, minerals, food fibers and nutrients crucial for the human body. As well, if antioxidants had a "super hero," it would be OPCs, the major constituent of Yumberry's health benefits."

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Bionade Vs. World?

"Beer? Coke? Evian? All passé -- in Germany at least. A new organic soda called Bionade has taken the country by storm and now has its sights set on the world. But, as the company is now discovering, success brings its own problems.

It's a success story that sounds suspiciously like it might have been conceived in Hollywood. An entrepreneur sees that his family business is failing; spends years and virtually all the firm's money in developing a new product; and finally, 20 years later, his vision becomes a runaway hit."

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Got Hemp Milk?

"The herd of non-dairy milks has gained a strong ‘bull’ of a competitor – Hemp Bliss organic hempmilk from Manitoba Harvest (www.manitobaharvest.com). Consumer demand for dairy milk alternatives has been growing for many years due to vegetarian preferences and concerns about dietary sensitivities to dairy, growth hormones in dairy milks, and animal rights and other environmental issues associated with dairy production. Some people simply don’t enjoy the flavor of dairy milk and find that they can gain nutrition by tastier means."

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Review of Honest Kids

"Honest Kids Organic Thirst Quencher. Goodness Grapeness, Berry Berry Good Lemonade, and Tropical Tango Punch. 69 to 99 cents per 6.75-ounce pouch or $4.99 to $5.49 per 8-pouch multipack.

Bonnie: Honest Tea has a new line of organic, naturally fruit-flavored, lightly sweetened drinks for kids. Each contains less than half the sugar of most other pouched drinks, without the use of high-fructose corn syrup. I like that. I also like that these contain some juice (7 percent to 10 percent) and provide 100 percent of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C. But I still think they're a bit too sweet."

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Clif Wine

"Clif Bars are a staple part of any backpacking trip I've ever been on.

These chewy energy bars, in my opinion, are the best on the market--they are neither too much like cookies nor too much like paste. They've got great flavors such as Cool Mint Chocolate, Peanut Toffee Buzz, Crunchy Peanut butter and they are all packed with carbohydrates, protein, and fiber to increase blood sugar levels and boost energy.

The family owned business, which has done quite well providing outdoorsmen with all the healthy nutrients they need, are now branching out to a product with entirely different benefits: wine."

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New from Choice Organic Teas

"To help beat the heat of summer, Choice Organic Teas introduces three delicious, organic and Fair Trade Certified™ iced teas for foodservice. Organic Black Iced Tea, Organic Mango Ceylon Iced Tea and Organic Moroccan Mint Green Iced Tea are available in cases of 30 pre-portioned 3-ounce packets, which yield 3 gallons of freshly steeped tea when used in an automatic iced tea brewer. These products will debut at the National Association of College and University Food Service's Annual Conference in Seattle on July 12 - 13, 2007. For samples and information on these new iced tea products, stop by booth 144."

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ENERGY: The First Certified Organic Energy Drink

"New Organic essn ENERGY is the first USDA certified Organic and Mission Organic energy beverage delivering pure-energy sourced from nature, not test tubes.

Organic essn ENERGY is produced by San Francisco Bay Area-based SkylarHaley, whose award winning product portfolio includes essn sparkling juices, Stoneridge Orchards dried fruits and AchievONE nutritional coffee beverage. New essn ENERGY'S innovative formula is derived from nature's own super nutrients and powerful antioxidants including Kenyan Green Tea, Brazilian Yerba Mate and Guarana."

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Syzmo: The Organic Energy Drink

"Integrated BioPharma's (Nasdaq:INBP) wholly owned subsidiary, The Organic Beverage Company, today announced the launch of its new Syzmo(tm) flavored drinks aimed at the high-growth, convenience and on-premises mainstream energy drink category. These new offerings will be widely available in mid-July. Syzmo(tm) products are currently sold through stores and distributors such as Whole Foods and Tree of Life.

"At the same time that we roll out the new flavors, we are also presenting our new packaging for this much broader distribution channel," said Jeffrey O'Neal, President of The Organic Beverage Company."

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I would be bouncing off the walls if I drank even a sip of this stuff! Take a look at their website and try to tell me that drink wouldn't make you crazy too! (Well, I guess that's the point.) But hey, at least it's organic.

Coffee Crisis

"A move by the US to change the organic certification process is likely to make it more expensive and difficult for small-scale organic coffee growers in the developing countries, who produce the bulk of organic coffee in the world, to continue to survive.

"The Coffee Crisis” used to refer to the disastrous plunge in world coffee prices in the 1980s and 1990s that bankrupted hundreds of thousands of smallholders around the world. The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) is now poised to bring us the ‘Organic Coffee Crisis.’ With a breathtaking disregard for transparency, consultation and public debate, the NOP is moving to make it prohibitively expensive and logistically impossible for small-scale organic coffee growers."

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Caribou Coffee to Offer Organic Acai Pulp Smoothie

"Beginning June 25, Caribou Coffee will sell its first-ever Acai (pronounced ah-sci-ee) Smoothie at all Caribou Coffee locations. "Caribou Coffee is the first coffeeshop in the country to offer an Acai Smoothie," states Michael Coles, Chairman and CEO of Caribou Coffee. "We have always had smoother, better tasting coffee at Caribou, and now we have a wonderful, new smoothie for our customers to enjoy that not only tastes great but has some great health benefits as well!"

"..Our Acai Smoothie is a bright purple, icy blend of organic Acai berry pulp and guarana seed, a natural source of caffeine. Consumers who enjoy a sustained energy boost and prefer real fruit beverages are sure to love the Caribou Coffee Acai Smoothie."

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Organic Beer Fest

"Beer geeks and granola chewers will want to flag June 8 and 9 to attend the North American Organic Brewers Festival. Last year’s festival drew close to 3,000 attendees for a one-day event featuring 17 breweries.

The NAOBF is growing like the proverbial biodynamically farmed corn stalk, with two days this year to explore the tasty brews of the now 30 featured breweries."

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Just Add Water

Don't have the time in the morning to brew a cup of organic coffee? Then Java Juice is right for you.

"Just in time for camping season, the Food Network's series Unwrapped features Java Juice(R), a "machine-less" liquid coffee essence. On the upcoming Unwrapped segment titled "On the Go," foodies will discover why the liquid concentrate was an immediate hit with the outdoor industry.

.."Until Java Juice, premium portable organic extract did not exist," explains Karno, who is also known for his commitment to progressive relationship coffee-purchasing practices. The extract is sourced only from fair traded, shade-grown, certified kosher, organic coffee beans. "With Java Juice(R), we have created an organic, socially responsible coffee product you can add water to, cook and travel with. What more could you ask for?" Karno said."

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New Organic Valley Strawberry and Vanilla Milk

"Organic Valley is now offering its Shelf Stable Single Serve Milk in organic Strawberry and Vanilla flavors.

"Kids and families are on the go year-round, but especially in the summer," said Sara Tedeschi, community nutrition educator for Organic Valley. "When you're out and about, finding healthy food and drink choices can be a challenge. Fortunately, with shelf stable Organic Valley single serve milk, you can take nutritious organic milk with you pretty much anywhere, with no refrigeration necessary."

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I'm assuming they decided on those flavors because of popularity. Either that or they are trying to compete with Horizon who already offers chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and plain single serve milks. Of course, the difference between Horizon and Organic Valley is one company is actually organic and the other probably isn't.

Apple Rush Gets Certified

"Apple Rush division last week passed both its Organic and Kosher Certification inspections, allowing all its pre-sold orders to be released.

Apple Rush Company personnel recently sampled Apple Rush at the All Things Organic (ATO) Trade Show in Chicago May 6-8. The heavily attended show was running concurrent with Grocery industry’s FMI and United Produce Shows, as well as the Spring Fancy Food Show, where buyers from all channels crowded the booth and showed major interest in both the bottle and the forthcoming can line. With Apple Rush Company’s beverages now fully credentialed, all doors are open to the expanding product line. The company’s personnel saw that full potential at the ATO Show with buyers from large and smaller regional grocery, natural and specialty food chains agreeing to take the line on now. The company also received unexpected interest from foodservice buyers, both in the U.S. and overseas."

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Apple Rush sells 100% certified organic juices. Flavors include traditional apple, strawberry apple, cranberry apple, raspberry apple, black cherry apple and pomegrante apple. (That must take a lot of apples.)

Utah's First Organic Beer

After years of teasing Utahns with such titillating beer labels as Chasing Tail and Captain Bastard, Squatters is going natural. Now on tap is Squatters Organic Amber Ale, the state's first and only certified organic beer. The ale is brewed from organic pale and caramel malted barley and aromatic hops. The taste, says brewmaster Jenny Talley, is a caramel-like maltiness with a hint of sweetness. Organic certification requires high levels of cleanliness and sanitation that already were in place, said Talley. But it also requires strict segregation of ingredients "from grain to glass."

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It's so funny to see news stories about organic alcohol because the reporter always ends with "But it IS alcohol so moderation is still key." I really hope people wouldn't be dumb enough to think "Hey! It's organic, so that means it's good for me and I can drink as much as I want!"

All About Organic Tea and Coffee

If you are new to the idea of organic teas and coffee, this article will be of some help to you. If you aren't, then forgive this useless post!

"Wild Thyme Whole Food & Tea owner Jill Lyons said, "You won't have to worry about any of the pesticides or chemicals that are sometimes used on the tea leaves. In order to create a more suitable environment, instead the farmers are the ones who create the more suitable environment."

To be considered an organic coffee or tea farm, strict guidelines are required.

Lyons said, "You have to first of all apply. You have to get your farm in compliance with certain particular structures. In the U.S. there is an organic certification system that is kind of standardized, and there is a certain expectation level."

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Honest Kids

Honest Tea announced a new line of kid friendly organic beverages will be made available to the public in April. That's just a few weeks away! Isn't it crazy how quickly the year goes by?

APRIL 2007! Honest Tea Launches Honest Kids: Lower in Sugar, Caffeine Free and Certified Organic
Beginning in April 2007, we will be launching Honest Kids drink pouches. These organic thirst quenchers will be available in three delicious varieties: Berry Berry Good Lemonade, Goodness Grapeness, and Tropical Tango Punch. Each has less than half the sugar and calories of most juice pouch drinks and is filled with a full day's supply of Vitamin C.

For more information on Honest Tea, visit their website. (FYI, it loads really crazy on my computer, but that might be because my computer is four years old.)