21st Annual Kosher food & Beverage Show

Who would believe Chipotle Chili Aioli sauce, Pomegranate Acai Mints, or Pina Colada Popcorn would be found in the pantries of today’s kosher consumer?

They are among more than 120,000 kosher certified items, and additional items are on the way. More than 500 newly kosher certified foods will be on display at the 21st annual kosher food, beverage, wine & spirits trade show – Kosherfest 2009 – at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, NJ October 27-28, 2009 (www.kosherfest.com). According to the Mintel Research Organization, kosher remains the most dominant feature on new food items and an estimated 40% of a supermarket’s food products are kosher.

According to Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, V.P. Communications and Marketing for the Orthodox Union (OU) kosher certifying agency, “In the past year there has been significant increase in the number of inquiries and applications by many food companies about OU certification despite the ongoing recession. The companies are well aware that attaining kosher certification can easily increase sales and gain a larger market share. We have particularly noted a spike in applications from every segment of the beverage, baking and organic food categories.”

The kosher symbol seems to be everywhere these days, from exotic sauces and convenient heat ‘n serve foods, to gourmet and customized desserts as well as non-dairy, non-soy and gluten-free products in every food category. Here’s a quick look at some of the kosher newcomers debuting at Kosherfest 2009:

Get Healthy America cheese blintzes with zero trans fats, low sodium & low sugar;
Kolatin® Real Kosher Gelatin made with real kosher bovine that’s parve; SweetNes Enterprises 26 varieties of caramel popcorn (green apple, spicy cinnamon, dark chocolate drizzled, pina colada & more); LUCK CHEN pre-cooked microwaveable Asian noodles in 5 delicious flavors with no preservatives; Holy Cow! Kosher beef jerky in 4 flavors; Homefree parve, nut-free and allergy friendly cookies; Custom Candy Concepts-custom cookies, mints, chocolates & pucker pops (which can be customized with your logo, individual photos, etc), Illinois Nut & Candy (handmade chocolate, custom confections, dessert tables, gift baskets & corporate gifts), Ungar frozen pizza dough; Katz’s gluten-free challah rolls, honey muffins and wholesome breads; Tauber’s Best fresh frozen heat & serve salmon pinwheels with Florentine stuffing, fruit medley stuffing & tilapia spicy salmon stuffing, as well as frozen salmon burgers; MimicCreme, a non-dairy and non-soy gluten-free blend of cashews and almonds cream substitute. Brain Toniq, which touts itself as the only non-caffeinated “think drink” designed to increase mental focus, function and clarity.

Kosher Valley offers kosher turkeys and chickens raised without the use of antibiotics or animal by-products, and are free to roam in a humanely-raised, stress free environment. Tulkoff Food Products offers a line of pre-made bruschetta and tiger sauces and toppings; Savory Desserts offers ready-to-serve individual pecan pies and petite cheesecakes that are lactose-free; Manischewitz will launch all-natural Ready-To-Serve Broth; Garlic Expressions debuts 100% natural marinade & salad dressing; and of course, there are many, many new top-rated and award-winning wines and spirits from purveyors big and small from Israel to California.

Non food-items for the kosher consumer include: KosherKeepers (plastic food storage containers pre-printed “dairy,” “parve,” or “meat” in a variety of shapes and sizes); Davida Aprons offer aprons, bibs and more imprinted with Jewish sayings and humor; Kar-Ben Publishing offers a variety of books for kids including Matzah Meals, a kosher Passover cookbook for kids; Daniel Rogov’s Kosher Wine Guide who also pens the Kosher with Bubbles blog; Great Kosher Restaurants annual magazine published by industry maven Elan Kornblum (www.greatkosherrestaurantscom); KASHRUS Magazine; and the Center for Kosher Culinary Arts, an independent kosher cooking school based in Flatbush, NY.

According to Menachem Lubinsky, co-producer and founder of Kosherfest, “Sales of kosher foods in the past year have increased by double-digits, significantly higher than the U.S. food market in general or for that matter other categories of specialty. Kosher has benefitted from a constantly growing loyal base and the addition of many non-traditional consumers.” He credited the nation’s food retailers with having the “vision and wisdom to buy into a very dynamic and creative market.” The value of the kosher certified products market is over $200 billion, according to KosherToday, an industry newsletter. This year’s kosher food competitions and events will give visitors a taste of the best that kosher has to offer.

Kosherfest 2009 Events

Kosherfest New Products Competition
This highly anticipated event in the kosher food and beverage industry will once again showcase the best of the best new certified-kosher products in 17 categories. There are hundreds of entries from Kosherfest exhibitors and winner will be announced following the event on October 15th. Winning products as well as the other entries in the New Product Showcase will be showcased on the Kosherfest show floor.

Tuesday, October 27th
Kosherfest Keynote Presentation
State of the Kosher Industry: The Marketing of Kosher Foods
Time: 9:00am – 9:45am
Location: Conference Room CD
As the kosher food industry continues to grow; more than 100,000 products carry a kosher symbol. This can be an enormous marketing opportunity, for those who capitalize on this important asset. Over ten million Americans buy kosher food and U.S. supermarkets are seeing a greater growth in this market over non-kosher sales. Menachem Lubinsky, founder of Kosherfest, will discuss how the industry can use its kosher status to make inroads with different segments of the food market, including retail and foodservice.
Speaker: Menachem Lubinsky, President, LUBICOM Marketing/Consulting

OFFICIAL SHOW OPENING
Kosherfest Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Time: 10:00am

Marketing to the Broader Market
Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm
Location: Conference Room CD
Chef Scott Sunshine will show you how to “think outside the box” when it comes to marketing kosher food products to a broader consumer base. This session will cover a variety of topics, including:
· Who is the broader market? Identify the major groups and know what their expectations are.
· Dependable supervision, heschers and what they mean and to whom.
· Product design and market research – sell the market what it wants and get the word out by building a strategic plan.

Book Signing Event
Meet Celebrity Susie Fishbein - Cookbook Author of Kosher By Design
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Location: Booth #137 - Kolatin® Real Kosher Gelatin
Meet Susie at this informal educational Q&A where she will discuss the uses of Kolatin® Real Kosher Gelatin as well as signing her celebrated Kosher By Design cookbook series. Featuring how Kolatin® opens a world of fast & easy recipe creations for the kosher consumer.
Sponsored by: Kolatin® Real Kosher Gelatin

Wednesday, October 28th
2nd Annual Kosherfest Culinary Competition
Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm
Location: Conference Room CD
Watch and learn as chefs prepare their kosher deli sandwich of choice at the 2nd Annual Kosherfest Culinary Competition. A panel of industry professionals will judge and decide who takes the title.
Sponsored by:
Mehadrin Poultry, Great Kosher Restaurants Magazine & Great Kosher Weddings Directory

Crash Course in Gelatin - Presented by The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Location: Conference Room CD
An engaging presentation from the culinary experts at The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts, the only kosher cooking school in the US. This event will feature a demonstration on how to prepare Kolatin® Real Kosher Gelatin for use in cooking & baking, followed by a Q&A on the characteristics and general application of the product. Take your kitchen prowess to the next level by learning how to use gelatin, one of the most versatile ingredients out there!
Sponsored by: Kolatin® Real Kosher Gelatin

Kosherfest 2009 hopes to attract more than 5,000 professional attendees and more than 300 exhibitors from all over the world. For information visit www.kosherfest.com or contact Vianna DiGristina at vdigristina@divcom.com.

Kosherfest is co-produced by Diversified Business Communications of Portland, ME (www.divbusiness.com) and Menachem Lubinsky, president and CEO of LUBICOM (www.lubicom.com).

Diversified Business Communications (DBC) specializes in producing international trade events in the food and beverage industry, and brings more than 40 years experience to buyers and sellers together. DBC’s food industry expositions include four internationally recognized seafood shows, the New England Foodservice & Lodging Expo in Boston, All Things Organic in Chicago, three Fine Food and Hospitality shows in Australia, Expo Comida Latina, All Asia Food and Kosherfest.

Menachem Lubinsky is the Chairman & CEO of LUBICOM Marketing Consulting, a strategic marketing firm that also markets kosher foods. He is the founder of Kosherfest, the world's largest international kosher food trade show, and a prominent figure in the Orthodox Jewish Community.

Kosherfest 2009
Meadowlands Exposition Center
355 Plaza Drive
Secaucus, NJ 07094
201-330-7773
Oct 27, 2009: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Oct 28, 2009: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm