"business" news and stories

Bill Niman, founder of the brand of humanely raised beef and pork that graces the menus of trendy bistros and gastropubs from San Francisco to Austin to New York, says the standards at the company have declined to the point where he will no longer eat the meat.

The current Niman Ranch owners, who gained control of the company to keep it out of bankrupcy last month, disagree. "We believe that our protocols are stronger, the auditing of the protocols more rigorous, and the current business model is more financially viable," said Niman Ranch CEO Jeff Swain, speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle.

When Niman started Niman Ranch on 11 acres of land in Bolinas, California more than 30 years ago, he implemented practices that were previously unheard of in the meat industry, such as not using growth hormones, using antibiotics only to treat illness, and giving animals free range for grazing. Those practices produced tender, well-marbled beef beloved by Bay Area chefs like Alice Waters. But they were also expensive. The company literally never made a profit.

Now, after fighting with new management over use of antimicrobials and what he felt were inhumane cattle transport policies, Niman has sold his stake in the company. Some say he suffered from classic "founders sydrome" - complete resistance to change, even reasonable change.

"I think idealism can pay," Swain told the Chronicle. "But it has to be couched with practicality."

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Artisanal distilleries are exploding across the country, especially in Portland, OR. Exploding onto the business scene that is, since literally exploding distilleries is a bad thing. This confirms what I have been saying the past few years. Hand crafted spirits are getting HUGE. Just to give you some general statistics again: 20 years ago there were around five artisanal distilleries in the US, five years ago around 20, last September 90, right now 150+, a year from now 250+. That is some amazing growth, and you can expect it to continue to keep growing for the next decade.

Some parts of the country are moving along faster than others. Here in Maine there was one that opened for business three years ago, one this time last summer, and one this past spring, with mine in the next few months, and from what I hear on the grape vine there are several more lined up for the future.

But that's mild compared to what's going on in Oregon. There, according to this article in the Seattle Times the southeastern part of the city of Portland is starting to get nicknames like "Distillery Row" and "Libations Alley." There are at least ten artisanal distilleries in Oregon and that number is continuing to grow. Oregon is #2 in the nation for most artisanal distilleries in the state, with California #1 with around 22.

Here's a novel idea: compare pictures of food advertisements to pictures of the actual food product. That's all this photo collection at Anvari is - no commentary, just pictures of perky Whoppers with bright green lettuce and firm tomato slices next to pictures of gray, deflated Whoppers leaking slimy onions. Compare the fluffy piles of snow white mashed potatoes and thick, geometric slices of meatloaf on the outside of the Stouffer's frozen dinner box with the mushy, brownish reality; see how the evenly tossed, colorful confetti of a Taco Bell taco salad ad stacks up against the oily, monotone mush sitting on the counter.

I'd love to get behind the scenes and watch a food stylist work a photo shoot - I've heard glue is often substituted for milk, sesame seeds are evenly placed on buns using tweezers and grill marks are achieved using irons.

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The Italians must be pissed.

The European Court Justice ruled that Germany can keep calling that hard, salty, crumbly cheese often grated on top of pasta and pizza "parmesan." Italy and the European Commission had filed suit against Germany for labeling their non-Italian-made cheese as Parmesan even though it had not been made in the Italian region of Parma.

Wait, I'm pretty sure that the grated "Parmesan" they sell in those green-topped plastic bottles at the grocery store for $2.99 isn't from Parma either.

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Trader Joe's is a newcomer to my neck of the woods, opening in Chapel Hill just a few months ago. I'm a huge fan – whenever I can deal with the crowds I head over there to pick up my growing list of favorites. So far my favorites include their almond butter, Greek yogurt, sweet and spicy walnuts, paper bag pecks of "eco apples," Triple Ginger snaps, dried mango with chili and red pepper hummus.

But I have also had some real losers. The frozen hamburgers I had a few weeks ago were as hard as hockey pucks, with a weird, almost gamy smell. An apricot flan tart tasted of sticky cardboard, like an office meeting Danish left to dry for a week on the boardroom table. I was thinking of picking up some dessert for tonight, but I don't want to risk another disaster.

There have been plenty of Trader Joe's "favorites" lists in the past, but seeing how their stock changes so ridiculously fast, I'd love to start another one. So tell me, please, what's your favorite thing at TJ's? What to avoid?

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