Editor's Pick: Red Rocker Candy

“My dream is to shape a self-sustaining organization based on the old-fashioned values of family, quality, goodness and customer enjoyment,” says Sue Charney, owner of Red Rocker Candy, a confections company based in the small town of Troy, Virginia.

With a humble beginning in Southern California, Red Rocker Candy started with a desire to produce the best toffees, brittles and other confections to gift for friends, family, coworkers, etc. What they created was something more. Charney’s products bring back nostalgic, rich flavors of times gone by—a time when making products handmade meant something special.

The toffees are rich and buttery with roasted cashews perfectly blended; their white chocolate indulgent and sweet. But where the Rocking Chair extraordinaires had me sold was their signature blend, The Rocking Chair Mix. Because life is sweeter when snacks are coated with thick layers of creamy white chocolate, the Rocking Chair Mix features a blend of cereals, pretzels and whole roasted almonds, all en-robed in the creamy confection. The chocolate melts in your mouth before the salty, crunchy mix becomes your new favorite after-lunch snack.

Other fan favorites include the Toffee and Brittles. The brittles, Pecan and Peanut, are crunchy, rather than chewy; they're made with rich butter, pure sugar, and they’re not skimping on the Virginia Jumbo Peanuts or savory pecans. Perfect for gifting, their limited edition Barks include a Peppermint Bark hand made with a layer of rich dark chocolate, swirls of white chocolate (infused with peppermint oil) and sprinkled with crushed peppermints for an added boost of flavor. At Red Rocker Candy, fantastic ingredients and a passion for confections has proved a recipe for success.

Editor's Pick: Lola Granola Bars

The other editors and I do a lot of traveling for trade shows. When we are only at them for a few days and have so much to see and do, we try not to take too much time out of our busy schedules for eating. Each trip, we try to pack a few heathy, filling snacks to tie us over between breakfast and dinner. I recently discovered Lola Granola Bars, and they were the perfect snack to bring to the most recent show that I attended.

Lola Granola Bars are gluten-free and gmo-free and are packed with protein to give busy people the energy that they need during the day. The tasty, filling bars come in a five flavors, each one is named after the founder's children and her nephew. Most of the ingredients are sourced in the U.S., with many of them coming from the Northeast where the company is located.

Lola Granola Bars not only provides tasty, healthy snacks to retailers, it also provides food for kids anti-hunger back pack programs, so your customers can feel good about buying something for themselves.

Editor's Pick: Passage Foods

Passage Foods creates a way for you to travel the world by cooking your meals at home. Their line of Simmer Sauces are created by chefs around the world, using their knowledge of regional cuisine and age-old recipes. Each sauce is made with fresh, all natural ingredients that, when added to meat, seafood or vegetables, create an authentic international dish, right in your own kitchen.

I made Passage to Japan Teriyaki Chicken for dinner last week, and it was a huge hit. After boiling chicken and tossing some veggies in a pan, I added rice and the simmer sauce for a quick meal that actually was filling. I have noticed the growing popularity in Japanese food recently, so it was nice to be able to try making a meal myself. The mild and sweet flavor paired perfectly with the rest of the dish, and tastes how I would expect a Japanese restaurant to prepare their dishes for me if I joined them for dinner.

Currently, Passage Simmer Sauces give customers a passport to India, Thailand, Morocco, China, Mexico, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Korea, Russia and Spain.

Editor’s Pick: Mediterra Nutrition Bars

Less of a diet and more of a lifestyle, the Mediterranean Diet emphasizes consuming more whole grains, fruits, greens and healthy fats, and less meats and sweets. This is what Mediterra is offering their customers.

Inspired by this diet, Mediterra brings to shelves ready-to-eat nutrition bars that fuel the marathon that is life. Savory bars, Yogurt and Oats bars, and Sesame Honey Energy bars are the three styles you’ll find at Mediterra. A favorite of the editors here are the Yogurt and Oat Bars, a certified kosher choice featuring a yogurt style coating and seven grams of protein. The bars, in Yogurt/Oat/Cherry/Pistachio and Yogurt/Oat/Apricot/Pistachio, also feature fig paste, sunflower seeds and raisins.

The company’s Savory Bars, rich in vegetable content, but low in calories, sodium and sugar, also contain protein-rich pea crisps and a touch of olive oil. A perfect middle-of-the-day snack for those craving a savory treat, the bars serve as an alternative to sweets and provide super foods and amaranth, an ancient grain. Flavors include Tomato/Basil/Capers and Olive/Walnut/Chives.

The third variety, the Sesame Honey Energy Bars, traditionally known as Pasteli, are dairy-free and contain only a few ingredients, roasted sesame being the most dominant. With the addition of Greek honey, pistachios from Aegina Island and even orange peel, the combination makes for a natural mix flavors with long-lasting energy.