July 27th, 2010
Food Business News reports in its July 6 issue that cocoa demand is, in fact, quite
elastic.
As a result of the economy, consumer demand for high-end chocolate, which uses cocoa butter, plummeted. At the same time, demand for compound chocolate, which uses cocoa powder, rose. Since equal amounts of butter and powder are made in the processing operation, many processors cut back or shut down, resulting in a very tight market for cocoa powder.
The International Cocoa Organization expects demand and prices to increase through 2011. Many cocoa buyers have held off making their purchases and are now experiencing 24 week delivery times.
Gillco has planned for this shortage and we have limited supplies available. If you would like to secure your organic cocoa supply for the first half of 2011, please contact us as soon as possible so we can reserve your requirements.
Tags: Cargill, Organic Food Ingredients
Posted in Organic Industry, Product News, Uncategorized |
June 23rd, 2010
U.S. sports nutrition sales are expected to reach $3.5 billion by 2013.

Gillco is now distributing Danisco’s BetaPower Natural Betaine, a natural nutrient for athletic strength and performance. BetaPower is an ideal ingredient for various sports nutrition formulations including supplements and beverages.
A recent study conducted by the University of Connecticut measured the increase in performance levels of athletes who consumed 2.5 grams of betaine per day over a two week period. The results indicated:
- More powerful jumping (+7%)
- More powerful bench throw (+30%)
- More forceful squat (+8%)
- More forceful bench press (+35%)
And improved results were evident in ALL of the athletes tested. Additionally, betaine protects against dehydration, reduces cardiovascular disease and can improve liver and kidney function.
Betaine available on the market can be of natural or synthetic origin and it is not always clear from the product labels. Make sure your product contains the guaranteed high quality and purity of Danisco’s BetaPower.
Read more about BetaPower.
Tags: Danisco
Posted in Product News |
June 2nd, 2010
Gillco is now distributing the Gerkens® brand of organic cocoa powder from Cargill. We offer 10/12 natural and 10/12 lightly alkalized organic cocoa powders that are manufactured following strict food safety and quality standards.

According to Hugo van der Goes, Cargill’s VP Cocoa & Chocolate, “We are pleased to offer our customers this line of organic cocoa powder, which builds on Cargill’s strong product portfolio and provides even more opportunities to share the ingredients and knowledge to help our customers succeed.”
Gillco is especially proud of Cargill’s commitment to doubling the number of Farmer Field Schools in Cote d’Ivoire to 300 by mid-2010. This commitment celebrates Cargill’s ten years of successful cocoa farmer training and highlights Cargill’s belief that training farmers is a key to building a sustainable supply chain, increasing farmers’ incomes and supporting the growth of cocoa farming.
Read more about organic cocoa powder.
Tags: Cargill, new products, Organic Food Ingredients
Posted in Organic Industry, Product News |
May 25th, 2010

Sea salt is enjoying a wave of popularity with consumers.
Research shows that consumers prefer products with sea salt; 64% of those surveyed found sea salt’s “less refined” characteristics to be its most appealing attribute; nearly 50% viewed sea salt as having less sodium; more than 55% said sea salt gives food a more intense taste; and 79% said they would be interested in purchasing grocery products made with sea salt.
The number of US sea salt product introductions grew from 1,094 in 2008 to 1,816 in 2009 with the top categories being soups, salty snacks, breakfast cereals, herb/seasoning products and ready meals. Food marketers who choose to incorporate sea salt into food products can help satisfy consumers growing desire for great taste while providing an image of less-refined, high-quality ingredients. To resonate with consumers’ expectations, we suggest that food marketers promote salt’s pure and authentic attributes.
Gillco is excited to announce our partnership with Cargill Salt, the leading supplier of sea salt to the food manufacturing industry. Cargill’s portfolio of food grade sea salts is designed to meet your manufacturing needs and includes: Purified Sea Salt, Purified Sea Salt with YPS, Purified Sea Salt Untreated, Purified Sea Salt Fine and Purified Sea Salt Powder as well as Sea Salt Grinder and Sea Salt Extra Coarse Topping.
Read more about sea salt.
Tags: Cargill, new products
Posted in Product News |
May 20th, 2010
Childhood obesity and diabetes are significant global concerns. The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry recently passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, a $4.5 billion child nutrition program. The program has three guiding principles:
1. Ensuring all children who are eligible for nutriton programs participate
2. Improving the nutritional quality of foods provided to children
3. Streamlining administration and improving the integrity of child nutrition programs

At the heart of Danisco’s health and wellness value proposition is the synergistic interplay of active and enabling ingredients to deliver food products that promote good health and great taste. The enablers — stabilizers, emulsifiers, enzymes and cultures — help reduce sugar, fat and calories while maintaining desirable sensory characteristics. Danisco’s active ingredient (probiotics, prebiotic fiber, etc.) work together with enablers to ensure the optimum combination of taste, texture and nutritional benefits.
Gillco distributes Danisco’s full line of active and enabling food ingredients.
Tags: Danisco
Posted in Product News |
May 17th, 2010
Our relationship with Danisco has resulted in a broader product line which now includes functional ingredients for frozen foods.
Our product line now includes tailored blends of emulsifiers, stabilizers and fat replacements which are perfect for ice cream and other frozen desserts.
Click on the image to the right to view the lab.
Tags: Danisco, new products
Posted in Product News |
April 27th, 2010

According to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), U.S. sales of organic products grew 5.3% in 2009 to $26.6 billion.
Of this figure, $24.8 billion represented organic food. Since 2000, organic food has more than tripled from 1.2% of total food sales to 3.7% in 2009. Organic foods have been much more resilient in the economic downturn.
Despite the economic climate, consumers understand the benefits that organic foods offer and appear to make other budget cuts before they give up on products they value. From a retail prospective, 54% of organics are sold through mainstream grocers and club stores and 38% were sold through natural retailers.
Tags: Organic Food Ingredients
Posted in Organic Industry |
February 23rd, 2010
Gillco is now distributing Cargill’s Topcithin SF, a clean label, non-GM, sunflower lecithin that does not require labeling as an allergin. Cargill expects to see a proportion of soy lecithin users move to the sunflower version as the functionality, taste and color of Topcithin SF matches that of soy lecithin.
A major use is expected to be in confectionery, where lecithin performs an important emulsifying function. Topcithin SF is an ideal solution for producing chocolate, chewing gum, sauces or instantized foods offering smoothness, fine texture and good emulsifying properties.
Currently, Topcithin SF is only available as a fluid but Cargill expects to expand to more forms, such as fractionated and de-oiled, over the next two to three years.
Tags: Cargill, new products
Posted in Product News |
February 16th, 2010

Gillco’s management and sales teams will be at ExpoWest. You will find us at Wholesome Sweeteners, Hall C #2860, in the Natural & Specialty Foods exhibit. If you’d prefer, we’d be happy to set an appointment to meet with you.
The Natural Products Expo West, March 12-14, 2010 in Anaheim, is the premier trade show for the healthy products industry. It’s co-located with SupplyExpo, Nutracon, Healthy Seminar and Fresh Ideas Organic Marketplace. These combined events showcase the entire value chain of healthy products, identifying the bestsellers of today and the trends of tomorrow.
Tags: expo west, Trade Show, Wholesome Sweeteners
Posted in Trade Show |
February 12th, 2010

The new year brings many changes at Gillco Ingredients. We are happy to announce changes to our management team:
Susan Daza was promoted to Operations Manager. Susan has worked for Gillco for 9 years and now oversees inventory planning, accounting and customer service.
Brad Moore was promoted to Sales Manager. Brad’s sales success makes him the natural choice for this promotion.
Alan Mittleman was recently hired as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. Alan’s primary responsibility is to source new suppliers for its line of organic, natural and nutritional food ingredients. For the past 20 years, Alan was founder, owner and president of Custom Logos, a brand enhancement agency in San Diego.
Tags: management, personnel
Posted in Gillco Team |