Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on January 5, 2011 under Wine | 
Tel Aviv…In the first 10 months of 2010, Israel exported $18 million worth of wines, according to an extensive report released by Israel’s Foreign Ministry. The fact that such a report was released by the Foreign Ministry is an indication of just how important Israel’s surging wine business has become to Israel. Adam Montefiore, Director of Wine Development at Carmel Winery, confirms that “Israel has joined the world of quality wine producers” and believes that the time is right for Israeli wines to serve as “good ambassadors.” “Once it was the Jaffa orange and the kibbutz that symbolized Israel, now it’s quality wine and high-tech,” Montefiore summed up. Israel’s mostly-cooperative climate; new, quality grape varieties; and the expertise of young winemakers who’ve studied abroad, add up to up to a wine revolution.
Daniel Rogov, the highly-respected resident wine and restaurant critic at the Hebrew-language Ha’aretz daily, says of the industry today: “We have a retinue of winemakers who are internationally trained and internationally experienced, some Israeli-born, some not. We have world class winemakers and that’s very important. The wineries have gone really state-of-the-art. The big and medium wineries all have very modern facilities, and all the techniques for making very fine wine. Most important, we are learning more and more and developing our vineyards better in terms of technology.” Still, despite the awards and expansion of Israel’s wine scene in recent years, all is not rosy, with the industry struggling with the issue of export vs. local consumption. While Israelis consume between five and seven liters annually, “that’s simply not enough” to maintain the industry, which must count on local sales to survive, says Rogov, noting similar problems in vineyard-saturated California and Australia. “Twenty years ago, everyone was uprooting apple orchards to plant vineyards; now they’re uprooting vineyards to plant apple trees, and we may face a situation like that in the end.” Too much expansion is to blame, he says, predicting that as many as half of those passion-driven boutique wineries may close. The other problem is the lack of an Israeli wine culture, he says. “When Israelis started traveling abroad, they began to realize that wine is a part of the cultured place in life, and you would’ve thought that it would have increased local consumption. It hasn’t. What it has done is that people who really understand wine are drinking better and better wine, but overall, not more people are drinking wine.
Rogov’s best 10 Israeli wines for 2010 include Clos de Gat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Har’El, 2008; Clos de Gat, Merlot, Har’El, 2008; Clos de Gat, Ayalon Valley, 2006; Golan Heights Winery, Chardonnay, Odem Organic Vineyard, Yarden, 2008; Golan Heights Winery, Syrah, Ortal Vineyard, Yarden, 2004;Golan Heights Winery, Syrah, Yonatan Vineyard, Yarden, 2007; Golan Heights Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon, El Rom Vineyard, Yarden, 2004; Margalit, Enigma, Special Reserve, 2007; Margalit, Cabernet Franc, 2008; and Carmel, Shiraz, Single Vineyard, Kayoumi, Upper Galilee, 2008.
In the US, the Kedem Wine Group (Royal Wine Company), based in Bayonne NJ, is the largest importer of Israeli wines.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on November 9, 2010 under Israel, Kosher Industry |
Tel Aviv…Has Israel become too small for Israel’s largest supermarket chains? It would seem that way from the recent buzz that both Supersol (Shufersal) owner Shulem Fisher and Co-Op owner Rami Mandel are expanding outside of Israel. Mandel has already gone public with his plans, announcing two years ago of plans to open as many as 10 stores in Jewish neighborhoods in the UK and the United States. Last week, Co-Op announced plans to open its first major kosher food supermarket in Moscow by the end of 2011 and then perhaps in St. Petersburg. The head of the Kashrut Department of the Chief Rabbinate of Russia, Rabbi Yosef Verzub, explained that this will be Russia’s first large kosher food supermarket.
Mr. Fisher has not as yet made his plans known but is said to seriously eye opening several stores in the US. The buzz began with the closing of the Pathmark store in Monsey, which sources say will be taken over in “some form” by Fisher. It was unclear whether the Monsey store would be modeled after the Yesh stores that cater to the Charedi (Orthodox) sector with bulk packages, discounted items, and other promotional programs geared for many of the large families that shop at some of the 53 Yesh stores. The sources also noted that the Fisher foray into Monsey will merely be the first of several stores the retailer plans to open. Ironically, the Super-Sol name, which was not affiliated with Israel’s largest chain, will soon disappear in the US. The first of four Super-Sol stores in Queens and Manhattan is set to open in Kew Garden Hills early next year under the name Seasons.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on October 28, 2010 under Kosher Travel |
Tel Aviv…El Al passengers who order a strictly kosher meal these days are also likely to receive an orange survey form seeking information on the passenger’s view on the quality and kashrut of the meal. It even asks customers whether the heksher should be improved, when in fact, El Al strictly kosher meals are already certified by the leading kashrut organizations in the US and Israel. It asks passengers to compare the meals with other strictly kosher meals served on other airlines, including the hechsher. Airline sources say that El Al is seeking to gain even greater market share in its already formidable share of strictly kosher travelers. The kosher survey is part of the airline’s overall emphasis on improving customer service at all levels.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on July 6, 2010 under Israel, Kosher Companies |
Tel Aviv…General Mills, one of the America’s food giants, is looking for a partner in Israel, to emulate successes by other multi national food icons like Nestle, which has been steadily growing its partnership with Osem and realizing significant profits. A General Mills delegation recently visited Israel’s Food Industries Association in anticipation of finding a partner in Israel. Interestingly, Pepsico which partnered with Strauss put its emphasis on growing the Sabra brand in the US. It is in the midst of a national marketing campaign to brand Sabra’s hummus and other Mediterranean salads. The General Mills delegation, according to Globes, is officially looking for “possible future cooperation,” but an Israeli food industry source told Kosher Today that their objective may very well be to “copy Nestle.” General Mills is a Fortune 500 company, and one of the world’s largest food companies, with some $25 billion in sales. It owns such well known brands as Hagen Dazs, Pillsbury, Yoplait, and many well-known cereals.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on June 9, 2010 under Israel, Kosher, Kosher Companies |
Tel Aviv…by Staff Reporters…With his heavy French accent, Julian Atias, founder and owner of LIVEO (the O from Olive is at the end), speaks passionately of his high-end store on Rothschild Blvd that has taken olive oil to a whole new level. A few blocks away on Fryshman Street is another Olive oil boutique called Olia where Hila Venkert made a career change from the world of fashion to promoting exotic olive oil products. Many supermarkets throughout Israel carry several brands of olive oil, but not just bottles of the 100% virgin olive oil, but also jams, sauces, and mixes, which says Julian is all part of a new emphasis by many Israelis on wellness. Many of Hila’s customers, including the elderly, actually begin their day not with a cup of coffee or orange juice but with a cup of olive oil as a means of stimulating the good agents in the body. Julian’s olive oil comes from Kibbutz Revivim in the Negev with its 500 acres of olive trees grown under the best conditions. The kibbutz developed the technology to keep the salt underneath the soil to give the trees the ideal conditions for growing the olives. Julian’s store has nearly 100 different products made with olive oils, whether with the Israeli vintage olives Barnea or Souri or Italian Frantoio, a Tapendade spread that mixes parsley and sesame or a simple mix with sundried tomatoes.
Some of the customers are here to feel good while others are on an olive oil regimen prescribed by physicians to lower saturated fats. The various olive oil jams have become best sellers to Israelis looking for the blend of the sweet and the distinct olive taste. At Olia, Hila’s brother Nimrod is constantly producing new combinations at his plant in Nes Ziona, sometimes creating the conditions of foreign grown olive trees. The fusions at Olia “simply blow many tourists away,” says Hila. Blends like the Middle East blend with three different types of olives, infused figs that includes dried figs, sugar, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, green olives and shata pepper. Customers have become as discerning with olives as wine connoisseurs are with their fine wines. Both Olian and LiveO also offer a full line of olive oil cosmetic products that many customers have come to associate with healthier and “younger looking” skin. The products in both stores are under rabbinical supervision and there is a growing interest in exporting these olive oil gourmet products that are taking Israelis by storm.
Posted by Menachem Lubinsky on February 25, 2010 under Kosher Companies |
Tel Aviv…by Idele Ross, KT Israel Bureau Chief…Tnuva, Osem and the Shupersol (Supersol) ‘Yesh’ supermarket chain are the most identifiable brand names among Charedi orthodox households. There are some 125,000 of these households in Israel and the community is growing at a rate of 6.7% a year making it a very desirable market for food manufacturers. The Hebrew language Globes business news website reports on marketing research carried out by the ‘Hamevaser’. A senior advertising executive whose agency caters to the observant community said that most of Israel‘s major manufacturers understand that the Orthodox sector is the country’s fastest growing community and will continue that way for the next ten years. The independent study carried out among 538 respondents found that the most recognizable brand in the community is Tnuva dairies, followed by Osem and in third place ‘Yesh’ a subsidiary of Supersol. The authors of the study attributed Tnuva and Osem’s familiarity to their many years in the food industry. The ‘Yesh’ chain, a relative newcomer, they said, has outlets in most Charedi communities. Also in the findings is the fact that the Hared consumer is loyal to the known brands and trusts their stricter mehadrin kashrus even if products are more expensive. For example, Coca Cola is a favorite soft drink among those who were asked. Some 36 percent expressed their preference for Coke over other soft drink bands which are less expensive.
Sociologist Professor Oz Almog, who studies the consumer behavior of the religious community, said that their shopping habits and their image have changed. They no longer buy the least expensive brands. He said that they prefer the brand names even for basic foodstuffs like dairy products and breakfast cereals. Almog added that the Hared newspapers in Israel are full of ads for quality goods. He found a 25 percent increase in sales of high end wines and a 35 percent increase in the sales of beer indicting a growing middle class amongst the Charedi community.
