Kad Bnei Darom has launched a line of frozen herbs in 200 ml containers that scoop effortlessly straight from the freezer. It has also introduced popular spreads, traditionally sold in the refrigerated aisle of grocery stores, into the same frozen format. The new collection will be unveiled at the June 28-30 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City.
Marketed under the brand name Cuca, the new range of scoopable freshly frozen herbs unites convenience with environmental consciousness while responding to the growing consumer demand for minimally processed food products. The herbs come in six varieties: cilantro, parsley, garlic, onion, white and red horseradish. The condiments line includes sundried tomato spread and olive tapenade. All are available under private label.
Fresh herbs are culinary kitchen essentials. They are commonly sold frozen and cubed into portions in plastic trays to overcome the myriad of challenges in handling fresh ingredients. Freezing eliminates the preparation time spent washing, drying, and chopping them. It also addresses the highly perishable nature and short shelf life of fresh green herbs, which leads to waste and frequent shopping trips. Indeed, a recent study in the British Food Journal revealed that households discard only 6% of frozen foods compared to much higher rates for fresh produce.
As frozen herbs transition from niche specialty status to one of mainstream convenience, major European and US retailers are increasingly launching their own private label versions. Yet the traditional frozen formats that are popped out of molds come with setbacks: users often struggle with the packaging to extract the product, the herbs require defrosting due to unworkable hard textures, and the flavor profiles are compromised. Dried herbs, commonplace in North America, lose their volatile oils, impacting flavor, aroma color, and nutritional value.
Smooth and Creamy
Cuca frozen herbs and spreads were crafted by Kad in collaboration with Practical Innovation, an innovation development firm dedicated to helping companies initiate next-generation solutions. The patent-protected technology involves the use of a plant-protein base combined with freezing point lowering technology. This creates a soft, creamy texture that is sustained throughout freezing, without the addition of salt, sugar or fat, and makes the herbs easy to work with even when completely frozen.
“Our Cuca frozen herbs are designed to elevate the user experience for the home chef,” said David Ben-Ze’ev, chief executive officer of Bnei Darom, Israel-based Kad Bnei Darom. “The smooth, creamy herbs are ready to use straight from the freezer, delivering the precise desired portion with an effortless glide onto the spoon. The jar is then returned to the freezer where the herbs continue to preserve their freshness, flavor and nutritional value as well as their creamy texture. No defrosting, chopping, or waste.”
Cuca herbs are also cost efficient, suitable for repeated, high-volume use and optimizing ingredient performance. Moreover, being able to freeze popular artisan spreads, significantly extends their shelf life while maintaining the same smooth texture and sensory enjoyment.
Farm-to-Table
Founded in 1974, Kad Bnei Darom is a leading Israeli producer of premium, fresh agricultural produce, including pickled vegetables, olive oil, and condiments. It operates as part of the agricultural cooperative village (kibbutz) Bnei Darom in southern Israel. This allows the company to run an almost vertically integrated operation, having nurtured decades-long partnerships with the farmers who cultivate their raw materials and serve as an integral part of the company’s production process. It product are exported to Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, Russia and Ukraine.
