CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Simpli™ OatShake was today named winner of the Food and Beverage Product Innovation Award by the National Restaurant Association (NRA). This high profile distinction is given to consumable products that deliver significant advancements and innovation in ingredients, preparation, processing and packaging. Award recipients were judged by a panel of highly influential food industry experts, and products will be showcased on the NRA Show 2012 floor in the F&B Product Innovations Gallery, May 5 – 8 at McCormick Place, Chicago.
Simpli OatShake was chosen on the basis of its healthy nutritional profile, and made with only a few all-natural high quality ingredients. With its introduction to the US market only one year ago, Simpli OatShake has established a new category within the beverage industry by capturing the hunger-busting power of oats in an all-natural, all vegan portable snack. In December of 2011, OatShake was also named the winner of BevNET Best New Smoothie award giving it the highest honors within the beverage business.
OatShake makes it easy for today’s busy families to eat healthy on-the-go. Available in three delicious, thick and creamy flavors: the just-announced new OatShake Coffee, and original Chocolate and Tropical Fruit, the all-natural OatShake delivers luscious taste and is a perfect alternative to soy, rice, and dairy products — without containing any dairy, eggs, wheat, nuts, soy or artificial ingredients. OatShake is vegan-certified and contains only ingredients that are 100% free of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).
OatShakes’ careful production starts with Scandinavian sustainably farmed, GMO-free, aromatic oats. As creamy as chocolate milk, but without the dairy, OatShake Chocolate is great hot or cold. And a perfect blend of oats, passion fruit, pear and orange, OatShake Tropical Fruits is a refreshing, low-acid fruit drink. All three contain no added colors, preservatives or high-fructose corn syrup.
“The recognition we are achieving from this prestigious NRA industry award is an affirmation that OatShakes' popularity extends to a wide audience and has a unique place in the market,” say Helena Lumme and Mika Manninen, the two cofounders of Oat Solutions, whose backgrounds include award-winning films, books, and brand management for Fortune 500 companies.
OatShake kid-sized packaging is also available as OatGrow Chocolate and OatShine Fruits. These nondairy alternatives to sugary sodas are perfectly sized to easily pack into a lunchbox or knapsack. Unlike high-acid juices, they are high in vitamins and low in fat and sugars, and they're gentle on tender tummies.
OatShakes come in single-serving, recyclable Tetra pack boxes. Two sizes are available: an 8.4 ounce adult size (MSRP $2.39) and a kid-friendly 6.76 ounce package (MSRP $1.79). All three flavors - Coffee, Tropical Fruit and Chocolate are shelf stable; have been pasteurized and should be refrigerated if not fully consumed after opening.
About Simpli
The idea for Simpli OatShakes started in 2008, when U.S. émigrés and Simpli co-founders Helena Lumme and Mika Manninen were visiting their native Finland and tasted their first oat-based smoothie and decided soon after to bring it to the U.S.
Headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Simpli OatShakes are the first of many wholesome foods being introduced by Simpli. Simpli products are pure and basic to let the taste of natural ingredients shine through. Lumme and Manninen created Simpli to share the kind of flavorful, nutritious foods they enjoyed growing up. For more information about Simpli OatShakes, visit www.livesimpli.com. You can also follow Simpli OatShakes on Twitter (@LiveSimpli) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/Simpli).
About the National Restaurant Association
Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the rapidly growing restaurant industry that employs 12.8 million Americans in 960,000 locations — and 2012 sales are expected to reach $604 billion. The National Restaurant Association now represents more than 380,000 of those businesses — from restaurants and suppliers to educators and non-profits — and provides each one with the valuable resources needed to stay ahead in a fast-paced industry.
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