Food & Drink Resources (FDR) has collaborated with White Toque since the early days of our culinary agency. As a foodservice importer of hard-to-find frozen and specialty foods from Europe and Central America, White Toque has become a relied upon vendor for FDR’s chain restaurant clients. We find the unique products they source to be of particular value.

Like the frozen fava beans from Italy, the Parisian carrots (pictured) from Belgium, and the pre-sliced plantains from Costa Rica. Products such as these, picked at their optimum maturity, are ideally sold frozen for freshness and flavor, so why not source them from areas of the world where they grow the best?

Products American Consumers Want

“White Toque’s proposition is quite sexy,” said President Didier Amiel. “Europe has been under label pressure from retailers and government agencies alike for a while now, which means the technology and ingredients in the food industry there have adapted to meet the consumer demands that are only recently coming up in the United States. The products we have sourced all these years strongly appeal to today’s US marketplace.”

The label pressure Didier is referring to includes a requirement for products to be non-GMO, preservative-free, clean label, and offer clear traceability while delivering full and consistent flavors.

“People want to know where their food comes from,” Didier explained. “Because we can easily point to the source, our foodservice clients can create a story about menu items that really resonate with diners.”

Plus, as Didier explained, the cost to transport goods from Europe and parts of Central America can often be less expensive than managing the logistics from within North America. Believe it or not, freights from the European ports to the Eastern Seaboard of the US are cheaper than they are from LA to NY. This makes it possible to keep food costs down, and because White Toque’s products are frozen, prices do not fluctuate often.

“Our prices are set for the year,” he said.

About White Toque

Didier started White Toque in the early 1990s. He is originally from France and his family has a background in the food business. While in California for its French business school, he saw an opportunity to bring French ingredients to American cuisine. Originally offering only fruit purees, White Toque now offers nearly 650 SKUs across a dozen categories of products including vegetables, appetizers, cheeses, and desserts.

In addition to offering hard-to-find whole foods, White Toque also brings solutions to restaurants and retailers. As an example, White Toque corporate chefs are currently developing smaller portion desserts in cups for a national chain restaurant.

“FDR has been a big facilitator in getting us in front of more chain accounts,” Didier said. “They don’t cannibalize the work of our sales team, and FDR is excellent at supporting us.”

To learn more about WhiteToque.com.

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