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Article: Food & Wine Classic - Press Release The Colibree Company, Inc. announces the retail launch of a new organic sweetener, Agave Nectar, under its registered brand name: Nekutli ®. Nekutli Agave Nectar is a natural fructose sweetener extracted from the Agave plant. Sweeter than sugar, with a lower glycemic index than sugar, bee honey or maple syrup, it does not crystallize, and is quickly becoming a favorite in Colorado where Colibree has concentrated its sales since introducing this product into the US market in 2002. Nekutli Agave Nectar can now be found at Aspen's Zele's Café, Clark's Market, City Market, Mountain Naturals, Epicurius Fine Foods, Cecily's, The Wild Rose Café, Java Joe's, Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and Vitamin Cottage as well as numerous restaurants. Freshies, the manufacturer of fine natural bar mixes, uses Nekutli as an ingredient and is presenting the Ultimate Margarita in collaboration with Jimmy's - An American Restaurant & Bar, El Tesoro, Del Maguey and Grand Marnier, at this year's Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. In the Aztec language, necutli means "the sacred juice of the Agave" and has been used by the indigenous people of Mexico for centuries. They gathered the sweet juice, aguamiel, from various species of Agave to use as a sweetener and for special celebratory beverages. Agave was used to produce the traditional liquor pulque and later in the production of Tequila and mezcal. The traditional Spanish name for this plant is Maguey and in Mexico the traditional versions of the syrup from aguamiel are known as Maguey Concentrada or Miel de Agave. Nekutli Agave Nectar is consistent and more delicate in flavor than honey; one of many reasons why several executive chefs at Aspen's high-end restaurants have embraced this organic sweetener. Executive Chefs Charles Dale of Range, Carlos Salcedo of Jimmy's, Thomas Colosi of The Blue Maize, Matthew Zubrod of The Willow Creek Bistro/Ritz-Carlton Club, and Kip Feight of Conundrum Catering have incorporated Nekutli into their dishes because of its unique characteristics. It comes in three delicious grades: Light, Amber and Dark. The light grade is neutral, enhancing rather than altering the flavors of coffee, tea, fruit beverages, fresh fruits, jams, yogurt, ice cream and sorbets. The darker grades deliver the rich and complex flavors distinctive to Agave and are suitable for a broad range of applications including dry and hot cereals, pancakes, waffles, baked goods, salad dressings and various sauces. Heavier sauces, stews, and meat glazes are especially suited to the dark grade. "It has a beautiful pureness and clarity to it and doesn't cover the flavor like other sweeteners, allowing the meat's flavor to come through," says Chef Kip Feight of Conundrum Catering who uses Nekutli Agave Nectar for his showstopping mesquite-smoked, Agave glazed Wild Boar specialty. "We use it in place of refined sugar, " says Ryan Healey, Sous Chef at Range. "It's a wholer product than sugar. It hasn't been processed and processed. And it suits the theme of our restaurant - the New West. Agave comes from the same plant that makes Tequila. We use Agave all the time, from salad dressings to balance out the tartness to meat glazing. One of our specialties is Antelope with Macadamia Nuts. After searing, we brush on the Agave and the nuts for the crust-like glaze…" "Nekutli Agave Nectar is a fantastic cooking ingredient because it is sweet but not as overpowering as honey," says Chef Thomas Colosi of The Blue Maize. "The flavor profile has a woody, oaky quality, an authentic quality that conveys the flavors of Tequila. We use it in so many recipes including flank steak marinade; it is great in marinades because it doesn't coagulate." Chef Colosi also uses Nekutli Agave Nectar in dishes such as Habanero Carrot Salad, Spicy Cilantro Jalapeno Puree served on Masa Flatbread, Orange Chipotle Chicken Sauce, Avocado Lime Dressing served with Southwestern Chopped Salad. It's also his choice for the Blue Maize's Strawberry Shortcake. "We use Ancho chiles and Agave Nectar in the strawberries." At The Willow Creek Bistro, Nekutli plays an important role in Chef Matthew Zubrod's duck dish, both in the marinade and in the Agave-lavender vinaigrette he serves with it. The bistro's breakfast diners probably don't know it, but they're enjoying Nekutli Agave Nectar in the dipping sauce for Zubrod's banana bread. He combines the nectar with lemon yogurt for the sauce. "Vinaigrettes hold better with Agave Nectar – it doesn't get too thick. And Agave is superb for marinating. I marinate duck breast overnight with herbs like rosemary and thyme and I use the amber Agave. It never gets too sweet." Chef Carlos Salcedo, Jimmy's Restaurant. PRODUCT PROFILE Nekutli Organic Agave Nectar has the following characteristics:
Colibree's President and Founder, Sabra Van Dolsen, was born in San Miguel de Allende, a small town in the state of Guanajuato. She has spent many years in Mexico both for travel and for work. She hoped to create a project in Mexico that fulfilled certain "long-term socio-economic development objectives." The production of Agave syrup creates jobs in Mexico and supports a network of agricultural cooperatives committed to sustainable agriculture and the principles of Fair Trade. When she discovered Agave syrup in 1995, she found the answer. The manufacturer's of Nekutli are backed by a network of agricultural cooperatives that practice profit sharing involving 60,000 farmers operating in 17 states throughout the Republic of Mexico. "I have been enthralled by this product because of its superior qualities as a sweetener but my real passion for Agave Nectar is based on the fact that this project is positive for Mexico, creating an export product that can help create good jobs that allow people to stay home and develop their own economy and communities. For instance, as a result of this project, the manufacturers of Nekutli have built a bottling plant in Cuquio, Jalisco where one of the agricultural cooperatives is headquartered. When we talk about the equitable distribution of income, it means we need to invest in Mexico and other third world countries. The development of Agave Nectar is an example of bringing this into place in the real world." This summer, Colibree will launch nationwide distribution under its registered brandname, NEKUTLI", at such stores as Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and various specialty and gourmet retail chains, as well as conventional grocery chains where more and more customers are seeking organic products (the fastest growing segment of the food industry is organic foods, maintaining an annual growth rate of 20% over the past eight years). The Colibree Company is located in Aspen, Colorado and maintains offices in Los Angeles, Denver and New York City with distribution outlets in California, Washington State, Arizona, Colorado, Illinois and New Jersey. Nekutli is also available in Central and South America, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Colibree is seeking strategic distribution partners that will engage in the retail distribution of the NEKUTLI ® Organic Agave Nectar and as an ingredient sweetener for food service and food and beverage manufacturers. DIRECT MEDIA OR INDUSTRY INQUIRIES TO: Sabra Van Dolsen, President The Colibree Company, Inc. 925 Gibson Avenue • P.O. Box 1549 Aspen, Colorado 81612 Tel: 970-925-8974 • Cell: 720-272-3969 • Fax: 970-429-1270 E-mail:colibreeinc@earthlink.net Website: www.agavenectar.com |
