Jack Mans, Plant Operations Editor

January 29, 2014

4 Min Read
Squeeze bottles spice up foods

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Torani/R.Torre & Co., South San Francisco, has been in the flavored syrup business for decades. The first use of flavored syrup can be traced back to the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco in 1925, when Rinaldo and Ezilda Torre began blending Torani syrups in the back of their North Beach grocery store using the Italian syrup recipes of their homeland. Mixing their rich, flavorful syrups with sparkling water and ice, they introduced the classic Italian soda to local café owners. They were part of another flavor innovation in the early 1980s, when a coffee industry veteran combined Torani Italian syrups, espresso and steamed milk to create the first flavored café latté.

Today, they are in the forefront of yet another innovation, but it isn't Italian syrup. In response to American diners' growing passion for sophisticated flavors and to chefs' desire to freely create in the kitchen, Torani has introduced a groundbreaking product line of concentrated, fresh herb and spice flavors in a liquid, nonsweet form. Torani Pure Flavors are made with all-natural flavors sourced from around the world. Ingredients include water, gum Arabic, citric acid and a small amount of preservatives to retain the flavor intensity.

Ideal for an enormous variety of applications, from savory to sweet, from starters to desserts and from cocktails to alcohol-free drinks, Torani Pure Flavor's six initial flavor varieties include Ancho Chile, Basil, Cilantro, Garden Mint, Lemon Verbena and Thai Ginger. Torani Pure Flavor is very intense; it takes only about one tablespoon per 2-lb batch to infuse flavor during cooking and 1/2 teaspoon per 8 oz of beverages. For these very small dispensing requirements, the twist open/close cap on the bottle, which is supplied by Stull Technologies (www.stulltech.com), is perfect. With its 0.114-in. orifice and twistability, it allows easy control of product flow, whatever the application. For drops, dial the nozzle way back; for a steady stream, open it up.
 
150562-pdx0610torani2.jpgFurther advancing the appearance of the bottles are striking shrink-sleeve labels from Osio Intl. (www.osiopack.com) that feature four-color-process illustrations of the herbs contained in the bottles. The gravure-printed labels, which are made from very high-elastomer polyvinyl chloride, were a challenge, according to Osio vp Rick Whipple. Torani wanted an image of the herb contained in the bottle in the center of a bulls-eye pattern of multiple rings of the same color progressing outward from light to dark shades plus a pattern of tiny dots in the middle color range.

To satisfy this requirement, Whipple contacted Stevenson, The Color Co. (www.stevensoncolor.com) , a digital prepress company, to develop separations for the design. “We had to reproduce the four-color bitmap image supplied by Torani as a layered special color bitmap image in Photoshop®, and then turn the four-color design into an eight-color print job,” says Stevenson's packaging manager, John Herbstreit. “This project required several interations to develop the color and effects desired by Torani. One thing that really helped was that Torani let us develop our own color palette for their design. This would have been much more difficult if they had required us to rigorously adhere to the design they provided.”

Whipple has his own opinion. “This was a very difficult design to convert to a shrink-sleeve label,” he says. “Stevenson-Color did a great job.”

Torani Pure Flavor gives chefs, mixologists and baristas the freedom to experiment with abandon and create signature dishes and drinks to set their menus apart from the competition. “Americans are becoming increasingly savvy about gourmet ingredients and global influences. They are seeking exciting flavors, and this is a new tool to help chefs and mixologists meet their customers' demands,” says Melanie Dulbecco, Torani's CEO. “Torani Pure Flavor gives them the freedom to create with flavor. It helps them deliver to guests on their promise of an extraordinary, memorable taste experience.”

The company plans to launch two to six more innovative varieties in 2006. “Torani Pure Flavor bypasses the challenges of fresh herbs and spices, including perishability, inconsistency, extensive prep time and seasonality,” says Dulbecco.


More information is available:

Osio Intl., 888/671-6746. www.osiopack.com.

Stevenson, The Color Co., 513/321-7500. www.stevensoncolor.com.

Stull Technologies, 732/873-5000. www.stulltech.com.

About the Author(s)

Jack Mans

Plant Operations Editor

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