SIDIM 2014

SIDIM 2014
Montreal International Design Show

May 22 - 25, 2014

SIDIM is the Montreal's most prestigious design showcase. This annual show attracts local and internationals artists, designers, architects and builders.

As always, the show is being held at the Place Bonaventure.

For more information visit SIDIM website

http://www.sidim.com/en

Cascades - 50th Anniversary

CASCADES 
50th anniversary

Cascades, a Quebec company with international branches and far-reaching business connections and sales, celebrated its 50th anniversary yesterday. This event took place at Kingsey Falls, in largely rural Quebec, where the company has its paper recycling facilities that produce soft tissue and paper packaging products. The company praises itself on being green and sustainable, and on using far less water with their recycling technology than is the norm for this industry. The company's new product is "body tissue" which is beige in colour since it has not been bleached or treated with any colourants.

The picture above is a zoom-up of the stage decoration you can see in the photo at the top of this article. It shows several of Cascades' final products: cardboard packaging boxes, tissue paper, and the kitchen towels and toilet paper. The attractive bench in the front of the paper products is made entirely from recycled plastics at the company's Drumondville, Quebec recycling plant. 

The company is very enthusiastic about its business path and perspectives, regardless of the Canadian dollar's fluctuating exchange rate and other possible market events.

The formalities of the annual meeting was followed by a festive reception at Parc Marie-Victorin. Below you can see a photo of a generous and sumptuous buffet table. There were quite a few such tables in the hall.

Here are photos of the desserts.

One more important event for Cascades was scheduled to follow the reception: an inauguration of a footbridge across the Nicolet Niver at the Kingsey Falls. The bridge is a gift from the Cascades company to the community, fully conceived and supported from the start by the Lemaire brothers, the Cascades' co-founders. It is made almost exclusively from recycled materials: industrial, construction and plastics.

Being a sustainable, green company, the Cascades have chosen a green ribbon instead of the traditional red one to be cut at the Nicolet River bridge inauguration.

And, of course, the ribbon-cutting was followed by champaign...

Next on the program was the trip to the Cascades' Soft Tissue plant at Kingsey Falls. We were met at the information area where the Cascades' history was projected on two screens. Then we were given eye-protection glasses before the visit of the plant could begin.

It is not allowed to take pictures inside the Cascades plants, but I was given a special permission to take just the three following photos. The one just below is that of the piles of discarded paper to be recycled at the Cascades facility.

The following two photos show the final product of recycling, huge rolls of soft tissue paper to be used in the making of the toilet paper, facial tissue, or kitchen paper towels. Each roll is a sixty-kilometres-long continuous soft paper sheet, and looks like a gigantic toilet paper roll.

For more information about the company, its history and vision, visit the Cascades website.

The tour of the Cascades' Soft Tissue plant is also available to the general public and is organized by the Parc Marie-Victorin complex at Kingsey Falls, Quebec.

Click on any image to enlarge it.

SIAL Montreal 2014: COCO Coconut Water

COCO Coconut Water
From Brazil

One of the products that cough my attention at the SIAL Montreal 2014 was the COCO coconut water. It is made in Brasil and is imported to Canada by Cocobros company. It comes in two varieties: 

- Pure coconut water

- Coconut water with pineapple which has a sweater taste due to the pineapple.

The only item added to the otherwise pure coconut water and pineapple juice is Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) as a natural preservative. There are no other additives of any kind.

Coconut water is high in Potassium and Magnesium and other trace elements. It has a high hydration effect and is a natural source of electrolytes. The coconut water has even been used as a substitute in blood transfusions, as blood a plasma replacement, when blood was unavailable.

Here is the Cocobros' COCO Water team at SIAL Montreal 2014.

Cocobros Canada website.

SIAL 2014 Innovations

SIAL Canada   
Montreal 2014 Innovations

April 2 -4, 2014

This year additional 15,000 square feet was added to this Montreal bi-annual very popular show.  More than 750 exhibitors from 50 countries are in attendance, which represents a 15% increase as compared to the last show held in Montreal's Palais des congres two years ago.

Most attractive are the 10 products that made the short list of the finalists in the Innovation category. 

Here are the 10 prize-winning products:

Four O’Clock Pink Lemonade Herbal Tea, Trans-Herbe Inc, Canada. Tea to be enjoyed cold; comes in a whimsically designed box. Innovation: Ingredients-recipe, packaging, conditioning-design. 

Oh!Canard Half-Duck, Canards du Lac Brome Ltée., Canada. Cuts of frozen duck that are great for cooking. Innovation: Ingredients-recipe.

Basilur Blood Orange Fruit Infusions, Basilur Tea Canada, Canada. An infusion of fruits, flowers and herbs in a decorated box. Innovation: Ingredients-recipe, packaging, conditioning-design.

189 Harwood by Première Moisson Mini Croissants, Boulangerie Première Moisson Inc., Canada. Bakeable mini frozen pastries made from select ingredients. Innovation: Ingredients-recipe. 

Pure Blueberries Fruit Purée, PEI BERRIES LTD., Canada. Juice made through a process that preserves the nutritional value of the fruit. Innovation: Production process. 

Maple Sugar, Y Olive Inc, Canada. Maple sugar with natural, original flavours. Innovation: Ingredients-recipe.

Haiku Green Tea Asian Style Noodles, I-D Foods Corporation, Canada. Asian green-tea noodles that are ready in 3 minutes. Innovation: Ingredients-recipe.

Whereas al the above winners were Canadian food industry innovatuons, the following three international entries also won SIAL 2014 Innovation Award:

Home Style Sweet Pickled Beets, Safie Specialty Foods Company Inc., United States. Natural pickled vegetables in a sophisticated pot. Innovation: Ingredients-recipe, production process. 

Southern Art Hot Sauce, Southern Art, United States. An artisanal sauce with cayenne pepper, spices and fresh herbs. Innovation: Ingredients-recipe.

Gü Desserts Chocolate and Vanilla Cheesecake 2 Pack, Gü Desserts, United Kingdom. A gourmet dessert in individual ramekins. Innovation: Ingredients-recipe, packaging, conditioning-design.

We will be looking forward to the next Sial Montreal that will take place in 2016.

Click on any image to enlarge it.

Expo Manger Santé et Vivre Vert 2014

Expo Manger Santé et Vivre Vert

March 21 - 23, 2014

This is a very popular Expo in Montreal. There are always huge crowds attending. At times one can find it difficult to circulate in the aisles between the kiosks, or to approach an exhibit. People are genuinely interested in the products presented: they sample the food or health related products like vitamins, or simply talk to the exhibitors and ask questions.

There is a verity of foods to be sampled. Some unique products are displayed right at the entry to the exhibit hall, so one can get an idea what to look for and what to taste.

This year, once again, Monsieur Basilic has a large floor display. He is offering a new product - a Basil Lemonade - with a unique, refreshing and great taste.

One can also try completely raw and uncooked cakes from Rawesome, or other delicious raw vegan creations from Crudessance.

There are many other delicious foods and drinks to taste.

One cannot imagine a kitchen without a cutting board. Planet Creation kiosk presents very unique and attractive maple and black walnut cutting boards.

Those above are only a few items chosen from  a great viriety exhibited at the expo. The best way to experience it all is to visit the Expo for oneself.

The Expo is being held at the Montreal's Palais des Congres Centre. To find out more about the opening hours, go the Expo Manger Santé et Vivre Vert 2014 website.

Click on any image to enlarge it.