The Savvy Gourmet

New Collaboration between TerroirsQuébec and OGourmet!

TerroirsQuébec is an online fine food store specialized in food products from from artisan producers. It was created and is operated by Spidmail, a company founded by Cedric Fontaine.

TerroirsQuébec and OGourmet have agreed to collaborate in the development of eCommerce of the foodstuffs. Their complementary competence and experience will make it possible to accelerate the development of this field.

It will also help in offering consumers a wider range of high quality products with improved sales conditions.

Ogourmet Gets a New Look

A new logo, an improved website, new presentations, new formats, new products, etc. – Ogourmet gets a new look!

Ogourmet site improvements have been designed by OZ Studio, an enterprise where talents create magic.

A new shopping experience at the new Ogourmet website.

A great store with great foods!

OGourmet Manager Honoured

At the University of Sherbrooke (Quebec) graduation ceremony on September 22, Guy Rochon, one of the founders and principle managers of OGourmet, was awarded an honorary doctorate degree.

The award was an acknowledgement of his remarkable contribution to promoting science and business development in the field of information technologies, geomatics and remote sensing.

No doubt about it, Guy has his feet firmly planted on the ground! And he certainly knows how to navigate through the world of gourmet food products!!

Winners of the Olive d’Or 2012 Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition

On May 9, the winners of the Olive d’Or 2012 extra virgin olive oil competition were announced. 100 olive oils from 15 different countries were part of this competition organized by SIAL Canada.

SIAL Canada is part of the SIAL international network of annual professional trade shows held in Buenos Aires, Paris, Montreal and Toronto (in alternating fashion), and Shanghai.

The olive oils are divided into three categories: mildly fruity, medium fruity and very fruity. The winners of each category are rewarded with the following prizes: “Goutte d’Or”, “Goutte d’Argent” and “Goutte de Bronze”.

The Goutte d’Or winners are Ottobratico from Olearia San Giorgio – Italy (Mildly Fruity), San Pietro from San Pietro Foods – Chile (Medium Fruity), and Rincón de la Subbética Alamoda from Almazaras de la Subbética – Spain (Very Fruity).

The Goutte d’Argent winners are Olave Organic from Valle Grande S.A. – Chile (Mildly Fruity), Olio Oliva Titone D.O.P Valli Trapanesi Biologico from Azienda Agricola Biologica Titone – Italy (Medium Fruity), and Melgarejo Gourmet from Aceites Campoliva, S.L. – Spain (Very Fruity).

The Goutte de Bronze winners are San Pietro from San Pietro Foods – Chile (Mildly Fruity), Sofra from Sarra Huiles – Tunisia (Medium Fruity), and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tradizionale from Planeta – Italy (Very Fruity).

Flavour, a New Scientific Journal on Flavours!

Fascinated by the world of flavours? Interested in going straight to the source for expert information in this domain?

Then Flavours, a new journal all about flavours, is just for you! It will appeal to scientists as well as chefs, food professionals and anyone seeking food for thought, as it were, directly from informed sources.

Read the summary of one published article for a quick taste!

New Partner - OZ Studio

OZ Studio is an enterprise launched by two experienced and talented individuals. One specializes in communications and the other in multimedia, with their complementary talents creating magic.

OGourmet gave them a mandate to design a communications plan so as to improve all aspects of our relationship with customers. Their recommendations will result in significant changes designed to raise our profile and visibility.

The OGourmet image, the website and the tools used to communicate with our customers will be improved considerably in coming months.

This transformation will be accompanied by a significant increase in the number and range of products offered. What will not change, however, is the high quality of our products, our unbeatable prices and our top-of-the-line customer service.

Shopping at OGourmet will now be a more pleasant, enthralling and instructive experience than ever.

New Partner - LSDNA

OGourmet recently sub-contracted its warehouse and shipping operations to LS Distribution North America (LSDNA).

With more than 40 years of experience in logistics management, LSDNA is North America's leading international press distributor.

The integration of OGourmet’s online e-commerce system with LSDNA’s system will give OGourmet the resources to rapidly expand its line of fine food products and respond efficiently to consumer demand.

OGourmet now has access to a sophisticated logistics management system that will help its development and its positioning in the fast growing market of online gourmet foods.

The economy of scale will also result in shipping cost reductions that will benefit our clientele.

Shopping at OGourmet will now be more efficient, cost effective and reliable than ever.

3 Top Olive Oils Named by 1st OGourmet Tasting Panel

Of the ten oils evaluated by the sensory analysis panel, three are clearly outstanding. The winning oils are:

Marqués de Valdueza (Canaleja S.A., Spain) with a score of 4.8 out of 5. This is an intense, aromatic oil with fruity flavours of apple, fresh herbs and almonds and notes of dried fruit. Soft, slightly bitter and pungent.

Andy: very light, beautiful balance.
Guillaume: scents of basil and greens; smooth silky texture; a favourite.
Olivier: nice in nose, pleasantly light, persistently bitter but not aggressive.

The panel conclusions correspond well to the sensory evaluation made by an independent laboratory, and are also consistent with the many awards that this exceptional oil has earned. Congratulations to the Álvarez family from Toledo who created this outstanding oil!

Desert Miracle (Agro Health SARL, Morocco) with a note of 4.3 out of 5. Produced in an oasis in the desert, this oil stands out from the get-go. Andy: fruity, herbaceous and notes of black olive in the mouth; aroma of toasted almonds.

Ari: powerful flavours and strong overall intensity. Bitter at final.
Guillaume: well-balanced fruitiness and bitterness; a favourite.
Olivier: enjoyable fruitiness in nose; bitter in mouth at final.

This oil has been chosen by many critics around the world, including La Presse food critic Marie-Claude Lortie.

DOP Kolymvari Single Estate (Terra Creta, Greece) with a note of 4.0 out of 5.

This result comes as no surprise. This oil has a coveted Guarantee of Origin label and is recognized as one of the best olive oils in the world in its category.

The big surprise is its price. It has one of the best quality-price ratios of all olive oils tested. A true bargain!

Guillaume: well balanced, pleasant oil.
Olivier: overall aromatic intensity; bitter and persistent flavours in the mouth.

Inaugural OGourmet Sensory Analysis Panel – 10 olive oils tested!

A panel of four experts conducted a sensory analysis of extra virgin olive oils on August 26.

The experts used criteria based on the International Olive Oil Council standards to conduct blind tests on 10 olive oils. It is important to keep in mind that fruitiness, bitterness and pungency are three positive attributes for olive oils.

Ariadne Beristáin Gil. With a university degree in food chemistry, Ari is a specialist in sensory analysis with more than eight years of experience in this field. She is now in charge of the organoleptic evaluation of all food products offered by OGourmet.

Andy Brasseur is a specialist in sensory analysis accredited in the Jacques Puisais method (France). She is president of the Quebec Tasting Institute, a speaker and a sensory awakening trainer. Andy is one of the few experts in this field in Canada.

Olivier de Maisonneuve received the title of Sommelier-Adviser from the University of Wine in Suze-la-Rousse (France) in 2006. Since then he has worked as a consultant for the Quebec Liquor Board, both for selecting new products and evaluating products in wine competitions. He is also a sought-after speaker.

Chef Guillaume Goulet earned his cooking stripes at Relais Gourmand (L’Eau à la Bouche hotel) in Quebec, and then in France where he worked in several renowned restaurants. Upon his return he was a chef at Toqué!, one of the best restaurants in Canada. He now provides private catering under the Chef Privé banner.

Three oils were clearly identified as outstanding and are described separately in another article. The overall results will be published soon in an olive oil guide.

Launch of OGourmet Sensory Analysis Panels

Except for wine and certain specialty products, the publication of the results of sensory evaluation tests of gourmet products is uncommon in North America. OGourmet has decided to help fill that gap by launching its own panels of sensory analysis of fine products.

These panels have two major goals:

• Improve OGourmet capacity to select the best products in any given category.
• Provide OGourmet customers with objective information to help them select and enjoy the best products offered.

Each panel will also pursue specific objectives:

• A list of evaluation criteria specific to each product category.
• A systematic method and rules for evaluating product samples.
• Results to be published in product guides and in the product descriptions on the OGourmet Web site.

All OGourmet sensory analysis panels carry out blind tests. Panel members do not know the product or producer names before testing.

The first OGourmet sensory analysis panel was conducted August 26 on extra virgin olive oils (EVOO).