As Associate Director of Campus Dining Services for the University of Colorado – Boulder, Cairon Moore knows that it’s at the university’s campus dining facilities and stores where students are really starting to make their own purchasing decisions, and if they learn how to make better choices here, it will carry on through the rest of their lives.

“We are committed to providing natural, organic and better-for-you snacking options to help our students make healthier immediate decisions that we hope will become a lifestyle choice,” says Moore. “As we educate our students today, we are investing in the health of future generations. As a certified Health Coach I partner with our Registered Dietician to develop programs in our retail operations.”

One such program is DISH, which stands for Delicious, Innovative, Sustainable, Healthy. The program spans the university’s 11 stores and will soon carry through to its residential dining program using icons on shelf tags and marketing materials denoting products that are Non GMO, Gluten Free, Vegan/Vegetarian and Sugar Free. (The stores and foodservice operation already have extensive allergen warnings.)

“We offer weekly sampling of items with which the students may be unfamiliar, so that they can learn of new healthy products that meet their needs,” says Moore. “In December, for example, we highlighted brain food (Food for Thought) and are regularly promoting healthy energy to support their studying efforts and test preparation.”

Which is why her meeting with Berri Pro at ECRM’s recent Foodservice: Natural, Organic & Healthy Foods EPPS couldn’t have been timed better.

Santa Monica, Calif.-based Berri Pro is a startup company that has an eponymous line of plant-based, USDA certified organic fitness beverages that contain functional ingredients like manuka honey and electrolytes, and energy sourced from herbs and coconut water. The beverages have no synthetic additives, no chemical electrolytes, no artificial sweeteners, and no artificial colors or flavors.

In addition to helping its customers stay healthy, it also looks to help the health of the planet by promoting sustainable organic farming, creating jobs in poverty-stricken areas and produce the healthiest ingredients possible with minimal processing. It works directly with its farmers, and meets with them face-to-face to ensure that the farms where we source our fruit from are kept clean, and working conditions are good for everyone involved. It also helps new local farms obtain USDA Organic Certification.

“It’s a natural, delicious energy drink that was a perfect fit for what we are offering our students, and was ideal for our healthy energy promotion for January,” she says. “What’s more, the people are incredibly passionate about their products.”

Following the November meeting, Moore connected Berri Pro with her distributor, and the product was on the shelf at the university’s stores by mid-January – just in time to provide them with a healthy energy boost as they start prepping for the new semester..

Moore has been attending ECRM’s Foodservice sessions for years as a way to discover new items that for the university’s retail and foodservice operations she may not otherwise be exposed to. “Although I operate 11 stores and may be a little guy when compared to big box stores, the staff at ECRM has helped the sellers to understand the importance of the university and college segment as our customers are their future, and we’re exposing them to brands and products that will grab their loyalty and guide their purchasing decisions long after they graduate.”

REGISTER FOR ECRM’S UPCOMING FOODSERVICE AND UNIVERSITY SESSIONS:
Campus Foodservice EPPS: 4/9/2018 - 4/11/2018 at the Caribe Royale Orlando (Orlando, FL)
Foodservice Equipment & Smallwares EPPS: 4/10/2018 - 4/11/2018 at the Caribe Royale Orlando (Orlando, FL)
Retail Foodservice EPPS: 4/10/2018 - 4/11/2018 at the Caribe Royale Orlando (Orlando, FL)
Commercial Foodservice EPPS: 4/11/2018 - 4/13/2018 at the Caribe Royale Orlando (Orlando, FL)
On-Premise Adult Beverage EPPS: 8/28/2018 - 8/30/2018 at the Hilton Anaheim (Anaheim, CA)
Foodservice Natural, Organic & Healthy Foods EPPS: 11/5/2018 - 11/7/2018 a(Location Revealed Soon)