Bookbinders Expand Their Award Winning Gourmet Soup Line, with Four New All Natural, Gluten-Free Flavors Packaged in Glass Jars

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via GourmetWire.com -- Bookbinder Specialties, a PA Preferred Company, recently added four new flavors to their award winning line of gourmet, ready to serve soups packaged in 15 oz, resealable glass jars.

"At Bookbinder Specialties, we are focused on providing the ultimate in quality and convenience for our consumers," said Sean O'Neil, Bookbinder's President. "There is a strong demand for great tasting, healthy, restaurant-quality food that can be easily prepared. Our goal was to offer great taste, convenience and portion control -- and we believe these soups deliver on all three fronts."

The first four flavors in this line, which were introduced last year, recently were awarded a gold medal in the 2011-2012 Gourmet Product Awards. Dozens of food judges, including VIPs, celebrity chefs, professional consultants and specialty retail store owners, selected the Bookbinder soup line as the best new gourmet product in the Soup, Stews and Beans category. The four original flavors were Butternut Squash and Mushroom Soup, Zesty Tomato Soup, Brandywine Mushroom Soup, and Sweet Burgundy Onion Soup. The awards revealed the growing interest in gourmet taste, healthy ingredients, green packaging, and supporting charitable causes.

Bookbinder Specialties had conducted a series of consumer focus groups to determine consumer preferences in soup packaging. The findings demonstrated a consumer need for portion control and resealability, as many do not consume the entire portion typically found in cans. The company worked with Owens-Illinois to develop the glass packaging solution for this line. 

"Glass offers superior protection for the delicate flavors of our soups and is 100 percent resealable, locking in the quality and taste customers expect and making it an excellent packaging choice for this ready-to-serve product line", explained O'Neil. "We also recognized the growing need for individuals with gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease." The soup recipes were modified to be gluten-free, with lower sodium, and no artificial additives, flavors or colorants.   

The four new gourmet flavors are:

• Irish Potato-Leek Soup -- A modern version on an old family recipe from the Emerald Isle. A delightful blend of pureed potatoes, sautéed leeks, fresh cream, and spices -- A hearty soup with only 180 calories per cup. Vegetarian. 
• Cuban Black Bean Soup -- Castro never dined as well! Pureed Black beans accented with corn, red peppers, onions, carrots, and a hit of garlic, cumin and proprietary spices. Fiber with good taste -- Need we say more. Vegan and Kosher.
• Tuscan Minestrone Soup -- A blend of Mediterranean vegetables beautifully combined with ripe tomatoes, white beans and gourmet spices. Only 90 calories per cup, with no fat or cholesterol. Vegan & Kosher.
• Sicilian Tomato-Zucchini Bisque -- A recipe from the western coast - a savory blend of sautéed zucchini, pureed tomatoes, red peppers, cream, onions, carrots, celery and spices, designed to fill the belly and please the pallet! Only 100 calories per cup. Vegetarian.

These soups have a two year shelf life and are packaged in cartons of six. A portion of profits from this line are donated to help feed the homeless and less fortunate in Philadelphia.

About Bookbinder Specialties:

Bookbinder's soups have been a staple in the Philadelphia area, and served in the Old Original Bookbinder's Restaurant since 1865. The restaurant created a foods division in the early 1970s to share the original restaurant favorites in retail portions. Today, Bookbinders Specialties carries on the tradition of the restaurant while catering to the expectations of the nation's gourmet consumers.

Bookbinder Specialties carries a full line if gourmet seafood soups, including Snapper Soup, Lobster Bisque, Crab Bisque, Shrimp Bisque, Oyster Stew, Seafood Bisque, New England and Manhattan Clam Chowder. Gourmet breadcrumbs and seafood seasoning are also available.

The soups will be sold in natural and specialty food stores across the United States, and distributed by gourmet and natural food distributors including UNFI, Natures Best, Haddon House, DPI, Kehe, Tree of Life, European Imports and others.

All Bookbinder Specialties products are also available on their web site, BookbinderSpecialties.com, and other popular retail sites such Amazon.com, and Alice.com. 

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Contact: Sean O’Neil, sean@bookbinderspecialties.com, 215-322-1305