Sharing A Passion For Entertaining And Gourmet Food

Zinter Brown Taste Treats is a company I started over 20 years ago in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I have always loved entertaining and serving tasty gourmet food to friends and family.

My recipe for antipasto was always a winner and, on not much more than a lark, a friend and I started selling antipasto and a few other items at the Old Strathcona Farmers Market in Edmonton in 1986. By noon we were sold out and this got me thinking how hard it was to find great, easy to prepare, gourmet condiments and appetizers.

I recognized that most people love good food, but I also know that creating antipasto is very time consuming almost a full day if one counts all the work: shopping for all the ingredients, preparation, cooking, and preserving. Who has time for that? I wanted to help today's busy gourmet. As a busy mom with a full time job as a registered nurse, I sure didn't. I only made my antipasto recipe in larger quantities along with a number of friends a couple of times a year.

During the first ten years of business, Zinter Brown grew steadily but remained a part time endeavor as I could not afford to give up my nursing job. More products were added to the original antipasto. The product line grew. People called me from all over wanting to know how to get my products. Our volume and distribution grew. Eventually, it became apparent that the business had outgrown its "hobby" status, and I got serious and quit my nursing job.

More new products were developed. I attended a cooking school in Italy for four months. In 1998, my best selling Roasted Garlic & Onion Jam won "Best New Product" award at the Canadian Fine Food Show. The following year, that same Jam was presented the "Silver Award" at the 1999 Entrepreneur's Competition for the Best New Food Product in Western Canada. Our distribution channels kept increasing. We have also enjoyed a number of great reviews and other awards over the years.

I believe Zinter Brown products have been successful because we have never deviated from our philosophy of delivering the best tasting, highest quality product. This allows our customers to easily prepare and present a wide range of delicious appetizers and main dishes. There is no limit to the number of ways our 19 different products can be used and served.

The fact that we use natural ingredients with no artificial flavors or added preservatives is another reason our customers keep coming back year after year.

We hope that you continue to enjoy our growing line of gourmet condiments and appetizers, whether you use them personally or incorporate them into wholesale food gift baskets. I would also love to hear about favorite recipes that you have developed using our products.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Joanne Zinter
jzinter@zinterbrown.com