 |
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
|||
 |
||||
 |
||||
 |
||||
12-16-2004 |
|
|
For the third year in a row, a West Virginia company has taken a top prize at the Americas Food and Beverage Trade Show and Conference in Miami, Fla., the premier show for commercial and cruise line buyers from throughout the Caribbean region. DeFluri's Fine Chocolates of Martinsburg brought home the "Best Candy and Confectionary in the Americas" award for its Gold Leaf Collection of assorted truffles, as judged by a panel of top critics and experts from across the country. DeFluri's joins ThistleDew Farm, which won "Best Sauce, Salsa and Condiment in the America's in 2003 for its Hot Pepper Butter, and Blue Smoke Salsa, which took the same award in 2002 for its Hot Salsa. "DeFluri's is the latest in a line of West Virginia companies that have shown America and the world that this state has more to offer than most people realize," said Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass. "I send my sincere congratulations to owners Brenda and Charlie Casabona and all their employees. They have done themselves - and this state - very proud." Representatives from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) sponsored four West Virginia companies at the trade show, which annually attracts more than 400 exhibitors and 6,000 buyers from 28 countries. "Our purpose in attending this show is to help West Virginia companies make contacts with commercial buyers, which will hopefully result in contracts," said Jean Smith, WVDA's Director of Marketing and Development. "Overall, I think our participants were immensely pleased with the leads they got while they were in Miami. There have been a number of sales come out of this show the past two years and I'm optimistic we'll see the same thing this year," Smith added. For a listing of West Virginia companies, or for more information, call 558-3708, or visit www.wvagriculture.org.
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org. |
|
|
|
|
©2001, 2002 West Virginia Department of Agriculture, All Rights Reserved |
|
|
Contact the Webmaster
|
|
|
|