The INC Awards are the premier international showcase of excellence for the nuts and dried fruits industry.
Mr. Bert Steir
The Wonderful Company, USA
Bert Steir has been working in the nut and citrus industry for over 38 years. He was a founder of the original Paramount nut group, and is now Vice President of The Wonderful Company. Before that he was an executive of two New York stock exchange companies. He grew up in Boston, graduated from Harvard College, magna cum laude. Prior to college he served in the U.S. Infantry in France, Germany and the Philippine Islands during World War II. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service. Since moving to California, Bert and his wife, Judy, have also kept a home in New York, where Judy spends most of her time tracking their expanding clan of 21 children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Costco Wholesale Corporation
Costco Wholesale Corporation is an American multinational that operates a chain of membership only warehouse clubs and dedicates to bring to their members the best possible prices on quality private label and brand-name merchandise.
With 770 locations around the world, Costco provides a wide selection of items, both food and non food, as well as the convenience of specialty departments and exclusive member services.
Prof. Linda Tapsell
Senior Professor, Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Wollongong, Australia
Professor Linda Tapsell is a leading Australian researcher in Nutrition and Dietetics. For over 30 years she conducted ongoing clinical trials manipulating the macronutrient content of diets, testing the impact of individual foods on health outcomes and evaluating the efficacy of healthy dietary patterns in lifestyle interventions. This included a number of trials specifically examining nuts in relation to dietary fat manipulation, impact on cardiometabolic parameters, and driving healthy dietary choices. She has over 200 scientific publications, including a textbook Food, Nutrition and Health (Oxford University Press). Professor Tapsell has trained a generation of nutrition scientists and practitioners and is a Fellow of both the Australian Nutrition Society and the Dietitians Association. She continues to serve on a range of national and international expert committees on food and nutrition. In 2015 she was named a member of the Order of Australia for ‘significant service to health science as an academic and clinician specialising in diet and nutrition’.
Chef Andrew Roenbeck
Executive Chef at Boca Raton Resort & Club
The INC Innovation Award winner was Besana Group for its Besana's Planet Friendly Pack. Based on a long-lasting experience and as a result of an intense work in collaboration with experts, the company presented an innovative packaging combining in two layers a cardboard sheet and an environment-friendly plastic film. Ms. Giusy Ambrosio, Director Product Research & Strategic Development, accepted the award explained “Sustainability and innovation are what we really believe in. We’ve been working hard for two years on this project and therefore it is a great honor to receive this award.”
Other candidates in the running for the award were: Date Sweeteners: Liquid & crystallized date sugar + date powder, Boudjebel, Tunisia, Nutnose.com, Nutnose, Netherlands, Mediterranean tree nut beverages developed, Crisolar, Spain, PureHeart Choco Mixed Nut Spread, Western India Cashew Company, India and Valentine Day gift box, Nutty Gritties, India. INC thanks all of them for submitting their products and services to the Innovation Award.