Equal® 0 Calorie Sweetener and “The Diabetic Chef®” Teach Consumers Living with Diabetes How to Create Inspired Recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle

Equal® 0 Calorie Sweetener and “The Diabetic Chef®” Teach Consumers Living with Diabetes How to Create Inspired Recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle

Chicago (April 18, 2015)Equal®, the great-tasting 0-calorie sweetener, today announced its partnership with Chef Chris Smith, aka The Diabetic Chef, during the American Diabetes Association (Association) Expo at McCormick Place in Chicago.

As a trusted brand and leader among Aspartame 0-calorie sweeteners, Equal® joined forces with Chef Chris, a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, and a person with type 1 diabetes. Since being diagnosed, Chef Chris has a newly found passion to teach people living with diabetes how to cook and eat with their health in mind.

As part of the partnership, Equal® worked with Chef Chris to develop a digital recipe guide, which is now available free to consumers at Equal.com. The guide includes tips that take the guesswork out of meal planning. Additionally, consumers will find a variety of sweet and savory recipes that use Equal® 0-calorie sweetener as an alternative to sugar, and are suitable for people living with diabetes or those who want to follow a healthy lifestyle:

  • Delicious drinks, such as a Green Smoothie, Vanilla Latte, and Cool Peach Iced Tea
  • Savory and other side dishes, like Asian Beef Skewers, Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho, Curried Chicken Salad and Garden Fresh Coleslaw
  • Desserts such as Lemon & Ginger Pops and Cinnamon Custard

During the Expo on Saturday, April 18, Chef Chris will be available to meet and greet with attendees from 10:00am – 4:00pm at the Equal® booth (#618). Visitors will enjoy samples of his signature Cool Peach Iced Tea. Chef will also present a cooking demonstration on the main stage from 1:30-2:15pm titled A Balancing Act – Make Your Dishes Sweeter with Equal®. The demo will feature two favorite recipes and samples for tasting that are available in the new guide: Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho and Green Smoothie. The demonstration will be followed by a 15-minute Q&A.

“Equal® adds just the right amount of sweetness and flavor to my favorite recipes,” said Chef Chris Smith. “As someone who is living with diabetes, I know the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and I’m committed to educating others about how to prepare delicious and nutritious meals without sacrificing taste.”

“We’re excited to partner with Chef Chris Smith to offer people living with diabetes practical knowledge and nutritious and delicious recipes made with Equal® 0-calorie sweetener,” said Lori Schwartz, Senior Brand Manager at Equal®.

Equal® products are available at grocery, mass, club and drugstores. Consumers can also look for the brand in the sweetener caddy at coffee shops and restaurants. Equal® is offered in 115 and 230-count boxes for a suggested retail price of $3.50 and $6.39 respectively. Equal Spoonful 4oz has a suggested retail price of $3.29. Retail prices may vary by market.

For more information and download the free digital recipe guide, visit www.equal.com or find the brand on facebook http://www.facebook.com/EqualSweetener

Consumers can learn more about Chef Chris Smith at http://thediabeticchef.com/

About Equal®

For more than 30 years, Equal® has offered its trusted “blue” packets using the ingredient of aspartame. Equal also offers yellow (sucralose) and pink (saccharin) packets that bear the brand name and deliver the quality and taste consumers expect. Equal® is a registered trademark of Merisant Company.

About Merisant Company

Merisant Company, the manufacturer of Equal® brand 0-calorie sweetener, is a privately held company headquartered in Chicago.  Merisant is a global leader in the sweetener industry and has a presence in more than 90 countries with 378 employees worldwide.

About the American Diabetes Association Expo

The American Diabetes Association EXPO is a FREE event for everyone! Get free health screenings. Participate in cooking demonstrations. Learn about new products and get the information you need to better manage and prevent diabetes and its complications. Come to the EXPO and be part of the Stop Diabetes® movement.

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Equal® 0 Calorie Sweetener and “The Diabetic Chef®” Teach Consumers Living with Diabetes How to Create Inspired Recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle

Liquid Asset Brands Announces $50 Million Beverage Innovation Fund I

Chicago, IL (April 14, 2015)MAB Capital Management, a closely held private equity group led by entrepreneur Marc Bushala, announced today the launch of Liquid Asset Brands Innovation Fund I. The $50 million fund will make equity investments of $3 million – $10 million in early stage beverage businesses and take an active role in helping accelerate the growth of the brands in its portfolio.

The announcement of the Liquid Asset Brands Innovation Fund I comes just days after the announced sale of Louisville-based Angel’s Share Brands LLC (Angel’s Envy™ Bourbon and Angel’s Envy™ Rye) to Bacardi Limited for an undisclosed amount. Bushala was a founding partner, President & CEO of Angel’s Share Brands and helped shepherd Angel’s Envy™ into one of the top ten fastest growing super-premium bourbons in the United States.

“There are great opportunities for investment in dynamic and innovative businesses in the beverage sector. Most early stage beverage businesses would greatly benefit by having value-added capital to help accelerate the growth of their brands,” said Bushala. “Liquid Asset Brands brings a wealth of expertise across all disciplines vital to the success of a young brand, including strategy, finance, marketing, sales, distribution and procurement. We have assembled an All-Star team of industry veterans to invest behind brands with great promise and help them achieve their full potential.”

“The entrepreneurial spirit in the beverage sector is thriving, but it takes more than just the will to succeed to break through,” said Tom Flocco, former CEO of Beam Global Spirits & Wine (now Beam Suntory). “Many great products don’t survive because they are either under-capitalized or under-served in one or more critical aspects of the business. You can have a great idea, but if you can’t get distribution, or you do not have the scale to support its growth, it’s an uphill battle.”

“There is a significant opportunity for a fund to create new brands, help expand interesting fledgling brands and support young leadership in the spirits business,” said Mark Montgomery, who’s company FLO.co worked closely with superstar Kenny Chesney in launching his Blue Chair Bay rum business, which set a new record as the fastest growing new company spirits launch in the history of the business. “Marc and his team have clearly established a track record for creating value, and this is the next logical step for him as a leader in the beverage sector.”

Liquid Asset Brands also intends to create and launch its own brands and is planning to open a craft distillery in downtown Chicago in 2015. The Company is in discussions with several strategic partners through the entire beverage value chain, from production and bottling to sale and distribution.

“We are seeing some really exciting businesses with great entrepreneurs at the helm,” said Bushala. “I look forward to announcing our first investments very soon.”

MAB Capital Management, LLC

MAB is a closely held capital management firm focused on making strategic investments in the real estate, communications, hospitality and entertainment sectors within the U.S. and abroad. For more information, please visit www.mabcap.com

Liquid Asset Brands LLC

For more information, please visit www.liquidassetbrands.com