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FEATURE STORY
Find a point of difference
Fresh from NACS 2006
By Kathleen Cantwell
Maybe you already offer products like soft drinks and snacks at your smoke shop. Or maybe, as we move into a New Year and seek new opportunities, you’re open to adding some diversity to your product mix. If so, consider the following, gleaned from the miles of aisles at the National Association of Convenience Stores’ annual extravaganza, held this year in Las Vegas in early October. The reason they’ve been chosen is simply that they’re products I particularly liked. Maybe you and your customers will too.
Big Ox 
This drew a lot of attention and, I think, would sell like crazy, if only as a conversation piece. Big Ox is a portable individual oxygen tank about a foot tall. The company describes it as recreational, not medical, oxygen—93-percent-enriched-oxygen air (the air we normally breathe is about 21 percent oxygen). Possible benefits are increased energy and alertness, and it may even counteract altitude sickness and help avoid hangovers. Many runners swear by it. And even if your customers aren’t athletes, Big Ox could come in handy after a couple of hours in a cigar bar. The recommended single use is about eight breaths of Big Ox. It’s available in Mountain Mint and Tropical Breeze flavors in individual cans, two-packs, variety two-packs and 12-can cases and variety cases. Retail price online is $15/can, $25/two-pack, $150/case. For more information, visit www.thebigox.com. For wholesale pricing and orders, retailers in the Midwest should contact Jim Folsom at Folsom Distributing at (618) 254-0427 or jfolsom@folsomdistributing.com. Retailers in the rest of the country should contact David McKeown at (417) 818-1235 or david@thebigox.com.
BE NATURAL
These new import bars from Australia are packed with fruits, nuts and great taste. And while most people wouldn’t think of smokers as being health-conscious, smokers can be as on-trend as anyone else. A source of dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins, BE NATURAL presents a fast and convenient way for customers to get their daily dose of good stuff. Flavors are: Nut Delight, Almond & Coconut, Date & Walnut, Banana & Wheat Bran, Macadamia Apricot and Sesame Nut Split. Fruit & Nut Delight and Almond & Apricot are available plain and with yogurt coating. The tasty bar has been picked up by major chains like Seven Eleven and word is spreading. The bars are imported and marketed by PeaceWorks, an unusual company that describes itself as “not only for profit.” Five percent of its profits go to The PeaceWorks Foundation, which fosters peace in regions of conflict worldwide. A free floor rack is also available. For information, visit www.peaceworks.com. For sales, contact Leah Majchel at leah@peaceworks.net or call (212) 616-3006, ext. 242.
ZOTES Brand Sunflower Seeds
I am a sunflower seed aficionada and these are the best I’ve ever eaten. And I’ve only stuck to the basic “Roasted and Salted” variety. Imagine if you were a more adventurous type and went for one of the other flavors in this new line, including Beer Baked, Dill Pickle, Salt and Pepper, Tequila Lime, Spicy Nacho, Bleu Cheese, Jalapeno, Garlic Roast and Hot Wings. The container is great too—a plastic jar with a twist-off top when you want quantity, with a small flap that flips open and closed if you eat on the go. There are also a variety of displays available for counters, walls and pegboards. Retail pricing online is $11.34 for a six-pack and the product is available at a number of distributors. For more information, visit www.zotes.com or call (801) 746-0640. 
Snyder of Hanover’s Chocolate Pretzel Dips
Combine America’s No. 1 brand’s mini pretzels and Hershey’s chocolate and what more needs to be said? And they’re just as good as you’d expect them to be. These tasty new snacks are available in both milk and white chocolate versions. MSRP for a 4.5-oz pack is $1.99. They come hole-punched in an eight-count, easy-stock, display-ready case. For information and sales, call your local Snyder’s of Hanover sales rep or call customer service at (800) 233-7125, ext. 5696.
 Hungry Sultan Hummus Snack Pack
This convenient—and different—snack-on-the-go comes with an individual-serving, 3-oz. can of Hungry Sultan’s line of premium humus, six Carr’s water crackers and a small spoon. Flavors are Original, Roasted Garlic, Sundried Tomato and Spicy. The product is all-natural and shelf-stable. It retails for $2.99 and comes packed 24 to the case. For more information, visit www.hungrysultan.com. For orders, call California Garden Products, Inc. headquarters sales office at (949) 215-0000, or its new San Antonio, Texas sales office at (210) 375-9517.
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