SupplySide News
Red Gold
Making the highest quality, best tasting tomato products in the United States may seem like a lofty goal, but for Red Gold, Inc. it has been a way of life since 1942. The nation’s largest family-owned producer of Private Brand tomato products and the largest Private Brand ketchup producer isn’t resting on its laurels. Red Gold has recently introduced a 40-oz. “Fridge Friendly” bottle for Private Brand Ketchup. This new package emulates the design of the national brand providing consumers with a lower cost option while helping retailers capture their fair share of this growing size segment.
The recession has prompted consumers to rediscover canned tomatoes. Private Brand canned tomatoes are one of the hottest products going and, thanks to the variety available from Red Gold, a natural item to showcase Private Brand quality. Red Gold has just completed canning their fresh tomatoes to meet this increasing demand. The hottest canned tomato is also the hottest! 10-oz. Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies is the most popular item each year for the national brands and Red Gold produces a NBE match that is every bit as hot as the original. Used for spicing up any meal from meatloaf to cheese dips, salsa, and guacamole for parties, 10-oz. Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies is a versatile addition to the Private Brands Family. Available in Original, Mild and New Lime and Cilantro flavor.
Did you know that Americans spend $26 billion per year on pizza at their favorite restaurants? With the recession prompting consumers to eat at home more often, many are finding the economical approach to making their own pizza. The Pizza Sauce category is up +13% versus last year driven by the growth of Private Brands Pizza Sauce. To take advantage of this trend, Retailers can rely on Red Gold’s 14-oz. Private Brand Pizza Sauce to match the national brand’s flavor and quality. With their unmatched quality and variety, Red Gold is the Solution for Everything Tomato. Contact 765-754-7527, ext. 1619, or Email PrivateBrands@RedGold.com.
A Family Affair
Water Lilies Food, a manufacturer of fine Asian cuisine for private label, is an ever-expanding company that is always looking for new ways to innovate and grow. And although the company has grown very large since its humble beginnings, it hasn’t forgotten its roots.
The story of Water Lilies begins about 17 years ago, when the Lee family — a Taiwanese husband and wife, along with their children — started selling home-cooked Chinese food out of its kitchen. It only took a few years for the family’s products to grow in popularity — business expanded to the point where, in 1995, the family relocated its operations to a factory in Brooklyn, N.Y. Thus, Water Lilies was born. Around the same time, consumers were beginning to demand more non-vegetarian products, which led the company to rethink its vegetarian-focused product lineup. To satisfy consumer demand, Water Lilies acquired USDA approval to launch a line of non-vegetarian Chinese appetizers, which included a variety of egg rolls, spring rolls, potstickers, wontons, dumplings and buns.
The line was a success, and the company’s business grew even further. In 2005, Peter Lee, the founding family’s eldest child and a recent college graduate, was brought on board the company’s management team. Lee’s mission was clear: to focus on consumer demand for quality, authentic products with excellent research and development. Since then, Water Lilies has developed a mainstream focus, allowing many exciting changes to take place. For example: In 2007, Water Lilies acquired organic certification and launched its organic and all-natural product lines. That same year, the company relocated to a 48,000-square-foot facility in Astoria, N.Y.
Since its relocation, Water Lilies has focused on meeting the needs of consumers looking for easy-to-prepare meal solutions. The company recently launched its line of fully cooked entrées, consisting of convenient packages that contain products rich in protein and starch, as well as sauces. The line offers many popular Asian flavors, including Szechuan Orange, Sweet-and-sour, General Tso’s Chicken and more.
Water Lilies continues to look for ways to offer better-quality products at competitive prices. Currently, the company is planning to install an egg roll/spring roll processing line that will increase production speed while producing a more consistent product. The line will be fully automated–from wrapper sheeting and roll forming to frying and tunnel freezing–and will increase Water Lilies’ current manufacturing capacity from 60 rolls per minute to 120 rolls per minute. The $1 million upgrade is scheduled to be completed by early 2010.
To learn more about what Water Lilies Food can do for your private label program, contact Peter Lee at 718-777-8899 or peterlee@waterliliesfood.com, or visit www.waterliliesfood.com.
Sopakco, Your Partner for Shelf-Stable Meals
Frozen meals used to be the height of convenience; just five minutes from microwave to mouth.
Ah, but consumers clamoring for convenience have raised the bar, leading to the creation of an entirely new category of prepared meals: portable, individually portioned entrees that require no refrigeration and take just 90 seconds to heat and serve. Savvy brand owners and retailers recognize a significant opportunity to provide seniors, working adults, the diet conscious, and school kids with delicious, nutritious, shelf-stable meals. Speed to market is key!
Sopakco (SOPAKCO) is just the partner to make it happen. For more than 40 years, South Carolina-based Sopakco has been a leading retort food processor and among the world’s largest producer of meals ready to eat (MREs) for the U.S. military. Each year, the company prepares and packages 80 million MREs and is consistently ranked number one in quality, performance and service.
Sopakco is also a major producer of retort entrées, side dishes, sauces, and gravies for retail and institutional applications. Leading brand owners, retailers, and private labelers look to Sopakco for turnkey solutions that include recipe formulation, food processing, packaging, meticulous quality controls, and logistics in what have become the hottest new packaging formats: retort pouches and semi-rigid plastic bowls and trays.
Customers also look to Sopakco as a solid, collaborative, long-term business partner. With 60 years in business and $128 million in 2008 sales, we have the financial strength and longevity that inspires confidence and a willingness to partner with customers on new ventures.
Multiple facilities, automation and process flexibility enable us to take seasonal surges in volume, new product ramp ups and last-minute orders in stride. We can also assist customers with primary and secondary package design and sourcing.
Sopakco offers warehousing facilities in South Carolina, Tennessee, and Nevada for nationwide distribution. For more information, visit www.SOPAKCO.com.
Qosmedix Adds Dispensing Brushes
Qosmedix has added four refillable, dispensing powder brushes to its vast inventory of luxury make-up brushes. Made of goat hair, the soft bristles release just the right amount of powder for an even, smooth application. Each comes with a cap to protect the brush head and has a clear plastic reservoir to display the level of contents inside. To promote your brand, the brushes can be personalized with your company logo.
Qosmedix is an ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 certified global supplier to the cosmetic, skin care, spa and salon industries. For more information visit www.qosmedix.com or contact Luisa Marino at luisa@qosmedix.com.
Cloverdale Foods Company
Cloverdale Foods Company is a fourth generation family owned business that specializes in manufacturing high quality processed meats. Since 1915, Cloverdale products have become known for their superior, hickory-smoked flavor. In 1915, Hoy Russell opened his business in Mandan, ND. Over the years it developed into the manufacturing business that it is today, which provides products to both retail and foodservice operations. Cloverdale produces more than 200 products in 17 categories including ham, sausages, franks, bacon, deli meats, and fully cooked ribs. Cloverdale is a safe choice provider of premium protein products. For more information visit www.cloverdalefoods.com.
Greener Charcoal Lighters
Outdoor chefs can be kinder to the planet by starting their barbecues with solid environmentally-friendly charcoal lighters that will be seen for the first time at the Chicago PLMA Show this year.
Tiger Tim, in booth 4413/4414, will show their line of solid charcoal lighters that many Europeans have learned to rely on to avoid the many dangers associated with lighter fluid.
Made from 100% natural renewable materials, CO2 neutral and nearly smokeless, they’ve been approved by the Forest Stewardship Council. Safety and environmental concerns aside, the composition of wood and natural vegetable waxes doesn’t add any chemical taste to the goodies on the barbie.
For more information contact Tiger Tim Products LTD at 011 44 1352 780861.
Transnational Foods Pampa Brand
With the combination of its plants’ capabilities and its sourcing team, Transnational Foods product portfolio and human resources are unique, and its services more extensive and efficient. Transnational Foods can deliver on its commitment to be the one-stop-shop for better and higher value grocery items.
Transnational Foods is a dynamic organization that understands its customers through listening to their needs as well as the needs of the consumer. Transnational Foods offers more than 250 items under its “Pampa” brand. Pampa products are represented across many food categories such as: peanut butter, preserves, canned meats, olives, peppers, dry cereal, cereal bars, tomatoes, vegetable oil, olive oils, and blended oils, and others. Whether it be Retail, Foodservice, Private Label or “Pampa” branded, Transnational Foods’s expertise ensures success of its grocery programs.
Since private label is a large part of most retailers’ ‘go to market’ strategies, Transnational Foods offers private label programs based on the customer’s needs and volume commitment.
Six Distribution Centers, strategically located throughout the US, offices in South America and Asia, and more than 4,000 containers shipped annually are a clear signal of continued success in putting together Value Programs for retailers around the world. When looking for a true value partner, your choice is Transnational Foods.
For more information contact Bernardo Hussing at 305-365-9652, or visit Transnational Foods at PLMA 2009, booth 1634.
Premier Debuts Enhanced Dual Gel Insoles
Premier Brands of America, Mt. Vernon, NY, has been at the forefront of green innovation since 1998, when it started recycling scrap foam from its popular foam shoe insole into stuffing for lawn furniture. This year the company has a major packaging initiative to both reduce package size and to use more eco-friendly materials.
Beginning with their dual gel insoles, Premier will be converting the blister package to a new PET roll stock produced 100% from recycled water, juice, soda and sports drink bottles. While the national brand is introducing packaging with reduced materials, Premier once again takes this innovation two steps further. Keeping with its philosophy to manufacture products national brand equivalent or better, Premier’s packaging touts 100 % recycled plastic and a new easy-open, zipper feature.
The dual gel insoles, available for men and women, feature a soft blue gel that cushions and a second firmer gel for added support. So, the consumer will enjoy the comfort of a quality gel insole and do so knowing they are doing their part in being eco-friendly.
Premier Brands of America, the largest private label manufacturer of foot care, offers a full line of insoles including gel, foam, memory foam, and orthotics. For more information about Premier Brands of America, contact 914-667-6200, or visit www.premier-brands.com.
Virtual Shopping from Decision Insight
Using online virtual shopping to recreate the context of a store, Decision Insight tests retail-specific strategies to optimize product assortment, product placement (in store or on the shelf), POP promotions, pricing, and packaging, by category.
By recreating a retail experience, the process measures what shoppers “do” as opposed to what they “say”– basing the research on actual behavior, not appeal or likeness scores. The online virtual environment is essentially like an in-market test but offering faster field time and cost efficiencies without geographic bias. The virtual environment is customized by retailer, and regional shopping differences are accommodated by customizing store environments and product sets.
The shopping behavior Decision Insight measures is validated to actual sales (consistently correlating to IRI/Nielsen in-store sales data at or near .90). It is a classic ‘what if’ tool, used to test a number of scenarios simultaneously and determine which one maximizes sales, ROI, and store equity. Sometimes this helps to narrow options for an in-store test but in many cases clients use results to make in-store changes based on the winning scenario.
Decision Insight, the industry pioneer in online virtual shopping, has been successfully conducting these types of studies for leading CPG manufacturers for years. Their studies have been able to show the best assortment and arrangement of Private Brands in many categories. Private Label manufacturers and retailers can use the research to take their destiny into their own hands and determine what is best for the category, their Private Label, and their store equity through online virtual testing.
Decision Insight will be showing examples of their virtual shopping tool in the Innovation Hall at PLMA in Chicago, booth number 8910.
When visiting the booth be sure to ask about:
How Decision Insight helped a client determine the best shelving strategy to maximize category, national brand, and Private Brand sales.
How a recent test conducted for a food client enabled them to react to the pricing action of a competitor and set the right pricing strategy for the category, national brand, and Private Label.
How Decision Insight’s Shopper Decision Trees allow clients to determine category structure, relevant order of attributes (brand, price/value, product attributes, emotional attributes), and what the role of Private Label in the category should be.
How packaging research that is based on what people say they like does not always indicate what they will buy and how virtual shopping research can be used to make sure that your product line wins at shelf.
For more information, visit Decision Insight online at www.decisioninsight.com or contact Walter Haug, walterh@decisioninsight.com.
20 Years Experience Providing Great Tasting Snacks
Offering value pricing for the consumer and solid margins for the retailer, snacks and treats from JTM Foods, Inc. help boost sales and profits for retailers and other private label suppliers nationwide. The company can provide custom-designed display boxes and wrappers or produce packaging to meet the graphic standards of the customer’s private label brand.
First introduced to the market more than 20 years ago, the original JJ’s Marshmallow Crispy’s have an extended 180-day shelf life and contain 0 grams trans fat. They are now available in different flavors, several bar sizes, and a variety of multi-packs and institutional boxes. The 0.78-ounce bar contains only 90 calories.
JJ’s Fruit & Snack pies offer consumers a host of dessert, picnic, snack and lunch ideas and can be warmed in the
microware, served cold or enjoyed straight from the box. A variety of flavors includes Apple, Berry, Cherry, Chocolate, Lemon and Peach. These 4-ounce pies contain 0 grams trans fat and have no hydrogenated oils. For more information contact 814-899-0886 or jtmfoods@jtmfoods.net or visit www.JTMfoods.net.
Fremont Company Promotes Hackbarth
The Fremont Company, a 104-year-old manufacturer of private label food products, has promoted Mike Hackbarth to vice president of private label sales from director of private label sales. The Fremont Company is one of the country’s leading producers of private label regular and organic ketchup, as well as steak sauces, barbeque sauces and spray dressings.
PLMA Shares in 2010
“PLMA Share Group,” in conjunction with MBC-Consulting, is coming spring 2010. “A share group is an association of industry professionals interested in growing their knowledge and business through twice-a-year meeting activities and ongoing information and resource sharing,” says Mike Brouillard, partner/founder of MBC-LLC. “Group members participate in benchmarking, best practices and survey activities based on member needs.”
The groups are composed of non-competing store brand manufactures and marketing companies. Participants share ideas and experiences about the industry and their individual business activities. Various share groups cover retail sales and marketing, food service sales and marketing, supply chain, quality management, purchasing, finance, human resources and information technology.
Share groups meet in hub cities for 1-1/2 days. Participants develop agendas for their own sessions. For more information visit www.plma.com.
John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. Appoints Gorski
John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., is pleased to announce the appointment of Phil Gorski as the company’s business manager focused on the growing club store channel. JBSS, owner of the Fisher brand, was founded in 1922 and is widely recognized as a leading processor, marketer and distributor of shelled and in-shell nuts and snacks.
