Store Brands - November 2018

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The year’s top stories

Private Label Trade Show preview

Getting social with Brian Sharoff November 2018 | www.storebrands.com

STORE BRANDS SERVES UP ITS ANNUAL INDUSTRY AWARDS

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Volume 40 No. 11 November 2018

DEPARTMENTS 6

Editor’s Take

8

Viewpoint

10

Around the Industry

20

Getting Social

CONTENTS

22

122 End Cap

CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE 104

Breakfast Foods

108

Spices and Seasonings

112

Cheese

115

Home Cleaning and Laundry

117

COVER STORY

First Aid

Kudos Store Brands serves up its annual industry awards

FEATURES 44 THE YEAR IN REVIEW In the spotlight Private brands were the talk of retail in 2018, as evidenced by many of our top 10 stories of the year

72 PRIVATE LABEL TRADE SHOW PREVIEW It’s showtime

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This year’s Private Label Trade Show will feature about 2,800 exhibit booths — representing virtually all known consumer products categories in grocery as well as nonfoods. Also, check out our product preview

92 TOTAL STORE The restroom: A significant store brand If a consumer has a bad bathroom experience, that store’s trust factor just went down the toilet

94 TRENDING Getting personal

Brick-and-mortar retailers can personalize store brands through exclusive products, memorable store experiences, creative packaging and other methods

98 FLAVORS AND INGREDIENTS Perking up private brands

Coffee and tea flavors can help differentiate store brands by adding depth and richness to food and drink products

Store Brands (ISSN-0190-9851; USPS # 0488-370) is published monthly by EnsembleIQ, 8550 W. Bryn Mawr, Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60631. Subscriptions: One year, $95; two years, $146. One year, Canada $112; two years, Canada $150, One year, foreign $175; two years, foreign $285. Payable in advance with a bank draft drawn on a US bank in US funds.Single copies $10, except foreign, where postage will be added. Reprints, permissions and licensing, please contact Wright’s Media at ensembleiq@wrightsmedia.com or(877) 652-5295. Canada Post: Canada returns to be sent to IDS, P.O. Box 456, Niagara Falls, ON, L2E6V2. Periodicals postage rates paid at Deerfield, IL and additional mailing offices. Printed in USA. POSTMASTER: send all address changes to Store Brands PO Box 1842 Lowell MA 01853. Copyright 2018 by EnsembleIQ. All rights reserved, including the rights to reproduce in whole or in part. All letters to the editors of this magazine will be treated as having been submitted for publication. The magazine reserves the right to edit and abridge them. The publication is available in microform from University Microfilms International, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106. The contents of this publication can not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for claims and representations.

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EDITOR’S TAKE Business Intelligence for an Evolving Market

8550 W. Bryn Mawr, Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60631 (773) 992-4450

Vice President/Brand Director

TARGET’S SMARTLY MAKES GOOD SENSE

Eric Savitch

856-489-3336

esavitch@ensembleiq.com

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief

Lawrence Aylward

(330) 635-2586

laylward@ensembleIQ.com

Managing Editor

Lauren Hartman

(224) 231-6359

lhartman@ensembleIQ.com

Contributing Writers

How low is Target going? Pretty darn low. Consider 99 cents for four rolls of toilet paper.

The Minneapolis-based retailer recently debuted Smartly, a private brand line of essential and personal care products for budget-conscious shoppers. Most of the items in the 70-product line, which range from household cleaners to paper plates to razor blades to body lotion and to toilet paper, cost less than $2.

Products in the line range in price from 59 cents to $11.99.

When I first heard of Target’s new line, all I could think of was “generic,” the word that everyone in the industry loves to hate these days. Now, I admit my thinking is not fair to Target, but the big play on the low prices just made me think of those black-and-white packaged products. Smartly is much different, of course. For starters, the line has a catchy name. The packaging, while not flashy, is simple but attractive.

Many private brands pundits have urged retailers to differentiate with more premium private brands — which they are doing (Target included) — that cost more but are worth the price. But here comes Target with a new value line that the retailer says will cost about 70 percent less than national brands equivalents.

Very interesting, indeed.

But that’s not all. Mark Tritton, Target’s executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, used the “D” word in a press release when describing the line.

“The introduction of Smartly to our owned brand portfolio is another example of how we are listening to consumers and bringing them differentiated solutions to make their lives easier,” Tritton said.

And you thought differentiation was reserved for those highfalutin’ premium store brands. But I guess Tritton is right. I mean … who else is selling four rolls of toilet paper for 99 cents? It’s “different,” alright.

Here’s my take on this: Target, which has been on a store brand kick as of late and is introducing new lines throughout different categories, is making buying cheap cool with Smartly. Besides, many consumers don’t want to pay a lot of money for the products in the categories that feature Smartly products. Who needs a premium dishwashing liquid anyway?

And, again, while these products are positioned as bargain as all get out, they do have an aura about them, with their packaging and personalization. Consider the latter. How smart is Target for calling this line Smartly? Considering that we all want to be associated with such a term, Smartly speaks to us.

While I haven’t had the chance to sample any products in the line, I assume they are of decent quality. I don’t think any retailer would be foolish enough to skimp on quality these days, even if they’re giving away their store brands.

Retailers with notable private brand programs — and Target is one of them — have come a long way to establish those programs. No way they are going to risk that by introducing a product line that lacks quality, even for one product.

With deep discounter Aldi expanding and other retailers like The Kroger Co. and Giant Eagle reducing prices on some private brands, Smartly is a shrewd move by Target. The retailer is saying you can have your premium private brands and your cheap ones, too. But not cheap like the old days of private label.

Rich Mitchell, Dana Cvetan, Nevenka Jevtic

ADVERTISING & SALES Associate Brand Director Suzanne Caputo

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AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT Director of Audience Engagement

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EVENTS • MARKETING • DIGITAL • RESEARCH • CIRCULATION CORPORATE OFFICERS Executive Chairman

Alan Glass

Chief Executive Officer

David Shanker

Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer

Richard Rivera

Chief Brand Officer

Korry Stagnito

President, The Path to Purchase Institute Chief Digital Officer

Terese Herbig Joel Hughes

Chief Human Resources Officer Senior Vice President, Innovation

Jennifer Turner Tanner Van Dusen

2015

Lawrence Aylward, Editor-in-Chief laylward@ensembleIQ.com 6

Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

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VIEWPOINT

A preference for private brands this holiday season

By Ryne Misso Ryne Misso is the director of marketing for Numerator, a global provider of advertising and promotional tracking, brand protection and e-commerce pricing solutions.

8

For many of us, holiday shopping is already well underway. A recent survey, which polled consumers from Numerator’s InfoScout OmniPanel, found that 57 percent of Christmas shoppers and 55 percent of Hanukkah shoppers start their holiday gift shopping before Halloween. Yes, holiday shopping has become a year-long event, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make some predictions about what we might see during the year’s largest holiday shopping months in November and December. Right at the top of the list of things to watch for is how prominent a role private brands will have this holiday season. Below are three holiday predictions for private brands: Private brands will fill a larger share of Thanksgiving stomachs — During the week of Thanksgiving last year, over 33 percent of promotions for Thanksgiving staples — including turkey, canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned pie filling, stuffing mix, cooking oils and sprays, dry potatoes and others — featured a store brand product, according to data from Numerator Promotions (formerly Market Track). It isn’t a huge stretch to equate promotional share to share of stomach in this case, knowing that U.S. consumers aren’t likely to eat out on Thanksgiving Day, and are also driven by a good deal. By this logic, private brands already occupy a third of Thanksgiving stomachs. We are predicting that will increase this year.

A confluence of trends has made conditions ripe for store brand growth this year.

First, consumer concerns about private brand quality are largely a thing of the past.

This can be largely attributed to the fact that retailers have diversified their store brands assortment, featuring both bottom- and top-shelf options, and everything in between. Consumers are now confident that if they opt for a store brand, they are not taking a hit on quality.

Second, even though the perceived quality of private brands has increased, consumers can still enjoy a good deal if they opt for the store brand option. On Thanksgiving

Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

week last year, promoted pricing for private brands turkey averaged 14 percent lower than alternatives, frozen vegetables 21 percent lower, and canned vegetables 7 percent lower.

Amazon.com brands will be among the hottest holiday gifts — According to a study from CPC Strategy, Amazon.com now has over 40 active or planned private brands and/or exclusive brands.

That is a surprisingly large number of store brands, even though most everyone in the retail industry is privy to the growth of private brands in general.

Amazon.com’s store brands span a variety of popular holiday gifting categories, in addition to its grocery and consumer packaged goods offerings. In electronics, AmazonBasics, AmazonTap and AmazonEcho are all growing in popularity, especially AmazonEcho. In fashion, Amazon.com has nearly a dozen brands, including Lark & Ro, GoodThreads and Amazon Essentials. Even in baby, Amazon’s Mama Bear brand has exploded in popularity — according to Numerator’s InfoScout OmniPanel, Mama Bear sales on Amazon have grown over 2,600 percent in the 12 months through August, 2018.

Combining the proliferation of Amazon.com’s private brand products with the growing connectivity market, we expect to see a big spike in the number of Amazon.com-branded or connected products purchased as gifts this holiday season.

Omnichannel incentives exclusive to store brands — Amazon.com has accelerated the need for grocery retailers to examine and develop their omnichannel fulfillment options. This has been the challenge for grocery stores in deciding when, how and to what extent they should develop their e-commerce functions. How do you balance the increased costs of online fulfillment options with the reality that more consumers are at least testing the online ordering waters?

Private brands may be a logical entry point.

With store brands providing retailers higher margins, why not try to drive online purchase of store brand products? Don’t be surprised to see grocery stores investing in advertising to build more awareness around their omnichannel shopping options for the big family holidays in November and December. And expect to see deals like a free product included with an online order, or a multiple purchase offer exclusive to click-and-collect orders. SB

AroundtheIndustry

Fair Trade USA making its mark Organization exhibiting at Private Label Trade Show for the first time

By Lawrence Aylward

Fair Trade USA’s standards require sustainable production and farming practices, improved working conditions and better wages for farmers and workers, among other things.

Happy birthday to Fair Trade USA, which turned 20 years old in October. And a big welcome to Fair Trade USA, which is appearing at the Private Label Manufacturers Association’s (PLMA) Private Label Trade Show in November for the first time.

Fair Trade USA is a social enterprise started by Paul Rice and is a third-party certifier of fair trade products in North America, including many products for private brands such as coffee and tea.

Fair Trade USA’s mission is simple: It enables sustainable development and community empowerment by cultivating a more equitable global trade model that benefits farmers, workers, fishermen, consumers, industry and the Earth, according to its mission statement.

Fair Trade USA simply works to make trade more fair. Its standards require sustainable production and farming practices, 10

improved working conditions, better prices and wages for farmers and workers, and more transparent trade practices. Fair Trade USA prohibits child labor, forced labor, GMOs and encourages environmentally friendly production.

Products that are certified feature the Fair Trade Certified logo. To earn the Fair Trade USA certification, farms must meet and adhere to a rigorous set of social, environmental and economic standards.

Once certified, farmers and workers earn a premium on top of every sale, which goes into a community-managed bank account. These funds are then used on projects in areas like healthcare, education, water and food security to foster advancement in the community.

“Over the last 20 years, we’ve had more than $551 million in direct community development premiums going back to

Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

SHORT TAKES Save-A-Lot permanently drops prices Save-A-Lot announced a total brand transformation, starting with a $100-million investment in cutting prices on national and own brands, the Earth City, Mo.-based grocery said on its website.

Save-A-Lot said its “Big Price Drop” is taking place across its entire store network, as prices drop by up to 40 percent on hundreds of everyday items.

Calling the move a “permanent reset” of its prices, Save-A-Lot expects the initiative to be complete in 2019.

The grocer’s website said the move isn’t a promotion or a limited-time change, and every product involved will feature the grocer’s Big Price Drop logo in weekly ads.

“This is not a limited-time event but rather our commitment to being the best grocery store for big savings, with quality options at a deep discount,” the website added. “Whether you are feeding a family on a budget or just love saving money on groceries, you can find what you need at Save-A-Lot.”

Retail Business Services constructing meat facility Retail Business Services, Ahold Delhaize USA’s services company, is constructing a 200,000-square-foot fresh-packaged meat facility in Rhode Island through its subsidiary Infinity Meat Solutions LLC, according to a press release.

The new facility will manufacture beef, ground beef, pork and prepared meats for meal solutions for Ahold Delhaize USA’s grocery chains, including including Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Giant/Martin’s, Food Lion and Hannaford.

Retail Business Services, created last year from the merger of Ahold USA and Delhaize America, will invest $100 million in the facility, which is expected to open in late 2019 and employ about 700 people.

“At Retail Business Services, we’re always seeking innovative solutions that enable the local brands of Ahold Delhaize USA to provide fresh, quality

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AroundtheIndustry SHORT TAKES Continued farmers in more than 45 countries,” says Abby Ayers, Fair Trade USA’s senior business development manager of retail partnerships. “More than 900,000 farmers and workers have directly benefited from fair trade. We’ve had a lot of impact.”

Ayers says many manufacturers and retailers of private brands have taken a leadership role in producing products that are Fair Trade Certified in the last several years.

“We’ve launched about 800 private brand items that have been certified over the last 20 years, and 120 of those produces were introduced in 2017,” Ayers adds.

Retailers and manufacturers of Fair Trade Certified products can tell stories through products, such as putting a face to the farmers who grew the ingredients for the products, Ayers notes. Products

12

that are Fair Trade Certified are also transparent as to their origins.

Telling stories and using transparency through products also provide a point of differentiation.

Ayers says the organization has been pushing Fair Trade USA’s message to educate more consumers.

“We have a communications team that is focused on social media, traditional media and public relations to continue to drive forward the message to consumers,” she adds.

The team’s efforts are paying off.

“Many more consumers are seeking out our seals,” Ayers says, noting a recent study showed that 63 percent of consumers were aware of the Fair Trade Certified logo and its meaning, second only to the USDA Certified Organic label.

Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

Continued on page 14

products to their customers,” said Retail Business Services President Roger Wheeler, in a statement.

At the groundbreaking event recently, Retail Business Services said Cargill Protein will consult on the construction of the facility and manage the site’s operations and workforce.

S4RB will offer SmartLabel Solutions for Retail Brands (S4RB Inc.) is partnering with the the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) to assist U.S. retailers with implementing SmartLabel within stores, according to a press release.

Fort Worth, Texas-based S4RB Inc., a private brand grocery retail specialist, is now on the associations’ list of approved suppliers to offer SmartLabel — a technology that allows shoppers to scan QR codes on packaging in-store with Continued on page 16

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AroundtheIndustry Continued from page 12

One retailer that has embraced the Fair Trade USA initiative is The Kroger Co., which carries many Fair Trade Certified products under its Simple Truth private brand. Those products

span multiple commodities.

Fair Trade USA representatives have attended the Private Label Trade Show for several years, but this is the first time the organization will exhibit.

“Many of the exhibitors are our partners,” Ayers says. “We realize we can use the show to make a bigger splash.” SB

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Report

Online grocery sales growing … and will grow some more U.S. online grocery market sales more than tripled from 2013 to 2018, according to a new report from market research firm Packaged Facts. Going forward, online grocery sales will more than quadruple as online options become more available and consumers become more open to buying groceries online, the study forecasts.

“Three key factors have created a perfect environment for growth of the online grocery market in the U.S. over the last five years,” said David Sprinkle, research director for Packaged Facts, in a press release announcing the report.

“There has been increased use of mobile phones and smartphones, interfaces for websites and mobile apps have improved, and there’s been a notable expansion of crowdsourced business models to shopping and delivery.”

Amazon.com and Walmart are currently the top players in the online grocery market, Packaged Facts said in the report, “Online Grocery Shopping in the U.S., 2nd Edition.” The two retailers account for nearly 28 percent of online sales.

Other key players are Cincinnatibased The Kroger Co., New Yorkbased FreshDirect and Chicago-based Peapod LLC. Walmart’s lead in grocery, combined with its nationwide presence and large number of rural locations, give it a competitive advantage in expanding online grocery shopping to much of the U.S. population, the report indicated.

“After Amazon.com’s June 2017 Continued on page 16

AroundtheIndustry SHORT TAKES Continued

Continued on page 18

“Walmart is taking drastic measures to expand its online grocery services.”

— PACKAGED FACTS acquisition of Whole Foods Market, the online grocery market has been changing rapidly as store-based grocers have raced to compete with Amazon.com in the online grocery space,” the press release stated. “Walmart is taking drastic measures to expand its online grocery services and offer store pickup options at all of its stores across the

U.S. in order to become the top online grocery provider. Pickup is becoming a favored option for receiving online orders to solve the last-mile delivery problem.”

Creating online marketplaces and collaborating with local producers can encourage more customers to shop online if they are supporting local businesses, according to the findings.

phones to access further information about products to provide them with details about nutrition and bioengineered ingredients, as well as information about sourcing and sustainability.

With research suggesting that consumers want to know more information about the products they’re purchasing than ever before, S4RB said SmartLabel will play “a crucial role in helping retailers to be more transparent with customers.”

“The ethos of the SmartLabel initiative echoes the aims and ambitions of S4RB Inc. as a business, to bring customers, retailers and suppliers closer together — to develop tighter relationships and create better products,” said Kieran Forsey, CEO and co-founder of S4RB Inc., in a statement.

Forsey said S4RB Inc.’s work with retailers in the U.S. and U.K. has found that private brand lines that are more transparent about sources of key ingredients, nutrition and allergen information and the manufacturing process perform significantly better in terms of sales.

Continued on page 18

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

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AroundtheIndustry SHORT TAKES Continued

Continued from page 16

Millennial parents making use of mobile apps

Walmart and Amazon.com are the top two players in online grocery.

Packaged Facts added that baby boomers and the silent generation (adults aged 70-80) are least likely to do their grocery shopping online, but represent a

major marketing opportunity because they may have mobility issues that may limit driving to a store or carrying groceries. SB

Fifty-six percent of millennial parents use at least one grocery-related app and manage their busy lives with a variety of mobile apps to find in-store items, coupons, sales recipes or product reviews, according to the Food Marketing of millennial Institute’s (FMI) 2018 parents use U.S. Shopper Grocery at least one Trends report. groceryMillennials, who widely related app. differ from previous generations in their use of digital tools, continue to make regular use of their smartphones in the grocery aisle, especially those with children, according to the report.

Millennials also continue “to lead the way online� in using the same-day and next-day delivery models but also in subscribing to meal kits and in taking advantage of online touch points for foodservice takeout or delivery, the report stated. SB

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GETTING SOCIAL

Q A with Brian Sharoff President, Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA)

How did you come into the world of private brands?

I was recruited by a member of PLMA’s Board of Directors in 1981.

Describe the private brands industry in one word.

Explosive. Another word would be dynamic.

What do you like most about the industry?

The people: The manufacturers, retailers, brokers and suppliers who make, market and sell the products.

What do you dislike most about the industry?

Consultants who are apologists for national brands.

What one great thing does the industry have going for it?

The determination to be number-one in every category.

Brian Sharoff addresses industry patrons. Sharoff says his favorite thing about the private brand industry is “the people.”

What is the industry’s biggest challenge?

Keeping the momentum going.

If you could create one private brand product, what would it be?

A pill that would allow everyone to enjoy any cuisine in any quantity and not worry about the calories.

Who is your hero and why?

Don Spellman. He was vice president

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

of private label sales for a small detergent company and represents the guys in the trenches who, day after day, make store brands work.

What trait in yourself do you attribute most to your success?

The ability to listen.

What is the biggest obstacle you have ever overcome?

Not listening.

What’s the best advice someone ever gave you?

To listen.

It’s 5 o’clock (or later), what do you do for fun?

Get things that I am working on finished.

You have a week off. Where do you go and why?

I want to go to a quiet place where I can hear the birds chirp and the fish jump and smell the fresh air.

If you were born 100 years ago, what would you do for a living?

I would be a newspaper reporter for a muckraking daily.

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

The Thesaurus.

What music do you love to crank up in the car?

“Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin SB

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COVER STORY

STORE BRANDS SERVES UP ITS ANNUAL INDUSTRY AWARDS With 2018 nearly out the door, it’s that time again — to recognize the difference makers in the private brands industry from the past year. From products to people to promotions, there’s plenty to celebrate.

So let’s hand out the proverbial hardware.

The envelopes please …

BY LAWRENCE AYLWARD

22

Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

Gil Phipps believes he works in one of the most exciting and competitive industries in the world.

THE “PRIVATE BRANDS PROWESS AWARD” GOES TO …

Gil Phipps, The Kroger Co. — For his executive leadership and store brand savvy

It has been a good year for Gil Phipps, who once fronted a rock band before becoming a purveyor of private brands, specifically for The Kroger Co.’s Our Brands line of private brand products.

Under Phipps, who has led Kroger’s store brands team for six years, Kroger achieved its highestever dollar share in the history of Our Brands in the Cincinnati-based retailer’s 2018 first quarter.

Phipps was also promoted by Kroger in August — named vice president of branding and marketing in addition to his role as vice president of Our Brands.

And Phipps, who played in rock brands from the time he was a teenager into his 30s and is a big music fan, got to see his favorite musician, the resourceful Jack White, twice on tour this summer.

To cap off the year, Phipps is being celebrated by Store Brands for his retail executive leadership of Kroger’s store brands.

Anchored by Phipps, Kroger has one of the top private brands programs in the country, if not the world, led by lines such as Simple Truth, Kroger’s line of organic, natural and free-from products, which achieved $2 billion in sales this year (another highlight for Phipps). Phipps is also a visionary, having created Kroger’s HemisFares, a line of premium and authentic store brand

products that continues to grow with exclusive offerings.

Phipps has a bachelor of arts degree in English and philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin, so his affinity for music is logical. He even wrote his own songs. “Some of them had food references in them,” Phipps says. “So I guess I should have seen this coming.”

He’s talking about his grocery industry career, of course. And while Phipps no longer plays in a band, the music industry’s loss has been the grocery industry’s gain, especially regarding store brands.

“Who knew that this industry was going to be one of the most exciting and competitive industries in the world?” Phipps says.

It’s a long way from where Phipps where grew up in central Texas … or maybe not. Phipps’ parents operated a boarding school there and the family lived on the premises. It might sound like a stifling place to grow up, but it was anything but. The school was located on 440 acres of rolling hills, waterfalls and swimming holes. Phipps embraced the experience, from schooling to exploring the land to hanging out with many of the students, who came from all over the country and the world.

“I’m sure that had something to do with it,” he says of the experience and how it honed his artistic and imaginative approach to his trade.

At Kroger’s headquarters in Cincinnati, Phipps and his team occupy the 15th floor of the downtown skyscraper. To create a creative atmosphere, Phipps encourages team members to decorate their offices

www.storebrands.com / November 2018 / Store Brands

23

COVER STORY to show off their personalities. For example, one team member, who is a jazz guitarist, decorated his office to look like a jazz nightclub.

Also, on the outside walls of their cubicle offices, team members post what they are working on so others can see.

“We all know what everybody is doing,” Phipps says. “We have conversations and build on ideas together as opposed to everybody doing their own thing by themselves.”

It’s work, but it sure is fun.

“It’s a blast,” Phipps says. “We’re all having fun

THE “TAKING IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL AWARD” GOES TO …

ShopRite — For its new ShopRite Trading Company line of premium products

These are not your father’s private brands. They are far from it.

In May, Keasbey, N.J.-based ShopRite introduced a premium line of products under its ShopRite Trading Company store brand with the aim to take its customers on a “culinary journey across the globe” with imported and domestically sourced foods. The products are available at all of the more than 270 ShopRite stores located in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

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together. We’re all creating new products together.”

Phipps may be the team leader, but he’s the polar opposite of the boss who pulls rank.

“I know it’s my job to be a leader, but I often view myself just as a team member,” he says. “I don’t ask people to do stuff that I wouldn’t do.”

For Phipps and his team, it’s ultimately about satisfying Kroger’s customers.

“It’s about going on a journey with our customers and creating more products that they love,” he says.

“We hope they are as excited about what we are doing as we are.”

ShopRite Trading Company features “inspirational, artisanal and distinctive” products.

Described in a press release as a mix of “inspirational, artisanal and distinctive” goods, the new line’s foods and flavors are imported from Italy, Ecuador, Spain and Greece. Other products are inspired by Asian, Indian, Greek and Latin cuisines.

Products include Arugula Wood-Fired Crust Pizza from Italy, Marinated Quartered Artichoke Hearts from Peru and Marinated Mixed Olives from Greece.

“We sent our ShopRite experts around the world in search of the very best ingredients and finest products,” said ShopRite Spokeswoman Karen Meleta, in a statement announcing the line.

Going global to discover and develop new private brand products has become hot territory for private brands. Like we said, ShopRite Trading Company is not your father’s private brands.

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COVER STORY With Italia, Walmart is aiming to improve and innovate its private brand offerings.

THE “GET REAL AWARD” GOES TO …

Walmart — For its Sam’s Choice Italia line

Many Americans are fond of true Italian food. Now they can buy a

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bunch of it at Walmart.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer teamed with the Italian Trade Agency on a new private brand — Sam’s Choice Italia — featuring a line of authentic Italian cuisine at low prices.

Sam’s Choice Italia features 40 products, including boxed dinners, bagged pastas, pesto and pasta sauces, canned tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and frozen

pizzas. Walmart is working with multiple large suppliers on the new line — all based in Italy.

“Teaming up with the Italian Trade Agency is one of the many ways our Sam’s Choice brand brings authentic gourmet foods to families across America at everyday low prices,” said Jack Pestello, senior vice president of private brands for Walmart, in a statement announcing the line late last year. “Sam’s Choice Italia is just the latest example of how Walmart is continuing to improve and innovate [its] private brand offerings while staying true to quality and everyday low prices.”

Walmart said the Sam’s

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COVER STORY Choice Italia products were put through extensive testing conducted at Walmart’s Culinary and Innovation Center to ensure the flavors in each product stayed true to their Italian roots. It’s the first time the Italian Trade Agency has worked with a U.S. retailer on a full line of private brand products.

“We are committed to bringing authentic Italian

THE “WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM AWARD” GOES TO …

Albertsons Cos. — For its Signature Reserve ice cream line

We can agree, perhaps, that June marks the beginning of ice cream season in the U.S. So it was perfect timing for Albertsons Cos. In early June, the Boise, Idaho-based retailer announced that the first products it was introducing under its new Signature Reserve premium private brand line were seven new ice cream flavors — all guaranteed to make customers scream very loudly.

And, yes, Albertsons takes indulgence to a new level by

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offerings to American households, so when Walmart approached us with this idea, we were immediately interested,” said Michele Scannavini, president of the Italian Trade Agency, in a statement. “The Sam’s Choice Italia recipes have high-quality ingredients from right here in Italy, so we can guarantee an authentic Italian experience for customers.”

Albertsons takes indulgence to a new level with its Signature Reserve ice cream line, which features flavors from around the world.

featuring ice creams with ingredients and flavors from around the world, including Brazilian Guava Cheesecake, Madagascar Vanilla, Colombian Cold Brew Caramel, Bourbon Maple Blondie, Indian Cardamom Pistachio, Caramel Apple Chai and Belgian Chocolate Almond.

“For life’s special and indulgent moments, Signature Reserve offers unparalleled quality and exquisite taste for customers who are obsessed with the exceptional,” Albertsons said in a press release announcing the line.

The only problem for consumers by offering seven ice creams — each with luscious and tantalizing flavors — is deciding which one to try first.

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COVER STORY Trader Joe’s says its Organic Hemp Bars feature an “earthy flavor.”

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THE “GROOVY SNACK AWARD” GOES TO …

Trader Joe’s — For its Organic Hemp Seed Bars

More food manufacturers are using hemp in food products for taste and health reasons. Enter Trader Joe’s, which is always on the cusp of developing innovative private brand products.

Trader Joe’s Organic Hemp Seed Bars, which debuted last summer, contain organic almonds, cashews, crisped brown rice, gluten-free rolled oats, wild blueberries, currents and hulled hemp seeds.

Trader Joe’s says the hemp seeds offer an “earthy flavor” and plenty of nutritional benefits including amino acids and fiber. But remember, hemp is not what you think it is, and it will not alter your thinking.

While hemp and marijuana are both from the cannabis plant, hemp contains only a trace of the hallucinogenic THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) that is found in marijuana. According to Healthline (healthline.com), a health information website, hemp seeds are rich in two essential fatty acids — linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) — and 25 percent of total calories from hemp seeds are from high-quality protein.

Despite the difference in hemp and marijuana (although hemp is often and wrongly used interchangeably with marijuana), we couldn’t resist applying some 1960s verbiage to this award.

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COVER STORY

THE “YOU CAN’T BEAT THAT COMPARISON AWARD” GOES TO …

Sam’s Club — For its Member’s Mark Southern Style Chicken Bites

Sam’s Club garnered much social media attention after releasing its Member’s Mark Southern Style Chicken Bites in August. The Bentonville, Ark.-based warehouse club describes the product as “light, crispy breading leading to a juicy, flavorful bite” with “a hint of dill rounding out the flavor.” But online foodies hailed the Member’s Mark private brand product as tasting just like Chick-fil-A’s chicken nuggets.

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One consumer said Sam’s Club’s new offering is the “best store-bought chicken nuggets we’ve ever had.”

Not a bad comparison, considering Chick-fil-A’s popularity with the masses.

Here’s what one customer wrote in reviewing the product on Sam’s Club’s website: “Best store-bought nuggets we’ve ever had. They are similar to Chick-fil-A tenders with the slight pickle flavor. My husband simply said “OMG” 3 times after taking a bite, so I knew they were going to be amazing because he doesn’t comment on food unless it really does him. These will be a staple in our home!”

Here’s what another customer wrote: “These chicken bites were absolutely delicious! There is nothing to compare them with except the famous ones we love @one particular restaurant.”

Sam’s Club’s chicken bites come in 3-pound bags and are made with 100 percent white chicken meat.

It’s an excellent product and a fine example of just how far private brands have come in terms of quality and differentiation.

Sam’s Club isn’t promoting that the nuggets taste like Chick-fil-A’s, but we’re pretty sure the retailer isn’t complaining about people saying they do.

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COVER STORY

CVS Pharmacy deserves much credit for embracing transparency.

THE “KEEPING IT REAL AWARD” GOES TO …

CVS Pharmacy — For its CVS Beauty Mark campaign

CVS Pharmacy should be applauded for the bold move to become more transparent in a product category known more for concealing than revealing. In January, the Woonsocket, R.I.-based drugstore chain announced it was developing new standards for post-production alterations of the beauty imagery the drugstore chain uses or develops for its stores, websites, social media and printed marketing materials.

As part of this initiative, the retailer introduced the CVS Beauty Mark, a watermark used to highlight imagery that has not been materially altered. The CVS Beauty Mark began appearing on CVS Pharmacyproduced beauty imagery in 2018 with the goal of all images in the beauty sections of CVS Pharmacy stores reflecting transparency by the end of 2020.

For this initiative, “materially altered” is defined as changing or enhancing a person’s shape, size, proportion, skin or eye color; reducing wrinkles; or modifying any other individual characteristics.

CVS Pharmacy said it is working together with key brand partners and industry experts to develop specific guidelines in an effort to ensure consistency and transparency.

“As a woman, mother and president of a retail business whose customers predominantly are women, I realize we have a responsibility to think about the messages we send to the customers we reach each day,” said Helena Foulkes, president of CVS Pharmacy and executive vice president of CVS Health, in a press release. “The connection between the propagation of

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unrealistic body images and negative health effects, especially in girls and young women, has been established. As a purpose-led company, we strive to do our best to [ensure that] all of the messages we are sending to our customers reflect our purpose of helping people on their path to better health.”

The design is intended to mean something different to everyone.

THE “LET THERE BE LIGHT AWARD” GOES TO …

Metro — For its glow-in-the-dark facial tissue box

Late last year, Montreal-based Metro Inc. introduced a new-limited edition glow-in-the-dark box for facial tissues in its private brand Irresistibles Signature Collection. The retailer said it was the first company in North America and possibly the first

COVER STORY company in the world to launch a tissue box with this technology.

The box was designed and printed using phosphorescent ink for a “celebratory and festive customer experience,” Metro said. Using a pattern of circles, the design is intended to mean something different to everyone who sees it, from polka dots to planets to bursting champagne bubbles. Tissues in the glowin-the-dark box are priced the same as those in the regular Irresistibles 88-sheet facial tissue box.

The idea for the glow-in-the-dark box came from Marie

Horodecki-Aymes, Metro’s director of design and packaging for private brands.

Horodecki-Aymes, realizing the importance of utility in packaging, says the glowin-the-dark box also allows consumers to locate the box in the dark in case they have to blow their noses at 3 a.m.

“It’s about providing our customers with simple and useful solutions,” she says.

It didn’t take long for the Selena tote bags to sell out.

THE “STRIKE A CHORD WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS AWARD” GOES TO …

H-E-B — For its Selena tote bags shopper marketing campaign

San Antonio, Texas-based H-E-B, which has long partnered with local celebrities like the San Antonio Spurs to promote its brand, scored mega-publicity with its new reusable Selena tote bags last winter, created in honor of the late Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, an acclaimed Mexican-American singer and songwriter from Texas whom Billboard magazine deemed the top-selling Latin artist of the 1990s and who is still referred to as the “Queen of Cumbia” by her many fans.

H-E-B Spokesperson Regina Garcia unveiled the collaboration in a video posted on Facebook the night before the bags went on sale March 2. The tote bags featured black and white photos of Selena.

“Today is an amazing and exciting day for us here at H-E-B,” Garcia said on Facebook.

“We have teamed up with the Selena Foundation to bring you, our customers, a limited-edition product.”

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COVER STORY The tote bag led to long lines at many H-E-B locations, according to a report on MySanAntonio.com.

“H-E-B officially started selling the highly coveted Selena tote for $2 at 9 a.m.

By 9:15 a.m. the bags were listed on eBay for as much as $50,” the news site said.

Later in the day, H-E-B announced on its Facebook page that the tote bags were sold out. “The passion from Selena fans has been incredible and has demonstrated a strong following from around the nation,” the post said. “It is great to be a part of the love that Selena continues to inspire across all generations.”

H-E-B donated $25,000 to the Selena Foundation.

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All Wegman stores are now Aira-access locations.

THE “SUPER-COLOSSAL CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD” GOES TO …

Wegmans Food Markets — For becoming the first Aira-enabled supermarket chain in the U.S.

Wegmans Food Markets is well-known and highly regarded for its superior customer service. But the Rochester, N.Y.-based retailer took that to another level when it became the

Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

first Aira-enabled supermarket chain in the U.S. last summer.

Aira, powered by AT&T, is a San Diego-based startup that makes use of wearable technology, artificial intelligence and live, human assistance to deliver realtime visual description for people who are blind or have low vision.

Using a smartphone or a pair of smart glasses, an Aira “Explorer” can connect to a remote, trained professional who can provide assistance on-demand using a live camera stream, GPS, maps, and information sourced from the web.

As the first partner in the Aira supermarket network, all Wegmans stores are now Aira-access locations, giving any member of the blind and low-vision community free access to Aira’s service while in Wegmans stores. Blind and low-vision shoppers can download the Aira app on their

COVER STORY smartphones and use it to connect to a remote, sighted agent to access information on-demand. On request, Aira agents can help shoppers navigate the store, find specific items and identify the shortest checkout lines all at just the touch of a button.

“We are committed to providing incredible customer service to all our shoppers,” said Linda Lovejoy, community relations manager for Wegmans, in a statement. “Our partnership with Aira helps us deliver on this commitment, giving our blind and low-vision customers access to this innovative service and the ability to navigate our stores easily and efficiently.”

Kroger’s bursting-with-flavor chips taste just like Nashville chicken. Seriously.

THE “YOU NAILED THAT CHIP AWARD” GOES TO …

The Kroger Co. — For its Kroger Nashville Style Hot Chicken Kettle Cooked Potato Chips

The chips aisle, from potato to corn to tortilla, has become a hotbed of flavor innovation for store brands and national brands. Frito-Lay has led the way, introducing a spectrum of savory spuds to crunch and munch under its Lay’s Tastes of America flavored-potato chip lineup. Some of the tastes Lay’s potato chips have capitalized on are chile con queso, crab spice, deep-dish pizza, fried pickles with ranch, lobster roll, pimento cheese and Thai sweet chili.

But Lay’s isn’t the only trailblazer when it comes to flavored potato chips. Several store brands aren’t

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content to imitating and have introduced their own flavors, including The Kroger Co., which rolled out its Kroger Nashville Style Hot Chicken Kettle Cooked Potato Chips earlier this year.

Not all of the flavors, whether national brands or private brands, are home runs. Some miss the mark entirely. But Kroger crushed it out of the park with its Nashville chicken variety. The chips may not be organic or free from a slew of undesirable ingredients, but the product’s innovative flavor, which capitalizes on the popularity of Nashville hot chicken, is spot on.

Retail Business Services is downright serious about making all of its private brands more healthy.

THE “STEPPING UP BIG TIME AWARD” GOES TO …

Retail Business Services, Ahold Delhaize USA — For its commitment to make all of its private brands clean label by the end of 2025.

Retail Business Services, the Salisbury, N.C.-based services company of Ahold Delhaize USA, threw down the gauntlet — to itself. In October, Retail Business Services announced it was making “a landmark commitment” to make the private brand products it provides to all Ahold Delhaize USA banners, including Food Lion, Giant Food, Giant/Martin’s, Hannaford, Peapod and Stop & Shop, free from a list of undesirable ingredients by 2025.

That list includes synthetic colors, artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, artificial sweeteners, MSG and high-fructose corn syrup.

COVER STORY Retail Business Services’ private brand lines include retailer namesake lines, Nature’s Promise, Taste of Inspirations, CareOne, Smart Living, Always My Baby, Etos, Companion, Limited Time Originals, Guaranteed Value and Cha-Ching.

“We’re extremely proud to make this commitment and deliver cleaner, more transparent, and more nutritious private brand products, while preserving the great value, taste and quality consumers expect and deserve on these items,” said Juan De Paoli, senior vice president of private brands for Retail Business Services, in a statement. “At our core, we are about making it easier for everyday shoppers to buy better, and this initiative does just that.”

The promotion created much excitement in stores.

THE “HANS SOLO WOULD BE PROUD AWARD” GOES TO …

Southeastern Grocers — For its “Star Wars” promotion

Jacksonville, Fla-based Southeastern Grocers has long recognized the power of creative promotional campaigns and customer engagement. But the parent company of Winn-Dixie, BI-LO, Harveys and Fresco y Más felt it needed to do something that would have an even greater impact.

“We’d tried different things, including back-to-school and football programs, but we wanted something that was bigger,” Adam Kirk, Southeastern Grocers’ senior vice president of trade planning said. “We wanted something that would really resonate across a broad cross-section of our customer base.”

In 2017, the company was approached with the ideal opportunity: a partnership with Walt Disney Co.’s Lucasfilm and a merchandising company to launch

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Retail Business Services said it also plans to continue product innovations that reduce salt and sugar; advance transparency and sustainable chemistry practices used in products and packaging; and dramatically reduce plastic and packaging waste.

In an interview with Store Brands earlier this year, Jac Ross, vice president of private brands innovation for Retail Business Services, emphasized the importance of offering cleaner and healthier foods. But Ross noted that such products must taste great — not good, great.

“Good is not enough,” she added. “Good is the enemy of great. Because if somebody settles on [a product] being just good enough, that suggests there is something after that.” a mega-promotional campaign at Winn-Dixie and BI-LO stores in conjunction with the December 2017 international release of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”

The Star Wars promotion, which ran from Nov. 25, 2017, through Jan. 16 and was exclusive to Southeastern Grocers in the U.S., featured several components that worked synergistically to build excitement and sales, Kirk noted.

First, the campaign centered on the collection of 72 Cosmic Shells, each an octagon-shaped trading card with a picture of and information about a character from the new Star Wars film. With a $20 purchase, a customer would receive a pack containing two Cosmic Shells. By spending $100, a shopper would get five packs of shells. In addition, purchasing five specific items from participating vendors would earn customers another pack.

Second, the Cosmic Shells triggered the activation of virtual reality (VR) never-before-seen Star Wars movie clips, 12 in all, Kirk explained.

Customers could view these clips with a $3.99 pair of special VR goggles and download the clips via Southeastern Grocers’ VR goggles smart phone app. The goggles and app also enabled customers to experience the sensation of flying a Millennium Falcon as well as call up augmented reality (AR) Star Wars characters and vehicles in the store.

Elaborate kick-off events in several stores helped spur interest in both “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and the Southeastern Grocers promotion.

Encouraged to wear their own Star Wars costumes, customers at the stores could interact with well-trained Stormtroopers and had the chance to win prizes.

“This created a huge amount of excitement in our stores,” Kirk said. SB Aylward, editor-in-chief of Store Brands, can be reached at laylward@ensembleiq.com

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THEYEAR

INREVIE IN THE SPOTLIGHT Private brands were the talk of retail in 2018, as evidenced by many of our top 10 stories of the year

BY LAWRENCE AYLWARD

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What a difference a year makes.

Last year at this time, most everyone in the private brands industry was talking about Seattle-based Amazon.com’s acquisition of Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market and how the merger would change the grocery industry for years to come, especially in e-commerce where Amazon.com captured 44 percent of all U.S. online retail sales in 2017. Plenty of people were also talking about Lidl’s expansion into the U.S. The Germany-

EW 2018 based retailer set up U.S. operations in Arlington, Va., with the goal of opening 100 U.S. stores by mid-2018. Industry pundits predicted that Lidl, which offers a 90 percent assortment of private brands, would open hundreds of stores in the U.S. in the next few years.

Amazon.com’s purchase of Whole Foods Market and Lidl’s landing in the U.S. were two of Store Brands’ top 10 stories last year. The expectation then was that Amazon.com/Whole Foods Market and Lidl would galvanize the private brands industry in 2018 and for years to come. The belief was that competing retailers had better get their houses in order to compete with Amazon.com/

Whole Foods Market in e-commerce and with Lidl by upping their store brands programs to differentiate.

But a year later, Amazon.com/Whole Foods Market is not dominating the grocery industry, and Lidl’s expansion in the U.S. has stalled. Meanwhile, many competing retailers have reacted with impressive e-commerce programs and the introduction of exclusive store brands, and the grocery industry is more competitive than ever.

As in 2017, Amazon.com/Whole Foods Market and Lidl are two of our top stories for 2018. But for much different reasons than a year ago.

HERE’S OUR LIST OF THE TOP 10 STORIES OF THE PRIVATE BRANDS INDUSTRY THIS YEAR:

910 www.storebrands.com / November 2018 / Store Brands

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YEAR IN REVIEW

AMAZON AND WHOLE FOODS AREN’T RULING GROCERY OR PRIVATE BRANDS It has been almost 1.5 years since Amazon.com officially took over Whole Foods Market after purchasing the retailer for $137 billion in cash. At the time, some industry pundits made it sound like Amazon.com would soon take over the grocery industry — much like the evil Thanos taking over the universe in the summer blockbuster movie “Infinity War” — after it acquired the natural and organic foods retailer. Some industry insiders made it sound like Walmart, The Kroger Co., Albertsons Cos. and other grocery retailers would meet a doomed fate at the hands of Amazon.com Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.

After the acquisition, grocery stocks dropped like a sack of potatoes. Panicked investors sold their shares in Walmart, Kroger and other retailers.

But fast-forward to now. The grocery industry has changed, yet Walmart, Kroger and other retailers are going strong.

If anything, Amazon.com’s acquisition of Whole Foods Market lit a fire under other grocery

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retailers to react, which several of them have done. Just look at the online businesses of Walmart and Kroger, the nation’s top two grocery retailers, which are flourishing. They are investing heavily in online ordering and free grocery pickup as well as home delivery.

Retailers in general are also using their private brands programs to differentiate. They are making investments in premium private brands to offer exclusive products they know their customers can’t get anywhere else.

Last January, private brand consultant Todd Maute, a partner with New York-based brand agency CBX, told Store Brands his “gut feeling” is that that Amazon doesn’t want to rule the grocery world. But ruling the retail world is another matter.

“As Amazon continues to ex-

impact of [Amazon.com buying Whole Foods Market] has been overblown.”

So far, it has.

From a brick-and-mortar standpoint, Whole Foods Market, with 470 stores, has a lot of building to do to catch Walmart, which has more than 4,300 stores. And brick-and-mortar stores aren’t going anywhere as long as retailers continue to adapt to their customers’ needs.

That’s not to say Whole Foods Market isn’t growing. Its samestore sales have grown about 3 percent since being owned by Amazon.com. and will continue to grow. But a year after Amazon. com’s acquisition of Whole Foods Market, it’s clearly not the end of the grocery world as we know it.

That said, a year isn’t a long time, especially when it comes

Whole Foods Market’s 365 Everyday Value line is getting added sales and exposure on Amazon.com.

pand into more and more categories … that is where I think Amazon will rule the world,” Maute said. “I think Amazon is just going to continue to go after one segment of business after another.”

Maute’s point is that Amazon. com wants a sliver of the $800-billion grocery pie, not the whole pie.

In a recent story on CNN. com, reporter Nathaniel Meyersohn pointed out that “the

to such blockbuster transactions. Amazon.com only recently finished up loading Whole Foods Market’s private brands on its online platform.

Amazon.com is also giving its Prime members good deals on the products online and in Whole Foods Market stores. And you more strategies to increase business are coming.

It will be intriguing to see what the next year brings.

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YEAR IN REVIEW

2019 could be a pivotal year for Lidl.

LIDL STRUGGLES. WHAT’S NEXT? Lidl came out swinging in the summer of 2017 and quickly opened about 25 stores on the East Coast. Lidl’s arrival was marked by much fanfare in the trade and mainstream media. Industry pundits touted the Germany-based retailer’s low prices and quality selection of store brands.

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

But the honeymoon ended quickly when Lidl began being criticized for underperforming stores. Then, the pundits pounced even more, chiding Lidl for its poor selection of store locations, and for stores that were too large and expensive to operate.

Shortly after, Lidl scrapped or delayed plans to build several stores. Its goal to open 100 stores by mid-2018 fell short by more than 40.

In May, the proverbial private brand pasta hit the fan when Lidl replaced its CEO in the U.S., Brendan Proctor, with Johannes Fieber. No reason was given for Proctor’s departure.

In June, Lidl issued a report by Boston-based consulting firm Oliver Wyman saying that younger consumers have taken a liking to the retailer, especially its private brands and low prices. Younger

shoppers — aged 18 to 34 — had a particularly high awareness of Lidl and shopped there frequently, according to the survey, which also noted that 48 percent of 600 consumers who tried Lidl are now shopping there more than twice per month.

Industry analyst Mike Paglia calls Lidl a “disruptor,” which is as fine a compliment as you can give a grocer. Paglia is especially impressed with Lidl’s 90-percent assortment of private brands.

“Lidl is challenging the conventional notion of private brands, which is if you want to get low prices you have to be willing to sacrifice quality,” Paglia told Store Brands earlier this year. “That has been the unwritten rule of private label from a shopper perspective.

Lidl is saying that doesn’t have to be the case. You can get both low prices and high quality.”

Much of the news about Lidl in 2018 centered on its growth.

Industry insiders speculated that Lidl would open hundreds if not a few thousand stores in coming years. Then those same speculators backtracked, which posed a negative light on Lidl.

In fairness to Lidl, the retailer never announced how many U.S. stores it planned to open beyond 2018.

“Overall, I think Lidl is off to a good start,” Paglia added. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement in the long run.”

Will Harwood, Lidl communications director in the U.S., said the retailer sees much opportunity for growth in the U.S. and looks forward to moving into new markets. Harwood emphasized that Lidl is taking an “agile and adaptive” approach to store openings.

“We are looking forward to building on the progress we have made,” he said.

2019 could be a pivotal year for Lidl.

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KROGER’S SIMPLE TRUTH TOPS $2 BILLION IN SALES The simple truth is it will be etched as “extraordinary” in the private brands history books.

We’re talking about The Kroger Co.’s Simple Truth and Simple Truth Organic private brands, released in September 2012. In January, Cincinnatibased Kroger announced the lines had achieved a whopping

$2 billion in sales.

Simple Truth products are free from 101 artificial preservatives and ingredients. Simple Truth Organic products are certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agr.iculture. Kroger didn’t just roll out the lines to jump on the free-from ingredient and organic bandwagon in 2012. Listening to its customers,

Kroger addressed concerns about free-from and organic products, beginning with price.

“There’s a general belief in the marketplace that organic means more expensive,” said Mary Ellen Adcock, Kroger’s vice president of natural foods at the time (she is now group vice president of retail operations), in a press release

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YEAR IN REVIEW announcing Simple Truth and Simple Truth Organic. “While organic products are available in most conventional grocery stores, our customers told us that labels can be confusing. We understand these challenges, so we’re offering our shoppers the Simple Truth Organic brand — an easy, more clearly labeled and affordable way to buy organic products.”

In 2012, Simple Truth and Simple Truth Organic consisted of about 250 products. That has ballooned to more than 1,400 products across multiple categories, including grocery, meat, produce, deli, bakery, baby, household essentials, personal care and Fair Trade Certified.

“Here’s Simple Truth in a nutshell: Natural and organic foods that are affordable,” Gil Phipps, Kroger’s vice president of branding, marketing and Our Brands (Kroger’s private brands), told Store Brands earlier this year.

The success of Simple Truth and Simple Truth Organic is not lost upon Carl Jorgensen, director of global thought leadership/ wellness for Stamford, Conn.based Daymon, which provides retail strategies and services to help retailers grow their private brands. Jorgensen calls Simple Truth the most successful private brand launch in the history of the grocery industry.

When Kroger introduced Simple Truth and Simple Truth Organic, it did so behind an integrated marketing campaign involving both in-store and online components. In-store communications included

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branded shelf signs, stanchions in produce and meat sections, and front-of-store standees and banners in more than 2,200 Kroger stores. Online elements included a Simple Truth website (www.simpletruth.com) and a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Kroger went all out to promote its new brand, something that was also different for a private brand in 2012, Jorgensen said. “[Kroger] got behind the brand, which was the opposite of the old practice of launching and leaving it in private brands,” he added.

Kroger is also taking Simple Truth to China — it will sell the line’s products there on an e-commerce site owned by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. In August, Kroger announced it will open an online storefront on Alibaba’s Tmall global site, a platform for international brands. Launched in 2014, Alibaba’s Tmall Global platform is China’s largest businessto-consumer marketplace for China’s consumers.

Kroger’s online store test will start with select Simple Truth items, providing Alibaba’s more than half a billion Chinese consumers with easy access to the products.

Something tells us that $3 billion in sales for Simple Truth will come sooner than later.

Kroger’s Simple Truth Low Cow Lite Ice Cream rivals the Halo Top brand.

Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

STORE BRANDS IN THE LIMELIGHT The spotlight shined on store brands in 2018, whether it was local television stations interviewing shoppers about their willingness to purchase more private brands or stores themselves promoting their own brands with more fervor. Whatever the case, store brands definitely received more clout in 2018.

Consider Batavia, Ill.-based Aldi, which won several awards in Store Brands’ 2018 Editors’ Picks Awards, a program that recognizes the best new product concepts available for private branding. Aldi, realizing the chance to differentiate, wasted no time in merchandising and promoting those winning products in its stores with the 2018 Editors’ Picks Awards logo.

Earlier in the year, Store Brands reported that consumers might be filling their shopping baskets with private brands more in 2018. This has definitely occurred, with several reports from market researchers touting store brand growth. In June, when Kroger announced its first-quarter earnings, the grocer also announced it had achieved the highest-ever dollar share in the history of its Our Brands, which made up 28.7 percent of unit sales and 26.7 percent of sales dollars, and achieved 5.1 percent sales growth and 3.4 percent unit growth.

Aldi’s continued growth (the deep-dis-

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Aldi is promoting several of its new products for being honored in Store Brands’ 2018 Editors’ Picks Awards.

counter will expand from 1,600 to 2,500 stores nationwide by the end of 2022) hasn’t only heightened competition among grocery retailers, it has also increased awareness of private brands.

“Any retailer that puts that

much emphasis on its private brands program lends itself to driving stronger consumer awareness,” Doug Baker, vice president of industry relations, private brands and technology for the Food Marketing Institute, said earlier this year.

The retailers that have made strides by offering private brands that focus on quality products at a low price, including Aldi and Monrovia, Calif-based Trader Joe’s, have already impacted the popularity of store brands and will continue to do so, Baker added.

“As these retailers continue to grow their private brands programs and deliver quality goods and a good experience with prod-

ucts, they continue to improve the consumer trust in those products and therefore have created a halo effect,” Baker said. “If I’m a strong private brand user from one retailer and I go to another retailer, I’m more willing to try that retailer’s private brands because I have had a good experience with the private brands I’ve purchased.”

The resurgence of private brands is not a fad. The fact that consumers are embracing private brands in an upbeat economy — not just in dour financial times as in previous eras — is evidence that store brands are being viewed for their quality, innovation and exclusivity, not just their low prices.

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YEAR IN REVIEW

A CASE OF THE HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS

Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets offers a breadth of store brand products.

If there was a resounding message from Daymon’s “Private Brand Intelligence Report 2018,” it was that store brands are as popular among consumers as they have ever been. However, there is clearly a case of the haves and havenots regarding the success of retailers’ store brands programs, according to the report.

Daymon estimated that instore and online sales of private brands from traditional grocers, deep discounters, mass merchandisers, convenience stores

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

and other retailers increased 4 percent in 2017 — eight times more than national brand sales.

Private brands contributed an estimated $50 billion in margin to retailers’ sales in 2017, an increase of $2 billion since 2016.

The haves, which Daymon calls best-in-class retailers innovating on many facets of store brands, are flourishing and achieving an average of 32 percent in private brand share of total dollar sales. But when the have-nots — retailers content with simply offering national

brand equivalents and lesser store brands — are added to the equation, the industry average of private brand share of total dollars sinks to 17 percent. The retailers deemed best in class — based on consumer perception of private brands, shopper loyalty, breadth of store brand assortment and other factors — have almost double the penetration rate compared to the retailers lacking the designation.

“The best-in-class retailers have figured out something that [other retailers] haven’t figured out,” Jim Holbrook, Daymon’s former CEO, said in February. “It comes back to differentiation.”

Retailers need to build categories based on their offering of private brands and then fill in the gaps with brand-name products, not the other way around, Holbrook explained. The bestin-class retailers, of which there are about a dozen, are doing this but other retailers are not.

“The retailers that want to hang on to the emulation products and the national brand equivalents will not only fall further behind, they will go out of business,” said Holbrook, who is now an advisor for Advantage Solutions, which owns Daymon.

“This really is a defining moment. We believe that you can evaluate a retailer’s overall health just by looking at its private brands. If it has a weak private brand offering, [that retailer is] in trouble.”

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Like any difficult maze, the private label packaging web can be tough to navigate.

It’s a labyrinth of procurement, operations, and forecasting. And there’s always some “gotcha” right around the corner ready to throw you completely off your game.

the goal is to get your product to market promptly, sell it quickly, and scale faster.

Getting through successfully means making sure every process from design and manufacturing to sales and marketing line up perfectly.

Gotcha Number 1: Viewing packaging as an afterthought.

Forecasting is the future of package design. Private label is no longer about putting knockoff products in boxes with lackluster design for lower-income shoppers. Today’s high-end shoppers are rapidly accepting private label products, and these sophisticated customers expect their purchases to come in bold, beautiful packaging. The brand experience is a #1 priority, and you must pay attention to the trends that drive the market. Caraustar’s award-winning design team knows the key drivers affecting packaging design today.

That can be challenging when you’re facing crunched timelines, multiple packaging requirements, a wave of new trends, and the need to balance inventory with the demand of the supply chain.

While some companies use 3rd party manufacturers as a go-between for packaging solutions, Caraustar highly recommends choosing a reliable packaging partner offering a team approach. Investing in a partner that genuinely knows the private label path from beginning to end is key to navigating all the twists and turns -- better, faster, and affordably. After all,

As an experienced navigator, Caraustar has helped many clients avoid the three biggest gotchas in the daunting private label maze.

Gotcha Number 2: Picking the cheapest vendor.

Caraustar recommends choosing a vendor that offers speed and flexibility, not just a

lower price. Higher margins are achieved when you decrease the time it takes to get from print to purchase. Speed is the name of the game. Caraustar’s team can flex quickly when clients need to get several SKUs with multiple packaging requirements on press and out the door fast.

Gotcha Number 3: Failing to collaborate with suppliers.

A successful supply chain is built around collaboration and establishing longstanding relationships with suppliers.

By working together closely, companies and their suppliers ensure quality and create highly-competitive supply chains. Failing to do so can result in a communication breakdown between partners, leading to costly inefficiencies.

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YEAR IN REVIEW

WE JUST CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT MILLENNIALS

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

A lot of people — including millennials themselves — are tired of hearing about millennials and private brands. But as Don Stuart said during a seminar at the Private Label Manufacturer Association’s Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference last March, millennials will play a pivotal role in the “boom or bust” of private brands in coming years. They can’t be ignored.

Stuart, managing partner of Wilton, Conn.-based Cadent Consulting Group, believes private brands are sitting on the cusp of a major boom. So do a lot of people.

In fact, when Stuart asked the 200 or so attendees of his seminar at the conference to raise their hands if they thought store brands would be booming in the next five years, almost all hands went up. Zero hands were raised when Stuart asked who thought private brands would be a bust.

Stuart and his firm have been studying private brands closely and crunching numbers along the way.

While many reports say that “most” millennials are open to purchasing private brands and are brand agnostic, Stuart believes that number is closer to half of millennials, about 51 percent. But that number is still significant, considering that only 39 percent of baby boomers are open to purchasing private brands, he added.

“That’s 12 percent, which makes a difference in the share shifts,” Stuart stressed.

Stuart also noted there will be 15 million more millennials than baby boomers in the next 10 years simply because baby boomers will be leaving this world. So the the share shift factor

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The more millennials, the more chance there is they will purchase private brands.

Retailers and manufacturers must continue to decipher what millennials want, which can be a moving target.

that Stuart talks about looms even larger. The more millennials, the more chance there is they will purchase private brands. The fewer baby boomers, the less chance there is they will purchase national brands. So you can see where Stuart is coming from.

“All of a sudden, there are those coin flips that could go store brands’ way because branded products don’t mean as much to millennials,” Stuart said.

The perimeter of the store is another factor. Retailers realize they must grow the store perimeter with more fresh

private brands because the center store is shrinking and that space must be accounted for. Guess what? Millennials love fresh products. Another score for potential private brands.

Of course, retailers and manufacturers must continue to decipher what millennials want in terms of food and non-food items, which can be a moving target. But it’s clear that millennials prefer organic and free-from products, which is where retailers and manufacturers are already putting much focus.

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YEAR IN REVIEW

PUBLIX AND POLITICS Publix Super Markets made Time magazine. But not like the Lakeland, Fla.-based supermarket chain wanted to make Time magazine.

In the June 11 issue of Time, a photograph spanning two entire pages depicted a “die-in” protest at a Publix supermarket in Coral Springs, Fla., organized

by David Hogg, a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla. A die-in is a demonstration in which people lie down as if dead.

Hogg, now a gun control activist, rallied others to protest Publix’s support for Florida gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam, a stout supporter of the National Rifle

Publix was boycotted for supporting Florida gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam, a stout supporter of the National Rifle Association.

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

Association (NRA).

What does this have to do with store brands? Plenty.

As store brands evolve and become more than just creating and selling tangible private brand products, retailers are trying to make a good name for themselves through excellent customer service and other non-tangible measures to improve their own brand images. But they might want to stay out of politics.

Publix made national news after the Tampa Bay Tribune reported in May that the Lakeland, Fla.-based grocery chain donated $670,000 in the last three years to support Putnam’s campaign. The Republican politician said last year that he was proud to be an “NRA sellout.”

Of course, the acronym “NRA” is a sizzling hot potato these days, especially in Florida, mainly because of the heartbreaking school shootings that have occurred throughout the country, including last February at Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 people died.

Don’t forget the 2016 shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were killed.

Publix operates most of its 1,160 stores in Florida. In the wake of the Tampa Bay Tribune’s report — when Publix began to be criticized for supporting an NRA proponent — the retailer said it was supporting Putnam for his “pro business values,” and made it clear it was donating money to Putnam, not the NRA. It’s a point well-taken, but it didn’t seem to resonate with everyone.

Soon after the news hit, there were calls to boycott Publix through social media and other mediums, including the die-ins organized by Hogg, which occurred at several Publix stores.

Opposing politicians also jumped in. State Rep. Carlos G. Smith, a Democrat from Winter Park, Fla., tweeted: “How many flowers did I buy from your stores for funerals, graves, + memorials for Pulse + MSD victims? #BoycottPublix” Realizing it had a potential public relations nightmare on its hands, Publix issued a statement saying it was suspending corporate-funded political contributions and was going to re-evaluate its giving processes. Publix also said: “We respect the students and members of the community who have chosen to express their voices on these issues. We regret our contributions have led to a divide in our community. We did not intend to put our associates and the customers they serve in the middle of a political debate.”

Being a private company, Publix can support any political leader or political issue it wants.

Publix, in fact, has supported Putnam for more than 20 years and nobody ever seemed to care.

But this was a perfect storm of sorts, with gun control serving as the lightning rod.

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YEAR IN REVIEW

PLACING A PREMIUM ON PREMIUM

Premium store brands are experiencing substantial growth.

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The top retailers realize they need to take their store brands programs up a notch. They know that name brand equivalent products just don’t cut it anymore. They realize the relevance of premium authentic private brands as a way to differentiate — and make money.

According to market researcher Nielsen, sales of private brands eclipsed $125 billion across traditional retail, thriving at plus 3 percent in dollar sales year-overyear with premium private brands bringing 10 percent dollar growth.

The Kroger Co., Sam’s Club and Trader Joe’s are three fine examples of retailers embracing premium authentic private brands. So

Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

are Albertsons Cos. and ShopRite, which introduced such programs this spring.

“These brands can be pre-emptive in many ways, and consumers view them in an entirely different light than they traditionally have viewed store brands,” says Jim Wisner, a private brand consultant and president of Libertyville, Ill.based Wisner Marketing.

Wisner calls Kroger’s HemisFares a “watershed” private brand for its authenticity. HemisFares is billed as “a journey of epicurean proportions.”

Last year, Bentonville, Ark.based Sam’s Club announced the revamping of its Member’s Mark private brand line, which

includes several authentic products. Members of Sam’s Club private brand team literally combed the globe — from visiting olive and tomato farms in Italy to wine orchards in France and to a smokehouse in East Texas — to procure the best ingredients and processing methods to create new products and improve existing ones for the line.

Trader Joe’s is also making a name for itself behind its authentic private brands by sourcing products and ingredients from countries where they originate.

Last spring, Keasbey, N.J.based ShopRite, which has more than 270 stores in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania, debuted the ShopRite Trading Company, a line consisting of premium, artisanal foods that the retailer says is inspired by a variety of world cuisines. Around the same time, Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons introduced Signature Reserve, a line of products for consumers “who are obsessed with the exceptional,” according to the retailer.

“We scour the earth for ingredients and unique flavors that meet the exacting standards of Signature Reserve,” Geoff White, Albertsons’ president of Own Brands, said in a press release announcing the line. “Products earn the Signature Reserve label only after a rigorous selection process, which includes scrutiny by our culinary professionals and expert merchants for top quality craftsmanship.”

More retailers are scouring the planet to discover and scrutinize foods and ingredients in an effort to raise the bar for their store brands. It is what store brands are becoming because retailers realize what it is that will keep consumers coming back to their stores.

Perk up beverage sales by leveraging the singlecup coffee segment

S

erved up with cream and sugar or just plain and strong, coffee is a beverage with enduring appeal. While growth in other center store categories has stalled, coffee continues to be one of grocery’s bright spots, driving nearly 1 billion retail trips per year.1 And this power category is home to a singularly powerful segment—single-cup coffee. The single-cup pod has morphed from ‘what’s that?’ to ‘have to have it’ in under a decade, racking up more than $3.9 billion worth of sales in the past 12 months alone.2 Single-cup coffeemakers play an important role in driving and expanding shopper traffic to food retailers: Consumers need coffee products that are compatible with their appliances, and new users are automatically brought into the market as coffeemaker sales increase. American homes with a Keurig brewer have grown to 20 percent,3 driving even more traffic and sales of hot beverage pods at food retailers.

And there are vast opportunities to expand single-cup brewer penetration even further. It’s an annuity stream between appliance and grocery that’s uncommon even within the coffee category, where sales growth in traditional coffeemakers and drip coffee has stagnated.4 Let’s take a look at how single-cup pods have transformed the hot beverage landscape and how retailers can drive even more growth.

Sponsored Content

Warming up the category

Coffee is a reliable basket builder, boosting average trip spend by more than $10.

Coffee is officially America’s beverage of choice. In 2016, U.S. consumers drank more mugs of java than soda, tea and bottled water combined.5 The morning staple that has grown to become a 24/7 occasion represents a $9.5 billion market and a reliable basket builder, boosting average trip spend by more than $10.6 Although the hot beverage category as a whole has seen growth slow down, coffee remains an anchor, responsible for 76 percent of hot beverage sales.7 And while coffee has helped people get up and go for centuries, the past decade has seen the category inundated with innovation. Single-cup coffee products represent one of the biggest game-changers.

Single-cup beverages enjoyed a 22 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in dollar sales between 2013 and 2017, the highest among the total grocery Top 20 categories.8 By comparison, uncooked meat increased by 14 percent, and the remaining 18 grocery categories by 4 percent or less.9 What’s more, single-cup coffee has been growing incrementally, bolstering rather than cannibalizing sales of related products.10

Top grocery categories CAGR dollar change, 2013-2017 Single-cup beverages Uncooked meat Bacon Bottled water Ice cream Dinner sausage Natural cheese Yogurt Cookies Source: IRI, 52 weeks ending December 31, 2017

2

A number of trends indicate that the single-cup coffee market will only get hotter.

For one thing, U.S. consumers are still catching up to pod-loving coffee drinkers in other parts of the world. Several European countries, including France and the Netherlands, have three times the U.S. household penetration of single-cup coffee products.11 But Americans are on track to narrow the gap. Increasing interest in healthy yet convenient energy boosts and high-quality beverage experiences, as well as demand for digital innovation across every touchpoint, all augur well for single-cup coffee’s continued popularity.12 So do market forecasts: Single-cup is poised to be the biggest category in coffee by 2019. Together with ready-to-drink coffee, it’s projected to fuel 90 percent of net category growth during the next five years.13

Single-cup is poised to be the biggest category in coffee by 2019.

Crowded shelves

In the meantime, the single-cup category is getting crowded. Close to 200 brands and more than 2,000 SKUs have hit the market since 2010,14 yet a handful of brands command the majority of category sales. These brands are not only fueling growth, they’re maintaining a pipeline of new and innovative single-cup beverage products that keep the category fresh and the consumer coming back for more.

How can retailers sort through the growing abundance of single-cup coffee pods to maximize sales among shoppers who may be a little overwhelmed by it all? Smarter shelving, assortment and merchandising strategies are the keys.

3

3 ways to boost

single-cup coffee product sales 1. Give power brands space to shine

With an exploding category and limited shelf space, retailers need to be selective in terms of the single-cup brands they offer and strategic in terms of where these products are placed. After all, the Top 10 coffee brands generate 72 percent of all coffee sales.15

Top 10 U.S. coffee brands Starbucks

Folgers

Maxwell House

Dunkin’ Green Mountain Coffee®

$ Dollars (millions)

Peet’s

McCafe

Nescafe The Original Donut Shop Gevalia

% Households buying

$ Dollars per trip

Source: IRI, Total U.S. Multi-Outlet, 52 weeks ending Aug. 12, 2018

4

Allocate segment space based on contribution share and the importance of the brand variety. Prioritize optimal space and location for power brands, shelving them at eye level or within the strike zone of the set. Then, use specific brands to “signpost” the segment or aisle, and secure multiple facings for the top 20 percent of items segment.

If you build it . . .

Consumers used to purchase a coffeemaker as a purely functional appliance or for the distinct coffee brewing method it offered, such as espresso making. But increasingly, consumers are looking for a single brewer that can create a multitude of flavors and drinks with a variety of brewing methods, blurring the lines among conventional segments.

As ownership of multi-function coffeemakers has grown, so have consumer expectations for the appliance. Today’s home-brewed coffee connoisseurs put speed and convenience at the top of their priority list, yet they refuse to sacrifice quality in the name of efficiency. At-home brewers seek premium beans and drinks that look and taste just as good as the beverages they would buy at a specialty coffee shop.16 What’s more, they want brands that support sustainability, such as Keurig’s commitment to offering fully recyclable Keurig K-cup pods by 2020.

And because a coffeemaker is an investment, consumers stick with brands they know and trust. Keurig and Mr. Coffee enjoy far greater brand awareness than their competitors, with consumers three times more likely to be familiar with category-leader Keurig than runner-up brands.17 Roughly half of consumers are familiar with Keurig and Mr. Coffee, but consumer recognition drops off sharply for such brands as Black & Decker (16 percent), Cuisinart (13 percent), Hamilton Beach (12 percent) and others.18

Because a coffeemaker is an investment, consumers stick with brands they know and trust.

2. Optimize merchandising and assortment

Coffee is a crowded yet brand-loyal category. Consistent shelf placement is important given the routine approach most consumers take to buying single-cup coffee brands. Most shoppers are likely to buy the same brand they bought last time, even in the face of deals, discounts or ads.19

5

Having top brands in stock is also essential. Single-cup coffee consumers are so brand loyal that they’ll walk if their favorite brand—or even their favorite flavor— isn’t on the shelf, underscoring the importance of optimized merchandising.20 Take a strategic approach to assortment that simplifies the shopping process by using the shelf as an intuitive navigational tool. Coffee shoppers identify first with the segment, then the pricing tier and then the brand. A strong brand block is critical, organized by premium, mainstream and value price points. Within brand blocks, merchandise similar roast profiles together and create distinct sections for flavor and decaf.

Single-cup merchandising principles Reallocate segment space Allocate segment space based on contribution share and importance of brand variety.

Brand is beacon

Prioritize optimal space and location— the “strike zone”—for power brands.

Utilize specific brands to signpost the segment or aisle.

Secure multiple facings for top 20% of items segment.

Leads set

Optimize the flow Organize and flow segments: Premium > Mainstream > Value.

Brand block with power brands at “strike zone.”

Merchandise similar roast profiles together within brand blocks.

Create distinct flavor and decaf sections within brand blocks.

Emphasize large counts Drive trade-up, maximizing distribution on large count packs.

Allocate 30% of the shelf to large count packs.

Merchandise large packs adjacent to like frequency pack within brand blocks.

Single-cup merchandising guidelines

Ends set

PRIVATE LABEL

6

Premium

Mainstream

Value

Pack size represents another key component of assortment, and single-cup coffee sold in 24- to 54-count boxes generates the biggest lift.21 Food retailers can get in on the growth by elevating large packs from bottom-level shelves and merchandising them next to their equivalent frequency packs within brand blocks to drive up trade. One study showed that retailers saw upwards of 7 percent category lift after giving large packs more desirable real estate.22

Keurig drives coffee innovation A proprietary insights engine, coupled with extensive technical resources, enables the brand to continually launch game-changing new coffee products as well as innovative appliances.

The K-Elite brewer is one of the new high-end coffeemakers with contemporary styling, premium materials and finish and expanded functionality; it delivers the most beverage customization of any Keurig single-cup coffeemaker. Key features include a Strong Brew option that increases coffee strength and intensity, a brew over ice setting, a wide range of brew sizes from 4 to 12 ounces, and an extra-large 75-ounce water reservoir. In fact, it’s currently the highest-ranked model on Keurig.com. Two new coffeehouse brewers have also launched: the K-Café and the K-Latte brewers. Each brews coffee and has a milk frother. The K-Café also makes concentrated coffee “shots” for authentic-tasting café-style beverages.

Keurig has introduced a steady brewer innovation pipeline.

Keurig has introduced a steady brewer innovation pipeline and increased investment and creativity across the company’s marketing efforts, strengthening its win-win partnerships with retailers and coffee brand partners as a result.

As the pioneer in single-cup coffee innovation, Keurig’s integrated ecosystem and expansive coffee development toolkit allows for endless co-creation and collaboration. Keurig has demonstrated a proven ability to create and maintain mutually beneficial, long-term coffee brand partnerships, offering the strong equity and recognition of the Keurig

7

The Keurig advantage Keurig is the No. 1 single-cup coffee brewing system in the United States24 and is now part of the new Keurig Dr Pepper, which is the seventh-largest food and beverage company in the United States.25 Keurig Dr Pepper offers a diverse brand portfolio with beverages that meet consumer needs at any moment throughout the day.

3. Promote experimentation to expand the category

Coffee may be an I-know-what-I-like category, but there’s still room to spotlight experimentation and expand category sales. When it comes to spur of the moment purchases, the single-cup segment performs better than roast and ground coffee, which suggests savvy retailers should reserve impulse-oriented shelf space for pod products. In this case, fueling category expansion requires thinking outside of the coffee aisle: Shoppers are more likely to make impulse purchases at end caps and island displays.23

Lifting single-cup sales

Driven by expanding sales of single-cup brewers, single-cup coffee has given new life to an age-old category. What’s more, it has been a boon for multiple industries, boosting sales in both the grocery and home appliance sectors.

Retailers have an enormous opportunity to both support and benefit from the continued growth of single-cup coffee pods and single-cup brewers. By leveraging strategic merchandising, shelving and assortment strategies, retailers can heat this coffee category to the boiling point.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

8

IRI Panel, Total U.S. All Outlets, 52 weeks ending Aug. 6, 2017 IRI Multi-Outlet, 52 weeks ending Aug. 27, 2017 KDP At-Home Omnibus Study, July 2017 IRI, 5-year CAGR, 2012-2017 Euromonitor, Sept. 29, 2017 IRI Panel, Total U.S. All Outlets, 52 weeks ending Aug. 6, 2017 IRI Multi-Outlet, 52 weeks ending Aug. 27, 2017 IRI, 52 weeks ending Dec. 31, 2017 Ibid.

IRI Total U.S. Multi-Outlet, 52 weeks ending Oct. 1, 2017 Euromonitor, 2016; LSA; Royal Dutch Tea and Coffee Federation; German Coffee Association Kantar Retail, November 2016 Mintel, based on IRI, InfoScan Reviews, U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Consensus IRI Multi-Outlet, calendar 2017 vs. 2010 Euromonitor, 2016; LSA; Royal Dutch Tea and Coffee Federation; German Coffee Association IRI Total U.S. All Outlet Panel, 52 weeks ending Dec. 25, 2017; KGM Omnibus ‘17; KGM Awareness Study ‘16 Kantar Millward Brown, coffeemakers quarter 4/quarter 2 tracking update 2017 Ibid.

Kantar Retail, November 2016 Ibid.

Ibid.

Ibid.

Ibid.

NPD All Channels, by category dollar sales, 52 weeks ending May 5, 2018 IRI Multi-Outlet, 52 weeks ending Dec. 31, 2017 (Note: KDP includes owned and licensed brands only.)

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YEAR IN REVIEW

Ahold Delhaize USA’s Taste of Inspirations was recently rolled out to all of the grocery retail group’s stores.

9

AHOLD DELHAIZE USA IS BORN

Ahold Delhaize USA was officially created on Jan. 1 from the merger of Ahold USA and Delhaize America to form the nation’s fourth-largest grocery retail group. Its supermarket chains include former Ahold USA chains Stop & Shop (based in Quincy, Mass.), Giant Food (Landover, Md.) and Giant/ Martin’s (Carlisle, Pa.), and former Delhaize America chains Food Lion (Salisbury, N.C.), Hannaford (Scarborough, Maine) and Peapod (Chicago).

The merger also led to the creation of Retail Business Services, a new services company to drive synergies and provide services for the chains, including for private brands.

Juan De Paoli, one of the industry’s top talents, was

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named the senior vice president of private brands of Retail Business Services. De Paoli, previously the senior vice president of brand management and own brands for Ahold USA, was charged with putting together a team to combine and oversee the company’s private brands program and strategy.

“It has been the most rewarding experience of my career and one that I don’t know if I will ever experience again,” De Paoli said. “I’m beyond excited about the team we have put together. It’s an all-star team of private brand professionals.”

Ahold Delhaize USA has co-headquarters in Quincy, Mass., and Salisbury, N.C. Its supermarket chains operate more than 2,000 stores across

“We have a saying, which is the motto of our department: We are here to perfect the expected and inspire with the unexpected.”

— JUAN DE PAOLI

21 states under a variety of store formats from hypermarkets to local supermarkets and convenience stores.

De Paoli said he and the team want to grow private brands for the portfolio with products “that delight consumers and drive loyalty and growth.”

And not just any private brands. De Paoli, a seasoned industry professional who was previously an executive with H-E-B and Topco Associates in addition to holding positions with consumer packaged goods giants such as Procter & Gamble Latin America and Oscar Mayer, wants the supermarket chains’ private brand lines to be “world class” and “famous.”

“We have a saying, which is the motto of our department: We are here to perfect the expected and inspire with the unexpected,” De Paoli said.

YEAR IN REVIEW

‘ECCELLENTE’ IDEAS FOR PRIVATE BRANDS

10 In May, Store Brands attended the CIBUS International Food Exhibition in Parma, Italy, on behalf of the Italian Trade Agency. CIBUS, one of the largest food shows in Europe, featured about 3,100 Italian food exhibitors, including hundreds of exhibitors that introduced new products.

No doubt that “Made in Italy” resonates with many Americans, especially when it comes to food. So the CIBUS show will remain a place to find potential and authentic Italian private brand products.

During the show, we sampled many products, from nduja to pizza. The former is a mainstream product in Calabria, Italy, and has been for nearly 30 years. But nduja — a spicy, spreadable pork salami from Italy — could be the definition

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of differentiation as a store brand for U.S. retailers.

We also spoke with several representatives from Italian pizza ingredient manufacturers to get their views on selling authentic Italian pizza in the U.S. as a store brand. Stefano Laudadio, business development executive for PizzaSi, which manufactures “premium pizza bases” at its facility in Italy, said that Italians like the “full experience” of pizza, meaning they like to taste the dough, the sauce, the cheese and whatever toppings are placed meticulously on the pizza in every bite. It is why all of the ingredients are viewed as equal, none more important than the other.

“The dough is not just a support that holds the toppings,” Laudadio said. “We stress the fact that it’s not about the quantities, it’s about the quality.

Less is best. Pizza doesn’t have to be junk food.”

The visit to Italy also included several tours, including of a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese plant in Parma and of the Balsamico Village, an educational theme park in Modena that teaches visitors the origin of balsamic vinegar.

The origin of Parmigiano Reggiano dates back nine centuries. It’s produced exclusively in the Italian provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and parts of the provinces of Mantua and

Bologna. This area is home to 4,000 thousand farms where cows are fed on locally grown forage that bans the use of silage and fermented feeds. Cows are milked twice daily, and the milk is taken to the cheese house within two hours of each milking. The milk is also used straight from the cows without any additives. After the cheese is made in wheels, it is aged for a minimum of 12 months and up to 24 months.

Balsamico Village is located in the picturesque midst of 173 acres of vineyards where the grapes are grown to produce Balsamic vinegar. Modena, known as the “Balsamic Valley,” is the only place in the world where it’s possible to produce it.

According to Luca Gamberi, who provided a tour of Balsamico Village, the area is home to secrets and recipes that were developed in accordance to the unique climatic characteristics of the region.

It’s very cold in the winter (32 degrees Fahrenheit) and very

Luca Gamberi talks about the history of Balsamic vinegar at Balsamico Village.

FOR THE GROWING SNACK CHEESE MARKET

hot in the summer (88 degrees F), Gamberi said.

“In this fertile soil with this particular weather, only here can we produce this product,” he added.

It takes at least 12 years for cooked grapes to become traditional Balsamic vinegar, which is aged in barrels.

“We utilize every kind of wood in the barrels to add flavor,” Gamberi said.

Considering Americans’ increasing penchant for authentic foods, Italian foods such as nduja, pizza, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Balsamic vinegar would fit the bill. SB

Treat We’ll rand B Your It’s e k i L rand!

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www.storebrands.com / November 2018 / Store Brands

71

PRIVATE LABEL TRADE SHOW 2018

★★★★

IT’S SHOWTIME

THIS YEAR’S PRIVATE LABEL TRADE SHOW WILL FEATURE ABOUT 2,800 EXHIBIT BOOTHS — REPRESENTING VIRTUALLY ALL KNOWN CONSUMER PRODUCTS CATEGORIES IN GROCERY AS WELL AS NONFOODS

★★★★

BY LAWRENCE AYLWARD

It’s not easy to stage a huge trade show year after year. A show’s organizers must keep a show’s environment fresh and exciting.

But it’s a challenge the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) has embraced with its annual Private Label Trade Show.

PLMA President Brian Sharoff said show goers will definitely notice a few different twists in the 2018 Private Label Trade Show, set for Nov. 11-13

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Chicago. One is the show this year will feature several additional exhibitors of private brand housewares, kitchenware, cookware and small appliances. Last year, the PLMA opened the show to these exhibitors with much success, Sharoff said, so it only made sense to build on that. This year’s show will feature about 60 exhibitors in those categories, up from 10 exhibitors last year.

Interest in housewares, kitchenware, cookware and small appliances is surging as top supermarket and mass retailing chains are devoting more space to these products under their own exclusive brands, according to the PLMA. So the show floor this year reflects the way in which retailers are merging their offerings, Sharoff said.

“Whether you go to a drugstore, a supermarket, a mass merchandiser or a wholesale club, they all have housewares, kitchenware and outdoor living [products],” he told Store Brands. “It’s no longer a specialized retail environment where you go here for drugs and you go there for household products.

We want to start to underline that new dimension in our product assortment.”

Housewares and appliances topped the list of the fastest-growing store brands categories in U.S.

Grab ‘n Go Mornings A delicious new way to do breakfast. Apple cinnamon oat clusters, dark chocolate coffee beans, sweet cranberries and crisp banana chips. Dry roasted salted peanuts add a savory balance and the perfect crunch to this organic mix.

Organic Morning Commuter Trail Mix

Build your business with custom snacks.

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PRIVATE LABEL TRADE SHOW 2018 supermarkets in 2017, increasing 18 percent in dollars and 52 percent in units according to data from market researcher Nielsen. Even bigger increases were recorded for the mass, club and dollar retail segment, where the gains for private brand housewares and appliances exceeded 38 percent in dollars and 53 percent in units, Nielsen stated.

According to a PLMA press release, exclusive product lines at major retail chains include Threshold and Room Essentials from Target; Mainstays from Walmart; Kirkland Signature from Costco Wholesale; Member’s Mark from Sam’s Club; Silvercrest and Ernesto from Lidl; Berkley & Jensen from BJ’s Wholesale Club; Living Solutions from Walgreens; Smart Living from Giant/Stop & Shop; Chefstyle from H-E-B; Open Kitchen from Williams Sonoma; Grill Mark and Living Accents from Ace Hardware; and Real Simple from Meijer, among numerous others.

Show goers will also notice more attention paid to store brand wines at this year’s show. The show will feature a wine pavilion where show goers can sample wine from private brand suppliers around the world.

Sharoff said more retailers, from Costco Wholesale to Aldi to Walmart and to Lidl, are using their private IF PLMA ad Oct18-3-gL.pdf

1

Oct/23/18

brand wines to build traffic.

“Wine has become a mainstay for supermarkets,” Sharoff added. “It is a very important component in building store brands and building traffic for retailers.”

With private brand sales growing as much as four times the rate of national brands based on recent reports from Nielsen and others, PLMA said this year’s show is on pace to surpass even last year’s record numbers for visitors and total exhibit space.

Exhibits at PLMA saw a gain of 5 percent last year over the previous year’s event, and organizers says the largest industry event in North America dedicated entirely to store brands will expand again this year to fill three large halls at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, utilizing more than 1 million total square feet and occupying all available exhibit space.

The show will present more than 2,800 exhibit booths, with over 1,500 companies representing virtually all known consumer products categories in grocery as well as nonfoods. SB Aylward is editor-in-chief of Store Brands.

12:11 PM

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AT E

PURE L H OCO

GF FREE

DICKINSON FROZEN FOODS

PRIVATE LABEL TRADE SHOW 2018

TRADE SHOW SCHEDULE HHHH Presentation I Jim Hertel, senior vice president of Inmar Analytics, “Today’s Marketplace: Retailing Fundamentals Under Pressure�

SATURDAY, NOV. 10 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

PLMA executive education program

Presentation II Jim Wisner, president of Wisner Marketing Group, “E-commerce and Digital Marketing: What to Know and What to Do�

SUNDAY, NOV. 11

9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

PLMA executive education program 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Trade show registration open/ Donald E. Stephens Convention Center 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Opening seminars/Hyatt Grand Ballroom

Presentation III Garett Chau, senior vice president of professional services for Nielsen, “Understanding U.S. Private Label�

7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Opening night reception/ Hyatt Grand Ballroom

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

Corporate

BRANDS Over 45 years of customer partnerships 18 manufacturing facilities nationwide • USDA Certified Manufacturing • SQF Level 2 & 3 Certified Products for every day part and every member of the family

Visit us at PLMA Booth #1317 Pennsauken, NJ 08109

For more information, please contact corporatebrands@jjsnack.com. www.jjsnack.com

PRIVATE LABEL TRADE SHOW 2018 TRADE SHOW SCHEDULE Continued

HHHH

MONDAY, NOV. 12

TUESDAY, NOV. 13

8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Opening breakfast/ Hyatt Grand Ballroom KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Fred Morganthall, former president of Harris Teeter

8 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Retail trends breakfast/ Hyatt Grand Ballroom Neil Stern, senior partner of McMillanDoolittle, “The Next Big Thing? Online-2-Offline”

9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Trade show floor open/ Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Trade show floor open/ Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

PLMA’s Idea Supermarket and New Product Expo/Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

PLMA’s Idea Supermarket and New Product Expo/ Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Registration open/ Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Registration open/ Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

Request Foods is your co-packing partner. With 600,000 sq. ft. of cooking, blending, freezing and packing capacity, we are your one-stop resource for R&D and processing. Our team of top culinary chefs creates custom entrées, side dishes, heat ‘n’ serve portions and a whole lot more—every meal in every size. Give your retail, club store or national brand the consistent quality of Request Foods. We Make Your Brand ... Better.

3460 John F. Donnelly Dr. • Holland, Michigan 49424 • 616.786.0900 • requestfoods.com

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

PRIVATE LABEL TRADE SHOW 2018

PRODUCT SHOW GUIDE 2018 ★★★★

THE PRIVATE LABEL TRADE SHOW, SET FOR NOV. 11-13 AT THE DONALD E. STEPHENS CONVENTION CENTER IN CHICAGO, WILL FEATURE MORE THAN 2,800 EXHIBIT BOOTHS, WITH OVER 1,500 COMPANIES. CHECK OUT SOME OF THE NEW PRODUCTS THAT WILL BE SHOWCASED AT THIS YEAR’S EVENT:

S P ON S ORE D CONTE NT

American Nutrition Inc. PLMA Show Booth #F8819

Ardent Mills PLMA Show Booth #F9110

American Nutrition is a custom manufacturer of consumables with the formulation expertise, marketplace intelligence and turnkey production capabilities to serve leading retailers and pet food brand owners looking for bestin-class products, facilities and support.

We will feature our Nature’s Source product — a super-premium pet food — at this year’s Private Label Trade Show.

Updating your grain-based product portfolio? Ardent Mills is your onestop resource. We have the industry’s broadest range of traditional and organic flours, ancient grains, custom mixes and artisan breads — all backed by unrivaled technical and risk management support.

For more information, contact your Ardent Mills account manager; visit ardentmills.com, or call 1-888-685-2534.

American Nutrition Inc. www.animanufacturing.com 888-897-3477

Ardent Mills www.ardentmills.com 888-685-2534

★★★

★★★

Missing the Boat?

Your customers deserve more quality choices at the value end of your chocolate bar offerings.

Kruger enables you to offer superior chocolate bar choices to even your most discerning cost-conscious shoppers. Our collective global buying power combined with pioneering production methods make it possible for us to offer a 100g chocolate bar for as low as a $1.00 retail price.

Choose from a range of chocolate varieties, inclusions and fillings to create your own custom bar or bar assortment.

Stop by PLMA booth F1603. Explore all the options to buoy up your candy bar range!

Exceptional Chocolate.

Exceptional Value.

A member of the Krüger Group

Kruger North America, Inc. • www.krueger-company.com/en Margaret Roeder, Director of Business Development 708-851-3606 • margaret.roeder@krugernorthmerica.com

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

PRIVATE LABEL TRADE SHOW 2018

Catania Oils PLMA Show Booth #F2211

Cibaria International Inc. PLMA Show Booth #F3219

Catania Oils is excited to introduce Marconi Fresh Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil with bag-in-box packaging — our freshest olive oil yet. Come by and taste this delicious oil for yourself.

Cibaria has the ingredients for your success. Olive oils, balsamic, specialty oils, infused oils, seed oils and blends are ready to add to a growing category. We offer glass, PET and bulk packaging.

Catania Oils www.cataniaoils.com 978-772-7900

Cibaria International Inc. www.cibaria-intl.com 951-823-8490

★★★

★★★

PRODUCT SHOW GUIDE

Citadelle Maple Syrup Producers’ Cooperative PLMA Show Booth #1404F The SmartKlear jug is an innovative breakthrough technology in the maple syrup world. The SmartKlear keeps out more oxygen than any other plastic jugs, preventing you — the retailers — from suffering the consequences of selling mislabeled products.

Citadelle Maple Syrup Producers’ Cooperative www.citadelle-camp.coop 819-362-3241

★★★

Coffee Now and for the Future™ Is your brand on the shopper’s grocery list? Today’s consumers are consciously seeking out products made with sustainability in mind.

In order to drive and maintain loyalty, retailers must offer what meets consumer demand.

Consumption of organic and certified coffees such as Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, and UTZ is up. Product quality and sustainability are two factors that affect consumers’ (especially Millennials) loyalty to a brand. Both factors should be present for the brand to win.

Having product options on store shelves with perceived higher quality benefits, like certified, socially responsible, and single origin, is important to satisfy the needs of coffee shoppers.

Massimo Zanetti Beverage offers a variety of certifications for customizable programs. We work with farming communities in all regions of the world to find the finest coffee for your store brand while supporting best practices in farming and trade.

Massimo Zanetti Beverage, with a four-generation legacy of field to cup creation of some of the world’s finest coffees, has leveraged its coffee knowledge and insights into some of the most successful coffee programs in the nation. We offer full access to the tools, products, and brand support to convert shoppers to loyal store brand coffee customers.

To take your coffee program to increased profitability, contact us at corporatebrands@mzb-usa.com. © 2018 Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA

82

Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

The Label Says It All Made in Italy is the Real Deal!

VISIT THE ITALIAN PAVILIONS FOOD AND BEVERAGES - Booth F1824

HOME AND HEALTH - Booth H708

PLMA 2018

Nov. 11-13 • Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL

Find Real Italian Suppliers at

www.italianprivatelabel.com

Chicago Office

2018 PLMA Italian Pavilion Participants FOOD AND BEVERAGES BOOTH F1824 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 26 27 27 28 28 29 29 30

BOOTH

Nuova Industria Biscotti Crich Pasticceria Quadrifoglio Pedon Roncadin Rosso Gargano Saclà Surgital Surmont The Bridge Bio Valdigrano Valpizza

PG

F1832 F1700 F1810 F1813 F1838 F1710 F1818 F1805 F1709 F1816 F1707

30 31 31 32 32 33 33 34 34 35 35

124

116

114

112

108 107

104

HOME AND HEALTH — BOOTH H708

100

Beauty & Business Chemical Flacer Parmon ProfiMed Pulix Roto-Cart

BOOTH

PG

H808 H706 H806 H707 H809 H709

36 36 37 37 38 38

PL

South Hall

PLM Escalator from

3400

3300 3101 3100

3000

2700

2600 2501 2500 2400 2300

2200

Sky Hall

1900 3403 3404

3504

Hydration Station

PG

F1734 F1830 F1735 F1732 F1800 F1842 F1742 F1703 F1839 F1713 F1715 F1844 F1833 F1841 F1815 F1840 F1733 F1739 F1730 F1804 F1809 F1722 F1802 F1702 F1743 F1834 F1817 F1731 F1728 F1736 F1807 F1808 F1738 F1827 F1717 F1716 F1740 F1831 F1705 F1836 F1803 F1718 F1822 F1708 F1835

Women

BOOTH

3303

3103

3003 2903

3105

3005

2603 2503

2703

3406 3306

3409

3308

3108

2505

3311

2305

2612

2711

2911

2311

2511

2312

3115

2915

2314

2715 2417

3518

3418 3318

3520

3420

3521

3421

3320

3218 3118 3219 3119 3220 3120 3221 3121

1905

2909

3111

3415 3315

3515

2105

3007 2908

2611 3511

2003

2905 2705

3408

3508

2403 2303 2103

3405 3305

2614 2514

Men

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com 2

Acetaia Terra del Tuono Acetum Agostoni Chocolate Agridè Agritalia Agromonte Agugiaro & Figna Andriani Basso Fedele & Figli Bertagni 1882 BMC - Santoro Conserve Bocon Bonolio - Bono USA Campo D’oro Villa Reale Sicilia Casa del Gelato Casale Cascina San Cassiano Coffee Group Dalla Costa Alimentare De Nigris 1889 Dolceria Alba F.lli Polli Farmo Fattorie Garofalo Fiorentini Firenze Firma Italia Forni & Fattorie Francesco Tamma Fratelli Contorno Fudex G7 Gabro Ghigi 1870 GIAS Gruppo FINI Gruppo Milo Italiana Confetti - Maxtris L’Aroma La Doria Le Bontà Mancuso Vincenzo & C. Martinucci Molino Nicoli USA Inc. Montalbano Industria Agroalimentare Morato Pane

3018 2918

3020 2920

2818

2718 2719

2820 2720 2821 2721

2618

2620

2418

2317

1911

2211 2111

2214 2215

2012 1912

1914

2114

2015 1915

2217 2117

1917

2218 2118 2018

2518 2420 2320

2220 2120

2020

2321

2221 2121

2021

2521

2421

2523

2423 2323

2525

2425 2325

3522 3523 3524

3423 3323

3223 3123

3424 3324

3224 3124

3425 3325

3225 3125

3427 3327

3227 3127

3428 3328

3228 3128

3530

3430 3330

3531

3230 3130

2723 2724

2825 2725

3226 3126

3526 3527

2923

2823

2623 2624

2426 2326

2826 2726 2927

3030 2930

2827 2828

2727

2830 2730

2527

2630 2530

2427 2327

2430 2330

2223 2123

2022

2224 2124 2225 2125 2226 2126 2227 2127 2228 2128

2230 2130

2030

3431 3331

3231 3131

3031 2931

2831 2731

2231 2131

2031

3532

3432 3332

3232 3132

3032 2932

2832 2732

2632 2532

2432 2332

2232 2132

2032

3533

3433 3333

3233 3133

3033 2933

2833 2733

2633 2533

2433 2333

2233 2133

2033

3534

3434 3334

3234 3134

3034 2934

2834 2734

2634 2534

2434 2334

2234 2134

2034

3535

3435 3335

3235 3135

3035 2935

2835 2735

2635 2535

2435 2335

2235 2135

2035

2631 2531

2431

2331

601

605 606

700

705

North Hall — Food and Beverages 708

424

224

808

805 806

800

Concession 916

419

219

900

904

908 910

Concession

1100

1103

1105

1107

1205

1110

1113

1210

1213

Phones

RES Service Center

Expoteria

917

914

912

1019

1017

215

1021

1117

1022

1026

1030

1032

1124 1125 1126 1127

1130

1132

1133

1135

1222

1224 1225 1226 1227

1230

1232

1233

1235

Women

1043

1138 1139 1140 1141 1142

1143

1242

1243

1038

1122 1123

Men

1040 1041 1042

1033

1238

1240

Prep Room

1050 1051

1046

1146

1055

1052

1057 1058

1059

1062 1063 1064 1065 1066 1067

1152

1155

1157 1158 1159 1160

1249 1250 1251

1252

1255

1257 1258 1259 1260

410

205

1300 1301 1302 1303 1304

1305 1306 1307 1308 1309 1310 1311

1313 1314 1315

1400 1401 1402 1403 1404

1405 1406 1407 1408 1409 1410 1411

1413 1414 1415

1509

1500

1502

1503

1505

1507

1600

1602

1603

1605

1607 1608

1700

1702

1703

1705

1707 1708 1709

1800

1802 1803 1804

1805

1807 1808 1809

1900

405

2000

2002

1903

1905

2003

2005

1907

1510

1322

1317

1515

1613

1615 1616 1617

1618

1622

1710

1713

1715 1716 1717

1718

1722

1810

1813

1815 1816 1817

1818

1822

1915

1917

1918

2015

2017

2018

1609

1911

1908 2007

2011

1516

1324

1518

1327

1325

1424

1422

1513

1330

1426

1525 1526

1522

1624 1625

1527

1332

1334

1335

1430

1432 1433 1434

1435

1530

1532 1533

1626

1536

1534

1633 1634

1630

1338 1438

1340

1352

1355

1635

1638

1640 1641

1740

1730 1731 1732 1733 1734 1735 1736

1738 1739

1827

1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836

1838 1839 1840 1841

1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928

1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936

1938 1939 1940 1941

2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028

2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036

2038 2039 2040 2041

1546

1844

1943

1357 1358 1359 1360

1455

1457 1458

1552

1555

1557 1558 1559 1560

1649 1650 1651

1652

1655

1657 1658

1646

1743

1842

1350

1548 1549 1550 1551

1447

1446

1642

1742

1727

1824

1348

1346

1342

1439

1538 1539 1540 1541 1542 1543 1544

1450

1451

1459

1659

1746 1747 1748 1749 1750

1752

1755 1756 1757

1759

1846 1847 1848 1849 1850

1852

1855 1856 1857

1859

1946 1947

1949 1950

1952 1953

1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960

2046 2047

2049 2050

2052 2053

2055 2056 2057 2058

2059

2146

2149

2152

2157 2158

2159

1069 1070 1071 1072 1073

1162 1163 1164 1262

1264

1166 1167

1169 1170 1171

1173

1266 1267

1269 1270 1271

1273

1366 1367 1466 1467

1469 1470 1471

1473

1566

1569 1570 1571

1573

1662 1663 1664

1666 1667

1669 1670 1671

1762 1763

1962

1764

Women

1767 1768

1369 1370 1371

1769 1770 1771 1772

Men

2162 2105

2100

2205

400

200

2108

2300

2111

2113 2114 2213 2214

2115

2208

2211

2305

2307

2308

2311

2313

2314

2405

2407

2408

2411

2413

2414

2118

2215

2317 2318 2319 2417

2419

2122

2124 2125 2126

2127

2222

2224 2225 2226

2227

2130 2230

2135

2133

2232 2233 2234 2235 2236

2138 2238

2140 2239

2141

2143

2241 2242

2243

2322 2323 2324 2325 2326 2327 2328

2330 2331 2332

2334 2335 2336

2338 2339 2340

2342 2343 2344

2346

2422 2423 2424 2425 2426 2427 2428

2430 2431 2432

2434 2435 2436

2438 2439 2440

2342 2443 2444

2446

2155 2255

2348 2349 2350 2351 2352 2353 2448

2450 2451 2452 2453

2257 2258 2259 2260

2355 2356 2357 2358 2359 2360 2455

2457 2458 2459 2460

2554

2556 2557 2558

2163

2362 2462 2463

2500

2505

2507

2509 2510

2511

2516

2513

2517

2520 2620

LMA 2613

2611

2529 2530 2531 2532 2533 2534 2535 2536 2537 2538 2539

2527

2523 2622 2624

2629

2634

2913

3011

2914

2917

2922 2923 2924 2925

2919

3017

3014

2734

3114

3212

3214

2636 2637 2638 2639

3022

3019

2926 3026

3024

2641

Concession Stand

2550

2551

2553

2559

2642

2743 2744

2746 2846

2938

2941

2943 2944

2946

3034 3035 3036 3037

3038

3041

3043 3044

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3222

3219

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2841 2842 2843 2844

2934 2935 2936 2937

3127

3124

3117 3217 3218

2736 2737 2738 2739

2834 2835 2836 2837 2838 2839

3126 3112

2548

2646 2727 2722

2717

2826 2911

2546

2543

2627

2617

2615

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3209

3134

3136 3137 3138 3139

3141

3234

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3241

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3246 3247

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3317

3319

3322

3419

3422

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3314

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3614

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3619 3620

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3409

3324 3325 3424

3334

3327

3430

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3509

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3522

3630

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3641 3642

3712

3714

3717

3719 3720

3812

3814 3815

3817

3819

3912

3914

3722

3734 3735 3736 3737

3730

3834 3835 3836 3837

3809

MA 1500

700 1400

1703 1503

1403 1303

1203 1103 1204 1104

4705

901 900 800 701

1300 1201 1200 1100 1000

1003 903

4700

3917

3919

4600

4500 4400

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603

804 704

604

806 1506

1306

1106

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3925

4200

4100

3927 4000

503

403 303 302

4602 4502

4606

707

506

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306 4608

809 709

4505

4508 4509

4405 4305

4408

4308 4309

3933

3935 3936 3937

4102 4103

404 305 304

706

808 708

4202

4302

3930

3739 3839

RES

4704 4703 4702 4701

4605

1705

3923

4205 4105

4003 4004

4106

4108

Men

4209 Women

1711

1611 1511

1311

1211 1111

911

811 711

1714

1614 1514

1314

1214 1114

914

814

511

714

514

716

411 410 311 413 412 312

4611 4511 4512

Food Plaza Concession

414

314

4614

415

315

4615

416

316

4514

4414 4415

4617 4517 1717

1617

Women

1417 1317

1117

917

817

517

417

1373

1362 1363 1364 1462 1463 1464

1562 1563 1564

317

Men

Home and Health

1673

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

1148 1149 1150 1151

1246

415

210

Chicago Office

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 FLOOR PLAN

Chicago Office

www.italianprivatelabel.com 3

2018 PLMA Italian Exhibitor Categories

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com 4

Gluten Free

Vegan

Organic

Non-GMO

FOOD AND BEVERAGES Acetaia Terra del Tuono Acetum Agostoni Chocolate Agride’ Agritalia Agromonte Agugiaro & Figna Andriani Basso Fedele & Figli Bertagni 1882 BMC – Santoro Conserve Bocon Bonolio – Bono USA Campo D’Oro Villa Reale Sicilia Casa del Gelato Casale Cascina San Cassiano Coffee Group Dalla Costa Alimentare De Nigris 1889 Dolceria Alba F.lli Polli Farmo Fattorie Garofalo Fiorentini Firenze Firma Italia Forni & Fattorie Francesco Tamma Fratelli Contorno Fudex G7 Gabro Ghigi 1870 GIAS Gruppo FINI Gruppo Milo

S AD KS L PRE APS AC AZE A N S E S L / /C R ER R/G DS CE LA DS ET E DL GA GOO LD REL /PO WE BL N D E A A TO IN D CO Z NS S/S S ST TIO D/ IC V AKE ST/ MOZ EA ION NT LF ERA O E B T A / E O /B SH IG EN F AM D KF SE EE EC IM M Y/ EFR ROZ ABY ALS REA REA HEE OFF ONF OND ELI R D R F C C C D B B B B C

F1734 F1830 F1735 F1732 F1800 F1842 F1742 F1703 F1839 F1713 F1715 F1844 F1833 F1841 F1815 F1840 F1733 F1739 F1730 F1804 F1809 F1722 F1802 F1702 F1743 F1834 F1817 F1731 F1728 F1736 F1807 F1808 F1738 F1827 F1717 F1716

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ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

x

x x

Chicago Office

NG KI BA / IFY ING L ERT RS ER SU ESS VE CAT S I ) D E / L /D / O DS LE TS ZE ICE AB PS ST EE FF KS MI ERV ET SOU /PE TI S TS /S TRU X C O R G I S S / T A S S M VE LS XES PA AM S D SE SE S ( S S CE A SN I I CU O J ZA D A UL M UI ST ES T IZ RVE ME S/M ANT DS/ OES TE/ A/FO IL GED /P ROO EA S/J D PA EN D O P O S A / / S T E Y A A E A C M NK E Z AT IN H E V L O I A US IV IVE CK ST ZZA ES AD UC DES RE MA NO RE L DR FIL FR GE GR M OL OL PA PA PI PR RE SA SI SP TO IN HO ES

x x

x

x

x

5

2018 PLMA Italian Exhibitor Categories

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com 6

Gluten Free

Vegan

Organic

Non-GMO

FOOD AND BEVERAGES Italiana Confetti-Maxtris L’Aroma La Doria Le Bonta` Mancuso Vincenzo & C. Martinucci Molino Nicoli USA Inc. Montalbano Ind. Agro.

Morato Pane Nuova Industria Biscotti Crich Pasticceria Quadrifoglio Pedon Roncadin Rosso Gargano Saclà Surgital Surmont The Bridge Bio Valdigrano Valpizza

S AD KS L PRE APS AC AZE A N S E S L / /C R ER R/G DS CE LA DS ET E DL GA GOO LD REL /PO WE BL N D E A A TO IN D CO Z NS S/S S ST TIO D/ IC V AKE ST/ MOZ EA ION NT LF ERA O E B T A / E O /B SH IG EN F AM D KF SE EE EC IM M Y/ EFR ROZ ABY ALS REA REA HEE OFF ONF OND ELI R D R F C C C D B B B B C

F1740 F1831 F1705 F1836 F1803 F1718 F1822 F1708 F1835 F1832 F1700 F1810 F1813 F1838 F1710 F1818 F1805 F1709 F1816 F1707

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N

HOME AND HEALTH Beauty & Business Chemical Flacer Parmon ProfiMed Pulix Roto-Cart

I S SK CT TS ER ODU DUC VE I N S T FT PR RO E CT SI SO NE G P AR DU EN ER GIE NIN IR C PRO TS/S T Y A A A C /W E H LE /H NE DU NT ABL IC C LOR YGIE RO E T P RG OS ES CO H R TE SP M IR AL PE DE DI DO HA OR PA

H808 H706 x H806 H707 H809 x H709

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ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

x x x

Chicago Office

NG KI BA / IFY ING L ERT RS ER SU ESS VE CAT S I ) D E / L /D / O DS LE TS ZE ICE AB PS ST EE FF KS MI ERV ET SOU /PE TI S TS /S TRU X C O R G I S S / T A S S M VE LS XES PA AM S D SE SE S ( S S CE A SN I I CU O J ZA D A UL M UI ST ES T IZ RVE ME S/M ANT DS/ OES TE/ A/FO IL GED /P ROO EA S/J D PA EN D O P O S A / / S T E Y A A E A C M NK E Z AT IN H E V L O I A US IV IVE CK ST ZZA ES AD UC DES RE MA NO RE L DR FIL FR GE GR M OL OL PA PA PI PR RE SA SI SP TO IN HO ES

7

Acetaia Terra del Tuono Via Paolo Monzani, 5 42122 Reggio Emilia (RE), Italy Tel. +39 0522 343317 Fax +39 0522 342435 Web: www.terradeltuono.it Email: massimo@terradeltuono.it Contact: Massimo Zini

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

Terra del Tuono is an ancient Balsamic Vinegar Factory, located in Italy since 1892. Our mission is to produce the highest quality of Balsamic Vinegars, Condiments alongside unique and innovation Balsamic Specialties.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFC

BOOTH # F1734 Acetum Via Sandro Pertini, 440 41032 Modena (MO), Italy Tel. +39 0535 410811 Fax +39 0535 410820 Web: www.acetum.it Email: sales@acetum.it Contact: Luca Bombarda Acetum is the leader in the production of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena representing 30% of the entire production. Our corporate philosophy is respecting consumers and the environment.

CERTIFICATIONS: : Halal, Kosher, Organic, Vegan

BOOTH # F1830 8

Chicago Office

Agostoni Chocolate 8616 La Tijera Blvd., Suite 512 Los Angeles, CA 90045 Tel. +1 (213) 261-0057 Fax +1 (310) 670-0596 Web: www.agostonichocolate.com/us/ Email: sales@agostonichocolate.com Contact: Federica Sirelli

4625C

CERTIFICATIONS: USDA Organic, Fair Trade, GMO Free, Gluten Free, Kosher, Halal

BOOTH # F1735 AgridĂŠ Strada Privata Via Crocifisso, 11 70032 Bitonto (BA), Italy Tel. +39 080 5355574 Fax +39 080 5358830 Web: www.agride.it Email: giovannidesantis@agride.it Contact: Giovanni Desantis Extra virgin olive oil production since 1938.

CERTIFICATIONS: Organic, PDO

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

Bean-to-bar producer of premium all-natural chocolate. We secure superior quality fermented cocoa beans, conventional and organic, for our production of cocoa liquor, butter, powder and finished chocolate through an exclusive Equal Partner Direct Buying Program, in place in key origins since 1980.

BOOTH # F1732 9

Agritalia Centro Direzionale Isola E/2 Scala A 80143 Naples (NA), Italy Tel. +39 081 7506111 Fax +39 081 7506199 Web: www.agritalia.com Email: marketing@agritalia.com Contact: Leo Nucera

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

Agritalia specializes in Private Label programs, representing 90% of total turnover. With a portfolio of 700+ dry and frozen products, Agritalia represents an effective and simple solution to successfully run authentic Italian Private Label projects.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, USDA Organic, NON-GMO Project Verified, Kosher, Halal

BOOTH # F1800 Agromonte C.da Coffa, Zona Industriale 97012 Chiaramonte Gulfi (RG), Italy Tel. +39 0932 925226 Fax +39 0932 929011 Web: www.agromonte.it Email: agromonte@agromonte.it Contact: Giusy Arestia Agromonte is specialized in the production of cherry tomato-based products.

Our masterpiece is the Ready to use Cherry Tomato pasta sauce, a product of excellence Made in Sicily.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, Halal, Kosher

BOOTH # F1842 10

Strada dei Notari, 25 43044 Collecchio (PR), Italy Tel. +39 0521 301701 Fax +39 0521 301777 Web: www.agugiarofigna.com Email: g.taliana@agugiarofigna.com Contact: Giovanni Taliana

Chicago Office

Agugiaro & Figna

Agugiaro & Figna is a proven international leader in the production of high-quality flours, pizza, cake and bread mixes for export.

BOOTH # F1742 Andriani Via N. Copernico s.n. Zona PIP 70024 Gravina in Puglia (BA), Italy Tel. +39 080 3255801 Fax +39 080 3221304 Web: www.andrianispa.com Email: info@andrianispa.com Contact: Francesco Andriani Andriani produces a complete range of gluten free pastas that are both innovative and great tasting. Made of naturally gluten free ingredients such as: Buckwheat, Brown Rice, Quinoa, Corn, Amaranth, Lentils, Peas, Chickpeas, Mung Beans, flour mix and more.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, Multiutility Green, Marchi Spiga Barrata, SGS, IT Organic 008, GFCO USA, USDA, Non GMO, OU, EU K, GFCP, Vegan OK

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, ISO 22000, ISO 22005, Food Safety System Certification

BOOTH # F1703 11

Basso Fedele & Figli Via Nocelleto, 46 83020 San Michele di Serino (AV), Italy Tel. +39 3454 105033 Fax +39 0825 595771 Web: www.oliobasso.com Email: fabriziobasso@oliobasso.com Contact: Fabrizio Basso

Edible Olive Oil.

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, ISO 9001, Kosher, Halal, EMAS

BOOTH # F1839 Bertagni 1882 Viale Sant’Agostino, 12/13 36057 Arcugnano (VI), Italy Tel. +39 0444 289241 Fax +39 0444 289054 Web: www.bertagni1882.it Email: info@bertagni1882.it Contact: John Borah/Filippo Viero

Premium Fresh and Frozen filled egg pasta made in Italy.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS

BOOTH # F1713 12

Via Boscamento S.N. 95012 Castiglione di Sicilia (CT), Italy Tel. +39 0942 986022 Fax +39 0942 986022 Web: www.santoroconserve.it Email: salespl@santoroconserve.it Contact: Gabriele Ferenderes

Chicago Office

BMC – Santoro Conserve

Manufacturers of vegetable spreads, pasta sauces, sweet spreads, vegetables in oil and pestos.

BOOTH # F1715 Bocon Via Montello, 72 31053 Pieve di Soligo (TV), Italy Tel. +39 0438 980130 Fax +39 0438 980668 Web: www.bocon.it Email: bocon@bocon.it Contact: Paola Moroni Stengher Since 1987 Bocon has been producing frozen ready meals, multigrain blends, snacks and desserts inspired by Italian traditions and always open to supporting new trends. Are you looking for the right partner for your PL products? You have found them.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, HAACP

BOOTH # F1844 13

Bonolio – Bono USA C/da Bordea 92019 Sciacca (AG), Italy Tel. +39 0925 84500 Fax +39 0925 84500 Web: www.bonolio.it or www.bonousainc.com E-mail: salvatore@bonolio.it Contact: Salvatore Bono

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

Bonolio SAS is a leader in the production of Extra Virgin Olive Oil worldwide.

Our company focuses solely on the production of high quality extra virgin olive oil, most especially P.D.O and P.G.I Certified Regional Products. Regionally Certified Oils have become a staple worldwide, and now, in the American market. They provide the flavor and history of their respective Italian Regions.

Bonolio is proud to be the largest producer and trader of P.D.O. Val Di MazaraSicily and P.G.I. SICILIA Extra Virgin Olive Oil. CERTIFICATIONS: DOP Val di Mazara, IGP Sicilia, Organic, Gluten Free, Kosher, IFS, BRC

BOOTH # F1833 Campo D’Oro Villa Reale Sicilia Contrada Scunchipane, 125 92019 Sciacca (AG), Italy Tel. +39 0925 80100 Fax +39 0925 80089 Web: www.campodoro.com Email: info@campodoro.eu Contact: Paolo Licata Campo D’ Oro has been producing more than 150 gourmet specialties for many years. Ranging from appetizers, olives, tomato sauces, pesto, pates, jams and sweet creams. 100% natural, non-GMO, for US customers. We deliver from our warehouse in Chicago.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, ISO: 22000, ISO: 22005, Kosher

BOOTH # F1841 14

Via Maestri del Lavoro, 56 41053 Pozza di Maranello (MO), Italy Tel. +39 0536 944551 Fax +39 0536 941942 Web: www.casagelato.it Email: info@casagelato.it Contact: Simone Rovai

Chicago Office

Casa del Gelato

Casa del Gelato is specialized in the production of traditional Italian ice cream, sorbets and frozen desserts in a variety of sizes and flavors. We serve the retail and food service industry.

BOOTH # F1815 Casale Via Montanara, 33 43035 Casale di Felino (PR), Italy Tel. +39 0521 836080 Fax +39 0521 836081 Web: www.casalespa.com E-mail: casale@casalespa.com Contact: Guglielmo Sassi Produces select house and high quality food products, while respecting the environment and tradition, delivering a genuine product meeting the dietary and nutritional needs of today’s consumer. We only select the best thighs from Italian and European pigs and utilize an ancient, natural method free of additives and preservatives producing 100% natural ham with a very low quantity of salt. Taste, simplicity, and a variety of options are part of our culinary tradition.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, FSGS, UNI EN ISO 22000: 2005, OHSAS 18001, EMAS, UNI EN ISO 14001: 2015, UNI EN ISO 22005: 2008, SA 8000, Italian Legality Rating, Model Legislative Decree 231/01

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: IFS, BRC, Organic Product, Vegan V-Label, RSPO

BOOTH # F1840 15

Cascina San Cassiano Corso Piave, 182 12051 Alba (CN), Italy Tel. +39 0173 282638 Fax +39 0173 286371 Web: www.cascinasancassiano.com E-mail: info@cascinasancassiano.com Contact: Monica Camera

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

We are an Italian fine food producer of sauces, preserves, cheese spread, sweet spreads, soups, and truffle products.

Our products are all natural, gluten free, and GMO free. We also produce our specialties for Private label in either glass jars or plastic containers.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, Organic, IVEG

BOOTH # F1733 Coffee Group Via Gamalero, 13/A 00166 Roma, Italy Tel. +39 06 61563800 Fax +39 06 89011805 Web: www.coffeegroup.it Email: export.caffebraccio@gmail.it Contact: Dany Baldazzi

Roasted coffee beans, coffee pods and capsules.

CERTIFICATIONS: ISO: 2001

BOOTH # F1739 16

Via Della Fornace, 131 31023 Castelminio di Resana (TV), Italy Tel. +39 0423 484402 Fax +39 0423 484122 Web: www.dallacostalimentare.com Email: export@dallacostalimentare.com Contact: Fabio Dalla Costa, Francesco De Querquis, Laura Ceretta

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, Kosher, Gluten-Free, Organic

BOOTH # F1730 De Nigris 1889 SS Sannitica, 87 - Zona ASI 80023 Caivano (NA), Italy Tel. +39 0818 808911 Fax +39 0818 359026 Web: www.denigris1889.com Email: alexandra@denigris.it Contact: Alexandra Cardone Master vinegar makers since 1889, De Nigris is a story of family passion and dedication spanning three generations. Never satisfied in our quest to offer only the highest quality, our seeking of knowledge will never end.

CERTIFICATIONS: ORGANIC, HALAL, BRC, IFS, ISO9001, GMO FREE

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

We produce Italian dry pasta in different shapes and flavors, using only bronze dies and drying at low temperatures. We are specialized in tailor-made products, from the shape to the packaging. To produce tricolor pasta, we use only powdered vegetables and spices.

Chicago Office

Dalla Costa Alimentare

BOOTH # F1804 17

Dolceria Alba Strada Vicinale delle Cappellette, 8 10026 Santena (TO), Italy Tel. +39 011 0625611 Fax +39 011 0620156 Web: www.dolceriaalba.it Email: dolceria@dolceriaalba.it Contact: Carlo Rolle Dolceria Alba is an Italian Company producing a selection of high quality frozen desserts.

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, HALAL

BOOTH # F1809 F.lli Polli Via C. Battisti, 1059 51015 Monsummano Terme (PT), Italy Tel. +39 0572 95621 Fax +39 0572 952525 Web: www.polli.it Email: exportdivision@polli.it Contact: Silvia Tagliaferri Since 1872, Polli has been active in the sector of preserved food in both national and international markets. We produce typical Mediterranean and Italian vegetables in oil or in vinegar, sweet/sour, brine, sauces for pasta, pesto’s, olives, Antipasti in oil.

CERTIFICATIONS: IFS, BRC, ISO

BOOTH # F1722 18

Viale E. Mattei, 1 20010 Casorezzo (MI), Italy Tel. +39 02 9029231 Fax +39 02 90296334 Web: www.farmo.com Email: export@farmo.com Contact: Andrea F. Giai

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, GFCP/GFCO, Organic, Kosher, GMO Free, Gluten Free

BOOTH # F1802 Fattorie Garofalo Via S.Maria C.V., 121 81043 Capua (CE), Italy Tel. + 39 0823 403196 Fax + 39 0823 620044 Web: www.fattoriegarofalo.it Email: commerciale@fattoriegarofalo.it Contact: Mario Pietroluongo Fattorie Garofalo is a fully integrated supply chain company producing buffalo mozzarella DOP, ricotta, butter, burrata, lactose free buffalo mozzarella and frozen mozzarella IQF. Our company manufactures its own milk thanks to the direct ownership of 6 farms with 10,000 buffalos. Great production capability and total quality control represent us, Fattorie Garofalo.

CERTIFICATIONS: IFS, BRC, ISO 14001, ISO 9001, Halal

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

FARMO is a Gluten Free Manufacturer and an Italian supplier with company owned manufacturing facilities. Offerings include GF Pasta in varied shapes with premium ingredients. (Brown Rice, Lentils, Beans, Amaranth, Quinoa, Buckwheat, Cauliflower, Chickpea), GF Ready Meals with brown rice pasta base and dehydrated sauce, GF Baking Mixes, GF Bakery products.

Chicago Office

Farmo

BOOTH # F1702 19

Fiorentini Firenze Localita’ Belvedere, 26 53034 Colle di Val d’Elsa (SI), Italy Tel. + 39 0577 9694 Fax + 39 0577 969497 Web: www.fiorentinifirenze.it Email: commerciale@fiorentinifirenze.it Contact: Giovanni Ghinassi Fiorentini Firenze specializes in the production, packing and bottling of high-quality extra virgin olive oil. We supply to some of the biggest grocery chains in Italy and Europe as well as various multinational groups in the food sector.

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: ISO 9001, BRC, IFS, Organic, FDA, BIO NOP/USDA, AEO, OU, IGP

BOOTH # F1743 Firma Italia Via Pavia, 38/40 20835 Muggiò (MB), Italy Tel. +39 039 2780485 Fax +39 039 2782139 Web: www.firmaitalia.it Email: info@firmaitalia.it Contact: Marcantonio Varinelli Offerings include shelf stable dry ready meals of: pasta, rice, sauce, gnocchi, tortellini, polenta, quinoa and couscous. Dehydrated soups. Dried lasagna. Flavored mashed potatoes. Ethnic ready meals. Dry sauces. Genuine Italian taste. Private label.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS

BOOTH # F1834 20

Via del Leccio, 24 70022 Altamura (BA), Italy Tel. +39 0835 307206 Fax +39 0835 307206 Web: www.primoforno.com Email: info@primoforno.com Contact: Antonio Loizzo

CERTIFICATIONS: IFS, BRC, Organic, FSMA Compliant

BOOTH # F1817 Francesco Tamma Corso del Mezzogiorno, 15 71122 Foggia (FG), Italy Tel. +39 0881 308111 Fax +39 0881 661368 Web: www.tamma.it E-mail: marketing@tamma.it Contact: Annamaria Tamma Durum wheat semolina pasta producers since 1907 - Semolina, Organic, Whole Wheat, Biodynamic Pasta CERTIFICATIONS: Organic ICEA, Kosher, Biodynamic Demeter, Halal, Whole Grain Council

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

We are a company specialized in the production of baked goods (fresh, chilled and frozen) such as: bread, focaccia, pizza, snacks and cookies. Experiences in private label branding services within the following distribution channels: Retail, Food Service, Airlines and Vending.

Chicago Office

Forni & Fattorie

BOOTH # F1731 21

RM LE PA

Via Gangitano, 4 90123 Palermo (PA), Italy Tel. + 39 091 391323 Fax + 39 091 6214550 Web: www.fratellicontorno.com Email: tanocontorno1991@gmail.com Contact: Gaetano Contorno

O

Fratelli Contorno

We produce pasta and pesto sauces/preserved vegetables.

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: UNI, EN, ISO 9002, IFS

BOOTH # F1728 Fudex Via Reisera, 17 10036 Settimo Torinese (TO), Italy Tel. +36 011 8977834 Fax +36 011 8977842 Web: www.fudex.com Email: export@fudex.com Contact: Alessandro Bondesan Using the extrusion process, Fudex supports its customers in developing customized recipes, unique shapes and innovative solutions to effectively launch healthy new products to market.

With more than thirty years’ experience in the manufacturing of extruded products such as healthy cereal snacks, crackers, cereal bars, breakfast cereals, baby food, toddler’s snacks, gluten-free food, and organic food, Fudex is the right partner for innovative, healthy and natural products under your brand.

Versatility - Quality - Flexibility - Innovation: Our 4 key words

BOOTH # F1736 22

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS

Via L. Romagnoli, 19 40010 Bentivoglio (BO), Italy Tel. +39 0516 640144 Fax +39 0516 640518 Web: www.g7gelati.it Email: export@g7gelati.it Contact: Claudia Cordenos

Our tubs are HAND-FILLED and HAND-DECORATED. CERTIFICATIONS: ISO 9001, FSSC- ISO 22000, IFS HL, ISO 22005, Halal, Kosher, Organic

BOOTH # F1807 Gabro Contrada Sisto fraz. Lauropoli 87011 Cassano Allo Jonio (CS), Italy Tel. +39 0981 70339 Fax +39 0981 70432 Web: www.gabro.it E-mail: gabro@gabro.it Contact: Francesco Brogna

The first producer in Italy of Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil CERTIFICATIONS: ICEA, NOP, JAS, IFS, KOSHER

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

G7 is a family owned Italian company established in 1958 in Bologna, Italy. We produce AUTHENTIC ITALIAN GELATO. We offer Gluten free flavors, 100% Clean-label Gelato, Organic Gelato in an exclusive 100% compostable packaging and Lactose-Free Sorbets for retail and HoReCa.

Chicago Office

G7

BOOTH # F1808 23

Ghigi 1870 Via Giovanni Falcone, 188 47832 San Clemente (RN), Italy US Contact: Ghigi Food Industries 8401 Dorsey Circle Suite #101 Manassas, VA 20110 Tel. +1 (703) 392-3744 Fax +1 (866) 931-5486 Web: www.ghigiusa.com Email: customerservice@ghigiusa.com Contact: Lino Laudiero

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

GHIGI is an Italian Pasta and Tomato producer located in Northern Italy with a full range of production and logistics capabilities across each segment. We focus on private label programs for retail and food service sectors throughout the Americas.

CERTIFICATIONS: 100% Italian wheat, 100% Non-GMO, Organic

BOOTH # F1738 GIAS Via Nazionale SNC 87040 Mongrassano Scalo (CS), Italy Tel. +39 0984 524211 Fax +39 0984 524254 Web: www.giasspa.it E-mail: g.morrone@giasspa.it Contact: Morrone Gianluca

GIAS, is a leader in Italy within the fields of frozen vegetables and ready meals. Taste, goodness and freshness of the just picked variety are the principles of our philosophy.

CERTIFICATIONS: Organic, Kosher, Pesticide-Free

BOOTH # F1827 24

Via Confine, 1583 41017 Ravarino (MO), Italy Tel. +39 0592 59111 Fax +39 0592 59255 Web: www.nonsolobuono.com Email: infofini@finimodena.it Contact: Francesco Miceli

Chicago Office

Gruppo FINI

Preserved tomato purees, sauces, vegetables and jams packaged in glass jars. Fresh filled pasta. Home-made quality. Organic products also available.

BOOTH # F1717 Gruppo Milo Via Teologo Valente SN 70032 Palombaio (BA), Italy Tel. +39 080 3735950 Fax +39 080 3738273 Web: www.casamilo.it Email: export@gruppomilo.it Contact: Peppino Milo We are long experienced in the manufacturing of premium artisanal pasta and high quality bakery snacks.

CERTIFICATIONS: ISO, BRC, IFS, Non GMO, Organic, Vegan, Kosher

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, Kosher, Gluten Free, Organic

BOOTH # F1716 25

Italiana Confetti - Maxtris Via Cerqua Sant’Antonio SNC 80030 Scisciano (NA), Italy Tel. +39 3389 947122 Fax +39 0818 442366 Web: www.confettimaxtris.it Email: export@maxtris.com Contact: Gabriele Ascione

Italian Quality Manufacturer of Candied Confections.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, UTZ, Kosher, Halal, Organic

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

BOOTH # F1740 L’Aroma Via Mazzoni SN 95030 Mascalucia (CT), Italy Tel. +39 0959 10254 Fax +39 0959 10254 Web: www.l-aroma.it E-mail: l-aroma@l-aroma.it Contact: Vincenzo Pressimone With fifty years of experience in the industry, L’ Aroma produces seasonings and flavorings. A great assortment of herbs and spices available in addition to our other lines of: Mixes, Breadcrumbs, Products for baking and Seeds.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, ISO 9001: 2015, Kosher, Organic

BOOTH # F1831 26

Via Nazionale, 320 84012 Angri (SA), Italy Tel. +39 0815 166111 Fax +39 0815 135991 Web: www.gruppoladoria.it Email: luciano.chiumiento@gruppoladoria.it Contact: Luciano Chiumiento

Chicago Office

La Doria

La Doria is a family company founded in 1954 in Angri, the Italian historical heart of the tomato processing area. La Doria is a historical producer of tomato-based products, pulses, fruit juices and one of the main Italian producers of pasta sauces.

BOOTH # F1705 Le BontĂ Via Bruges, 60H 59100 Prato (PO), Italy Tel. +39 0574 550379 Fax +39 0574 550425 Web: www.lebonta.it E-mail: info@lebonta.it Contact: Giacinto Carapelli Manufacturers of organic and conventional grains, mixes and sauces. Private label product offerings for food, wholesale and retail trade.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, Organic

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: ISO 14001, ISO 9001, BRC, IFS, Organic, Kosher, ISO 26000, Italian Tomato 100%, Italian Fruit 100%

BOOTH # F1836 27

Mancuso Vincenzo & C. C.da San Benedetto sn Z.na Ind.le ASI 92021 Aragona (AG), Italy Tel. +39 0922 441641 Fax +39 0922 441852 Web: www.mancusogelati.it Email: info@mancusogelati.it Contact: Castelli Gaia

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

Mancuso Vincenzo & C. has always been a guarantee of Made in Italy and quality gelato in the world, combining tradition and innovation. The best selling products of the Mancuso’s range are: truffles gelato, gelato products in glass jars, glass cups, plastic jar and flutes.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, Organic

BOOTH # F1803 Martinucci Zona Industriale 73040 Specchia (LE), Italy Tel. +39 8335 39566 Fax +39 8335 35483 Web: www.martinucci1950.com Email: commerciale@martinucci1950.com Contact: Rosso Martinucci

Producer of Frozen Desserts and Ice cream for both HoReCa and the retail markets.

CERTIFICATIONS: IFS

BOOTH # F1718 28

Chicago Office

Molino Nicoli USA Inc. Locatelli str 24060 Costa di Mezzate (BG), Italy Tel. + 39 0356 89811 Fax + 39 0356 89898 Web: www.molinonicoli.it Email: davide.venturi@molinonicoli.it Contact: Davide Venturi

CERTIFICATIONS: USDA Organic, Kosher, Gluten-Free

BOOTH # F1822 Montalbano Industria Agroalimentare Via Gerbamaggio, 14 51035 Lamporecchio (PT), Italy Tel. +39 0573 80041 Fax +39 0573 803607 Web: www.montalbanofood.com Email: toscana@montalbanofood.com Contact: Umberta Oriana

gustoparty

montalbano

Since 1965 we have been producing Pickles, Italian Vegetables Appetizers, Pesto and Tapenades, Artichokes, Olives, Sundried Tomatoes and so on. Fully certified and FDA approved. We export to more than 30 Countries worldwide.

CERTIFICATIONS: ISO 9001, BRC, IFS, ICEA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

Molino Nicoli is a European Leader in the Allergen & Gluten Free cereal-based production with 150 years of experience in cereal manufacturing. Offerings include: Breakfast Cereals, Cereal Bars (chewy, soft baked and crunchy), Baby Food Snacks and Oat-based products.

BOOTH # F1708 29

Morato Pane Via Massimo D’Azeglio, 49 36077 Altavilla Vincentina (VI), Italy Tel. +39 0444 574188 Fax +39 0444 573966 Web: www.moratopane.com Email: info@moratopane.com Contact: Giorgio Pineschi

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

Since 1970 Morato has been producing soft bread. The main products are Tramezzino, Bruschetta and Sandwich bread. In 2009 Morato expanded its product range and brands, through the acquisition of PAN D’ESTE; a historic brand of the Veneto region known for premium dry breads and breadsticks.

ARTIGIANPIADA was acquired in 2007; a company specialized in the production of PIADINAS. GRANBON, a company making crispy breads and snacks was also acquired in 2007. Now, Morato is one of the major players in the European bread market.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, Organic, Vegan OK, Kosher, IGP

BOOTH # F1835 Nuova Industria Biscotti Crich Via A. De Gasperi, 11 31050 Zenson Di Piave (TV), Italy Tel. +39 0421 344203 Fax +39 0421 344616 Web: www.crich.it Email: nuovacrich@crich.it Contact: Pierantonio Salvel PANT. 476C

CERTIFICATIONS: ISO 9001:2008, I.F.S. – Higher Level, BRC (A), Organic, RSPO, Vegan OK, B-Neutral

BOOTH # F1832 30

YELLOW 75%

We are manufacturers of crackers, cookies and wafers. Our company produces Gluten Free, organic, vegan, with no added sugar products and baby food. HoReCa industry also supported.

Via dell’industria, 43 41013 Piumazzo di Castelfranco E. (MO), Italy Tel. +39 059 934419 Fax +39 059 934419 Web: www.pasticceriaquadrifoglio.it E-mail: quadrifoglio@pasticceriaquadrifoglio.com Contact: Marco Canali

Chicago Office

Pasticceria Quadrifoglio

Frozen desserts/Ready-to-drink sorbet/ Panettone with mascarpone.

Supporting retail and HoReCa sectors.

BOOTH # F1700 Pedon Via del Progresso, 32 36060 Molvena (VI), Italy Tel. +39 042 4411125 Fax +39 042 4411118 Web: www.pedon.it Email: info@pedon.it Contact: Paolo Pedon Pedon is an Italian company specializing in end-processing, packing and distributing of grains, pulses and seeds. We offer conventional and organic, traditional and quick C0 M100with Y 100 K 5 own-brandC 4 M 6 Y 26 K 0 cook products. Pedon is represented in all sales channels either P.485 P468 products or private labels brands in grocery chains. Additional areas of business include gluten-free products and preparations for cakes and baked goods. Based in Italy, with 3 plants abroad, we produce over 100 private labels and export to more than 20 countries.

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, USDA Certified Organic, Kosher, Gluten Free Certification Program Beyond Celiac, Gluten Free Canadian Celiac Association, Non-GMO Project Verified, Fairtrade

BOOTH # F1810 31

Roncadin Via Monteli, 3 33092 Meduno (PN), Italy Tel. +39 0427 844111 Fax +39 0427 554601 Web: www.roncadin.it Email: info@roncadin.it Contact: Alessio Lucchese We produce original Italian wood-fired and stone-baked pizzas and snacks (frozen).

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, MSC, USDA, RSPO, GFCP, Vegan Society

BOOTH # F1813 Rosso Gargano Zona ASI – Loc. Incoronata 71122 Foggia (FG), Italy Rosso Gargano USA 8401 Sudley Road, Suite 101 Manassas, VA 20109 Tel. +1 (703) 392-3744 Fax +1 (866) 931-5486 Web: www.rossogarganousa.com Email: cs@rossogarganousa.com Contact: Lino Laudiero Conventional and Organic Canned Tomatoes: Whole Peeled Tomatoes, Diced and Crushed.

CERTIFICATIONS: IFC, BRC, Non GMO, Organic

BOOTH # F1838 32

Piazza Amendola, 2 14100 Asti (AT), Italy Tel. +39 0141 3971 Fax +39 0141 598769 Web: www.sacla.com Email: export@sacla.it Contact: Alberto Bretti

Chicago Office

Saclà

Production of ambient stable (pasteurized and sterilized) products: sauces, vegetables in brine and pickle packed in pouches, in glass or plastic jars.

Production of fruit juices and jams packed into glass bottles and jars.

BOOTH # F1710 Surgital Via Bastia, 16/1 48017 Lavezzola (RA), Italy Tel. + 39 054 580328 Fax + 39 054 580121 Web: www.surgital.it E-mail: surgital@surgital.it Contact: Alberto Bondanelli Surgital is an Italian leading producer of deep-frozen fresh pasta, deep- frozen ready meals, and sauces in cubes for both the HoReCa sector and the bar channel.

CERTIFICATIONS: IFS, BRC, ISO 9001: 2015, ISO 14001.2015, SA 8000: 2014

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC, IFS, ISO 9001:2008, ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001: 2004

BOOTH # F1818 33

Surmont Via Cal Lusent, 71 31040 Pederobba (TV), Italy Tel. +39 0423 681981 Fax +39 0423 681982 Web: www.surmont.it Email: k.carlesso@surmont.it Contact: Katia Carlesso

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

Surmont is a Frozen Food manufacturer based in Northern Italy, with over 60 years of experience. On an industrial scale, we apply a unique homestyle cooking process that allows us to replicate those “from scratch” chef inspired recipes. We supply to key private specialists for numerous retail brands worldwide.

CERTIFICATIONS: BRC (A+), IFS (A+), USDA Organic, ISO 22005, ISO 9001

BOOTH # F1805 The Bridge Bio Via Marcigaglia, 20 36070 San Pietro Mussolino (VI), Italy Tel. + 39 0444 687880 Fax + 39 0444 687880 Web: www.thebridgebio.com E-mail: kraeva.tatiana@thebridgebio.com Contact: Tatiana Kraeva A family company in Northern Italy, Vicenza. Since 1994 we produce 100% organic drinks, desserts and cooking creams. Our products are vegan, lactose- and cholesterol-free, the majority are gluten-free. All of them are made with spring water and carefully chosen organic raw materials. All ingredients are certified and selected according to high quality and traceability standards.

CERTIFICATIONS: ICEA, JAS, Kosher

BOOTH # F1709 34

Chicago Office

Valdigrano

Via Borsellino, 35/37 25038 Rovato (BS), Italy Tel. + 39 0307 704444 Fax + 39 0307 720913 Web: www.valdigrano.com Email: teresa.pagani@valdigrano.com Contact: Teresa Pagani

PASTA MADE IN ITALY

CERTIFICATIONS: IFS, BRC, Halal, Kosher, Organic certification by Ecogruppo

BOOTH # F1816 Valpizza Via Sbiffia, 97 40053 Valsamoggia (BO), Italy Tel. +39 0516 705080 Fax +39 0516 705250 Web: www.valpizza.it/en E-mail: info@valpizza.it Contact: Matteo Manzini Our dough rises for 24 hours, is handstretched, baked in a refractory stone on a wood-fired oven, hand topped then filmed in every possible solution to accommodate for your frozen retail needs with your brand.

CERTIFICATIONS: IFS, BRC, NOP, Halal, Kosher

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

Valdigrano is an Italian family-run business producing dry pasta made with durum wheat/durum whole wheat semolina, KronosÂŽ (with higher protein content for excellent cooking properties) and organic semolina pasta. We produce with both teflon and bronze dies.

BOOTH # F1707 35

Beauty & Business Via Ciserano SNC 24046 Osio Sotto (BG), Italy Tel. +39 035 4197798 Fax +39 035 4197784 Web: www.alfaparf.com Email: gpicone@alfaparf.com Contact: Giovanni Picone

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

The ALFAPARF Group is an Italian multinational Company operating in the cosmetics industry, dedicated to professional aesthetic care products and solutions Both for hair and body. Beauty & Business, the Private Label Division of ALFAPARF Group, offers high quality hair care products, including color kits for home use, professional hair color products, hair bleach, hair care products.

CERTIFICATIONS: GMP ISO 22716: 2007, UNI EN ISO 9001: 2015, UNI EN ISO 13485 Medical Device

BOOTH # H808 Chemical Flacer Località Bellaria, 31/A 40036 Vado (BO), Italy Tel. +39 0516 778202 Fax +39 0516 063724 Web: www.flacer.com Email: export@flacer.com Contact: Federico Azzolini Chemical Flacer is a family owned company dedicated and specialized in detergent tablets for household and professional use. We proudly manufacture all our products in Italy: Dishwasher Detergent Tabs, Dishwasher Cleaner Tabs, Laundry Detergent Tabs, Laundry Antikalk (scale preventor) Tabs, Dishwasher & Laundry Powders, ADW Rinse Aid, ADW Liquid Cleaner, ADW & Laundry Liquids Complete Range.

CERTIFICATIONS: Ecolabel, ISO 9001, AISE membership, SEDEX

BOOTH # H706 36

S.S. 192 Km 73 Contrada Piraino 95032 Belpasso (CT), Italy Tel. +39 0957 491000 Fax +39 0957 491066 Web: www.parmon.it Email: eleonora.azzolina@parmon.it Contact: Eleonora Azzolina

Chicago Office

Parmon

Parmon is a company specialized in the manufacturing of disposable hygienic products: baby diapers, sanitary pads, pantyliners, cotton buds, light inco, cotton wool, pet pad and baby bed mat.

BOOTH # H806 ProfiMed Via P.F. Moia, 86/90 20861 Brugherio (MB), Italy Tel. + 39 02 95343578 Fax + 39 02 95288742 Web: www.profimed.it Email: marketing@profimed.it Contact: Luigi Torre Dental floss and other oral hygiene products.

CERTIFICATIONS: ISO 9001: 2015

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: FSC, BRC, Dermatest, ISO 9001: 2015

BOOTH # H707 37

Pulix Via San Francesco, 22 10121 Torino (TO), Italy Tel. +39 011 9823818 Fax +39 042 9778487 Web: www.pulix.net Email: pulix@pulix.net Contact: Luca Corona Producer of domestic home cleaning products (tables, powders and liquids).

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

CERTIFICATIONS: NSF

BOOTH # H809 Roto-Cart Via Mussa, 30 35017 Piombino Dese (PD), Italy Tel. +39 049 9365511 Fax +39 049 9365118 Web: www.rotocart.com E-mail: dboggian@rotocart.com Contact: Daniele Boggian Manufacturer of paper-based personal care products (including toilet paper and kitchen towels) and owner of the highly-regarded Sensitive brand in Italy.

CERTIFICATIONS: FSC and ECOLABEL

BOOTH # H709 38

Chicago Office

NOTES

ITALY AT PLMA 2018 — www.italianprivatelabel.com

The Italian Trade Agency at PLMA 2018 The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) is the government organization which promotes the internationalization of Italian companies, in line with the strategies of the Ministry for Economic Development. The ITA provides information, support and advice to Italian and foreign companies.

In addition to its headquarters in Rome, the ITA operates worldwide from a large network of offices linked to Italian embassies and consulates, working closely with local authorities and businesses.

Chicago Office ITA – ITALIAN TRADE AGENCY 401 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1720 Chicago, Illinois 60611 – 4257 Tel: (312) 670 – 4360 / Fax: (312) 670 – 5147 chicago@ice.it www.ice.it/en ICE — Agenzia per la promozione all’estero e l’internazionalizzazione delle imprese Italiane Via Liszt, 21 – 00144 Roma, Italy Email: privatelabel@ice.it Find Real Italian Suppliers at

www.italianprivatelabel.com

The Label Says It All Made in Italy is the Real Deal!

VISIT THE ITALIAN PAVILIONS FOOD AND BEVERAGES - Booth F1824

HOME AND HEALTH - Booth H708

PLMA 2018 Nov. 11-13 • Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL

Find Real Italian Suppliers at

www.italianprivatelabel.com

PRIVATE LABEL TRADE SHOW 2018

PRODUCT SHOW GUIDE

Club Coffee LP PLMA Show Booth #F2559 Since 1906, Club Coffee has built a reputation for quality and innovation. With more than 500 custom label products and more than 160 Club Coffee branded products, we are a major roaster, contract manufacturer and distributor of packaged coffees that Canadians buy from grocery stores.

Club Coffee fully meets the stringent requirements for Organic, Rainforest Alliance, Fair Trade and Kosher certifications, and is a leader in developing sustainable coffee solutions.

Colordyne Technologies Colordyne’s 2800 Series Mini Laser Pro is a commercial digital label-printing platform with in-line finishing. Print, laminate and laser die cut high-quality labels in custom shapes and sizes.

Colordyne Technologies www.colordynetech.com 262-784-1932

Club Coffee LP www.clubcoffee.com 416-675-1300

★★★

DelGrosso Foods Inc. PLMA Show Booth #F1513 DelGrosso Foods Inc. is the oldest major family-owned producer of pasta sauce in the U.S., with 30-plus years of private label experience. We specialize in the very best mainstream, organic and ultra-premium pasta sauces and salsas. Visit Booth F1513 or www.delgrossos.com for a complete overview of our company.

DelGrosso Foods Inc. www.delgrossos.com 814-684-5880

★★★

★★★

BOOTH #F6610

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Premium quality, great tasting private label products. That’s the Zweigle’s difference!

Zweigle’s Italian Style Meatballs capture all the savory goodness of Roberta Camardo’s kitchen. The lively aroma of freshly made sauce simmering on the stove. The simply, salty tanginess of fresh Pecorino Romano. The added “pinch” of some ingredient that only she knew. For Zweigle’s, food is always more than something to eat. It is a family experience.

We’d like to share that loving experience with you.

Discover the quality and convenience of Zweigle’s line of All Natural fully cooked products. Enjoy the home cooked taste of our chicken entrees or start your day with the country goodness of our fully cooked breakfast sausage. This Zweigle’s line is free from gluten, soy and lactose and never contains any artificial ingredients.

Discover more delicious ways to build your brand with very exible minimums, plus value-added services including club and bulk pack packaging, label design, custom recipe matching/formulation and more!

Visit it us at the 2018 PLMA Show!

Booth # F9713

Hot Dogs & Sausages

Chicken Sausages

Meatloaf & More

From Pop-Open hots to skinless franks, all our hot dogs are made from superior ingredients - no fillers or mechanically separated poultry.

70% less fat and about half the calories of tradiƟonal pork sausage.

Made from 100% boneless, skinless chicken meat and perfect for today’s health-conscious consumer.

A perfect ready-to-serve meal for busy consumers.

f Select from natural casing Italian sausage, Knockwurst, Smoked Polish sausage and more.

A best seller and ideal added offering with roasted chickens.

Choose ffrom Italian-Style, Spinach & Feta, Chorizo & Buffalo-Style.

Find out more about how our collaborative approach will help you minimize cost and maximize the quality of your private branded products.

Contact us today at (585) 546-1740 or visit us at www.Zweigles.com

PRIVATE LABEL TRADE SHOW 2018

Furlani’s Food Corp.

PLMA Show Booth #3719 Furlani’s is North America’s leading manufacturer of value-added bread. Our specialties are garlic bread, garlic toast, biscuits and breadsticks. We are the largest supplier of frozen grocery private label programs and the “side-bread experts” to the foodservice trade.

Furlani’s Food Corp. www.furlanis.com 877-317-7146

PRODUCT SHOW GUIDE

Global Tissue Group Inc. PLMA Show Booth #H1506

Great Lakes Cheese Co. Inc. PLMA Show Booth #F9510

Through excellence in product delivery to innovative manufacturing processes, Global Tissue Group (GTG) has become a leading converter of household paper products.

GTG is one of the few converters to provide three levels of paper quality: standard, premium and ultra premium. With all the success in innovation, GTG is the low-cost provider of high-quality store brand paper products for all retail channels.

With three flavor standouts and a unique size, snackers everywhere will cheer for these new, fun, little bites. Flavors are: Grilled Cheese, Jalapeno and Mozzarella, packed in a 6-ounce, stand-up, resealable pouch.

Great Lakes Cheese Co. Inc. www.greatlakescheese.com 440-834-2500

Global Tissue Group Inc. www.globaltissuegroup.com 631-419-1300

★★★

★★★

★★★

Buying our honey means buying from American beekeepers.

Buying from Sioux Honey Association Co-op means keeping 270+ American beekeepers in business. Like Darrell Rufer, one of our independent beekeepers who has helped put pure, U.S.A. honey on store shelves for generations. We’re proud of our honey; you will be, too.

Buy what’s best for your private label.

Buy American.

Darrell Rufer AMERICAN BEEKEEPER

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Your Ideal.

Made Real.

BOOTH #F7614 SKY HALL

having it all starts right here.

We’re ideal partners that deliver real results. This is what Baxters has been about since 1868. *

We’re committed to the right balance of delicious flavor, quality ingredients, and minimal preparation time - all at a sensible price. We help our partners deliver products that their customers love, because we believe that your ideal can be made real...without compromise.

*

*

*

*

Ne

*For Placement Only

150 Years TM

Let us help you make your ideal, real. Come by and meet with our team in the Sky Hall - Booth F7614 at this year’s PLMA or email us at Info.Mailbox@wornick.com to learn more.

PRIVATE LABEL TRADE SHOW 2018

Italian Rose Garlic Products LLC PLMA Show Booth #F8010

J&J Snack Foods Corp.

PLMA Show Booth #F1317

Italian Rose is a leading producer of salsa in North America. Five of the top-10 selling retail SKUs are made by us — we make the salsa America eats. Production capabilities on both coasts mean we deliver it faster and fresher. We offer a variety of packaging styles, sizes and formulations that span fresh, natural and organic.

J&J Snack Foods Corp. is excited to share the sweet offerings we’ve baked up for you a t this year’s Private Label Trade Show. Visit us at booth #F1317 to learn about our delicious cookies, pies, bars and more.

Italian Rose Garlic Products LLC www.italian-rose.com www.lamexicanasalsa.com 800-338-8899

J&J Snack Foods Corp. www.jjsnack.com 888-JJSNACK

Consumers are prioritizing sustainability.

Is your brand making a difference? With a variety of certified and origin coffees, and the infinitely recyclable steel can, MZB can become “your brand’s” solution.

Let us help you encourage social responsibility, increase trade up to premium coffee, and establish your coffee aisle as a destination experience.

Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA

Joseph Campione Inc. PLMA Show Booth #3720 Our father used only the finest, freshest ingredients and baked with pride, establishing our company in 1960. We continue that tradition today, offering the same consistent, superior homemade taste in our endless varieties of frozen garlic breads, cheese breads, USDA pizza toast, garlic & cheese Texas toast varieties, breadsticks, cheese sticks, specialty stuffed sticks and specialty breads.

Joseph Campione Inc. www.josephcampione.com 414-761-8944

★★★

Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA PLMA Show Booth #7405

PRODUCT SHOW GUIDE

★★★

Mondiv Division of Lassonde Specialties PLMA Show Booth #F910 Mondiv Division of Lassonde Specialties is a leading manufacturer of private label pasta sauces, dips, tapenades, broths and ready-to-drink coffee.

Mondiv Division of Lassonde Specialties www.mondiv.com 450-979-0717

★★★

Nature’s Touch Frozen Foods LLC PLMA Show Booth #F2722 At Nature’s Touch, we’re driven by a sole passion — to bring tasty, high-quality frozen fruits to our private label partners and consumers. Meet us for a virtual reality tour of our farm-to-freezer process.

Nature’s Touch Frozen Foods LLC www.naturestouchfrozenfoods.com 514-737-7790

www.mzb-usa.com/corporate-brands

757-215-7300

★★★ 88

Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

★★★

★★★

Building a successful private label brand in today’s marketplace means delivering consistent quality and flavor your customers demand. Choosing Cargill for your private label retail oil means your brand is backed by one of the most trusted partners in the industry. From state-of-the-art packaging technology to world-class risk management, the country’s top retailers rely on Cargill to deliver efficient, cost-effective solutions. Learn how we can help make your brand its best.

www.cargill.com/private-label-oil

PRIVATE LABEL TRADE SHOW 2018

Overhill Farms Inc. PLMA Show Booth #F2215

Pacific Coast Producers PLMA Show Booth #F2500

Overhill Farms is a leading custom manufacturer of high-quality prepared frozen foods, serving customers in the branded retail, private label and foodservice sectors. We provide a one-stop solution that offers new product development or precise replication of existing recipes as well as product manufacturing and packaging. Our custom product lines include poultry, meat and fish specialties; pasta, soups, sauces, certified organic and vegetarian offerings.

These can be prepared as entrées, plated meals or bulk-packed meal components.

Overhill Farms Inc.

PCP is a grower-owner owned, agricultural cooperative located in California. Our facilities are within miles of our fields, ensuring our products are packed at the peak of freshness.

We are a private brand supplier of canned fruits, canned tomatoes, 4-ounce plastic bowls, salsa, organic fruits and tomatoes and maraschino cherries.

Pacific Coast Producers www.pacificcoastproducers.com 209-367-6278

Phillips Gourmet Mushrooms PLMA Show Booth #F6610 Consumers are looking for flexible products to use in health-conscious, earth-friendly and delicious meals. Visit Phillips Gourmet to learn about bulkpacked blended beef, ready-to-cook blended burgers and sautéed-roasted mushrooms.

Phillips Gourmet Mushrooms www.phillipsgourmet.com 610-925-0520

www.overhillfarms.com 800-859-6406

★★★

Private Brands Consortium (PBC) Inc. PLMA Show Booth #F2146 x 2247 ISL Private Brands Consortium will proudly share its full line of baby food and snacks and its new line of crackers as well as its aseptic broths and dairy alternatives.

Private Brands Consortium PBC Inc. www.privatebrandsconsortium.com 514-768-4122

★★★

Red Gold PLMA Show Booth #F7410

Request Foods Inc. PLMA Show Booth #1638

Red Gold is now offering an Organic Chili Starter that is a specially crafted thick sauce made from organic crushed and diced tomatoes, seasoned to make a mildly spicy chili. Incredibly delicious and incredibly simple to make.

Request Foods offers extensive production capabilities, allowing us to package products in a variety of ways, from singleserve containers up to 6-pound pans, pouches and skillet meal co-packing.

Red Gold www.PrivateBrandTomatoes.com 765-557-5500, Ext. 1127

★★★ 90

★★★

Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

★★★

Request Foods Inc. www.requestfoods.com 616-786-0900

★★★

PRODUCT SHOW GUIDE

Riverbend Foods LLC PLMA Show Booth #F9125

Seneca Foods Corp.

PLMA Show Booth #200

Snak King Corp.

PLMA Show Booth #F2416

Riverbend Foods is a manufacturer of private label and contract manufactured canned, Tetra Recart™ and jar soups, broths, gravies, sauces, glass jar infant feeding products as well as humangrade pet food. Whether you’re seeking solutions to your brand of baby food, soup or human-grade pet food, Riverbend Foods has innovative solutions to meet your needs.

Introducing Seneca’s new microwavable single-serve meals. These shelf-stable classics are ready to serve when you are.

Available in seven different flavors — one for every day of the week. No refrigeration needed.

Southern California-based Snak King has made innovative snack foods since 1978.

From day one to today, the mission has been to listen to our customers and consistently service their needs. We are a reliable brand with a commitment to customer satisfaction and excellence.

Seneca Foods Corp. www.senecafoods.com 608-757-6000

Riverbend Foods LLC www.riverbendfoods.com 412-442-0920

★★★

★★★

Superior Pack Group PLMA Show Booth #F1552

The Fremont Company PLMA Show Booth #F2308

Superior Pack Group is a full-service, single-source contract packaging company that helps companies get their package to market with the quickest turnaround, by offering a turnkey solution from concept to completion.

The Fremont Company has been manufacturing ketchup for over 90 years. We are one of North America’s leading private brand ketchup producers and the only one focused exclusively on our partners’ brands and business. We invite you to partner with The Ketchup Experts for store brand ketchup that turns shoppers into lifelong customers.

Superior Pack Group www.superiorpackgroup.com 845-534-1015

★★★

The Fremont Company www.PLKetchup.com 419-334-8995

★★★

Snak King Corp. www.snakking.com 626-363-7711

★★★

U.S. Alliance Paper Inc. PLMA Show Booth #H2105 Island U.S. Alliance Paper will feature its ultra-premium Azure “control brand” — ready to shelve in eye-catching packaging — and will showcase its full range of household paper grades and manufacturing flexibility.

U.S. Alliance Paper Inc. www.usalliancepaper.com 631-254-3030

★★★ www.storebrands.com / November 2018 / Store Brands

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TOTAL STORE

THE RESTROOM:

A SIGNIFICANT STORE BRAND If a consumer has a bad bathroom experience, that store’s trust factor just went down the toilet

BY LAWRENCE AYLWARD

As private brands take on new meaning in retail — they aren’t just about tangible products anymore — it’s time to look at an important component of the overall store: the restroom.

Store brands are evolving. Retailers across all segments realize they have to make a name for themselves with more than just products. The convenience factor, from enabling customers to get in and out of stores quickly to giving them the choice to buy products online and pick them up at the store, has become pre-eminent. So is offering customers a restroom that is clean, reliable and safe. Because most everybody has to hit the head one time or another.

So retailers should ask themselves this question: Does your store have a washroom that people aren’t afraid to go to? Is it clean? Does it always have soap and paper towels?

Does it have hand-drying units that work? And here’s the biggie: Is it always stocked with toilet paper?

The hygienic restroom factor may loom larger among convenience stores, especially ones offering gas. Nevertheless, it’s vital for all retailers. You don’t want people to not go to your store because you have a nasty restroom. People may not talk about it among themselves, but they know by experience whether or not your john is up to snuff.

Boston-based Gasbuddy, a tech company that offers consumers various information about service stations including the best gas prices and tastiest coffee, recently reported in its 2018 summer travel survey that 37 percent of 92

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respondents said one of their worst fears when road tripping is when nature calls and being unsure where to stop for a clean restroom.

“We all understand the high level of stress when it comes to needing to use the restroom while on the road,” said Frank Beard, convenience store and retail trends analyst at GasBuddy, in the report. “According to our research, more than half of consumers said that a clean restroom is mandatory when considering where to stop.”

Ensuring restrooms are clean makes for better business, according to GasBuddy. Convenience stores/gas stations with above-average restroom ratings on GasBuddy saw a 33 percent increase in foot traffic compared to those with below-average ratings.

The clean-bathroom-leads-to-increased-foot-traffic thinking makes sense for all retailers. And that foot traffic will lead to more product sales, including for store brands.

But if a consumer has a bad restroom experience, what are the chances he or she will pick up some of the store’s

TOTAL TOTAL STORE STORE

A TIDY JOHN According to Cleaning Services Group (CSG), a Danvers, Mass.-based national full-service cleaning and maintenance company, grocery retailers should do the following to ensure presentable restrooms: • Keep supplies full (toilet paper, hand towels and soap).

• Keep sinks and countertops free of water and soap buildup.

• Keep clean and flushed toilets.

• Keep ceiling vents, partitions and fixtures free from dust.

• Keep the floor clean and dry.

private brand products at the store? Not much. That trust factor just went down the toilet (pun intended.)

If the restroom is one where consumers don’t want to touch anything, they probably won’t touch your store brands.

They may associate your dirty restroom with your own brand products, whether they are fresh or packaged goods.

Consumers don’t expect outhouses at retail establishments. Unfortunately, many consumers come across many retailers that offer such primitive experiences.

And they have poor opinions of those retailers.

According to Cleaning Services Group (CSG), a Danvers, Mass.-based national full-service cleaning and maintenance company, grocery store cleanliness often stops entirely just outside of the restroom doors. “Most employees are willing to pick up around the store to keep it looking neat, but have no desire to do any cleaning, let alone restroom cleaning,” CSG says on its website.

Another point to consider is the odor, CSG says. Does it smell clean and fresh?

When you have a busy store with public restrooms, you may need to have a day cleaner check the restrooms throughout the day, to spot clean as needed and to fill the supplies, CSG stresses. This person can also make sure the front entryway is maintained and floors spot-checked for soil and spills.

Perhaps the most underrated job in America is that of custodian. CSG, unsurprisingly, says cleaning grocery store bathrooms is better left to the professionals. There’s something to be said for that. Some of CSG’s grocery retailer clients include Albertsons Cos., Whole Foods Market, Wegmans Food Markets and Sprouts Farmers Market.

But don’t sell yourself short here and hire a custodian to just clean the bathrooms once a day or (god forbid) once a week. Make sure the washrooms are sparkling.

The restroom is your store brand. It needs to be “merchandised” properly. Yes, you can lose customers due to a loathsome lavatory. On the other hand, a tidy john makes a strong statement about your establishment. SB www.storebrands.com /November 2018 / Store Brands

93

TRENDING TRENDING

GETTING PERSONAL

Brick-and-mortar retailers can personalize store brands through exclusive products, memorable store experiences, creative packaging and other methods

BY LAUREN R. HARTMAN

As private brands continue to evolve, retailers are tailoring them to be more customer-centric — with distinctive features, flavors and formulations to meet shopper demand. Changing consumer trends in health and wellness, bold flavors, free-from foods and more are impacting the brick-and-mortar grocery industry, and retailers must engage consumers by differentiating own brands with personal touches, experiences, clever merchandising tactics and innovative packaging.

Personalizing food and beverages simply makes consumers feel special.

“Personalizing will continue to grow in own brand grocery products,” states Barb Stuckey, president and chief innovation officer at Mattson in Foster City, Calif., a food and beverage product innovation firm. “The trend is driven by consumers’ desires to be seen as individuals.”

Product exclusivity, health and wellness, quality and value factor in today’s grocery shopper mindset, according to Leslie Sarasin, CEO/president of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), an Arlington, Va.-based retail food trade association.

Shoppers check for GMOs, organics, less sugar and sodium and clean labels, Sarasin says in a recent FMI article. This is prompting grocery retailers and manufacturers to rethink how they make and offer store brand products using more customized and “signature” strategies.

Consumers are no longer satisfied with a simple “buy it and try it” attitude, Sarasin states in the article. “They seek a deeper involvement in the retail process” and want to be heard, she adds. “Grocery shoppers want to be engaged and included in the experience. They feel entitled to access

94 94Store Store Brands Brands / November / November 20182018 / www.storebrands.com / www.storebrands.com

information about products they are considering. They assume their unique needs should be addressed.”

Indeed, personalizing to suit consumers’ lifestyles, save time, live better and healthier or indulge extends to the food they buy in the grocery store, notes market research firm Nielsen in a recent retail products report. “We can purchase products free of gluten, fortified with nutrients or amplified with the flavors of our choosing,” Nielsen elaborates.

A real understanding of each shopper is a must, according to a 2018 U.S. Customer Experience Excellence Analysis report from KPMG LLP in Amstelveen, the Netherlands.

“Today’s immediate-gratification consumers want to feel valued and recognized,” states Julio J. Hernandez, KPMG’s global and U.S. customer advisory lead, in the report. “In 2018, the concept of individuality and the unique sense of self remain equally relevant.”

The leading grocery retailers demonstrate an immersive, often sensorial experience, which keeps them at the top of the rankings, says KPMG’s report, which surveyed 7,500 U.S. consumers. “If personalization is done well, the more customers trust that organization.”

Three grocery retailers ranking high in KPMG’s report are H-E-B, Publix Super Markets and Wegmans Food Markets, which are in the rankings’ top 10 for providing personalized customer experiences and demonstrating they can quickly adapt to changing needs.

Study participants recognized Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix for the care in which it displays and stacks its merchandise.

“It is showcased rather than displayed,” KPMG’s report notes. In-store demonstrations such as the Meal of the Day

TRENDING TRENDING

position food ingredients to make the meal alongside the demonstration, the report says.

The consumer study also praised H-E-B, based in San Antonio, Texas, for “elevating the weekly grocery shopping experience.” Also hailed was Wegmans in Rochester, N.Y., for having twice the product selection of most supermarkets, from bountiful baked goods and a “deftly displayed collection of some 500 cheeses,” to non-food features such as a bookstore, dry cleaner, photo lab, wine shop and even an $850 espresso maker, the report mentions.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

U.S. consumers have become increasingly health-conscious, seeking more foods in supermarket fresh perimeters (meat, produce, deli, bakery and seafood departments), Nielsen notes. “Demand for fresh, better-for-you foods including pre-cut, packaged and seasoned produce has experienced some of the biggest, most consistent sources of growth,” Nielsen adds. “Fresh-product purchases by U.S. consumers in 2017 reached dollar sales of nearly $900 million in the 52 weeks ended Oct. 28, 2017.”

Future stores may have custom “vegetable butchers” in the produce department, Nielsen suggests. “Trained professionals [would] wash, cut and dice — everything but cook produce — before it goes to the checkout counter.”

Shoppers also translate health to organic foods, the sales for which set a record in the U.S. market last year at $45.2 billion, according to the Washington-based Organic Trade Association. The mounting popularity of organic foods prompted Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Cos. to expand its U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic own brand produce, center-store and perimeter items with a new O Organics organic chicken boasting enhanced flavor and a personalized touch. The chicken is air-chilled, a process said to improve chicken’s taste and health benefits, Albertsons’ website says. “Air as opposed to water cooling keeps all the

H-E-B, known for its personal touch, has a reputation for ”elevating the weekly grocery shopping experience.”

natural juices and flavors from diluting, making the chicken more tender and flavorful,” Albertsons’ website states.

MUST-HAVE EXPERIENCE, MERCHANDISING

Memorable supermarket visits appeal to multiple senses, create new shopper/retailer relationships and give store brands life, helping to build brand value, notes Michael Duffy, group creative director at Chicago-based packaging designer Equator Design.

“Stores providing experiences that ‘grab’ shoppers upon entering often feature limited or members-only offerings that can differentiate store brands from competitors,” Duffy says. “Retailers can develop meaningful experiences with bespoke labels and packaging, distinctive flavors and even customer-specific meal plans

www.storebrands.com www.storebrands.com /November/November 2018 / Store 2018 Brands / Store Brands

95

TRENDING TRENDING

Wegmans offers so many cheeses that there is a variety for most everyone. other store, this is the place for you,” said John Colgrove, president of Albertsons’ Intermountain Division, in a recent news report.

Aside from experiences, merchandising strategies are equally effective. Depending on the season, Chicago-based Mariano’s stores, which are owned by Kroger, spotlight many own brands grouped with seasonal produce, bakery and deli items. The October store displays presented orange and white pumpkins with assorted apples, berries and gourds from the produce section, masses of sunflowers from the floral department and store brand pumpkin spiced coffees, jam, butters and crackers.

PACKAGING FLAIR recommending certain products.”

Grocery shoppers prefer authentic, relevant product stories via informative store demonstrations, Nielsen adds.

Personalized sampling and demos can be experiential with made-to-order store brand offerings, it says, as young adults favor private brands more than ever. “Live demonstrations can enhance the perception of fresher food, and shoppers can then be offered a way to curate food components or ingredients to make what is featured,” Nielsen says.

H-E-B’s impressive and unusual store displays won high marks in KPMG’s 2018 report. Some of its stores arrange peppers in stalls from “mild and nice” to “super spicy” while do-it-yourself nut butter stations let customers grind their own nut butter.

Product merchandising strategies that get consumers involved include a test by Cincinnati-based The Kroger Co. of a customizable seafood station for its Easy for You! Private brand of steam-in-bag seafood meals. The station lets busy shoppers quickly mix and match easy-to-prepare meals with a choice of seasonings and garnishes.

Reinventing its beauty department prompted Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreen Boots Alliance to create “a new beauty experience” for customers. Individual consultations with store personnel let shoppers try new, curated, premium and favorite beauty products, including own brands, notes a press release. At most Minneapolis-based Target stores, beauty expert concierges are on hand to offer makeup tips on selecting beauty products, including own brands, and to answer questions and share advice.

Albertsons’ new two-story Boise store features innovative artisan and hand-crafted items designed to delight consumers, a news report states. The store has its own wine cellar, wood-burning pizza oven and upscale delis and bakeries featuring made-from-scratch items. “If you get excited about food preparation and want things that aren’t in every

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Packaging can be adept at differentiating products and attracting shoppers to store brands with innovative substrates and printing techniques, luxurious graphic or textural elements and functional structures with extra convenience, dispensing ease and freshness protection.

Unusual, limited-time and whimsical packaging lets private brands stand out, Duffy says, noting that “shoppers appreciate the creative options that add a bit of fun.”

Customized store brand gifts help build sales, a 2018 report from market researcher Packaged Facts concurs. “Food items packaged for giving protect against commoditization and constant discounting,” the report states.

Perhaps no private brand packaging has more pizzazz than Method from Target. The environmentally conscious cleaner line is not new, but the handy dispensers and pouches and Method fragrances change so often that they always feel new, which is the idea.

Personalizing brick-and–mortar grocery products can be challenging and expensive, Mattson’s Stuckey says. But in the Amazon.com era, where shopper changes are the norm, grocery operators should stay highly motivated to change accordingly to differentiate store brands.

To keep pace, retailers should consult with their suppliers on new ways to personalize and research merchandising and consumer relationship strategies to add more value.

“Consumers want to influence a brand’s direction,” Duffy concludes. SB Hartman, managing editor of Store Brands, can be reached at lhartman@ ensembleiq.com

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FLAVORS AND INGREDIENTS

COFFEE AND TEA FLAVORS CAN HELP DIFFERENTIATE STORE BRANDS BY ADDING DEPTH AND RICHNESS TO FOOD AND DRINK PRODUCTS

PERKING UP PRIVATE BRANDS

BY LA U R E N R . H A R TMA N

Coffee and tea aren’t just for sipping anymore. A single drop of a coffee or tea flavoring added to foods and beverages — in the form of an extract, a concentrate, an oil or a powder — can add depth, richness and excitement to new products and perk up sleepy ones.

Growing in popularity, coffee and tea flavors are finding their way into cakes, donuts, casseroles, soups, and spice blends for meat rubs and barbecue sauces. There is also crossover potential in ice cream and sorbet, candy, snacks, water, alcoholic beverages, protein bars, yogurt, frosting, and even body lotion and shampoo.

“Consumers value creative attempts by manufacturers and retailers to affordably introduce variety, comfort and indulgence to their taste experiences,” says market researcher Packaged Facts. “Savvy food retailers and manufacturers are introducing a world of flavors and

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ingredients to consumers who expect not just the new and novel, but also the authentic.”

Green tea flavors, for example, have migrated into Metro’s Irresistibles Green Tea and White Chocolaty Ice Cream Bars and non-food items such as Trader Joe’s Lavender Tea Tree Scent Liquid Dish Soap.

In its trend predictions for 2018, market analyst Innova Market Insights cited the popularity of tea and coffee flavors in its top 10.

“While coffee is clearly trending among millennial and Generation Z consumers, tea is also reinventing itself among the younger generations,” Innova said. “The taste and experiential associations of coffee and the healthy image of tea are increasingly used by industry as ingredients and flavors across a wide variety of products as varied as energy bars, yogurt and jam.”

FLAVORS AND INGREDIENTS Coffee and tea flavors provide taste and clarity, says Kevin Barasa, product manager for sweet and beverage flavors for Sensient Flavors in Hoffman Estates, Ill. “They add a varietal uniqueness. Extracts with ‘provenance’ claims can also influence the sensorial experience of product consumption,” he adds.

Coffee and tea flavors can lend a completely different taste profile to different foods, meaning the same flavoring can make cake taste sweet and indulgent, and snacks taste spicier or more savory, Barasa states.

Asian consumers tend to prefer Robusta coffee beans, whereas North American consumers prefer Arabica beans, but the preference is related more to the roasting process than to the coffee bean itself, says Cecily Minardi, technical product manager at Synergy Flavors in Wauconda, Ill. Not surprisingly, along with the raw ingredients, the processing technique used determines the individuality of the flavor profile achieved, says Darrel Terry, Sensient’s master flavorist of beverage flavors. Different extraction technologies, such as molecular distillation, traditional percolation and liquid carbon dioxide extraction, are used depending on specific product and customer needs.

“Dry extracts are derived through solvents, but the solvents are eventually removed, leaving only the dry mass,”

Liquid flavor extracts are often truer in taste than dried extracts.

(Photo courtesy of Synergy Flavors)

he explains. “Liquid extracts incorporate a solvent system to extract active ingredients from a plant material, with the extract remaining liquid. Dry extracts are typically preferred for dry mix applications and bakery applications, as they are more stable in baking.”

Synergy Flavors produces the extracts by blending tea leaves or coffee beans and water, then follows with a proprietary process to extract the flavor. The company sources tea leaves from Africa, South America and Asia.

“Dried extracts are convenient but liquid extracts are

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FLAVORS AND INGREDIENTS traditionally truer in taste since they are less processed,” points out Youngmok Kim, Ph.D., senior research scientist for Synergy Flavors. “[The decision to] use a liquid or a dry extract depends on the finished product, the cost of the product and the processing conditions, among other factors.”

Seasonal foods feature trendy flavor profiles, especially in the beverage segment, notes Colleen Roberts, director for Flavor Dynamics in South Plainfield, N.J. “There are many tea flavors such as the trendy blood orange and tangerine varieties,” Roberts says, noting that Flavor Dynamics does not manufacture extracts, but does produce tea and coffee flavor ingredients for foods and beverages, all approved by the Food and Drug Administration as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). “Some flavors mask unpleasant off notes, and some are designed for specific applications, but flavors offer a range of opportunities for existing brands to build on.”

FEVER FOR FLAVOR

Flavor exploration is a major driver in product innovation, according to market researcher Nielsen in a recent trends report. The popularity of tea- and coffee- flavored products are at an all-time high. “Americans have the fever for flavor,” Nielsen

says. “… bolder flavors are stirring up sales and attracting demographic groups to products they might not typically buy otherwise. And the trend only seems to be growing.”

Adventurous food and beverage flavor pairings attract millennials and Generation Z consumers who enjoy exotic, boldly flavored and unconventional foods, Roberts says.

“Millenials appreciate flavors that give them a global taste experience,” she notes.

Millennials want products to tell a story, Barasa adds.

“Tea and coffee flavors with provenance achieve that. Coffee and peppermint extracts [combined] are also a perfect option for a holiday-themed products,” he says. ”The combinations are endless, which is what makes this field so exciting.”

LAYERS OF FLAVOR

Tea flavorings come in nearly as wide a range as the beverage itself, from black, green, sweet tea and oolong to fruity flavors and matcha, the latter derived from the Japanese green herbal tea leaves, Barasa says. Derived from beans grown in such locations as Columbia, Latin America, Africa, Asia and Brazil, pure coffee extracts have full-bodied flavor that enhances savory stews, tomato sauces, gravies

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FLAVORS AND INGREDIENTS and salsas, yet delights in chocolate and adds nuance to vanilla-flavored desserts, Minardi says. “Coffee and tea flavors add a brewed flavor profile to all types of products,” Minardi adds.

Tea flavors sourced throughout the world are often blended with complementary fruity extracts, such as lime, peach and grapefruit while coffee flavors add smokiness or sweetness, Roberts notes. Asian foods have highlighted tea flavorings for centuries.

Minardi says citrus and floral flavors are often paired with tea, while coffee flavors pair well with sweet brown mocha, vanilla, caramel, praline and custard/creams.

HEALTHFUL ASSOCIATIONS

While flavor rules, research shows consumers are highly interested in products they perceive as healthy and natural.

Concerns about artificial ingredients and a desire for transparency are driving product development in the U.S., according to market research firm Freedonia Group.

“Growing demand for clean labels and products that are free from artificial additives will help the food market maintain the leading position as the largest natural flavor and fragrance market in 2020,” a recent Freedonia report

said. Globally, the demand for flavors and fragrances will grow by 3.9 percent annually, reaching $26.3 billion in 2020, the report noted. “Flavor blends will remain the largest segment, while essential oils and natural extracts will grow the fastest.”

Roberts agrees. “Millennials acknowledge and embrace findings that tea boosts immunity and promotes health,” she says. “Flavors can be [dialed into] label requirements such as non-GMO, all natural and organic.”

Many tea and coffee extracts are clean label, Barasa adds.

“People want to know where flavors come from. We launched 100 percent natural and organic extracts to respond to this demand,” he says.

The popular plant-based foods trend reinforces coffee and tea flavor interest, as both are derived from plants.

These flavors can improve the taste of plant-based meat products and substitute for sugar, in some cases.Tea’s antioxidants are shown to fight disease and reduce free radicals in the body, notes the National Cancer Institute. Coffee’s anti-oxidants and polyphenols may reduce cardiovascular and diabetes risks, research says.

Thus, retailers may only be at the beginning of brewing up store brand potential for tea and coffee flavors. SB

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www.storebrands.com / November 2018 / Store Brands

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CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE BREAKFAST FOODS

CEREAL’S SUPERPOWERS

DO recognize the potential of private brand granola.

Why get serious about cereal?

After all, the cereal category has been struggling in recent years, with fewer families sitting down for breakfast on weekdays, significant competition from other products such as yogurt and frozen breakfast burritos, and millennial parents eschewing kid-targeted products containing artificial colors and flavors, gluten and substantial sugar.

Indeed, total U.S. sales of hot and cold cereal fell 9 percent between 2012 and 2017 to reach a thenestimated $10.5 billion, stated global market researcher Mintel in its “Hot and Cold Cereal U.S.” report issued in September 2017.

“While cereal remains a ubiquitous presence in American pantries, sales are forecast to continue on a downward slide as consumers gravitate toward a widening array of breakfast alternatives seen as more filling, nutritious and convenient, such as yogurt, bars, frozen breakfast entrées and handhelds,” John Owen, Mintel’s senior food and drink analyst, noted in a press release promoting the report.

Euromonitor, in turn, predicts a 5 percent decline in cold and hot cereal sales from 2016 to 2021, the London-based market research firm pointed out in its 2017 report “Breakfast Cereals in the U.S.” This past year also saw diminished cereal sales. The entire ready-to-eat cold cereal subcategory declined 1.4 percent in dollar sales in the 52 weeks ending Aug. 12, while private brand dollar sales in this segment saw a

DON’T fail to understand that ready-to-eat cereal is a popular snack, not just a breakfast food.

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bigger drop of 6 percent, according to Chicago-based market research firm IRI. Compare those numbers to IRI’s sunny statistics for frozen breakfast handhelds, which increased 4.1 percent for the whole category and 6.8 percent for private brands between mid-August 2017 and 2018.

Nevertheless, abundant innovation in the cereal category — particularly in the standout granola segment — offers reason for optimism. What’s more, cereal’s market penetration remains higher than that of any other breakfast category. A Lightspeed GMI/Mintel survey of 2,000 adults revealed that 65 percent had purchased cereal in a retail store in the prior three months, a 10 percent greater share than fruit and bread, which tied for second place.

Most important, private brands considered collectively rank as the No. 1 cereal brand, according to market researcher IRI, followed by General Mill’s Honey Nut Cheerios. Clearly, this mature category still has significant potential for grocery retailers with store brands, especially given the research indicating that young adult consumers are not loyal to big-name national brands.

ON-TREND FORMULATIONS For the past few years, the manufacturers of kidoriented sugary cereals have been removing artificial colors, flavors and other feared ingredients from their formulations, responding to the growing momentum of the clean-label movement. More recently, the emphasis has been on augmenting and leveraging the nutritional profile of ready-to-eat cereals while offering a variety of creative new flavors, often inspired by other food categories.

In the branded realm, for example, the Kellogg’s Special K Nourish line added probiotics to certain formulations in the past year and debuted flavors such as Crispy Granola with Quinoa in Dark Chocolate Coconut. A division of Post Holdings, Eugene, Ore.-based Attune Foods, meanwhile, rolled out a line of latte-flavored granola, propelled by the millennial generation’s passion for gourmet coffee.

The company, which makes private brand granola as well, introduced caramel latte and moche latte flavors in its Sweet Home Farm Granola brand, touting that these SKUs are made with “real coffee.”

On the private brand cereal front, Monrovia, Calif.headquartered Trader Joe’s has been especially inventive, adding Cherry Chia & Pumpkin Seed Oatmeal, Organic

CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE BREAKFAST FOODS Cold Cereal Private Brands

All Brands

Dollar Sales (in millions)

$605.2

$8,443.1

Change vs. Year Ago

-6.0%

-1.4%

Dollar Share

7.2%

100%

Unit Sales (in millions)

249.2

2,581.3

Change vs. Year Ago

-4.7%

-1.1%

Avg. Price Per Unit

$2.43

$3.27

Private Brands

All Brands

Dollar Sales (in millions)

$274.6

$1,334.0

Change vs. Year Ago

-4.3%

+4.0%

Dollar Share

20.6%

100%

Unit Sales (in millions)

133.2

498.0

Change vs. Year Ag

-5.1%

+3.8%

Avg. Price Per Unit

$2.06

$2.68

Hot Cereal/Oatmeal

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Purple Maize Flakes, pea protein-fortified Peanut Butter Protein Granola and, most recently, the autumn seasonal offering Caramel Apple Flavored Granola.

Among trending cereal ingredients, “the superfoods are very exciting and very popular,” notes Steven “Stephano” Frank, the owner of Toronto-based Stephano Group Ltd., which manufactures private brand granola and oatmeal. “Some of the main superfoods right now are quinoa, flaxseed, amaranth and [other] ancient grains. Those are what we see sales increases in.”

Stephano Group, which has made organic granola for decades, has also seen increased demand from retailers for gluten-free and Non-GMO Project Verified granola. “We’re certified organic, we’re gluten-free and we’re non-GMO verified, and we’re getting more traction from those symbols,” Frank says.

Robn Cassidy, senior director of business develop-

Source: InfoScan Reviews, IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm. Total U.S. supermarkets, drugstores, mass market retailers, military commissaries and select club and dollar store retail chains for the 52 weeks ending Aug. 12, 2018.

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CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE BREAKFAST FOODS ment for Attune Foods, points to a swelling of interest in premium decadent albeit highly nutritious granola inclusions such as dark chocolate and dried berries, cherries, blueberries and strawberries as well as chia seeds, flaxseeds and ancient grains.

“We add high amounts of those better-for-you inclusions; it’s not just your typical almonds, pecans or walnuts,” she elaborates. “We use obvious pieces of dried fruit. So you’re not going to see diced banana but a sliced banana where you can actually see the slices.”

In addition, Attune Foods’ research and development team integrates other flavor trends into the company’s granola mixtures. For example, the company has recently been incorporating the Indian spices of cumin and turmeric into formulations.

“Our R&D team has come up with some fabulous formulas like maple sweet potato turmeric granola,” Cassidy shares.

Attune Foods’ top innovations, according to Cassidy, include botanicals such as lavender blueberry granola, the use of nut butters and bean-based protein, and inclusions that address specific dietary needs and preferences.

BEYOND THE BOWL A key reason to be bullish on cereal is that it’s not just for breakfast anymore. As Mintel’s 2017 cereal report noted, 43 percent of U.S. consumers eat cereal as a snack at home. Moreover, 17 percent of consumers say they have cereal as a snack away from home, while 10 percent enjoy cereal on the go.

Accordingly, Attune Foods has developed granola snacks for retailers that are portable, easy-to-eat clusters.

“Consumers can grab a small bag of it rather than grab a candy bar or a power bar,” Cassidy explains.

Granola is typically retailed in resealable standup pouches, but bag-in-a-box packaging for the product seems to be making a comeback, Frank observes.

Stephano Group also packages its granola in clear plastic containers for optimal transparency and eye appeal, he says.

Overall, grocery retailers do a good job of merchandising cereal, according to Frank. “What I see that could be improved is the demonstration of the product,” he suggests. “There should be more opportunities to sample the product in the store so that customers can taste it before purchasing it. Sampling is an important tool that isn’t being used that much anymore.” SB

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CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE SPICES AND SEASONINGS

A ZESTY OUTLOOK

DO offer convenient products, such as seasoning packets and spice blends that offer exciting meal solutions.

Variety may be the spice of life, but spice has a lot more to offer than mere variety, and consumers are taking note.

Aside from the considerable advantages spices and seasonings offer when it comes to enhancing foods and delighting palates, nutritional research is recognizing their role in bolstering weight loss efforts and supporting overall health.

And besides, as millennials in particular understand, spices and seasonings are exciting.

Millennials are open to experimenting and taking risks, says Amy Jungk, executive vice president of corporate strategy for Old World Spices & Seasonings in Overland Park, Kan. “Millennials want to be taken out of their comfort zone; they want hot, spicy, new and exotic flavors,” adds Shannon Cushen, director of marketing for Fuchs North America in Hampstead, Md. Millennials may enter a store knowing what dish they want to prepare but will often not decide which seasoning to try until they are at the shelf, Jungk adds.

As frequent take-out and fast-casual restaurant patrons, millennials “like to mimic their favorite restaurant dishes at home.”

The older, generally more economically established Gen X crowd, born roughly between 1965 and 1985, is purchasing high-end grills and smokers and tends to spend more for prime cuts of meat. They also like to buy high-quality seasonings to bring out the best in their proteins, and also like to experiment with bold flavors, Jungk notes.

DON’T forget to merchandise the health benefits of spices and seasonings.

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In its “Flavor Forecast 2018,” Hunt Valley, Md.-based McCormick & Co. identified seasonings that are gaining popularity, including Ethiopian berbere (a mixture of paprika, allspice, coriander, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon and red pepper that goes well with chicken and other meats, lentils and vegetables) and Japanese furikake (a mixture of seaweed, sesame, dried seafood, sugar and salt that is often sprinkled on rice, noodles, vegetables and seafood).

Spices and seasonings such as cayenne pepper, ginger, turmeric, thyme and sage are coming into their own as important ingredients in liquid concoctions such as smoothies, drinkable soups and refreshing, non-alcoholic “mocktails,” McCormick notes.

TO YOUR HEALTH Research reveals that spices and herbs have an abundance of salubrious compounds and that consuming them may confer health benefits, Monica Auslander Moreno, a consulting dietician for Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins and founder of Miami-based Essence Nutrition LLC, says in a WebMD article written by Camille Noe Pagán.

Rich in healthful phytochemicals, herbs and spices fight inflammation in the body and reduce damage to the body’s cells, Moreno explains. And because they’re so flavorful, spices and herbs make it easier to cut back on less-healthful flavor-enhancing ingredients like salt, sugar and added fat, Adrienne Youdim, founder and medical director of the Center for Weight Loss and Nutrition in Beverly Hills, Calif., tells WebMD. Many spices and herbs can also boost the metabolism and help the body burn fat more quickly, according to a 2016 article in Prevention Magazine.

The functional aspects of spices and seasonings have been receiving a lot of buzz, Cushen agrees. “As a result, many spices like turmeric and ginger have been thrust in the spotlight, witnessing major increases in demand,” she says. “Consumers are seeking these out, and more products featuring these spices and touting their potential health benefits will likely be popping up more in retail in the coming months.”

HOME COOKING As consumers continue to gravitate toward cooking at home, the variety in terms of flavor in the spice and seasonings aisle will also continue to expand, Cushen says.

“Consumers — especially millennials — like to try

CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE SPICES AND SEASONINGS their hand at cooking new and exotic dishes at home,” she says. “Many of the trends that we will see next year in the spice and seasoning aisle, like most other aisles, are therefore driven by millennials.”

While consumers want to cook authentic ethnic dishes or sophisticated foodservice-inspired meals, they also want convenience, so seasoning packets and spice blends that offer exciting meal solutions will continue to experience growth, Cushen asserts.

Total Spices/Seasonings Private Brands

All Brands

Dollar Sales (in millions)

$953.4

$4,045.1

Change vs. Year Ago

+23.5%

+4.5%

Dollar Share

23.6%

100%

Unit Sales (in millions)

421.3

1,461.7

Change vs. Year Ago

+30.2%

+3.7%

Avg. Price Per Unit

$2.26

$2.77

Source: InfoScan Reviews, IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm. Total U.S. multi-outlet (grocery, drug, mass market, military and select club and dollar retailers) for the 52 weeks ending Aug. 12, 2018.

Sea salt has become a kitchen staple, and smoked sea salts are the natural progression of this trend, Jungk says. “Gourmet food offerings have been introducing this trend, and the natural progression seems to be to private brands,” she adds. “And not just smoked sea salts alone, but incorporated into seasonings that include bold flavors like citrus, Sriracha and specialty chilis, to become the flavor trends of the future.”

Retailers are looking for ways to make their private brand offerings stand out to consumers, Jungk notes. They seek unique flavors that are still familiar, but with a twist.

Rather than be fast followers of the national brands, private brands are starting to take the lead in innovation, Jungk points out.

“Private brands are using high-quality ingredients while maintaining competitive pricing,” she says.

Private brands can be successful when they focus on the current trends in foodservice and gourmet foods, then bring those trends to consumers in a more accessible, affordable manner for home use, Jungk believes.

Successful private brands can set themselves apart in a large, mature category by exhibiting the flexibility and responsiveness to consumer desires that larger brands can’t pull off as quickly, Jungk adds. SB

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But here’s what we can tell you. Behind the labels of some of your favorite products is one company: Woeber’s. We’re one of the largest family-owned private label manufacturers in the country. We’ve been producing high-quality, cost-effective products for over 100 years and our expertise can help you grow your private label sales. Our facility is equipped to produce a variety of mustards, pure horseradish, sauces, vinegars, lemon juice, and more. We can use your recipe, one of our own, or we can custom formulate a recipe that’s packaged for your brand.

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CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE CHEESE

KEEPING IT FRESH

DO consider offering cheeses made from goat’s milk and other less-traditional ingredients in response to rising lactose intolerance rates.

Cheese is defying the aging process. By focusing on selections that respond to the growing shopper focus on new eating experiences and health and wellness, merchandisers are helping to keep the mature category lively.

Cheese sales grew 10 percent from 2012 to 2017 to $23.6 billion, and are forecast to rise 8 percent to $25.5 billion by 2022, reports market researcher Mintel.

Shredded, chunks, slices and string/stick cheeses accounted for nearly 90 percent of 2017 dollar sales, with shredded cheese the largest category, comprising 36 percent of total revenues, notes market research firm Packaged Facts.

The specialty cheese sector also is active, with segment revenues up 3.3 percent last year versus just 0.9 percent for non-specialty cheese, reports the Madison, Wis.-based Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.

Natural cheeses, meanwhile, account for 70 percent of sales with the segment benefiting from growing shopper interest in more healthful and natural eating and snacking, Mintel states in its October 2017 “Cheese US” report.

Indeed, in a 2017 Mintel online survey, 95 percent of respondents stated they had eaten natural cheese in the previous three months, with most indicating they do so at least a few times a month.

Increasing consumption frequency by the most active cheese eaters may represent the best opportunity for brands and retailers to accelerate sales, Mintel notes.

DON’T forget to cross merchandise cheese with other store brand products.

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Such consumers are most likely to view natural cheese as part of a healthy diet; have interest in new ideas for cooking with cheese; and are willing to pay more for convenience products such as sliced or shredded cheese, Mintel states.

Merchandisers also can help spur activity by offering cheeses made from goat’s milk and other less-traditional ingredients in response to rising lactose intolerance rates, reports market research firm Euromonitor International.

In addition, plant-based cheese alternatives are becoming more prevalent with soy, nutritional yeast and nuts being made into non-dairy cheese as demand by vegans and lactose intolerance shoppers increases, Euromonitor states in its September “Cheese in the U.S.” report.

A LATIN BEAT Interest in Hispanic- or Latin American-style cheeses also is strong with category revenues up 7 percent and four Hispanic varieties — queso quesadilla, queso de freir, queso panela and requesòn — among the 10 fastest-growing cheeses, the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin reports.

Helping to trigger activity is the large and growing base of restaurants offering Mexican or Latino foods, enabling consumers to discover new varieties, says Arturo Nava, marketing director for Nuestro Queso LLC, a Chicago-based cheese supplier that operates as Hispanic Cheese Makers Nuestro Queso.

More shoppers, he adds, also are seeking authentic selections, which can include Mexican-, Caribbeanand Central American-oriented varieties that were developed from recipes common to those regions.

Yet, while consumers are embracing an array of cheeses, it is still important for retailers to limit their overall cheese selections to avoid confusion, says Liz Thorpe, founder of The People’s Cheese, a New Orleans-based consulting firm.

“The cheese sector has shot itself in the foot in recent years by introducing dozens or hundreds of new brands and flavors that are virtually indistinguishable to the average consumer,” Thorpe says.

“There’s more choice but no real apparent difference, which is overwhelming to shoppers.”

She notes that retailers can make the shopping process more manageable by offering just two selections, such as an economy and premium choice, for

CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE CHEESE each cheese category.

“Most retailers take the same approach to merchandising, which is to dump hundreds of cheeses into a case, grouped by some inane categorization that is meaningless to the average shopper,” Thorpe states.

Packaging also can be an important sales driver, she says, with attractive colors and artwork particularly vital as many shoppers will use the elements to identify their preferred cheese.

In addition, merchandisers can attract more buyers by incorporating messaging that spotlights appealing attributes, such as a cheese being all-natural and the amount of protein in a selection, Nava states.

“Consumers are drawn to any nutritional benefits that a product can offer,” says Yvette Fossum, vice president of sales for Berner Food & Beverage, a Dakota, Ill.-based cheese supplier. “Packaging that is innovative or different will further entice shoppers if there is a functional benefit, such as ease of storage, ease of use and being able to maintain freshness longer.”

THINK YOUNG Millennials and Gen X shoppers are fueling the push for newer varieties, she states, noting that those conGLC_STOREBRANDS_Nov_18_PRINT_NEW.pdf 1 10/9/18 sumer segments typically crave more eating experiences

Natural Shredded Cheese Private Brands

All Brands

Dollar Sales (in millions)

$2,891.5

$4,771.9

Change vs. Year Ago

3.3%

1.1%

Dollar Share

60.6%

100%

Unit Sales (in millions)

935.4

1,563.3

Change vs. Year Ago

5.6%

2.2

Avg. Price Per Unit

$3.09

$3.05

Private Brands

All Brands

Dollar Sales (in millions)

$1,154.5

$3,529

Change vs. Year Ago

-0.2%

-1.1%

Dollar Share

32.7%

100%

Unit Sales (in millions)

346.4

906.8

Change vs. Year Ago

2.3%

-1.0%

Avg. Price Per Unit

$3.33

$3.89

Natural Chunks

8:47 AM

www.storebrands.com / November 2018 / Store Brands

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CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE CHEESE and world cuisines than other groups, and have the highest disposable income.

Private brand merchandisers can respond to such interests by offering unique varieties, Fossum states, while also differentiating their selections with healthy attributes — such as less sugar, antioxidants and more protein — at lower prices than the national brands.

Promotions can include cross-marketing products with store brands from other categories, such as chips and dips, and including private brand cheeses

Natural Slices Private Brands

All Brands

Dollar Sales (in millions)

$942.2

$2,229.4

Change vs. Year Ago

5.4%

3.6%

Dollar Share

42.3%

100%

Unit Sales (in millions)

345.7

710.0

Change vs. Year Ago

7.0%

3.5

Avg. Price Per Unit

$2.73

$3.14

Source: InfoScan Reviews, IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm. Total U.S. supermarkets, drugstores, mass market retailers, military commissaries and select club and dollar retail chains for the 52 weeks ending August 12, 2018.

in store-wide sales events, she says.

“The main private label challenge is to have the right product line and packaging formats,” Nava adds. “Retailers must have the capacity to come up with new and different options because the national brands will continue to innovate. Store brands cannot just offer the staples.”

Indeed, many of the fastest-growing varieties already have distinct flavor, texture and functional characteristics, says Chris Kuske Riese, director of channel marketing for Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.

“The strong growth of these unique cheeses suggests that consumers, more than ever, are not only open to new flavors, but to completely new experiences when it comes to cheese,” she states.

Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin research with specialty cheese shoppers found that in-store sampling was the most important factor in their most recent purchases.

Kuske Riese says other effective marketing tactics include cross-merchandising different cheeses with pairing accompaniments, including on-trend liquor or a new gourmet pickled vegetables; the use of point-of-sale signage that tells the story of the cheesemaker; and spotlighting creative serving suggestions to drive trial of different cheeses. SB Mitchell is a freelance writer from Wilmette, Ill.

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

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CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE HOME CLEANING AND LAUNDRY

QUICK AND EASY Speed is becoming a major key to success in an evolving home-cleaning products sector.

In an otherwise stodgy environment, sales of all-purpose cleaners and disposable wipes are solid, demonstrating growing shopper interest in easyto-use and multifunctional selections and a move away from labor-intensive products, reports market research Mintel.

While overall surface-cleaner revenues rose an estimated 1.4 percent in 2017 to $5.2 billion, sales of wipes and cleaning cloths grew about 9 percent and all-purpose products were up approximately 6 percent, Mintel notes. Sales of specialized selections, meanwhile, grew about 1 percent.

“Use of all-purpose cleaners is nearly universal, solidifying its position as the largest category segment,” Mintel states in its December 2017 “Household Surface Cleaners U.S.” report. “However, this growth may have a negative impact upon other segments.”

Indeed, all-purpose cleaners were likely contributing to the year-over-year sales declines of such specialized options as furniture polish, and tub and tile cleaners. In a 2017 Mintel online survey of surface-cleaner users, 63 percent of respondents indicated that, other than price, being multipurpose is most important to them in choosing products.

“Shifts in lifestyles, demographics and housing will lead consumers to increasingly demand convenient and practical home care solutions that offer quantifiable time savings,” states market researcher Euromonitor International, in its February “Home Care in the U.S.” report.

Convenience also is impacting sales of cleaning tools, with many consumers seeking a single product that can clean a variety of surfaces, says Tricia Norton, senior vice president of marketing for Bradshaw Home, a Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based housewares supplier.

“Consumers are busier than ever, and they need solutions that can quickly clean up messes without requiring a number of components,” she notes, adding that shoppers also are favoring more aesthetically pleasing tools with ergonomic handles; a clean, minimalistic look that blends into the home environment; and highquality materials.

Laundry products also are emphasizing convenience, with dissolvable unit-dose packets — in which detergent is concentrated into one little pack that users throw

into the washer without worrying about measuring or pouring detergent into a cup — becoming more prominent, reports Brian Sansoni, vice president of the Washington, D.C.based American Cleaning Institute.

“There’s no question that in today’s cleaning products marketplace, convenience is king,” he states. “Consumers are looking for easy-to-use cleaning products that are safe when used as directed and get the job done.”

FOLLOW THE SCENT While not as predominant as convenience, fragrances and health concerns are also influencing shoppers’ purchasing decisions.

Consumers between the ages of 18 to 34 are particularly interested in products with natural scents, such as floral, lavender and sandalwood, and themed scents, including tropical burst and apple mango, Mintel states.

“Secondary purchase influencers such as scent, format and natural ingredients can help brands stand out and encourage increased spending in the category,” Mintel adds.

About 30 percent of parents, meanwhile, are expressing safety concerns about disinfectants and indicating that brands can do more to make products safer, Mintel states, noting that parents are more likely than non-parents to buy natural or homemade products due to the

DO offer innovative store brand selections that consumers can’t find anywhere else.

DON’T just mimic the national brands. Strong growth opportunities exist for store brands that offer more than the national brands.

www.storebrands.com / November 2018 / Store Brands

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CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE HOME CLEANING AND LAUNDRY fear of chemicals coming in contact with their children.

“As U.S. consumers have become more health-conscious in recent years, they have also become increasingly aware of the potentially negative effects that some of the chemicals used in home care products can have on the human body,” Euromonitor adds. “As a result, the leading companies in home care have become more open about the ingredients used in the formulation of their products.”

While many shoppers state that they would like home care products to contain natural ingredients and be environmentally friendly, a much smaller percentage seem willing to pay a premium for the “green” selections, Euromonitor reports.

Nevertheless, there is greater availability of more holistic and natural household cleaners, as well as products with plant-based solvents — particularly citric acid — and different fragrances, says Chris Dresselhuys, director of product management for Rockline Industries, a Sheboygan, Wis.-based household cleaning wipes supplier.

“Consumers are attempting to balance their desire for cleaning efficacy to ensure that their homes are clean and that their families are protected from things like salmonella, while managing the amount of chemicals present in their homes,” he states.

All-Purpose Cleaner/Disinfectant Private Brands

All Brands

Dollar Sales (in millions)

$54.9

$1,207.5

Change vs. Year Ago

6.8%

2.3%

Dollar Share

4.5%

100%

Unit Sales (in millions)

25.1

399.6

Change vs. Year Ago

-1.6%

0.1

Avg. Price Per Unit

$2.19

$3.02

Toilet Bowl Cleaner/Deodorizer Private Brands

All Brands

Dollar Sales (in millions)

$16.3

$524.1

Change vs. Year Ago

-2.6%

-0.4%

Dollar Share

3.1%

100%

Unit Sales (in millions)

8.5

190.0

Change vs. Year Ago

-7.3%

-3.4%

Avg. Price Per Unit

$1.92

$2.76

Source: InfoScan Reviews, IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm. Total U.S. supermarkets, drugstores, mass market retailers, military commissaries and select club and dollar retail chains for the 52 weeks ending August 12, 2018.

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To maximize private brand revenues, however, retailers must overcome a stigma among some shoppers that store brands are inferior to the national brands, says Jim Wisner, president of Wisner Marketing Group, a Lake Forest, Ill.-based retail consultancy.

“Most private label cleaning products, until the last 10 or 15 years, were not as good as the national brands,” he states. “Shoppers were buying lower-priced selections that didn’t perform well, and there still are lingering recollections of that. Retailers can’t purchase or sell things on the cheap, as the customer then won’t trust the entire range of store brands.”

GET IN THE SPIRIT Getting excited about the segment, meanwhile, is perhaps the major challenge facing private brand homecleaning merchandisers, Wisner says.

“It is not a sexy category and many retailers are not engaged in considering what they can do that is new, different and better for the consumer,” he notes. “The major issue is making a priority out of it, particularly in the supermarket channel where retailers are more engaged with food.”

He adds that strong growth opportunities exist for store brands that do not mimic the national brands, and from proper retail marketing.

“Store brands relative to their share are grossly under-promoted,” Wisner states. “Retailers need to understand that they must invest in their brands if they want to maximize their overall profitability.

The return in revenue is disproportionate to what they get from the national brands.”

Because store brands typically lack the marketing budgets of the national brands, retailers should focus on providing clear, differentiated on-pack communication and merchandise private brands together on premium shelf space, he says.

Sansoni notes that retailers can also benefit from gearing product promotions to specific functions, such as the use of heavy-duty detergents and stain removers for dirty school sports uniforms and food stains that are associated with holidays, such as Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“Highlight solutions,” he says. “Shine the light on how the products enhance health and quality of life on a daily basis, making life easier for busy families and workers.”

Stores should also offer unique, innovative store brand selections consumers can’t find elsewhere, along with assortments with various price points, Norton states. “Private label brands can meet consumer expectations with excellent branding and design, something they can create and change more rapidly than a national brand can,” she says. “This will help draw in consumers and pique their interest in trying new products.” SB

CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE FIRST AID

RIPE FOR TREATMENT The first aid sprays and ointments sector is in need of a powerful marketing remedy.

Because most consumers purchase products infrequently, many merchandisers are reluctant to heavily promote selections, which is helping to limit category revenues, analysts state.

Indeed, 37 percent of persons who buy first aid products note that they typically let minor wounds, cuts and scrapes heal on their own, and the same number admit that they rarely check expiration dates of their first aid supplies, reports Mintel, a global market research firm, in its February 2017 “First Aid US” report.

In addition, nearly 30 percent of purchasers state that they use products past the expiration date, which indicates minimal interest by consumers in investing time and resources into the category, Mintel states.

Nevertheless, Mintel projects sector sales will increase 4 percent annually through 2020 because of the continuing success of private brand selections; the ongoing need for injury treatment; and consumer satisfaction with product durability, functionality and value.

With 88 percent of first aid product buyers agreeing that price is important when selecting items, retailers are in a strong position to further expand private brand activity.

“This value-driven mindset leads shoppers to opt for store brands or whatever brand is the least expensive,” Mintel states. “Further underscoring the importance of value, sales of private label first aid products are outperforming branded versions.

The prioritization of price as a determining factor in the first aid category indicates that consumers view this market as more of a commodity, with limited interest in brands, added benefits or premium offerings.”

As a result, merchandisers should emphasize product functionality and durability by highlighting such attributes as long-lasting and fast-acting relief, long shelf life and infection prevention, Mintel notes.

Such a focus “reflects consumers’ no-frills attitude toward the category,” Mintel states, adding that communicating benefits on packaging and advertising will be essential for attracting attention to products.

“Rather than challenging consumers to change their behaviors, first aid stakeholders should cater to these desires for value and function in order to maximize sales,” Mintel notes.

FOCUS ON THE FAMILIES Households with children, meanwhile, is the key purchasing segment for first aid sprays and ointments as kids are most likely to suffer scrapes and bruises, says Jim Wisner, president of Wisner Marketing Group, a Libertyville, Ill.-based retail consultancy.

Indeed, Mintel reports that about 25 percent of parents state that they usually buy first aid products when their children start an activity, suggesting that summer vacation and back-to-school are prime opportunities to market to parents.

Retailers also can spotlight the advantages of store brands versus national brands to such shoppers with in-store signage that compares pricing and package messaging, which states that store and national brands have the same active ingredients, Wisner says.

“A percentage of shoppers are going to buy the national brand simply because their doctor said to get product ‘X,’ which they generally refer to by the brand name as opposed to the active ingredient,” he notes. “But over half of consumers also are switchers who don’t think a lot about the national brand. They just need some reassurance to move toward the store brand.”

DO point out same active ingredients to promote and position first aid products.

DON’T forget to highlight attributes, such as long-lasting and fast-acting relief.

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CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE FIRST AID Anti-Itch Treatments Private Brands

All Brands

Dollar Sales (in millions)

$134.8

$570.8

Change vs. Year Ago

0.6%

+2.2%

Dollar Share

23.6%

100%

Unit Sales (in millions)

28.2

90.0

Change vs. Year Ago

+1.7%

+0.7%

Avg. Price Per Unit

$4.77

$6.35

First Aid Ointments/Antiseptics Private Brands

All Brands

Dollar Sales (in millions)

$408.9

$923.7

Change vs. Year Ago

+10.5%

+0.9%

Dollar Share

44.3%

100%

Unit Sales (in millions)

166.5

260.6

Change vs. Year Ago

+23.4%

+0.4%

Avg. Price Per Unit

$2.46

$3.54

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4:05 PM

Such comfort can come from pharmacists who recommend private brands and stress that store brands are of equal quality to comparable national options, Wisner states.

“It is difficult to increase overall consumption because first aid spray and ointment sales are often driven by an event that triggers the need, such as mosquito bites, a cut or a rash,” he notes. “But merchandisers can work to convince shoppers that it’s important to always have the products on hand, similar to when retailers in the fall remind consumers to restock their medicine cabinet for the cough and cold season.”

Yet, because overall category revenues are comparatively small, product suppliers and retailers often are reluctant to invest in new formulas or spend large amounts on marketing, brand building and consumer education, Wisner states.

“Growth is going to be slow and gradual,” he adds.

“The rate of what comes out that is new, exciting or different is not dramatic. And even when it is, shoppers don’t necessarily go to the store with a predetermined expectation. They go because they might have a bug bite and will make a product choice after looking at all the options.”

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

CATEGORY INTELLIGENCE FIRST AID A FIGHT OVER PRICE Price competition within the sector, meanwhile, is likely to increase as more brand name suppliers, private brand manufacturers and low-price importers battle for business, reports IBISWorld, a market research firm, in its November 2016 “Antiseptic Manufacturing in the US” report.

“Most of the products produced by this industry are highly commoditized and sold at razor thin margins,”

Insect First Aid Products Private Brands

All Brands

Dollar Sales (in millions)

$3.7

$15.9

Change vs. Year Ago

+8.6%

-2.8%

Dollar Share

23.2%

100%

Unit Sales (in millions)

.593

3.6

Change vs. Year Ago

+16.0%

-3.2%

Avg. Price Per Unit

$6.22

$4.46

Source: InfoScan Reviews, IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm. Total U.S. supermarkets, drugstores, mass market retailers, military commissaries and select club and dollar retail chains for the 52 weeks ending June 17.

IBISWorld states. “Companies that primarily market to the consumer typically compete on the basis of price, brand recognition and range of product selections.”

Indeed, IBISWorld notes that strong sales of private brand selections over the previous five years have “diminished the value of brand recognition, as consumers have increasingly turned to store brand first aid kits or generic standalone antiseptic products. These trends have pressured brand name manufacturers to lower prices, which has increased the overall level of competition within this industry.”

Wisner adds that because consumers frequently analyze health care product labels, shoppers also will increasingly turn to private brands when they realize that the active ingredients are the same as for comparable national selections and the products less expensive.

“The more shoppers look at the labels, the better,” he states. “There is true product equivalency in the category. As retailers get savvier and promote and position their brands, there will be more upside for private label and a more difficult road forward for the national brands.” SB Mitchell is a freelance writer from Wilmette, Ill. SP ONS OR E D C ON TE N T

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

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COMPANY

PAGE

American Nutrition, Inc. .............................................................................17 Ardent Mills................................................................................................19 B.O.V Solutions...................................................................................57, 120 Bascom Family Farms .................................................................................51 Biazzo Dairy Products ................................................................................71 Burke Brands .............................................................................................99 Caraustar ............................................................................................ 59,110 Cargill .......................................................................................................89 CaseStack ................................................................................................. 27 Cantania Oils ....................................................................................... 48-49 Cibaria International, Inc........................................................................... 76 Citadelle Maple Syrup Cooperative ............................................................53 Club Coffee LP ...........................................................................................39 Colordyne Technologies .............................................................................12 Comercial Bakeries...................................................................................105 Contact Pharmacal Corp. ............................................................................81 Deep Foods Inc. ......................................................................................... 79 Disc Graphics ........................................................................................... 67 ENKA HIYEN...............................................................................................69 ECRM ........................................................................................................ 119 Furlani’s Food Corp. .............................................................................. 11, 13 Galassi Foods ........................................................................................... 114 Gel Spice Co. .............................................................................................63 Giovanni Foods ..........................................................................................33 Global Tissue Group ...................................................................CT, IFC-2, BC Godshalls Quality Meats Inc.......................................................................29 Great Lakes Cheese Co. ............................................................................ 113 Hormel Foods Corp. ...................................................................................52 Imperial Frozen Foods ...............................................................................31 Inno Foods................................................................................................. 74 Italian Rose Gourmet Products.................................................................. 31 Italian Trade Agency .................................................................... 83, Insert ITI Tropicals ................................................................................ 18, 62, 103 J&J SNACK FOODS CORP ........................................................................... 77 JTM FOODS ................................................................................................32 Keurig Inc. ........................................................................................67 (A-H)

COMPANY

PAGE

Kruger Products ..................................................................................56, 80 Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA .......................................................... 21, 82 Mercer Foods .............................................................................................41 Mondiv/Division of Lassonde Specialties Inc. ...........................................35 Nature’s Touch Frozen Foods ...................................................................60 New England Natural Bakers .....................................................................107 NSF International ......................................................................................65 Old Fashion Foods ..................................................................... 5, 107 (A-B) Once Again Nut Butter............................................................................. 106 OPC ........................................................................................................... 75 Overhill Farms ...........................................................................................38 Pacific Coast Producers ...........................................................................25 Phillips Gourmet, Inc. ................................................................................84 Private Brands Consortium-PBC ................................................................ 37 Red Gold ...............................................................................................9, IBC Red Monkey Foods ................................................................................... 109 Request Foods Corp. ................................................................................ 78 Riverbend Foods ........................................................................................26 Rodelle Inc. ............................................................................................. 100 Royal Paper Converting ............................................................................. 97 Sconza Candy .............................................................................................16 Seneca Foods Corp. ............................................................................. 14, 36 Sioux Honey Association ...........................................................................86 Snack Innovations, Inc. ............................................................................ 101 Snak King Corp ...........................................................................................15 Sopakco Packaging ...................................................................................55 Superior Pack Group.................................................................................. 47 The Fremont Co. .......................................................................................30 The Wornick Co. ......................................................................................... 87 Tower Laboratories .................................................................................. 118 US Alliance Paper ........................................................................................5 Westrock Coffee ..................................................................................... 102 Woeber Mustard Mfg. Co............................................................................ 111 Woodstock Farms ...................................................................................... 73 Zweigle’s ...................................................................................................85

CATEGORY CLOSEUP

9.8

$154.2 % MILLION

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING “New juice products that better target specific occasions and those with strong functional claims can stand out in the juice market.”

— Caleb Bryant, senior foodservice analyst, Mintel

7.5% How much overall juice sales declined in 2017. More consumers are turning to bottled water and products with less sugar.

The percentage of dollar sales that refrigerated juices made up among private brand ready-to-drink beverages in the U.S. in 2016. Bottled water was first at 28.5 percent.

Size of the global fruit and vegetable juice market in 2016. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 5.9 percent from 2018 to 2025.

Source: Grand View Research

Source: Statista

$43 BILLION

Size of the coldpressed (separating the fiber from the cells of fruits and vegetables) juice market in the U.S. in 2017.

$8.1

BILLION

Cold-pressed juice market sales projections by 2024.

Source: Orbis Research

Source: Orbis Research

While consumers remain consciously aware of the health benefits juice and its fruit parts can offer, they increasingly realize that not all juices are created equal.

Source: IRI

122

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Store Brands / November 2018 / www.storebrands.com

Source: Euromonitor International’s “Juice in the U.S.” 2018 report summary

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