San Francisco, CA – With time-pressed consumers continuing to clamor for ever-more convenient ways to enjoy fresh foods, value-added produce items responded – accounting for fully 84% of the incremental sales dollars in produce this past year per FMI’s The Power of Produce 2015. In fact, while unprepared vegetables inched ahead by just 0.1%, value-added vegetables jumped up 4.5% during the same period to command a 22.3% share of all fresh vegetable dollar sales. The value-added products attracting the most attention in the fresh potato category are microwaveable bags, with one brand dominating this fast-growing segment: Side Delights® Steamables from Fresh Solutions Network.
Side Delights® Steamables accounted for a whopping 54.4% of microwaveable bag volume sales during the 52 week period ending 6/27/15, while posting scorching growth of 17.1% in dollar sales and 18.2% in pounds. And retailers stocking the Steamables line appreciate the impact the brand has on their transaction averages too, as shopping baskets that include a Steamables purchase average nearly twice the register ring of a basket with any produce, $108 versus $56 respectively.
But since you can’t have too much of a good thing, Side Delights® Steamables today announces an exciting new addition to their line-up: new Steamables Medley potatoes! This specially selected trio of petite red, white and purple potato varieties cooks up evenly and consistently in just eight minutes in the microwave, perfectly steamed and ready to enjoy.
The new Medley offering expands the Side Delights® Steamables line-up to eight potato types – the largest selection of any microwaveable potato brand. Steamables boast the most attractive packaging in their segment, with bold colors and mouth-watering imagery plus a clear panel on the package back for product visibility. Steamables potatoes are triple-washed to ensure consumer satisfaction, and special light-blocking packaging technology extends shelf life for retailers while minimizing shrink.
While fresh potatoes are generally a planned purchase, retailers know that shoppers are much more prone to pick up microwaveable bags on impulse. Side Delights® Steamables is ready to help retailers capitalize on this incremental sales opportunity, supporting the launch of the Medley SKU with an eye-catching new shipper that displays 24 bags but only takes up only 3.4 square feet of floor space! Retailers can order the new display shipper pre-packed in the variety mix of their choice, and then accelerate sales even more by locating the shipper in high traffic areas near complementary meal solution items such as rotisserie chicken and fresh prepared entrées as well as adjacent to the fresh meat, poultry and seafood sections.
“We’re really pleased with the success we’ve had with our Side Delights® Steamables products, and feel that our new Medley SKU is destined to be a top-seller” exclaimed Kathleen Triou, President and CEO of Fresh Solutions Network. “And as America’s #1 selling line of microwaveable potato bags, we’re investing heavily into strengthening our leadership position and making sure that our retail customers are rewarded for their support by delivering best-in-class packaging along with a striking new display shipper that is certain to draw attention to our products in-store. In addition – despite the rapid growth of the microwaveable bag segment – there are still a significant number of retailers who are not yet offering these products to their shoppers, and we want to show them the extra business that they can generate when they carry the category leader”.
The Side Delights® Steamables Medley is scheduled to begin shipping now, and will be available in cartons or pre-packed with other varieties in the new display shipper. Retailers should contact their Fresh Solutions Network Partner(s) for more information or to place an order.
###
About Fresh Solutions Network, LLC: Fresh Solutions Network is a group of family-owned growers & shippers who choose to work together to make the potato and onion industry better for everyone. FSN helps potato and onion buyers grow their categories, maximize category investment, and increase sales. We deliver competitive insights, collaborative innovation and customized assortment. Fresh Solutions Network, LLC partners are: Sterman Masser, Inc. (Masser Potato Farms and Keystone Potato Products in Sacramento and Hegins, PA), Michael Family Farms, Inc. (Urbana, OH), Basin Gold Cooperative, Inc. (Pasco, WA), Green Thumb Farms, Inc. (Fryeburg, ME), Red Isle Potato Growers, Ltd. (Prince Edward Island, Canada), NoKota Packers, Inc. (Buxton, ND), Sun-Glo of Idaho, Inc. (Sugar City, ID), and Mack Farms, Inc. (Lake Wales, FL).
Source: Fresh Solutions Network, LLC
