WASHINGTON, DC – After a months-long competition, Kroger, America’s largest grocery retailer, announced that it will partner with Soupergirl and sell its all-natural soups at Kroger-owned grocery stores as soon as Q1 2022. Soupergirl—the plant-based soup and gazpacho company based in Washington, DC—was one of five winning contestants of Kroger’s new “Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator,” a national competition that ended with a Sharktank-like business presentation in front of a panel of judges in Cincinnati.
The Kroger Company announced that its inaugural “Go Fresh & Local” 2021 winners are Soupergirl; Maazah; Nona Lim; Queen Charlotte’s Pimento Cheese Royale; and Simply Southern Sides.
“We invented the ‘Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator’ to discover the best, most innovative, and freshest local and regional products—and our group of winners is just that,” said Dan De La Rosa, Kroger’s group vice president of fresh merchandising. “We are proud to partner with these extraordinary suppliers to bring exciting new products to our stores across the country—and introduce customers to more locally made favorites.”
Earlier this year, Kroger invited food producers and growers to join the retailer’s first “Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator” competition. In collaboration with Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing and RangeMe, Kroger reviewed more than 1,000 applications, selecting 15 finalists to participate in a pitch competition. In early August, Soupergirl presented a 10-minute pitch and provided samples to the judging panel. Now, the healthy soup company has the opportunity to work directly with Kroger, which serves more than 11 million customers a day nationwide.
“This is an incredible opportunity, and we feel so fortunate to be working with Kroger,” said Sara Polon, co-founder and CEO of Soupergirl. “Not only will we bring our radically delicious, plant-based soups to Kroger’s giant retail audience, but we will learn best-of-class business practices from the market leaders.”
Kroger will launch Soupergirl’s soups on its shelves as soon as Q1 of 2022. Additionally, Soupergirl and the four other winners will receive business development coaching from Kroger and collaboration opportunities to expand their businesses.
Soupergirl’s soups are a fusion of modern flavors and old-fashioned cooking techniques that highlight seasonal, fresh ingredients. Soupergirl sells through other major grocery retailers, including Whole Foods Market, Costco, Lidl, Wegmans, Giant Delivers, and direct to consumers via www.soupergirl.com.
