CINCINNATI — The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) announced today its organic produce business has achieved $1 billion in annual sales.
"Kroger offers one of the largest organic produce departments in America, and we are proud to have led the way in making this category more mainstream, accessible and affordable," said Robert Clark, Kroger's senior vice president of merchandising. "We have a dedicated procurement team that partners with more than 300 organic produce growers and suppliers every year to bring our customers an exciting selection of organic fruits and vegetables."
According to IRI, the U.S. organic produce market reached $5 billion in 2016 and it is growing.
"We know our customers want both organic and conventional choices," Mr. Clark added. "Kroger makes it easy for our customers to shop how they want for their families. It's just one more way we are redefining the customer experience as outlined in our Restock Kroger plan."
Kroger's top-selling organic produce includes bananas, apples, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and bagged salads.
Kroger recently announced Simple Truth® reached $2 billion in annual sales, marking the growing popularity of its brand of natural, organic and free-from products.
At The Kroger Co., we are dedicated to our purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit™. We are 453,000 associates who serve nearly nine million customers every day in 2,793 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Our Family of Companies operates an expanding ClickList offering – a personalized order online service – in addition to 2,258 pharmacies, 783 convenience stores, 307 fine jewelry stores, 222 retail health clinics, 1,472 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food production plants in the United States. Our Company has been recognized as one of America's most generous companies for our support of more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners, breast cancer research and awareness, the military and their families, and more than 145,000 community organizations including schools. As a leader in supplier diversity, we are a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable.
Source: The Kroger Co.
