And the winner is … Love Beets Smoky-BBQ Shredded Beets! The company’s new product, to be launched in January 2016, is ready-to-eat beets flavored with a smoky barbecue marinade, and it won the Joe Nucci Award for Product Innovation at this year’s New York Produce Show and Conference. The award was presented to George Shropshire (vice president of marketing) and Joe McGuire (general manager) by PRODUCE BUSINESS magazine’s editor-in-chief, Jim Prevor, at the Jacob Javits Center’s River Pavilion in New York City during the Keynote Breakfast held on Wednesday, December 2.
George Shropshire represents the fourth generation of a family that grows salad greens and beets in Cambridgeshire, U.K. While beets were growing in popularity among the more health-conscious consumers, there was a void in the market when it came to value-added beets. In the U.K., the company began cutting and marinating beets to sell to private label companies.
Five and a half years ago, George's cousins, Guy Shropshire and his wife Katherine, decided to bring the popular product to the United States and called it Love Beets. In 2016, the company will move into its new 100,000-square-foot production facility in Rochester, NY.
"We've been going from strength to strength," says George of the brand's marinated beets designed for on-the-go snacking. "No mess, no fuss, you can have your snack and feel good about it."
The shredded beets are innovative because of its taste and convenience, says George. "We played with flavors, and the smoky barbecue really resonated with American consumers. It's a complement to lunch as an accompaniment or on top of a salad."
In addition to smoky barbecue shredded beets, Love Beets offers cooked beets, flavored baby beets, snack trays, juices and beet bars (which are mixed with dried cherries, blueberries or apples). "Beets are what we know, so we are taking something convenient and making it even more convenient."
The Joe Nucci Award recognizes a new product that shows innovation in the service of expanding consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. An analytic team assesses the nominees. The winner is selected by the PRODUCE BUSINESS editorial team and judges criteria based on health, culinary application, versatility, shelf life, taste and flavor. The award is named for Joe Nucci, who died in July 2005 at the age of 40. Nucci's sister, Lorri Koster of Mann Packing, presented the award.
"Love Beets is making beets better tasting and easier to use with the brand’s flavor profiles and technology — this will help increase beet consumption,” said Koster. “This type of innovation is exactly what the award is designed to recognize."
Photo from Left to right: George Shropshire, Love Beets; Joe McGuire, Love Beets; Lorri Koster, Mann Packing; Jim Prevor, PRODUCE BUSINESS
Source: PerishableNews.com