GREENSBORO, NC – Specialty grocer The Fresh Market’s mission is to inspire their guests to make everyday eating extraordinary. To do this, their merchandisers scour food trade shows, track trend and industry data, and work closely with vendors to curate and create the best product offerings within their categories.
“Consumers typically view store brands as generic versions of well-known brand names, but it is the opposite with The Fresh Market,” says Michelle Beck, Director, Private Label at The Fresh Market. “In order for us to put our name on a product, it has to be better than the best-selling brand in that category.”
The Fresh Market carries over 1500 private label items across both perishable and non-perishable (grocery) categories.
There are three segments the products fall under in terms of category development: Everyday Extraordinary, Signature and Seasonal or limited time offerings.
To be an Everyday Extraordinary item means it has to exceed the benchmark comparison brand by at least one attribute, such as quality of ingredients, flavor variety and taste. Examples of new Everyday Extraordinary items at The Fresh Market include potato chips that come in Sea Salt, Sour Cream and the No. 1 flavor in Canada – All Dressed (a combination of barbecue, ketchup, sour cream and onion, and salt and vinegar), hand soaps and lotions that are sulfate free with all-natural essential oils, organic peanut butters that come in original roast and a dark roast, and indulgent peanut butter cookies (vanilla cookie with peanut butter filling enrobed in a rich milk chocolate).
Signature private label products are those that are highly curated, premium or proprietary to The Fresh Market. This includes NomNom Salsa made by a local vendor in Georgia, cheddar cheese straws, toffee made in North Carolina, and some new items imported direct from Italy including frozen pizzas with a crust that’s been stone-baked, as well as Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, artisan bronze-cut pasta, Panettone and gelato.
Seasonal private label items include The Fresh Market’s flavored coffees, snack mixes and cookies. For the fall, this includes more than 60 pumpkin flavored items (pasta sauce, salsa, coffee, cookies, hot cocoa, snack mixes, yogurt-covered pretzels, bakery items, etc.).
The very first private label item The Fresh Market carried was based on a family recipe of the founder, Ray Berry: pimento cheese. This unique southern dip is made with two kinds of cheese, mayonnaise, and pimentos. It was introduced in 1983, and it is still a top-seller today.
“I love developing cool, delicious specialty products for our guests,” says Michelle Beck. “I am really excited about some of our new limited time items that are based on the latest flavor trends.”
The Fresh Market design team also updated the packaging on the store’s private label items to reflect the new improvements and provide a more contemporary look for the brand.
“Our team updated private label with a design system that would provide a consistent look and feel across all our product categories without having them adhere to a rigid template,” says Bryan Bowers, Creative Director at The Fresh Market. “We wanted these products to stand out within their category while also supporting our updated brand look.”
