“At DeLallo, we are meticulous about our ingredients, careful to select just the right flavors and use only the best quality ingredients,” said Giuliana Pozzuto, marketing director of The George DeLallo Co., headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA. “What’s so distinct about our family-owned-and-operated company is our passion for great food, and we’ve been doing it for over 60 years.”

She added that while it’s apparent that the company’s “SaladSavors” are made for topping salads, the company makes sure that each single ingredient is good enough to eat straight out of the package.

“We don’t rely on dressings or lettuce to mask flavors,” added Pozzuto. “And we’re crazy about our new ‘Crisp SaladSavors’ that boast sweet and tangy red apple chips, incredible sharp white cheddar and toasted almond slices. The product was just launched at the end of last year, and we’re already hearing so many good things from customers. It’s climbing its way to the top and already becoming a top-selling flavor for 2015.”

A stunning flavor combination to top that spring mix: tart and chewy dried cranberries, crisp walnuts and creamy goat cheese.Consumers, she noted, are loving the flavor combination and the crunchy texture, but also how easy it is to pick up an all-inclusive package of amazingly flavorful gourmet toppings right next to the lettuce in produce departments.

“We make sure we’re generous with the amount included,” said Pozzuto. “When we say ‘perfectly portioned’ for one package of lettuce, we mean it. There won’t be a dull bite in your bowl.”

The George DeLallo Co. has been putting a lot of energy into promoting the entire line of “SaladSavors.” Increasingly more major retailers are creating new salad destinations in their produce departments, spotlighting lettuces and greens with dressings and toppings. “SaladSavors” serve to enhance these destinations, allowing the produce department to capture the entire sale — not just salad and dressing — with the type of toppings consumers want.

“’SaladSavors’ add a new dimension to produce department offerings,” noted Pozzuto. “The fun and colorful packaging, the trending ingredient combinations and the many varieties of ‘SaladSavors’ are perfect for promoting the growth of the department, and it is driving sales of all specialty refrigerated dressings and lettuce blends.”

Tasting the product is key for DeLallo. The use of only high-quality ingredients means that retailers need only to get the product into the hands of the consumer; the quality and flavor do the rest. The company focuses on some regional mobile marketing events with surrounding distributing retailers for this purpose.

“Social media has also been a fantastic avenue for promoting our specialty salad toppings to its target audience,” stressed Pozzuto. “’SaladSavors’ is a hit online, especially in the blogging community where the female foodie demographic is super present. And from there, we can direct consumers to our online ‘SaladSavors’ coupon, which drives consumers into stores looking for the product.”

In-store demos, she added, have also been highly effective with new placement and ramping up the salad hype in produce departments across the country.

“SaladSavors” currently comes in six great combinations. They include “Fresh,” with goat cheese, dried cranberries and walnuts; “Vibrant,” which offers blue cheese, dried cherries and pecans; “Zesty” combines feta cheese, pitted calamata olives and sweet red peppers; “Sharp” has Asiago cheese, marinated artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes; “Bold” has gorgonzola cheese, dried pears and toasted sliced almonds, and the newest variety; “Crisp,” offers sharp white cheddar, red apple chips and toasted sliced almonds.

But Pozzuto offers a teaser; be on the lookout for some crazy cool new flavors.

“I can’t put too much on the line, but let’s just say our next variety is a killer combination that is sure to make a splash in the salad scene this year,” she said.

The George DeLallo Co. was founded in the mid-1940s with the ideals of offering true authentic Italian foods with integrity and consistency. In 1954, George DeLallo and his wife, Madeline, established a grocery store specializing in authentic Italian foods.

Soon after, they began to develop and sell traditional Italian products under the “DeLallo” label. Today the store remains a vibrant and beloved part of the community, and “DeLallo” products are distributed throughout the country. Whether on grocery items, on its complete line of cured olives and antipasti or on its salad toppings the “DeLallo” label guarantees consumers authenticity, integrity and consistency.