Earthbound Farm expands specialty greens line
Earthbound Farm expands specialty greens line
San Juan Bautista, CA-based Earthbound Farm, a leading U.S. grower and shipper of organic produce and specialty salads, is expanding its specialty greens line with fresh-cut salad choices and sizes.
Baby spinach blend is a mix of baby spinach, baby arugula and red radicchio. Baby arugula blend features mild baby arugula, savory fris?e and spicy radicchio. M?che blend combines nutty m?che with fris?e and radicchio.
Together with Earthbound Farm's existing baby spinach, baby arugula and m?che, the new complementary blends are packaged in popular five-ounce clear clamshell containers.
The new five-ounce m?che and m?che blend replace existing 3.5-ounce and four-ounce offerings, making packaging consistent across the line for easy merchandising and line pricing.
"We showed these at [the Canadian Produce Marketing Association trade show], and everyone loved them," Samantha Cabaluna, spokesperson for Earthbound Farm and Natural Selection Foods, told The Produce News. There was "a lot of excitement," and "blends are showing a lot of growth potential," she said.
In a press release, Earthbound cited AC Nielsen data showing that clamshell salad sales have exploded, rocketing from $129 million to $281 million in the last two years alone -- an increase of more than 117 percent.
Arugula is an increasingly popular green used in salads and cooking. Nielsen figures show sales of organic arugula are up 60 percent, year over year, while sales of conventional arugula are down 40 percent. Likewise, m?che's popularity has surged in the last year, increasing sales by 51.5 percent, and spinach blends are experiencing steady 9.2 percent growth over a year ago.
"Where [m?che] sells, it sells really great," Ms. Cabaluna said.
Tonya Antle, vice president of organic sales, said in the release that as more consumers turn to organic produce, they're "looking for convenient options and greater selection" and that Earthbound Farm "continues to bring innovative, upscale products to market to meet that demand."
In the press release, Ms. Antle said that according to AC Nielsen, organic value-added salad sales are now approaching 10 percent of the total fresh-cut category.
The release said that like all Earthbound Farm salads, the "specialty greens line is produced under the most aggressive food-safety program in the industry, including pathogen-specific testing of raw product and finished goods."
The five-ounce clamshells of the six specialty greens varieties feature the packaging of the "Earthbound Farm Blends" line, and they're also available in "Quebec-compliant" packaging. The products began shipping May 28, packed eight to a case, with a suggested retail price of $3.99. They will be available for pickup from Earthbound Farm's distribution center in San Juan Bautista.
Baby spinach blend is a mix of baby spinach, baby arugula and red radicchio. Baby arugula blend features mild baby arugula, savory fris?e and spicy radicchio. M?che blend combines nutty m?che with fris?e and radicchio.
Together with Earthbound Farm's existing baby spinach, baby arugula and m?che, the new complementary blends are packaged in popular five-ounce clear clamshell containers.
The new five-ounce m?che and m?che blend replace existing 3.5-ounce and four-ounce offerings, making packaging consistent across the line for easy merchandising and line pricing.
"We showed these at [the Canadian Produce Marketing Association trade show], and everyone loved them," Samantha Cabaluna, spokesperson for Earthbound Farm and Natural Selection Foods, told The Produce News. There was "a lot of excitement," and "blends are showing a lot of growth potential," she said.
In a press release, Earthbound cited AC Nielsen data showing that clamshell salad sales have exploded, rocketing from $129 million to $281 million in the last two years alone -- an increase of more than 117 percent.
Arugula is an increasingly popular green used in salads and cooking. Nielsen figures show sales of organic arugula are up 60 percent, year over year, while sales of conventional arugula are down 40 percent. Likewise, m?che's popularity has surged in the last year, increasing sales by 51.5 percent, and spinach blends are experiencing steady 9.2 percent growth over a year ago.
"Where [m?che] sells, it sells really great," Ms. Cabaluna said.
Tonya Antle, vice president of organic sales, said in the release that as more consumers turn to organic produce, they're "looking for convenient options and greater selection" and that Earthbound Farm "continues to bring innovative, upscale products to market to meet that demand."
In the press release, Ms. Antle said that according to AC Nielsen, organic value-added salad sales are now approaching 10 percent of the total fresh-cut category.
The release said that like all Earthbound Farm salads, the "specialty greens line is produced under the most aggressive food-safety program in the industry, including pathogen-specific testing of raw product and finished goods."
The five-ounce clamshells of the six specialty greens varieties feature the packaging of the "Earthbound Farm Blends" line, and they're also available in "Quebec-compliant" packaging. The products began shipping May 28, packed eight to a case, with a suggested retail price of $3.99. They will be available for pickup from Earthbound Farm's distribution center in San Juan Bautista.
