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From charcuterie to decadent fruit to decadent cheesecake, Kroger is adding brands to help round out its roster of fresh food vendors.
The Kroger Company’s second annual Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator resulted in five new suppliers adding local suppliers to its national footprint.
Kroger said it received more than 1,600 expedited applications, from which a judging committee led by Kroger, in collaboration with ECRM and RangeMe’s product discovery arm, selected 15 finalists. The final 15 vendors are invited to Cincinnati to showcase and sell their products. In the final pitch competition, each company presented a 15-minute presentation and samples to the judges, who combined with category managers, merchandising directors and executives to name the winning team.
Coro Foods entered its culinary-led charcuterie in the Go Fresh & Local competition and was one of five winners.
The 2022 winners are as follows.
• Coro Foods, Kent, Wash. – Serving culinary-driven charcuterie in the Seattle area for over 20 years, this company produces Old World salami that is not limited by culture.
• The Ugly Company, Kingsburg, CA – Perfectly healthy fruits with imperfect appearance are “upcycled” into dried fruit snacks.
• Hiatus, Baltimore – Offering an array of decadent flavors, Hiatus offers consumers premium cheesecakes made with natural ingredients.
• J. Berry Nursery & Genetics, Grand Saline, Texas – The company enhances the beauty of hibiscus, crape myrtles and begonias through the science of plant genetics.
• Zacca Hummus, Boise, Idaho – From family farm to table, traditional Mediterranean hummus is offered in a variety of flavors that are non-GMO, gluten-free and contain no artificial preservatives.
A premium cheesecake from Baltimore-based Hiatus will also join Kroger’s fresh food line in stores starting next year. (Photo courtesy of Kroger)
“We are thrilled to welcome this year’s Go Fresh and Local Cohort to our extraordinary array of fresh local and regional suppliers,” said Dan De La Rosa, vice president of fresh produce at Kroger, in a statement. “Go Fresh & Local was created to bring the best, most innovative and fresh local and regional products from innovative and diverse small businesses to our customers across the US. This creative team has exceeded our expectations every step of the way. Their commitment to excellence and the unique combination of their creations will bring our local It will help us to expand our footprint and achieve our mission of being ‘new for all’.
The Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator, announced in mid-2021, is part of the company’s commitment to invest $10 billion in diverse suppliers by 2030, Kroger said. Each winning company will receive product placement on shelves in-store and online, as well as sponsor support and business development and training opportunities from Kroger. This year’s batch of products will be stocked in Kroger stores in 2023.
This year’s executive selection panel was moderated by Kroger’s director of corporate communications and media relations, Erin Rolfes, and included De La Rosa; Stuart Aitken, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer; Brian Kelly, chairman and CEO of Pearl Rock Partners; Juan De Paoli, Vice President of Our Brands at Kroger; Kroger Atlanta Division President Victor Smith; Emily Hartman, senior director of brand marketing at Kroger; and Rocio Indacochea, a multicultural merchant at Kroger. Gourmet Foods International returns as a sponsor for the second year and is joined by first-time sponsor DPI Specialty Foods.
The first Go Fresh & Local Cohort was presented at Ma’azah Minneapolis last year; Nona Lim, Oakland, California; Queen Charlotte Pimento Cheese Royale, Charlotte, NC; simply south sides, Macedonia, Ohio; and Soupergirl, Washington, D.C., all products debuting at Kroger in 2022.
The nation’s largest supermarket operator, Cincinnati-based Kroger operates more than 2,700 stores across the United States.
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