From charcuterie to ugly fruit to decadent cheesecake, Kroger is adding emerging brands to help diversify its roster of fresh food suppliers.
Kroger Co.’s second annual Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator has produced five new vendors.
Kroger said it received more than 1,600 applications for the Accelerator and a review panel led by Kroger worked with ECRM and its subsidiary RangeMe to narrow it down to 15 finalists. The final 15 vendors were invited to Cincinnati to showcase and sell their products. At the final event, the Pitch Contest, each company presented his 15-minute presentation and provided a sample to the panel of judges. The jury scores were combined with Category Managers, Merchandising Directors and Leaders to determine the winning group.
Coro Foods is one of five winners in the Go Fresh & Local competition, pitching their cooking-oriented charcuterie.
The 2022 winners are:
• Coro Foods, Kent, Washington — Serving food-driven charcuterie in the Seattle area for over 20 years, this company produces old-world salami that defies tradition.
• The Ugly Company, Kingsburg, CA — Seemingly imperfect but perfectly healthy fruit is ‘upcycled’ into dried fruit snacks.
• Hiatus, Baltimore — Offering several decadent flavors, Hiatus offers consumers premium cheesecake made from natural ingredients.
• J. Berry Nursery & Genetics (Grand Saline, Texas) — The company enhances the beauty of hibiscus, crape myrtle and begonia with the science of plant genetics.
• Zacca Hummus, Boise, Idaho — Family farm-to-table traditional Mediterranean hummus in a variety of flavors that are non-GMO, gluten-free and free of artificial preservatives.
Baltimore-based Hiatus’ premium cheesecakes will also join Kroger’s fresh produce lineup next year. (Photo credit: Kroger)
“We are thrilled to welcome this year’s GoFresh & Local cohort to our extraordinary portfolio of fresh local and regional suppliers,” said Dan De La Rosa, Group Vice President of Fresh Merchandising at Kroger. “Go Fresh & Local was created to bring the best, most innovative, freshest local and regional products from new and diverse small businesses to customers across the United States. Exceeded our expectations every step of the way.Their commitment to excellence and the unique blends of products they create expand our local footprint and are ‘fresh for everyone’ It helps us fulfill our mission.
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 sponsorship support, business development and coaching opportunities from Kroger, as well as product placement on store and online shelves. Products from this year’s cohort will be placed in his Kroger store in 2023.
This year’s Executive Selection Panel was hosted by Kroger’s Director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations, Erin Rolfes, and included De La Rosa. Stuart Aitken, Chief His Merchant and Marketing Officer. Brian Kelly, Chairman and CEO of Pearlrock Partners. Juan de Paoli, vice president of branding at Kroger. Victor Smith, president of Kroger Atlanta. Kroger’s brand Emily Hartman, his Senior Director of Marketing. and Kroger’s multicultural merchandiser, the Rocío Indaco chair. Gourmet Foods International has returned as his second year sponsor and is joined by his first sponsor, DPI Specialty Foods.
Last year’s first Go Fresh & Local cohort featured Minneapolis’ Maazah. Nona Lim, Oakland, CA. Queen Charlotte’s Pimento Cheese Royale, Charlotte, NC. Simply South Side, Macedonia, Ohio. In 2022 he will debut a product with Kroger.
Kroger, the largest supermarket operator in the United States, is headquartered in Cincinnati and operates more than 2,700 stores nationwide.
