Mr. Kooks, Caribé Juice Among 13 CPG Brands Chosen for Circana’s Diversity Advantage Program

Nosh Staff Mar. 15, 2023 at 4:22 PM

Circana, the new combined company name for IRI and the NDP group, announced today the second cohort of 13 consumer packaged goods companies for its Diversity and Advantage program (DAP), eight of which are food and beverage brands.

Launched in May 2021, the Diversity Advantage Program was developed to assist emerging minority- and women-owned CPG companies on their quest to grow. In order to qualify for the program, CPG companies must have $1 million to $25 million in annual sales, be minority- or women-owned and be recommended by a participating retailer such as Arnold Delhaize USA Companies, Amazon and Kroger. According to Circana, the program is supported by 200 Circana employee volunteers and 11 retail partners across the U.S. and U.K.

Participants are sourced from companies certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the National Minority Suppliers Development Council (NMSDC) and from retailer’s own diversity supplier programs.

The volunteer employee-led curriculum provides “DAPers” with access to market measurement services, consultative services to accelerate growth, solution training, access to participating retailer collaboration gateways, coaching to prepare for retail meetings and collaboration with other participants.

The inaugural cohort of 27 companies, announced in 2021, featured food and beverage brands such as BLK & BOLD, Brooklyn Delhi and Partake.

“We are pleased with the significant impact we have made on the community through the DAP program so far, and with the positive growth our participants are achieving,” said Circana EVP and practice leader Boris Oglesby in a press release. “As we head into year two, we look forward to continuing to provide resources and coaching to diverse-owned CPG companies with the support of Circana’s employee volunteers and retail partners.”

The six food and beverage CPG brands among the second cohort include:

Cold-pressed tropical superfruit juice maker Caribé Juice. Founded in 2014, the brand creates is juices with fruit purchased from more than 100 family farmers in the Dominican Republic.
Cincinnati, Ohio-based Creamalicious, which blends artisan ice cream with well-recognized Southern comfort foods such as pecan pie and brown sugar bourbon cake. The brand also produces a line of coffee creamers.
Better-for-you functional beverage producer DYLA Brands. DYLA owns the Stur Drink Mix Group, which markets a line of water enhancers.
Brooklyn-born Golde, a wellness brand that produces a portfolio of superfood essentials including powdered matcha and latte products.
Buda, Texas-based Night Hawk Frozen Food, which markets a lineup of frozen dinners including Steak n’ Mac, Western Charbroil and Beef Patty n’ Mashed Potatoes, among others.
Mr. Kooks, an Indian cuisine brand that produces a line of curries (chicken), simmer sauces (butter chicken, tikka marsala and ghost pepper) and seasonings (tandoori and chicken tikka).
Chicago, Illinois-based meat wholesaler Purely Gourmet Meat Co. LLC, which partners with Midwest farmers and ranchers.
Lochirco Fruit & Produce Inc., a Happy Apples company that sells produce online.

“We are excited to join the DAP program, as its initiatives are ideally suited to help a company like ours capture growth opportunities,” said Mr. Kooks president Anish Patel in a press release. “The support from Circana gives us the resources and insights as an Indian-owned company in this market. We’re eager to continue partnering with large retailers.”