FlapJacked Takes on Conventional Baking Aisle With Walmart

It’s raining distribution deals this spring. From natural gum exclusives to protein muffin expansions, here’s your latest in natural food distribution news.

FlapJacked Brings Mighty Muffins to Walmart’s Baking Aisle

FlapJacked has brought its Mighty Muffins to the conventional baking aisle of 2,500 Walmart locations nationwide this week.

FlapJacked Marketing Manager Ben Bacon told NOSH the muffins were previously stocked in about 1,600 Walmart stores in the sports nutrition section, but that the brand was then approached by Walmart’s baking buyer about moving to this higher traffic area of the store with more SKUs. Bacon told NOSH that the company sees this move as “both a challenge and an opportunity.”

“They’re betting that the average consumer out there really does want healthier options even in the baking aisle so they’re putting our product just inches away to see what happens,” the company wrote in an email to customers. “If a smaller, family-run brand like Flapjacked can succeed in the sugary lion’s den of Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker, then we believe Walmart will continue to stock its conventional shelves with healthier options.”

Simply Gum Partners With by CHLOE

Simply Gum, the makers of all natural, vegan gum and mint products, announced WHEN that it partnered with vegan fast-casual chain by CHLOE to create a limited-edition gum flavor based on the restaurant’s best-selling cold-pressed juice, The Merry Prankster. The juice is a mix of watermelon, apple, prickly pear and lemon. The gum is being sold in all 11 by CHLOE locations and online through the spring.

Simply Gum CEO Caron Proschan told NOSH that Simply was interested in working with by CHLOE because of the synergies between the two brands’ missions, ingredients and aesthetics.

“We are finding it’s a great way for us to gain exposure to new audiences,” Proschan said.

The company is also expanding its presence in retail. This June, its most recently launched breath mint line will hit Whole Foods Market nationally, and later this year the company is coming out with new flavors of gum in combinations of trendy flavors and ingredients like turmeric and cayenne. The new flavors will be available to start in some of the brand’s most successful retailers including Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie.

Pernicious Pickling Co. Enters Cost Plus World Market

Cost Plus World Market is adding Pernicious Pickling Co.’s small batch pickles and pickled vegetables to its store shelves as of this month. The company announced the partnership last week as part of Cost Plus World Market’s Summer ‘Great Outdoors’ campaign.

Cost Plus is selling five of Pernicious Pickling’s 10 products — Dilly Beets, Curry Cauliflower, Sweet ‘n Sour Red Onions, Classic Garlic Dill Pickles, and Sweet Mustard Bread & Butter Pickles — in all 270 of the retailer’s locations.

“From our beginnings, we have always strived to create high-quality, bold and memorable products for our consumers and we are very excited and honored to have the opportunity to partner with Cost Plus World Market” Baron Conway, COO and co-founder of Pernicious Pickling Co., said via a release.

Pernicious Pickling can also be found in leading retailers such as Sprouts, Whole Foods Market, Murray’s Cheese at Ralph’s, Giant Eagle Market District, Central Market, Busch’s and Plum Markets.

Jersey Tomato Co. Launches at Harris Teeter

The Jersey Tomato Co. is bringing its “American San Marzano” quality tomato sauces to all 245 Harris Teeter Neighborhood and Pharmacy stores this month, the company announced last week.

The Jersey Tomato Co. is a portfolio company of KEEN Growth Capital, a venture fund that invests in and develops early-stage food and wellness companies. The company has three SKUs of tomato sauces — marinara, tomato basil and spicy, all of which were taken on by Harris Teeter — in addition to pizza sauces and salsas. The sauces are in about 3,000 stores, including Kroger nationwide.

Mame Strengthens Colorado Roots

Denver-based Mame’s Burritos announced last month that it has deepened its roots in Colorado retailers’ frozen food aisles with the addition of King Soopers and City Market stores throughout the state.

As part of the retailer’s Local Natural Program, Mame’s Burritos introduced four flavors in 123 stores across the state. The natural burritos, which use ingredients like all white meat, antibiotic free chicken and uncured, nitrate-free bacon, are currently also sold in coffee shops and specialty food stores in Colorado, the San Francisco Bay area and Chicago.

“We are committed to providing our burrito-loving customers with the best quality ingredients with nothing artificial, and it’s our belief that is what makes our burritos taste better – adventurous, bold and unique,” Lisa Wolff, of Mame’s Burritos, said via a release.

Fody Adds Hy-Vee

Right in time for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Awareness Month, leading Low FODMAP foods maker Fody announced that Hy-Vee is now carrying the FODY product line in over 100 of its retail locations. Fodmaps are small carbohydrates in certain foods that, when highly concentrated, can cause pain, bloating, and other gut issues for those prone to digestion issues like IBS. The brand, founded in 2016, creates gut-friendly snacks, sauces and kitchen essentials for those suffering from IBS — that’s roughly 45 million U.S. consumers alone.

“We are incredibly pleased to partner with Hy-Vee,” Steven Singer, FODY founder and Glutino cofounder, said via a release. “They’re on the forefront when it comes to identifying healthy solutions and, with over 200 dietitians on staff to offer guidance, maintain a commitment to offering their customers high-quality, nutritious options. IBS can be such a debilitating disease for so many Americans who may not even know their options.”