Distribution Roundup: Outer Aisle Hits More Shelves; Hooray Foods Debuts in Whole Foods

In the latest distribution news, Outer Aisle adds 2,200 new doors, Hooray Foods debuts its plant-based bacon in Whole Foods, Ithaca Hummus brings four flavors to Sprouts nationwide and Catalina Crunch launches new flavors of its keto-friendly cereal in retail.

Outer Aisle Adds 2,200 Doors

Cauliflower bread brand Outer Aisle’s PlantPower Sandwich Thins and Pizza Crusts have expanded to 2,200 new doors. The products can now be found on shelves at Sprouts nationwide and at Kroger locations in the western U.S., as well as select regions of several grocery stores including 220 Meijer locations and 140 Albertsons stores in Texas, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, along with Foodtown and Gelsons.

Founded in 2013, Outer Aisle offers a line of low-carb, gluten-free cauliflower-based pizza crusts and sandwich thins, which can also be found in retailers such as Whole Foods and Wegmans. Outer Aisle founder and CEO Jeanne David said in a press release that expansion to these new retailers is “beyond a dream come true.”

“If you had told me back in 2013 that this funny idea I had for ‘cauliflower bread’ would turn into something people demanded at their local grocery stores and made a top-selling bread on Amazon, I would have laughed out loud,” she said. “But every day I feel enormously grateful and blessed that the idea caught on and people love what we’re making.”

According to the brand, it is on track to triple its revenue from last year. Along with these new distribution gains, Outer Aisle plans to drive growth in 2021 with new product launches and a push into foodservice, the brand said.

Hooray Foods Launches in Whole Foods

Meat-free bacon maker Hooray Foods launched its first product into 300 Whole Foods Market locations across seven regions. The San Francisco-based brand, whose aim is to save animals from the food system “one pig at a time,” is now offering 10-packs of plant-based bacon strips for $8.99 at the retailer.

The brand, founded last year by Ari Artham, former VP of consumer packaged foods at Fair Trade USA, closed a seed round led by Stray Dog Capital earlier this year. The firm also led a pre-seed round last year to increase production ahead of the brand’s retail launch.

Hooray’s bacon — made with coconut oil, rice flour, tapioca starch, maple syrup and umami seasoning — produces 80% less carbon emissions than the production of traditional bacon, according to the brand. The products are also free of gluten, dairy and soy.

“I wanted to do something that would have a positive environmental impact,” Artham said in a press release. “While I’m not a chef, or a food scientist, I have been in the food industry for many years, so working to make an environmental difference seemed like a good place to start.”

Ithaca Hummus Goes Nationwide at Sprouts

Four flavors of natural hummus brand Ithaca Hummus — Lemon Garlic, Lemon Dill, Lemon Beet and Classic — hit shelves at Sprouts Farmers Markets nationwide this month, selling for $4.99 per 10 oz. tub. The launch in 350 Sprouts locations will bring its total door count to over 6,500 retailers nationwide.

“We have positioned Ithaca Hummus to drive hummus towards a second surge of growth in the American diet as the plant-based trend continues to gain momentum,” Chris Kirby, founder and CEO of Ithaca Hummus, said in a press release.Our goal is to grow the category, and we do that by bringing lapsed users back to the shelf and trading up non-Ithaca users to our premium brand.”

Ithaca Hummus’ expanded distribution follows significant gains made earlier this year, including Fresh Thyme, Safeway, Whole Foods North Atlantic and Midwest regions and select Hannaford and Food Lion stores.

Field Roast Chao Creamery Doubles Distribution at Walmart

Field Roast’s Chao Creamery dairy-free cheese brand announced last month it had expanded its distribution to 2,000 additional Walmart locations and added two new products to the retailer’s shelves. The brand’s cheeses are now sold in 18,000 retailer locations nationwide, and will expand to new locations of H-E-B, Meijer, Safeway and Ahold through the end of the year.

According to the company, Chao Creamery has grown sales 35% year over year.

“It’s been rewarding to see how Chao lovers are experimenting with our new products in the kitchen, and I’m excited to make these products even more accessible for new and existing fans alike,” Dan Curtin, president of Greenleaf Foods, owner of Field Roast, said in a press release.

Walmart will also be taking on the brand’s new Creamy Original Shreds and Mexican Style Blend Shreds. In October, the brand launched five new varieties of cheeses, which also included Smoked and Spicy flavors of its original slices, as well as a Creamy Original Block.

Catalina Crunch Launches New Flavors in Sprouts, Whole Foods

The latest launch from keto-friendly snack brand Catalina Crunch, Chocolate Peanut Butter cereal, has hit shelves at Sprouts nationwide. The cereal flavor, which launched online in October, joins three other flavors at the retailer, and is sold in a resealable 9 oz. pouch for $7.99.

The brand has also launched a new flavor exclusively at Whole Foods nationwide, rolling out its Fruity cereal (which launched this summer) before expanding to additional retailers in 2021. Fruity joins Dark Chocolate, Cinnamon Toast and Maple Waffle flavors currently sold at the retailer.

Catalina Crunch, which along with its cereals offers keto-friendly sandwich cookies and freeze-dried smoothies, debuted in retail in October 2019 and has since launched in over 8,000 retailers nationwide including Albertsons, Plum Markets, New Seasons and King Foods Market.

Other distribution news includes:

  • Vegan protein bar brand Mezcla launched its Peruvian Coconut Peanut Butter and Mexican Chipotle Hot Chocolate flavors at Erewhon Market this month.
  • Plant-based dairy brand Moocho’s dairy-free Shreds, launched last month, are now available in H-E-B in 8 oz. bags at a suggested retail price of $4.99.
  • Egglife’s original wraps are now available at Sprouts nationwide, bringing the brand’s door count to 2,000 across the U.S.
  • Upcycled snack brand Pulp Pantry has hit shelves at 400 West Coast Target locations and 11 SoPac Whole Foods locations.
  • Select Targets and Super Targets have added Siete’s Taco Seasonings and Grain Free Taco Shells, which join its Dairy Free Cashew Quesos and Grain Free Tortilla Chips at the retailer.
  • Vegan and gluten free banana bread brand GoNanas rolled out in 242 Nordstrom Rack locations in November.
  • Singing Pastures, maker of pork snack stick Roam Sticks launched its Uncured Bacon, Jalapeno and Pineapple flavors on Thrive Market.
  • Path of Life, plant-based frozen quinoa, rice and veggie blends, is now available in Safeway locations across Northern California and Hawaii and is expanding its presence in several Safeway subsidiaries. The brand’s Cilantro Lime Rice Blend has also launched at Jewel-Osco in the Chicagoland area.