Distribution Roundup: Pitaya Expands Offerings, Debuts Rebrand at Whole Foods Nationwide

In the latest distribution news, four new products from Pitaya and cereal from Catalina Crunch hit shelves at Whole Foods Market, ParmCrisps goes club-sized at Costco and BFree’s wraps launch at Walmart.

Pitaya Adds to Whole Foods Portfolio Nationwide

After teasing its rebrand last year at Expo East, frozen superfruit brand Pitaya launched four new products and debuted its new packaging at Whole Foods this week. Its Coconut Smoothie Packs and Jackfruit, Passion Fruit and Watermelon Bite-Sized Cubes, along with its flagship Dragon Fruit Smoothie Packs in newly updated packaging, will now be available nationwide.

Pitaya CEO and co-founder Chuck Casano told NOSH that after Whole Foods’ 90 day exclusive, Pitaya plans to launch the rebranded frozen line in additional retailers. The brand’s Dragon Fruit Smoothie Packs are currently sold in 11,000 points of distribution nationwide, and Casano said this year the brand will focus on expanding its offerings among its current customer base before looking to add new retail partners.

Casano and co-founder Ben Hiddlestone launched the brand in 2009, entered Whole Foods with its flagship products nearly seven years ago, and “hustled for years to get this into each region to become a national brand,” he said. Casano said the brand’s strategy is to leverage its wide portfolio of frozen bite-sized fruits and smoothie packs to save retailers time in having to work with multiple vendors for these items. The breadth of products also allows the brand to develop larger, and more impactful, in-store promotions to drive shoppers into the frozen aisle.

“Right now the frozen set is really fragmented, there are a lot of single SKU companies, so our strategy is to consolidate the category and offer retailers a one stop shop for exotic and trending fruits,” he said. “Our customer is someone who cares enough about their health to make smoothies part of their routine. Once we are part of their routine, we tend to stay there.”

Catalina Crunch’s Cereal Rolls Out at Whole Foods Nationwide

Direct-to-consumer, keto-friendly, snack brand Catalina Crunch launched in retail for the first time this month, rolling out its cereals in Whole Foods nationwide. Three of its six cereal flavors — Dark Chocolate, Cinnamon Toast and Maple Waffle — have hit shelves, with a suggested retail price of $8.99 per one 9 oz. pouch.

The company looked to expand into brick and mortar in order to reach more customers — many of whom are still browsing store shelves. Whole Foods, Krishna Kaliannan, founder and CEO of Catalina Snacks, said, was the right partner to make this leap given the retailer’s dedication to supporting emerging natural and healthy food brands.

“We were not looking for just another spot to make a transition, but a partner that understands what our brand stands for, and our commitment to offering better food choices for customers everywhere,” Kaliannan said. “Adding retail to our distribution channels at this time is a natural next step for the brand – it will add another layer to our customer experience and an opportunity to create more personal relationships with shoppers.”

Catalina Crunch recently expanded its portfolio with a new line of keto-friendly freeze dried smoothies in ready-to-make cups. The line’s three flavors — Mixed Berry, Tropical Pineapple and Strawberry Banana — are available on the brand’s website now for $89 per case of 12 smoothies.

BFree Brings Wraps to Walmart Nationwide

BFree’s line of gluten-free and wheat-free wraps is now available in Walmart stores nationwide, the brand announced last month.

The brand’s Sweet Potato Wraps, Multigrain Wraps and Quinoa & Chia Wraps have hit 1,800 stores, while the brand’s newest launch, Sweet Wraps (sweet potato, banana and apple wraps geared toward kids), will be available in 1,400 stores. All four varieties will be available at a suggested retail price of $4.98 per 6-pack of wraps.

“We are thrilled to now be on the shelves at Walmart and to be able to help more customers ‘live free’ with our delicious products,” said Chloe Twomey, advertising and promotions manager at BFree Foods, in a press release. “The response to our wraps, rolls, pitas, bread loaves and bagels has been overwhelmingly positive and has allowed for our rapid expansion to a growing number of retailers across the country.”

The brand is currently available in retailers such as Albertsons, Costco, Giant, Kroger, Stop & Shop and Publix.

Hodo Hits Shelves in Publix

Plant-based brand Hodo launched chainwide in Publix last month. Its Harissa Cubes, Veggie Burgers, Thai Curry Nuggets and Moroccan Cubes can now be found in the plant-based case located in the store’s produce section.

“We are proud to bring our organic, wholesome and innovative products to one of the country’s most exciting and longstanding grocery chains,” said Hodo Founder and CEO Minh Tsai. “Our products make customization easy, as they’re ready-to-eat for so many types of dishes and snacks.”

With the addition of Publix, Hodo is now available in 5,500 retail locations nationwide, including Whole Foods, Target and Natural Grocers. The brand previewed its new plant-based Cajun Burger at Natural Products Expo West last year, and launched it in retailers in October.

ParmCrisps Launches in Costco

Low-carb snack brand ParmCrisps rolled out a club-sized line in the Arizona region of Costco this month. The 9.5 oz. bag of Original ParmCrisps are now available for a suggested retail price of $8.99.

“We’re eager to bring Costco shoppers the Keto snack they’ve been waiting for,” said Sam Kestenbaum, CEO of ParmCrisps, in a press release. “Our club-size bags offer value, shareability and a healthy snack option.”

ParmCrisps’ crackers are available in six flavors, and are currently available in retailers such as Whole Foods, Kroger, Wegmans, ShopRite, Publix and Bed Bath & Beyond. The brand announced on LinkedIn this week that it will debut new keto-friendly snack mixes at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California next month.

Other distribution news includes:

• BLK & Bold Speciality Beverages’ specialty coffees are now available nationwide at over 200 Target stores and on Target’s website. The brand’s four 12 oz. whole bean coffees retail for $12.99.
• Field Roast Grain Meat Co.’s Chao Creamery Creamy Original plant-based cheese slices can now be found at over 150 Costco locations in the United States and Canada. Chao Creamery also debuted in Sprouts chainwide this month.
• Yolélé Foods’ fonio, a West African grain, is now being used in the Organic Quinoa Vegan Burger at California’s Burger Lodge in all 24 of the fast casual restaurants’ locations.
• Onesto Foods’ new line of gluten-free and vegan cookies has hit shelves at Whole Foods in the North Atlantic region.
• Breakfast food brand Start Right Foods’ Waffle Slider Breakfast Sandwich is now available at Sprouts Farmers Markets.
• Lily’s Sweets announced it has launched nine new products at Whole Foods, including three new chocolate bars, two-packs of peanut butter cups, chocolate covered caramels and chocolate caramel popcorn.