Distribution Roundup: Copper Cow Hits Whole Foods Nationwide; TRUFF Pasta Sauce Lands in Target

Copper Cow Launches at Whole Foods Nationwide

Copper Cow expanded distribution of its Vietnamese pour over coffee kits to Whole Foods nationwide this month, with its Classic and Vanilla Latte, as well as its seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte and Peppermint Latte flavors, entering the natural retailer. The brand has been sold in Whole Foods’ Southern California and Rocky Mountain regions since early 2020.

Founded in 2016 by Vietnamese-American Debbie Wei Mullin, the Los Angeles-based brand markets coffee pour-over kits featuring a disposable sachet filter prefilled with ground coffee. It has since grown its offerings to include creamers, lattes and teas.

According to Wei Mullin, Whole Foods is a strong retail partner for the brand because it has “gained the trust of their customers” by offering “only quality products.” The two also serve a very similar customer base, she noted.

“It’s the main focus for us to connect to our socially and quality conscious customer that we know is at Whole Foods Market,” Wei Mullin said. “When I was first pitching the company I would usually say, ‘It’s a Vietnamese coffee that could be sold in Whole Foods’ because it signified the standard of quality I was going to uphold.”

The new distribution comes after the company secured $8.5 million in new funding in May to grow its retail footprint as well as launch online exclusive products and build out its Vietnamese supply chain.

Prior to the pandemic, the company had focused on hospitality, foodservice and alternative retail channels, building a presence in 1,500 department stores like Bloomingdales and Macy’s. However, it has since switched its strategy to focus on ecommerce and traditional grocery retailers, with distribution in over 3,000 stores including Walmart and Sprouts.

The company said it has seen ecommerce revenue triple and grocery sales double over the past year. Copper Cow hit profitability in 2020, Wei Mullin told NOSH earlier this year, with 2020 earnings growing four-fold year-over-year.

TRUFF Pasta Sauces Lands in Target

Truffle-infused condiment maker TRUFF debuted its pasta sauce at Target stores this month. Both flavors of its sauce line, Pomodoro and Arrabiata, are now available at 200 locations for $12.99 per jar. The company had previously launched its hot sauce line at Target locations in Southern California earlier this year.

The launch at Target is the pasta sauce line’s first mass placement since its debut in November 2020, TRUFF EVP Reno Yanes said. Since its founding in 2017 the brand has grown beyond hot sauces, launching pasta sauce, mayonnaise and oil products, and the Target placement “gives credibility to the fact that we are a Truffle platform and not just a hot sauce brand,” Yanes said.

“Target is a great retail partner for TRUFF because of the overlap in our customer demographics,” Yanes said. “Whenever we launch in new stores, our customers always ask us, ‘What about Target?’ This shows us that there is definitely a desire and a strong brand awareness among the Target shopper.”

The launch is part of TRUFF’s push into conventional and mass retailers this year, Yanes said. The brand is also currently sold at retailers like Wegmans and Central Market.

“We have proven ourselves as category leaders at Whole Foods and in the natural specialty channel, so it has become a natural progression to offer our products to a wider customer base,” he said.

Field Roast Hits Whole Foods, While Lightlife Launches at Walmart

Greenleaf Foods’ plant-based meat and dairy brands Lightlife and Field Roast both secured distribution gains this month. Greenleaf is a subsidiary of global meat producer Maple Leaf Foods.

This week, Field Roast’s Plant-Based Pepperoni and Chao Creamery Creamy Original Shreds debuted nationwide at Whole Foods, the first national retailer to carry them. The pea protein-based pepperoni has previously seen success in the foodservice channel since its launch in January through partnerships with pizza chains like Little Caesars, Greenleaf president Dan Curtin noted. The Chao Creamery shreds, which debuted last year, join the brand’s plant-based cheese slices already sold at the retailer.

Meanwhile, Lightlife’s Plant-Based Burger, Breakfast Links and Breakfast Patties launched at select Walmart locations nationwide last week. The breakfast items, sold in the refrigerated meat section, are the first plant-based meat options sold in that area of Walmart stores, according to Lightlife. They join the brand’s Original Tempeh and Smart Dogs previously carried at Walmart.

“Flexitarian consumers continue to drive growth in the plant-based category, and we’re excited to expand our partnership with Walmart to make delicious, simple plant-based products even more accessible,” Curtin said.

Lightlife’s, which currently sells its products at 22,000 retailers nationwide, inked a deal with Whole Foods earlier this month to become its exclusive plant-based chicken provider in its North American prepared foods departments. Last month, the company debuted its largest ad campaign to date, “Simple Ingredients for a Full Life,” starring actress Awkwafina on television, online video and social channels across North America.

ChocXo Grows at Wegmans and Vons

Following a rebrand this summer, Canadian low-sugar chocolate maker ChocXO is growing its U.S. footprint with expanded distribution at Wegmans and Vons, the brand announced yesterday.

ChocXo is launching at 100 Wegmans doors, with 85 stores carrying its Coconut Almond Butter Cups and the rest selling its full six-product lineup. Meanwhile, the brand is also hitting shelves at 85 Vons stores, with 58 stores offering its Almond Butter Cups, Coconut Almond Snaps and Raspberry Quinoa Snaps and the remaining stores carrying its full portfolio.

As it makes a push into U.S. retail, ChocXO’s revenue is still primarily driven by Canadian sales, Foley told NOSH earlier this year. Its products are currently sold at 5,000 retailers across the U.S. and Canada, including Costco, Safeway and Fred Meyers in the U.S.

“We are thrilled to see the company’s retail presence expand on shelves at some of the top retail grocery stores,” CEO Richard Foley said. “By the end of next year, our goal is to increase our distribution and partner with the top 15 retailers across the US.”

The company rebranded in June with colorful packaging and a tagline of “simply better chocolate,” pulling back on its previous positioning around keto and sugar content callouts to “establish ourselves as a known brand, not just known for products or attributes,” Foley said.