Distribution Roundup: Grateful Market Makes Retail Push; Milk Cult Hits Whole Foods

Grateful Market Grows Retail Presence After Pivot from Foodservice

Massachusetts-based meat and vegetable burger blend maker Grateful Market has secured several retail placements in the Northeast, hitting the freezer section at Hannaford, Shaw’s and Whole Foods, following a channel strategy pivot as a result of the pandemic.

Launched in 2015, Grateful Market offers a variety of chicken and beef-based burgers blended with vegetables like mushrooms, onions, kale and carrots. The brand previously sold its patties largely through foodservice accounts such as colleges, universities and hospitals in the New England area. But when the “bottom dropped out” last year due to COVID, they “scrambled to figure out” how to adapt, founder Chris Nessen said.

To move forward, the company set its sights on expanding its presence in retail, which had previously been limited to local accounts, with its standard size patties, as well as with new innovations. Earlier this year, Grateful rolled out new slider-sized burgers offered in 6-packs, and well as in “Slider Kits” paired with buns.

Whole Foods Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and North Atlantic regions will carry its frozen Garlic Herb Chicken & Veggie Patties and Grass-fed Angus Beef with Bacon & Cheddar Patties along with its Beef Italian Meatballs, sold at a suggested retail price of $7.99 to $9.99. Shaw’s will carry the Garlic & Herb patty and its new Slider Kits ($10.95 for 6-pack) at 150 locations, while Hannaford 167 Hannaford stores have picked up three varieties of its sliders ($6.95 for 6-pack).

“[Retail] was really new to us,” Nessen said. “And I think it’s a testament of the product line itself why we got into these bigger accounts.”

The brand has also rolled out a direct-to-consumer platform, shipping to the East Coast, and will look to use this online platform to test out new products, including a line of sauces slated to launch this fall, Nessen said. While it’s mostly focused on growing its retail presence in the East, Grateful Market’s first foray beyond this region will come in the spring, when it rolls out its products in Chicago retailers, he said.

“We’ve made such great inroads in such a short period of time,” he said. “From January to now we’ve gotten into these three major chains, and that’s a great bright light for us to see the possibility of growing this to a national brand.”

Milk Cult Debuts Ice Cream Novelties in Whole Foods

Washington, D.C.-based ice cream maker Milk Cult launched its dairy and vegan novelties in Whole Foods Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Southeast and Southern California regions. The retailer will carry four of the brand’s ice cream sandwich flavors — Avocado Ice Cream Chocolate Wafer (vegan), Vanilla Ice Cream Chocolate Chip Cookie, Vanilla Ice Cream Chocolate Shell Potato Chip and Makrut Lime Candy Shell Crispy Rice (vegan) — which are offered at a suggested retail price of $3.29 to $3.79.

Founded in 2013, the brand offers dairy-based and vegan ice cream with locally sourced ingredients from Maryland and Pennsylvania, and is also sold at retailers like MOM’s Organic Market, Foxtrot, Union Kitchen Grocery, along with several independent retailers.

Milk Cult co-founder Ed Cornell said Whole Foods was a “natural fit” for the brand as it has shared core values.

“We place a premium on finding premium, interesting ingredients to elevate our consumer experience,” he said. “Likewise, Whole Foods is focused on introducing unique, high quality products to shoppers that fit within the natural foods category.”

The brand’s ice cream novelties had been in development for eight years and required “a lot of trial and error” in order to develop unique yet appealing flavor profiles and to achieve the right texture for the products, Cornell said.

“We saw white space in the vegan ice cream novelties category and wanted to bring attention to the flavor profile and quality that the market was lacking,” he said. “Those who prefer or need dairy free options deserve as good of a product line. We were willing to take the time and care to deliver it.”

Keto Krisp Grows Presence in Wegmans

Keto-friendly nutrition bar brand Keto Krisp has grown its presence in Wegmans, expanding from 50 locations to all 105 of the retailer’s stores. The retailer has also picked up an additional SKU, Almond Butter Chocolate Chip, and will now be merchandising the brand’s Almond Butter SKU at the register, according to CEO Matt Clifford. These flavors, along with the brand’s other bar varieties including Chocolate Raspberry and Chocolate Mint, will also be sold in the nutrition bar set.

“Wegmans is one of the most important retailers as it demonstrates success of a product/brand outside of natural,” Clifford said. “Furthermore, since they are an EDLP [Everyday Low Price] account, you get a solid understanding of how the brand performs without retailer level marketing like TPRs [temporary price reductions].”

The brand is also available at retailers such as Whole Foods SoPac, where it recently added its Almond Butter Blackberry Jelly and Almond Butter Chocolate Chip flavors, as well as Wegmans, H-E-B, Publix and Sprouts.

8 Myles Lands in Target

Frozen mac and cheese brand 8 Myles rolled out at 240 Target locations across the Northeast this month after testing in the retailer in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia last year. The brand’s three flavors — Buffalo, BBQ and Homestyle — have hit the retailer’s frozen section for a suggested retail price of $4.49.

“Knowing that families, college kids and young professionals alike can enjoy my favorite mac n’ cheese is thrilling,” said Myles Powell, founder of 8 Myles, said in a press release. “When I started this company, I wanted to bring comfort cooking in a convenient way to people everywhere and to show kids that you can build a business with just a dream and a lot of hard work.”

According to Powell, the brand is focused on saturating the Northeast before growing its presence in other regions, and is currently sold in select locations of Whole Foods, Balducci’s, Kings and Street’s Market Cafés.

Abbot’s Butcher Launches in Sprouts Chainwide

Plant-based protein maker Abbot’s Butcher debuted in Sprouts chainwide this month, with the retailer picking up its Slow Roasted Chick’n, Savory Ground “Beef” and Spanish Smoked “Chorizo,” all of which are merchandised in the frozen meat section. The products, which are made with pea protein, vegetables, herbs, spices, nutrient-dense oils and vinegars, are available for $7.99 per 10 oz. pack.

The brand, which launched in Southern California in 2017, is also sold in retailers including Whole Foods, Mother’s Market and Erewhon. Last month, the brand rolled out updated packaging for retail, with an easy open tab to simplify transferring the product to a skillet, and added a QR code on the back of its packaging, linking to recipe options.

Abbot’s Butcher also recently reformulated its Ground “Beef” product, developing a new recipe that creates a “rich, hearty mouthfeel and umami depth of flavor,” according to a post on the brand’s website.

Other distribution news includes:

  • Mariam’s Garlic Goodness Garlic Dip is now available at California-based retailers including Andronico’s Community Markets, Erewhon Market, Woodlands Market and Berkeley Bowl Marketplace.
  • SkinnyDipped rolled out its Dark Chocolate Cocoa Almond, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Almond and Dark Chocolate Cocoa Cashew flavors at Walmart nationwide.
  • North Carolina’s Poppy Hand-Crafted Popcorn launched three flavors — Parmesan & Black Pepper, Poppy Mix and Salted Caramel — at all 2,000 Hallmark stores.
  • Plant-based burger maker Everything Legendary’s 2-pack of burgers and 12 oz. pack of grounds will now be sold at 310 Target locations across 13 states.