Distribution Roundup: United Airlines Adds Undercover Snacks; Stryve Gains More Ground In Convenience

Undercover Snacks Onboards With United Airlines

Quinoa crisp brand Undercover Snacks announced its Dark Chocolate + Sea Salt crisps will now be added to United Airlines’ main cabin Tapas box, while its Dark Chocolate + Blueberries variety is now in the airlines’ First Class snack box.

According to Undercover Snacks Chairman and CEO Mike Levy, the agreement will help generate awareness of the product’s nutritional and dietary attributes while also providing an opportunity to increase volumes and engage with potential new customers.

“We are confident that once consumers taste Undercover’s Chocolate Quinoa Crisps, they will not only love the product but also become loyal recurring customers,” Levy said. “The volume and reach [here] is significant, and we are confident this [placement] will continue to accelerate the growing interest in our lineup of snacks.”

The allergen-friendly, nut and gluten-free snacks are currently available in five SKUs as well as in a rotating variety of seasonally-inspired flavors. In addition to its retail distribution, Undercover’s chocolate clusters can be found in a wide range of foodservice and hospitality locations including corporate offices, hotels, juice and smoothie bars and salad chains. Currently available on over a hundred university campuses nationwide, the company also has plans to expand its growth in campus bookstores.

The combination of an accessible price point and allergy-friendly attributes has garnered the brand a strong following in foodservice and hospitality, Levy said. Yet the brand is also still enjoying significant growth in grocery.

“We increased from about 2,000 stores to over 10,000 stores in the last one and a half years, and believe we are just getting started,” Levy noted. “With strong sell-through data, we plan to continue cultivating relationships with the major food and grocery retailers, while expanding distribution and relationships in foodservice and alternative channels.”

With its New Jersey facility recently doubling its production capacity, Levy said he plans for the brand to develop partnerships with major restaurant, fast food and beverage chains as well as add theme parks, music venues and military vendors to its growing distribution portfolio.

Stryve Gains More Ground In Convenience and Retail

Meat snack producer Stryve Foods announced that it has added 4,000 new convenience store and retail locations to its total store count over the last quarter. In total, the company’s products are now in 30,000 stores.

“We continue to grow our distribution footprint nationwide… as our products are what consumers are looking for – high protein, no sugar, great tasting snacks,” said Co-CEO and Chief Marketing Officer Jaxie Alt. “Stryve, Kalahari and Vacadillos products are perfectly suited for on-the-go occasions and offer a truly healthy snack to shoppers. We are very proud to have passed the 30,000 total retail location footprint goal we set as we look to drive market share growth in the snacking category.”

In addition to its recent spate of expansion, Stryve products — as well as the other meat snack brands in its portfolio, Kalahari and Vacadillos — will be added to the shelves of another 2,600 Speedway locations as well as 1,400 more Circle K locations in the Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain and South Atlantic regions.

AYO Foods Expands Presence Nationwide

West African-inspired food brand AYO Foods expanded its distribution footprint nationwide after signing new agreements with Target and Safeway and building upon its existing relationship with Whole Foods, adding placement in the natural products retailer’s Mid-Atlantic region. This new distribution marks a period of significant growth for the company, executives said, which launched in 2019.

“Our fast expansion with leading retailers like Target, Kroger and Whole Foods, marks meaningful progress toward our goal of building a more inclusive grocery landscape,” said Fred and Perteet Spencer, co-founders, AYO Foods. “Now people from West Africa, along with anyone who is seeking to try the vibrant flavors of the region, can join the AYO family to celebrate our food culture, which has been significantly underrepresented in the U.S. food and grocery landscape for years.”

The company’s West African-inspired frozen entrees have also been picked up by retailers including Bristol Farms, Nuggets Market and NCG stores. AYO has also expanded its portfolio in recent months, launching new sauces and two new frozen entrees — Chicken Yassa and Waakye — created in collaboration with former Top Chef contestant Eric Adjepong.

Jersey Tomato Co. Sauces Reach New Shelves

This week, Jersey Tomato Co. announced that three new retailers — Ingles Markets, ACME and Safeway — have added its line of l tomato sauces. Select locations of North Carolina-based Ingles Market chain will now carry the brands’ 25 oz. jars of Marinara, Tomato Basil and Arrabbiata sauce while Safeway and ACME will stock the Marinara and Tomato Basil varieties.

The company also produces a fourth SKU — Roasted Garlic — that launched last year and is available on its e-commerce platform. Jersey Tomato Co. recently debuted its sauce line in small-format pouches to reduce food waste as each packet contains two to three servings.