Distribution Roundup: Dress It Up Dressing Expands Nationwide; Nguyen Goes National With Whole Foods

Dress It Up Dressing Expands Nationwide After A Decade Of Steady Growth

Baltimore-based premium salad dressing brand Dress It Up announced it has added 1000 new points of distribution after landing partnerships with Sprouts, The Fresh Market, Raley’s, Harmons, Lassens and INFRA this month.

The expansion nearly doubles the 10 year old brand’s door count which already includes select Whole Foods, Central Market and Erewhon. According to Dress It Up’s founder and CEO, Sophia Maroon, a portfolio expansion, packaging update, and lower price point enabled the company to begin increasing its distribution footprint beyond Mid-Atlantic Whole Foods stores in 2018.

“I wanted to create a company as carefully as I create my dressings,” Maroon said in a press release.

Since then, the condiment company has also advanced its relationship with distributors KeHE and UNFI, now shipping products through 15 distribution centers between the two companies, and bringing on Rainforest in the Northeast, Kroger SHIP, Fresh Direct and Peapod as alternative distribution and retail partners. The plant-based dressings are also available online for $7.99 per 10 oz. bottle.

As it looks to continue accelerating growth, Dress It Up aims to expand its offerings once again with the relaunch of its grab and go packs in the coming months. The format originally debuted just before the pandemic hit in 2020.

“It was a terrific product, but the timing was terrible,” Maroon said. “They were perfect for Grab and Go at a time when no one was going anywhere. We shelved them after one production run, but we’re going to re-launch with Whole Foods and expand into food service later this summer.”

The brand currently offers six dressings and vinaigrettes in flavors ranging from Blackberry to Sesame Tahini which all contain pre- and probiotics, antioxidants, Omega-3s and are gluten-free, sugar-free and non-GMO. Maroon said she built the brand on the premise that “salad is healthy and salad dressing should be too.”

“Customers are looking for high-quality products whose labels they can easily understand, and Dress It Up seeks to be the go-to brand for people who seek authentic ingredients and haven’t been able to find that in the salad dressing aisle,” she said.

Nguyen Goes National With Whole Foods

Vietnamese coffee importer and roaster Nguyen Coffee Co. claims it is set to become the first “transparently labeled 100% robusta coffee” to be sold in Whole Foods when it enters the natural retailer nationwide on June 1, according to a LinkedIn post from founder and CEO Sarah Nguyen.

Vietnam is one of the world’s largest exporters of robusta coffee beans, though most American drinkers are more familiar with Arabica coffees as served at coffee chains like Dunkin’ and Starbucks and widely available at grocery stores. In her post, Nguyen noted that partnering with Whole Foods will help grow awareness and adoption of Robusta offerings, which are typically less acidic and more highly caffeinated than Arabica beans.

Nguyen wrote, “Since we launched in 2018, we’ve battled the resistance and stigma against robusta beans across the industry. We continued to proudly champion the robusta bean and fight for transparency and inclusivity. We invested time and energy to educate, raise awareness, and change the narrative. AND NOW WE’RE TRULY CHANGING THE GAME!!”

Through this partnership, we are unlocking a pathway for Robusta producers worldwide to elevate their product, sustain their communities and strive for inclusion in the shelves of Whole Foods and similar national markets.”

To celebrate the launch, Nguyen Coffee Co. will be at the grand opening of Whole Foods NoMad (63 Madison Avenue in New York City) on June 1st from 10AM-2PM to discuss “all things Vietnamese coffee and the Rise of Robusta.”

Moon Cheese Lands With Kroger

Moon Cheese has landed placement for its all four flavors — Cheddar Believe It, Garlickin’ Parmesan, White Chedda Black Peppa and Oh My Gouda — of its cheese snacks in 2 oz bags at 1,800 Kroger stores nationwide this month, the company reported.

The line will be stocked in the retailer’s Salad Toppings section, with the company noting that it has found customers often swap traditional croutons for Moon Cheese snacks.

“We’re excited to expand the availability of Moon Cheese Crunchy Cheese Bites into Kroger stores nationwide, giving salad fans and healthy eaters another place in-store to purchase our products,” said Brad Lahrman, CEO of Moon Cheese’s parent company NutraDried Food Company.

Publix Finds ‘Right’ Fit

RightRice is bringing more than 1,100 Publix locations in the Southeast, increasing its total points of distribution past 46,000 stores.

The rice alternative brand’s Original, Garlic Herb, Spanish, and Cilantro Lime flavors will enter shelves starting this Friday.

“Publix’s addition of four RightRice SKUs increases RightRice’s (total distribution points) by approximately 10%, marking a major milestone for the brand,” said Julia Stamberger, Planting Hope CEO and co-founder, in a press release. “RightRice is an established and innovative plant-based brand positioned in premium rice category with growing sales outpacing commodity rice. We expect this new distribution channel will not only raise consumer awareness, but also further accelerate our growth for this year.”

Formerly owned by Betterer Foods, RightRice was acquired by The Planting Hope Company for $7 million in an all-cash acquisition in February. At trade show Expo West the company debuted Mediterranean and Smokey Southwest flavors of its signature RightRice line as well as a new Roasted Garlic RightRice Risotto.

In addition to the new Publix placement, Planting Hope also announced it would partner with meal delivery service Freshly to offer consumers “Spanish-Style RightRice with Green Olives, Fennel & Roasted Almonds.” The offering will be part of Freshly’s Purely Plant lineup, offering a vegan and vegetarian twist on paella.

Abbot’s Butcher Seals National Distribution Deals

Abbot’s Butcher announced last week it has expanded its soy-free “Chorizo” to 1,215 Target stores nationwide. Additionally, the plant-based meat maker is rolling out its full portfolio at 159 The Fresh Market locations and 73 Fresh Thyme stores.

“We are excited to partner with Target, The Fresh Market, and Fresh Thyme to give more people access to our delicious plant-based meats that are crafted with exceptional ingredients, [and] never a trace of additives, natural flavors, soy, or canola,” said Kerry Song, founder and CEO, in a press release.

The brand uses a combination of pea protein, vegetables, herbs, spices, extra virgin olive oil and vinegar to create products that range from Ground “Beef” to Chopped Chick’n. Abbot’s full portfolio is gluten-free and available for $7.99 per 3-serving box (10 oz.).

“I’m proud of our team and the rapid growth we’ve accomplished in a short time,” said Song in the release. “We have shown that consumer demand is high for simple, clean, and wholesome plant-based meats from the double-digit velocity growth we’ve seen over the last year at Whole Foods Market.”

The news comes on the heels of significant developments for the California-based company including receiving its Whole30 certification and closing a $7 million Series A funding round to support its foodservice and retail expansion along with new product development.

Serenity Kids Goes National with Walmart

Baby and toddler food maker Serenity Kids is making further headway into conventional and mainstream retail channels, announcing an agreement with Walmart to bring its low-sugar, meat-based baby food and grain-free puffs to 890 stores nationwide, and to Walmart.com.

Since launching, Serenity Kids has increased revenues by 150X year-over-year and has produced over 20 million products. The brand’s U.S. store count now stands at over 7,800 stores, including this latest expansion.

“This exciting partnership with Walmart allows us to further our mission of making babies healthier with every bite by having our products easier to find across the country,” said Carr. “This [expansion] only continues to showcase how the consumer buying demands for high-quality baby and toddler food with the finest quality ingredients, ethical sourcing, and testing traceability isn’t going away any time soon.”

Proudly claiming to carry “a premium price point that is almost double the outdated brand options,” Serenity notes it is able to bring incremental revenue to retailers’ baby food sets. The company emphasizes the quality of its ingredients, which are sourced via farms that utilize regenerative farming techniques and feature Certified USDA Organic and non-GMO Project Verified vegetables and herbs. All products are also Clean Label Project certified.

Bon Dévil Adds Multiple Natural Retail Chains

Vegan ganache dessert maker Bon Dévil is rolling out its four flavors — Chocolate Ganache, Vanilla Ganache, Caramelized Banana Ganache, and Salted Caramel Chocolate Ganache at a range of natural and conventional grocery retailers including Wegmans, Fresh Thyme, Meijer, The Fresh Market, Haggen, Bristol Farms, Amazon Fresh and others launching in coming months.

Formerly known as the Coconut Collaborative and then The Collaborative, the European-based company relaunched earlier this year under a new name and with a streamlined portfolio of products.