Page 120 - December2018

dried fruits & nuts almonds
dient, such as milk brands Almond Breeze and Silk, and Justin’s nut butter.
Chelsea Minor, corporate director, consumer and public a airs at Raley’s Super- markets, headquartered in West Sacramento, CA, says the company’s stores have had success cross-merchandising almonds with other nuts on end caps that surround the produce department.
“Northern California is home to a lot of nut production; our customers like local almonds,” says Minor. “We work with the suppliers to develop promotional programs, including sale, ad placement and shelf space to drive sales. We also host social media contests with some vendors to drive engagement and sales.”
SUCCESS WITH CROSS MARKETING
Mariani Nut Company has seen success promoting almonds as an ingredient in trail mix and energy bars, which appeal to shoppers who want a delicious and healthy snack that provides a boost of energy. at means selling almonds in bulk in the produce or natural food areas.
“With one major retailer, we actually feature small bulk bins containing our whole natural almonds and seasoned line along with our packages on shelves below the bins,” Mariani says. “ is is a strong display in the produce department. Customers are encour- aged to purchase the quantity that meets their needs, and nearby they can nd assorted dried fruits and other nuts.”
Angelika Husmann, senior brand manager for Orchard Valley Harvest, headquartered in Elgin, IL, says the company has had great success with retail partners that feature the company’s products in the produce section.
“Our Salad Toppers are usually right next to the lettuce and other salad items,” says Husmann.“Weo eravarietyofquarterpallet displays featuring many of our multipacks. We also o er a display shipper for our grab- and-go sizes, as well.”
month — and almonds feature prominently in some confectionary creations — o ering terri c cross-marketing opportunities.
“Almonds, slivered and sliced, are a very popular baking nut and are used in many holiday recipes including cookies, cakes and homemade snack mixes,” says Hartman of Truly Good Foods. “Cross-promote almonds — sliced, slivered and whole — on your holiday table that is always front and center in produce. Put them right next to pecans, baking chocolate and dried fruit, and your customers will buy them.”
Another great selling point for almonds is their many health bene ts, which help them appeal to Millennials and other younger shop- pers, along with anyone who wants to live a healthier lifestyle.
“Almonds have protein, which helps give you energy to get you through the day,” says De La Torre. “ ey promote heart health because they are cholesterol free and low in saturated fat. ey are also a low glycemic index food. Good things come in small pack- ages and almonds are the tree nut highest in protein, ber, calcium, vitamin E, ribo avin and niacin. ey are also one of the highest sources of hard-to-get magnesium. Retailers nationwide are promoting these facts with success; especially retailers with strong in-house wellness programs incorporating the expertise of registered dietitians.”
De La Torre says Mariani has had success with a line of seasoned almonds, largely because of convenience and health bene ts.
“Research con rms that signi cant segments of the population, including young adults and parents, are looking for healthy, tasty snacks they can take with them,” she says. “Almonds are a perfect alternative to many traditional snack foods because of the nutritional value, and they are satisfying. Taste always matters. Our seasoned line is typically found in the produce departments that carry our natural products. is would not have been common 10 years ago.”
Although Mariani has participated in cross promotions, its growth over the past 10 years has been driven by the increased availability of packaged almonds in produce departments. ose packages include 1.5-ounce snack packs to complement traditional 8-ounce packs.
“ e health bene t of almonds is under- scored when they are identi ed, and correctly, with fresh foods,” De La Torre says. “ is has enabled the increased acceptance of almonds in salads, entrees and snacks. We encourage consumers to think outside the baking box when it comes to almonds.” pb
PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE COURTESY OF: ABOVE: MARIANI ALMONDS; BELOW: ORCHARD VALLEY
TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Another key to almonds’ growing popu- larity is value-added coated almonds, almond slivers and almonds of various avors.
Orchard Valley specializes in nuts, dried and fruits and mixes with no arti cial ingre- dients, colors, avors preservatives or genet- ically modi ed organisms, and Husmann says the company’s top two items are Cran- berry Almond Cashew and Dark Chocolate Almonds.
e company also features almonds in salad toppers, antioxidant mixes, trail mixes, and almond-speci c snacks, such as dark-chocolate almonds, dry-roasted almonds and whole, natural almonds.
Cooper of e Wonderful Company says raw and roasted and salted almonds comprise more than 50 percent of consumed almond varieties.
“Coated and avored almonds are changing the dynamic of the category as more consumers are looking to eat healthier without giving up on taste and avor,” says Cooper. “Because the majority of almonds are consumed for snacking occasions, whole almonds are still the leader in the category compared to slivered or other formats.”
Waymouth Farms in Minneapolis recently released its Veg-Top almonds, an innovative, plant-based topping for use on vegetables, soups, salads, pasta, rice and more.
“We o er a variety of products that include almonds — from our raw almonds in our organic line — to our four di erent vari- eties of almond toppings, to our trail mixes to Veg-Top, which includes almond slivers in the Maple avor,” says Amy Hartigan, marketing, at Waymouth Farms.
OTHER SELLING BENEFITS
ere will be a lot of holiday baking this
120 / DECEMBER 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS