Campbell Soup Co. says it has completed the sale of Kelsen Group to a Ferrero affiliated company for $300 million, subject to customary adjustments. Camden, New Jersey-based Campbell will use the proceeds from the divestiture, first announced in July, to reduce debt. Based in Nørre Snede, Denmark, Kelsen is a producer of baked snacks whose primary […]
Category: Specialty
‘Spice King’ Lorren’s Gourmet Spices Headed To 1,500 Walmarts
by Lorrie Griffith/editor in chief Keith Lorren remembers climbing up to get into the spice cabinet when he was just 3 years old. He needed the spices to add to water to make “soup.” His grandmother inspired him to want to make soup. She had watched her father, Gene Johnson, who operated a soul food […]
Weaver Street Market Opens First Grocery Store In Downtown Raleigh
Weaver Street Market, the Triangle co-op founded in Carrboro 30 years ago, opened its new store at The Dillon in the Warehouse District of Downtown Raleigh on Sept. 21. The first grocery store in downtown Raleigh, it’s located on West Hargett Street between S. West and S. Harrington streets. Known for its wide selection of […]
Cocina 54 Empanadas Triples Its Distribution This Fall
In February 2019, after only eight months at H-E-B, Cocina 54 Empanadas launched at Central Market and expanded distribution to more than 230 H-E-B stores in Texas. “It was clear very quickly that consumers were looking for empanadas made the right way,” says CEO Federico Carrillo. Cocina 54 is now in full expansion mode. This […]
KeHE Forms Partnership With MOM’s Organic Market
KeHE Distributors has been awarded the primary distribution contract for MOM’s Organic Market, based in Rockville, Maryland. The multi-year agreement includes supplying all natural, organic and specialty products for MOM’s growing network of 19 organic grocery stores located in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the District of Columbia. “MOM’s is one of a handful […]
Roland Foods Appoints Keith Dougherty As Its New CEO
Keith Dougherty has joined New York City-based Roland Foods LLC, an importer of specialty food products and a portfolio company of Vestar Capital Partners, as CEO, effective Sept. 9. Tyler Hawes, who has led Roland since the retirement of former CEO Jim Wagner this spring, will continue to serve as president of Roland. Dougherty has […]
Fruitful Yield Opens ‘Store Within a Store’ In Angelo Caputo’s
Fruitful Yield opened a store-within-a-store in the Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Markets location at 520 E North Avenue in Carol Stream, Illinois, in August. The goal of the partnership is to provide shoppers a one-stop shop for health, wellness and grocery needs. Fruitful Yield stores’ product mix include foods that are organic, natural, wheat-free, gluten-free, soy-free […]
Hemp Vs. Marijuana: CBD Products Continue To Confuse
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Southwest The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act. That not only set into motion a race to get more hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products to consumers nationwide but also rampant confusion about their legality. Hemp is not marijuana. […]
Silver Hills Bakery Celebrates 30 Years Of Artisanal Baking
2019 marks the 30th anniversary for Silver Hills Bakery, an Abbotsford, British Columbia-based supplier of sprouted products. Silver Hills offers more than 20 varieties of artisanal breads, bagels, tortillas and buns, including its “Squirrelly Bread,” all of which are plant powered and feature nutrient dense sprouted grains. In the U.S., the products are available at […]
Vera Roasting Grows Line Of Resveratrol-, CBD-Infused Coffees
Dover, New Hampshire-based Vera Roasting Co., makers of the only CBD coffee infused with the antioxidant resveratrol, is expanding its line of CBD-infused coffees with the release of a new higher-dosage organic Wellness Blend Coffee containing 300mg of CBD in a 12-oz. bag. “We are excited to expand our CBD-infused product lines to include a […]
New Condiment Called MustKetch Rolling Out In Chicagoland
Chicago-based Somers Family Specialties LLC has entered into a partnership with Norman Distribution to place Somers Family MustKetch on grocery and other retail shelves across Chicagoland. MustKetch is a new condiment category combining a proprietary mustard and ketchup recipe—along with an array of spices and natural flavors—to create three flavors—Original, Zesty and Smoke. Various combinations […]
Canada’s La Rocca Creative Cakes Now Available At Publix
La Rocca Creative Cakes now are available at all 1,265 Publix locations in the Southeast. This is the first time the desserts made by the Ontario, Canada-based company will be available for direct consumer purchase in Florida. Publix shoppers can select from three handcrafted cake varieties: Truffle Royale, Cookie Dough and Chocolate Truffle. The cakes […]
Centre Partners Sells Stonewall Kitchen To Audax Private Equity
Centre Partners, a middle market private equity firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles, has sold its Stonewall Kitchen (SK) business to Audax Private Equity. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 1991, SK is a manufacturer of specialty food and gift products, including jams, olive oils, bottled sauces, crackers and […]
H-E-B Names Quest For Texas Best Winners
After two days of intense deliberations and tasting a mix of brats, brittle, sauces, pickles, mixes, mixers, meats, cookies and crickets, H-E-B’s Primo Picks Quest for Texas Best named five winners. The winners of the sixth-annual event hail from Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Woodway and Atlanta, Texas, and received a combined $80,000 in cash prizes […]
Natural Grocers Sees Net Sales, Comps Increase In 3Q
For its fiscal third quarter ended June 30, Lakewood, Colorado-based Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage on Aug. 1 reported that net sales increased $11.3 million, or 5.3 percent, to $224.4 million vs. the 2018 third quarter. The net sales increase, according to the grocer, primarily was driven by a $5.1 million increase in comparable store […]
Comparable Store Sales Flat For Sprouts In Second Quarter
Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona, reported net sales of $1.4 billion—a 7 percent increase from the same period in 2018—for the 13-week second quarter ended June 30. Comparable store sales were up 0.1 percent for the quarter. The two-year comparable store sales growth rate was 2.1 percent. Net income in the quarter was […]
Top 10 Summer Fancy Food Show Trends Revealed
The Specialty Food Association (SFA) held its 2019 Summer Fancy Food Show June 23-25 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. “It’s fascinating to observe the ever-evolving specialty food marketplace, which has grown into a nearly $150 billion industry,” said Denise Purcell, director of content for the SFA. “From the uptick of members […]
T. Marzetti Co. Opens Innovation Center In Ohio
T. Marzetti Co. has opened the Innovation Center at Green Meadows. The 45,000-s.f. state-of-the-art facility in Lewis Center, Ohio, will allow the company to expand its research and development, food safety, regulatory and quality assurance space and bring the culinary arts, food science and technology under one roof to share ideas and collaborate on new […]
Campbell Divesting Kelsen Group In Deal With Ferrero Affiliate
Campbell Soup Co. has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Kelsen Group business to a Ferrero-affiliated company for $300 million subject to customary purchase price adjustments. Campbell will use the proceeds to reduce debt. Based in Nørre Snede, Denmark, Kelsen is a producer of baked snacks whose primary brands include Kjeldsens and Royal Dansk. […]
Natural Grocers Honored For Number Of Women On Its Board
Natural Grocers was named a Winning ‘W’ Company by 2020 Women on Boards (2020WOB) for having a least 20 percent of its board of directors comprising women before the year 2020. Currently, women make up 29 percent of Natural Grocers’ board members and 53 percent of upper-level management positions, including executive, VP and director roles. […]
