In line with current demand, baking ingredients and even mixes are cleaner than ever.
Baking, as retailers know well, encompasses a broad spectrum of skill levels, from utter beginner all the way up to those capable of producing restaurant-quality breads,cakes, pastries and the like.
During Progressive Grocer’s visit to the Food City store in Johnson City, Tenn., our September 2016 Store of the Month, Dan Glei, EVP of merchandising and marketing at the Abingdon, Va.-based grocer, pointed out this fact during a brief stop in the baking aisle: “We have a strong [number] of customers that seek a high level of convenience, and many customers, still, that are very, very basic, scratch-made cookers at their house.”
Given this wide divergence in ability among home bakers, the trending demand for clean ingredients can be more easily met by some products than others. For scratch bakers who control every item they include in their creations, it’s a relatively straightforward process — depending on market availability, of course — to source organic, all-natural, non-GMO or free-from ingredients, but for consumers dependent on mixes for their bake-at-home treats, it’s been somewhat more tricky — until now.
Suzy Monford, CEO of Emeryville, Calif.-based Andronico’s Community Markets, which operates five stores in the Bay Area, acknowledges that while baking products were slower to follow the trend toward cleaner cooking ingredients that began more than a decade ago with the elimination of trans fats, the category is seeing what she calls a “massive emphasis” on lower-sugar and lower-sodium solutions, as well as such innovations as gluten-free, ancient grains and even cricket flours.
Andronico’s flags these types of ingredients in the baking aisle with its FitMarket attribute, creates eye-catching end cap displays, and offers clean options in its bulk sections, as well as promoting items online via its e-newsletter and website.
This story is from the September 2017 edition of Progressive Grocer.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2017 edition of Progressive Grocer.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Gurgaon's First and Most Successful Independent F&G Retailer
SINCE LAUNCHING ITS FIRST OUTLET IN THE YEAR 2000 IN DLF GURGAON AT A TIME WHEN MODERN TRADE FOOD AND GROCERY STORES WERE NOWHERE ON THE RETAIL HORIZONS OF THE MILLENNIUM CITY, NEEDS SUPERMARKET HAS GROWN TO ADD 26 LARGE, MEDIUM AND SMALL STORES TO ITS KITTY, CLOCKING AN ADMIRABLE RUN RATE ON VARIOUS PARAMETERS OF RETAILING EXCELLENCE ALONG THE WAY. PROGRESSIVE GROCER SPOKE TO NEEDS SUPERMARKET’S MD AJAY DHAR, AND CEO, ARUN KHATTAR, ABOUT HOW THE GROCERY CHAIN HAS BEEN ABLE TO HOLD ITS OWN AND CLOCK STEADY GROWTH IN A HYPER-COMPETITIVE MARKET DOTTED WITH BIG-BOX NATIONAL RETAILERS AND THE SECRET SAUCE BEHIND ITS SUCCESS RECIPE.
Paras Spices is innovating with unique products to meet new trends in the spices category
CATEGORY WATCH FOOD STAPLES
Brands and retailers collaborate to promote the growth of non-alcoholic beverages
SUPER-HERB INFUSED BEVERAGES THAT BRING THE POWER-PACKED GOODNESS OF SUPERFRUITS ARE TAKING THE MARKET BY STORM. THESE NONALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES CLAIM TO CONTAIN ZERO CALORIES, ZERO SUGAR, ZERO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS, AND ZERO PRESERVATIVES AND ARE DESIGNED FOR TODAY’S MILLENNIAL-GEN WHO ARE SEEKING A HEALTHY DRINK WITH A TASTY TWIST.
Just Outside the Box
THE HUMBLE PARKING LOT HAS BECOME A DIFFERENT KIND OF RETAIL DESTINATION AND HUB OF COMMERCE.
Increased Focus on Health, Wellness, and Immunity-boosting Products
SALES OF PACKAGED FOODS HAVE SURGED SINCE THE ONSET OF THE PANDEMIC, AS HOME-BOUND CONSUMERS STOCKPILE FAMILIAR PRODUCTS THAT WON’T GO STALE QUICKLY. BREAKFAST CEREALS, INSTANT NOODLES, RICE AND COOKING FATS ARE AMONG THE PRODUCTS THAT HAVE SEEN THE STRONGEST GROWTH IN RECENT MONTHS.
Consumer focus on hygiene & nutrition boosts packaged paneer sales
THE DEMAND FOR CATEGORIES SUCH AS CHEESE AND PANEER HAS WITNESSED AN ALL-TIME NEW HIGH DURING THIS PANDEMIC THANKS TO THE VERSATILE NATURE OF THESE PRODUCTS. NOT ONLY IS PANEER DELICIOUS TO TASTE BUT DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE LOCKDOWN, THE INTERNET WAS TRENDING WITH UNIQUE, FUN AND EASY-TO-MAKE PANEER RECIPES.
How Hormel Became a Snack Company
ACQUISITIONS, ADJACENCIES AND INNOVATION DEFINE THE GLOBAL BRANDED FOOD COMPANY’S GROWTH STRATEGY
The New Normal for Snacks
THE POST-PANDEMIC CONSUMER WILL DEMAND BETTER-FOR-YOU MEAL SOLUTIONS MORE THAN EVER BEFORE.
The rise of superfoods and ways to mainstream them on retail shelves
WHAT ARE SUPERFOODS AND THEIR BENEFITS AND WHY THESE PRODUCTS ARE WITNESSING A HUGE SURGE IN DEMAND? WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF INFUSING THESE SUPERFOODS INTO OUR TRADITIONAL FOOD PRODUCTS, AND HOW CAN THEIR VISIBILITY AND AWARENESS BE RAMPED UP IN ON-GROUND SHELVES OF SUPERMARKETS AND RETAIL COUNTERS?
What is driving consumers to become more conscious of what they eat?
WITH CONSUMERS BECOMING MORE HEALTH-CONSCIOUS, RETAILERS HAVE ALSO STARTED MAKING SHIFTS IN THEIR OWN MERCHANDISING AND MARKETING TO KEEP UP WITH THE TREND.
