Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/1038155
Produce Show Daily 3 3 Saturday, October 20, 2018 Powering Your Produce Department with Creamer Potatoes By Shelley Henschel, Marketing Manager, The Little Potato Company People love potatoes! They hold the No. 1 spot in the share of at-home meals and were voted America's No. 1 favorite veg- etable according to research conducted by Potatoes USA. There are few products that have such widespread familiarity – almost 100 percent household penetra- tion! For over 20 years, The Little Potato Company's mission has been to change perceptions and transform the way consumers perceive, enjoy and buy Creamer potatoes. Potatoes are one of the heartiest and healthiest crops, but somewhere along the way, they got a bad rap. We want to bring the excitement and fun back to the potato category by developing engag- ing, educational and inspiring con- sumer campaigns and content. Our in- store materials provide eye-catching point-of-purchase displays and entic- ing giveaways. We create mouth- watering in-store demonstrations, pro- vide recipe ideas and innovative pack- aging to increase consumer awareness and love for Little Potatoes. As a result, brand awareness has more than doubled over the last year and retail sales have grown significantly. One of our most successful cam- paigns, "Eat Your Vegetable," was pro- moted in the New England region last year. The campaign's objective was to educate consumers that Creamer potatoes are indeed vegetables and change misconceptions. The promotion ran for eight weeks and included an array of point- of-purchase, nutrition-focused recipes and an aggressive digi- tal marketing plan. "Eat Your Vegetable" had a significant impact on retail sales, garnered positive retailer feedback and stores experienced significant product sell through. Another long-standing, successful campaign was our "Little Chef" pro- gram that drives brand awareness and trial. This campaign, which first launched in 2015, was designed to get kids and families cooking together. The contest included national advertising, digital and social media support, in- store POS and an enter-to-win contest. The Little Chef promotion drove sales, consumer engagement and got people excited about cooking with Little Potatoes. This coming fall, our program evolves to leverage our established relationship with MasterChef Judge Michael Bonacini. It will be even bigger and bet- ter! Potatoes are a staple in the American home, and they remain an integral part of any produce department. We look forward to developing many more exciting cam- paigns, merchandising options and intro- ducing product innovations in the years to come. At The Little Potato Company our potatoes may be small, but our love for Creamer potatoes and growing the category is huge. Visit The Little Potato Company at booth #3381. For more information, go to www.littlepotatoes.com, call 780.414.6075 or email sales@littlepotatoes.com. Triangle's VFFS Baggers Offer Ultrasonic Sealing for Higher OEE, Improved Seal Integrity, Film Savings Looking for airtight package seals, increased product throughput and improved product quality? Triangle's X- Series vertical form fill seal (vffs) baggers offer optional Ultrasonic cross seal and/or back seal. Ultrasonic welding technology is ideal for leafy produce, cheese, confec- tionery and other industries that require 100 percent seal integrity for an airtight product. In addition, customers enjoy sav- ings on film and labor, higher output and improved product quality. On average, traditional heat seals measure 3/8 inches, while Ultrasonic seals can be as narrow as 2mm – a poten- tial savings of 50-80 percent in the seal- ing area alone. For many types of prod- ucts, Ultrasonic sealing also requires less headspace, thanks to its ability to seal through food particles. In addition, it sig- nificantly reduces leakers and rejects due to product in the seal. In many industries, such as produce, it may reduce or elimi- nate the requirement to manually inspect 100 percent of bags for leakers, resulting in improved labor savings and higher throughput. Triangle's X-Series VFFS Baggers not only offer the flexibility to seal bags with heat sealing or Ultrasonic welding, they also feature quick changeover of forming tubes, film rolls and sealing jaws, allowing users to run supported or unsupported film, as well as multiple bag sizes and speeds. Ultrasonic sealing is available as an option on both constant motion and intermittent machine models. The com- pact Model XYS08 can run bags as small as 2.5 inches wide with heat seal, and 3.125 inches with Ultrasonic seal. Standard features on the Triangle X- Series include Rockwell Automation/Allen Bradley ControlLogix, AB Kinetics Servo Drives and AB PowerFlex AC Drives. Visit online at www.triangle package.com to learn how Triangle can help you reduce material, energy and maintenance costs while improving pro- duction and product quality. About Triangle Triangle Package Machinery is a U.S. manufacturer of vertical form fill seal (VFFS) bag machines, combination weighers, tray loading/depositing systems and horizontal cartoning/bag-in-box sys- tems. Founded in 1923, Triangle is proud to be celebrating its 95th anniversary. The company's Chicago, Illinois, headquarters is a 120,000 square foot facility that hous- es its entire manufacturing process from raw material fabrication through complete machine testing and checkout. Triangle also provides superior after sales support, training, documentation and online trou- bleshooting, as well as spare parts service. For more information, visit online at www.trianglepackage.com. Red Duck Foods in Quest for Condiment Domination By Lorrie Baumann Red Duck Foods started with the idea that discriminating eaters who were put- ting great thought into their foods, sourc- ing them carefully, cooking them with all the skill they could muster and setting them proudly onto the table – only to see them doused with mass-produced condi- ments. "We went to a local campus bar, and over a basket of Tater Tots and some beers, we recognized there was a discon- nect," says Jess Hilbert, co-Founder and Marketing and Sales Manager for Red Duck Foods. "Restaurants were calling out suppliers on the menu for their pro- teins, but people were happy to dump junk on thoughtfully sourced proteins." This disconnect was significant to Hilbert and the friends who were with her because they were fellow students in a university class called "New Venture Planning," and they had an assignment to design a business. The assignment was to conclude with a presentation to their class. "We made the ketchup and brought in some french fries, and everybody real- ly liked it," she says. The three friends who'd partnered on the project: Jessica Hilbert, Shannon Oliver and Karen Bonner, decided that they didn't have to end their project after they'd gotten their grade – they could actually start a company and go into pro- duction. In 2013, they launched their Red Duck condiments in six stores in Eugene, Oregon. From the beginning, they made their ketchup and barbecue sauces with fresh, ripe, organic tomatoes and other organic ingredients. "We were commit- ted to using organic ingredients. They tasted better, and we thought they were the right thing to do," says Hilbert. Then, last year, the company took another step forward by becoming a Certified B Corp. "In addition to sourc- ing good ingredients, we wanted to take the next step as a company and let people know we were more than just about mak- ing a profit," Hilbert says. It's a project that the company had been working on ever since the partners heard what B Corps are all about: for- profit companies certified by the non- profit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental perform- ance, accountability, and transparency. They knew right away that they wanted that model for their business. The long application process was their first hurdle, and what their answers to the detailed questions showed both them and B Lab was that their company didn't yet measure up. "You have to doc- ument everything," Hilbert says. "We failed miserably the first time we took it." But if the process showed them that they didn't measure up – yet – it also showed them where they could improve. After a year off to regroup and recover from the disappointment, Red Duck tried again. "They're great coaches in helping you put good practices in place to edge closer to that certification," Hilbert says. "We use it to keep ourselves honest and grow a strong business inside and out. What has been most wonderful about joining the growing community has been the outpouring of support from other cer- tified B Corps. They're working with us." For Hilbert, B Corp certification is less a marketing tool, since consumers don't know much about it, than a tool to improve the the supply chain for the ingredients in her company's products, but Red Duck's commitment to trans- parency goes even beyond that. "We can do everything in our way to make sure that all of our practices mean that the consumer is getting an honest sauce, and the rising tide lifts all boats. If more com- panies are committed to transparency, maybe we'll see less headlines about peo- ple taking shortcuts." Today, Red Duck Foods is aiming at world "condiment domination." The company's products are distributed in 2,500 stores. Most of those are in the United States, but in 2017, the company began exporting to Canada, Australia and Hong Kong and is expecting to add more countries to that list this year. "There is a thirst for American-style sauces abroad. But the taste is also for companies with honest ingredients, transparent business practices, and a good story behind them," Hilbert says. The company's product line-up includes its Original Ketchup, Smoky Ketchup, Curry Ketchup and Spicy Ketchup along with Smoked Applewood Molasses, Hot Honey Chipotle and Sweet Mustard Peppercorn BBQ Sauces and a Seafood Cocktail Sauce. The newest introductions are a trio of organic taco sauces that can be used both as condiment and simmer sauce. They are Approachably Mild Taco Sauce, Uniquely Korean Taco Sauce and Actually Spicy Taco Sauce. "It's been a pretty fun ride," Hilbert says. "We're see- ing a lot of Millennials who are willing to spend money on companies that are authentic and have social values in place. We are Millennials. We can tell that story to our peers."