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Leading brands in the 3 P's—pasta, potatoes and pierogies—use varying strategies to gain a loyal consumer following.
On their own, they might not have quite the impact of the showcase categories like ice cream, dinners and pizza, but the pasta, potatoes, pierogies and noodles categories make a formidable statement when grouped together beyond the center of the plate as side dishes and key ingredients at the family dinner table.
Among the most successful and innovative companies and brands are Rosina Food Products' broad assortment of pasta products, Lamb Weston's Inland Valley and Alexia Foods remarkably diverse lines of potatoes for every meal and every occasion, Mrs. T's Pierogies, a brand that has brought this tasty ethnic novelty to American family menus, and T. Marzetti's Reames brand of frozen egg noodles, the category's unquestioned leader.
Each of these brands has a success story of their own in building sales in their respective categories and creating innovative products that have broad appeal with consumers.
Rosina's Family of Brands
Rosina Food Products expanded its product assortment and brands this summer with the acquisition of three brands from High Liner Foods: Italian Village, Floresta and Gina Italian Village, known collectively as Italian Village. These newest additions join the company's Celentano brand of frozen, filled pasta and entrees. With the addition of the Italian Village brands, Rosina has expanded its line of pasta products to include ravioli, gnocchi and cavatelli.
Commenting on the July 2006 acquisition, Russell Corigliano, president and CEO, said, "this is a logical business decision for Rosina. Incorporating Italian Village under our umbrella of Italian specialties will allow us to strengthen our national distribution and make us a leading marketer of frozen-filled pasta in the United States" and reflects Rosina Food Products' commitment to its branded strategy for the category.
In describing growth trends for the frozen pasta category (not counting pierogies), Jim Koch, vice president of sales, marketing and business development for the Buffalo, N.Y.-based company, observes, "consumers are coming back to a more positive diet that includes pasta, after the category had taken a beating back in the low-carb period. We see positive trends."
Citing ACNielsen statistics for the 52-week period ended Oct. 7, the category showed growth of 1.3%, but for the most recent 26-week period the rate of growth was 2.8%, and for the most recent 13 weeks, the rate of growth was 3.4%.
In describing each brand's strengths, he says Celentano is "the premium brand in the market. It's for people who want to have premium filled pasta and people recognize it as the leader in the market. Celentano is recognized as being all natural, with no preservatives. We're so proud of these products, we show the icon of the ingredients on the front panel of our packaging, with a picture."
The Italian Village brand is not precooked, says Koch. It allows consumers to create a product that is more al dente, with the same high quality. The product line consists of multiple SKU's of ravioli, tortellini, gnocci and cavetelli. The Floresta brand enjoys a loyal following in the Chicago market where it is positioned as "a strong regional brand in the Midwest," he notes.
"Rosina is dedicated to Italian food products. We believe in them. We have the quality food and the marketing support. We will grow with that commitment. The fact that we are coming out of a down period from the low-carb craze puts us in a position to grow," adds Koch.
French Fries and More
Lamb Weston's Inland Valley, one of ConAgra Foods' family of brands, is drawing on Lamb Weston's extensive experience in foodservice to create potato products for every meal occasion and is positioning them to appeal to a consumer audience that reaches far beyond just kids.
"Inland Valley offers a wide variety of reasonably priced frozen potato products that can be served as a perfect side dish for breakfast, lunch, dinner or for any eating occasion," says Laurie Ryan, vice president of marketing. "Our complete line of products includes seasoned items such as Long Branch Fries, Crispy ClassicFries, TaterBabies and Tasty QQQ's. Plus, we have a delicious variety of microwavable Homestyle Mashed Potatoes."
The brands newest potato product, introduced in May 2006, is a "revolutionary French fry" called My Fries Gold, which she describes as, "a fry for fitness-conscious French fry lovers across America." The fries have exceptional flavor and an average of 25% less fat than conventional fries, with proper handling and by following refry directions.
In describing consumer interest in potato products for other meal occasions, Ryan says, "We are seeing a growing interest in the breakfast segment, with many quick service restaurants either revamping or entering the breakfast segment. Potatoes are still a popular breakfast item—there is no other product that is so universally loved, so broadly versatile and available in so many styles, cuts and flavor profiles.
"In addition to the breakfast trends we continue to see a transition to no-trans fat items," she notes, along with growing interest in organic foods. In response to these demands Lamb Weston launched its new Inland Valley line of Crispy Classics, which are made with organic potatoes, in both a crinkle cut and a French fry.
"Customers continue to want innovation and variety to satisfy their patrons and consumers, but they also want quality food products they can trust to provide the right mix of taste, convenience and nutrition to fit consumers' evolving tastes and needs," Ryan observes.
When Alexia Foods introduced its first all-natural, trans fat-free potato products back in 2002, the Atkins Diet was in vogue and most consumers didn't grasp the benefit of eating foods that contained no trans fat. Having overcome those early challenges, Alexia's sales have continued to grow in the high double-digit range as consumers recognize the benefit of all-natural products and enjoy the flavor profiles of its products.
"The positioning of our products and the consumer base we are going after is outside the normal domain of frozen foods," says Jack Acree, national sales manager for the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based company. "Everyone in frozen foods is going after those who want products with the appeal of being quick and easy. But we are speaking to a consumer that is looking for unique and high-quality flavors and ingredients. They want the great taste, but as a component of that, there is the fact that our products are all-natural and trans fat-free, and some of them are organic as well.
"With our potatoes we find a lot of folks who are spending their time and money on a nice protein—like a nice steak or chicken, and making the whole eating experience enjoyable. It fits with consumers who want to spend more and put a nice meal on the table. There will always be growth in out-of-the-home eating, but there is a trend back to when people cooked at home. We see an example of that in real estate ads where homes come with gourmet kitchens," he notes.
Alexia's product line includes offerings such as Alexia Oven Fries with Olive Oil & Sea Salt; Alexia Oven Reds with Olive Oil, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Pesto; Julienne Fries that include its Yukon Gold fries; and two products made from sweet potatoes. More recent introductions include changes to the Yukon Gold fries, which was converted to an organic product last year and joins the company's other organic products, the Oven Crinkles and Hash Browns.
The newest product, Alexia Waffle Fries, was introduced in January 2006 in a flat-bottomed, gusseted bag.
"It has been very well received and is, by far, the crispiest item we have. It's a good example of what we do: we take an item that has shown people want to buy it, and we 'Alexiafy' it. We make it all-natural and give it flavor that is a point of differentiation from what is on the market," he explains.
One of the risks associated with dramatic sales growth and increased demand for Alexia Foods became a reality early this year when the company had some supply disruptions due to shortages of potatoes and reduced production capacity—while dealing with 60% to 70% growth.
"We saw a ramp up of sales early in 2006 and problems with supply—including products that have been out for three years. But we are now past that; problems of supply and distribution have now been resolved. We are filling the (supply) pipeline and restocking everyone. We don't anticipate any problems during the peak holiday season," he asserts.
Hmmm! Pierogies
With a commanding market share in the pierogy category approaching 80%, Mrs. T.'s Pierogies' emphasis in its marketing and promotional programs is to "help non-users understand what a pierogy is," says Gary Lauerman, director of sales and marketing for the Shenandoah, Pa.-based, Ateeco Inc. brand. "It's the perfect paring of pasta and potatoes. And the second message is one of convenience. In our communications and our packaging we talk about, 'How easy is this?'"
Mrs. T's' offers a dozen choices, ranging from its Potato & 4 Cheese Blend, Potato & Onion, Cheddar & Jalapeno, to Sour Cream & Chive, Sauerkraut, and its newest "mini" varieties In Potato & 4 Cheese, Potato & Cheddar Mini, and Cheddar & Bacon.
"We are very pleased with consumer acceptance of pierogies for the last few years. I think the new flavor offerings are striking a responsive chord with consumers. The 4 cheese pierogi is now number three in the category and it was introduced in 2005," he notes.
"Pierogies are perceived as unique and different and novel. It will often take the place of a potato or a pasta side dish, and the preparation time is 10 minutes or less," says Lauerman.
More recently Mrs. T's has moved to a two-pound gusseted bag to help consumers differentiate between the one-pound and two-pound sizes. "The color graphics on the stand-up bags is much improved over the last few years. Most of the bag suppliers now have eight-, nine- and 10-color presses that allow you to add orange and greens—colors we didn't have before," he adds.
For the newest introductions, the minis, the brand's message is "one third the size of the full size pierogi and three times the fun of the regular size," adds Lauerman.
Meanwhile, the company is continuing to build consumer demand and expand usage for its pierogies through the company's foodservice segment.
Reames Egg Noodles
With a market share in excess of 80%, Reames frozen egg noodles has a commanding lead in the category and continues to drive consumer demand in its far-flung markets with recipes for hearty soups and casseroles delivered through its website and FSIs, which draw significant increases in redemption rates.
The egg noodles are available in eight varieties: Reames Golden Ribbon Egg Noodles in a 16-oz. size, Reames Hearty Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup Kit in a 20-oz. size, Reames Home Style Egg Noodles in 12-oz., 16-oz. and 24-oz. sizes, Reames Home Style Flat Dumplins in a 12-oz. size, Reames Home Style Yolk Free Noodles in a 12-oz. size and Reames Pre-Cooked Egg Noodles in a 12 -oz. size.
"Reames noodles are a very hearty product, and they taste terrific," says Schrade Radtke, senior marketing manager for the Des Moines, Iowa-based Reames. "They go great with beef stroganoff, hearty soups and casseroles. Our typical consumer is a somewhat older demographic with traditional tastes and an appreciation of egg noodles."
Key markets for Reames are centered in the Midwest, including Indiana, Ohio, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri, and beyond to Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, west to Washington and Oregon, and Phoenix.
In addition to Reames' commanding lead in market share, that figure increases to 85% when sales of its Aunt Vy's regional brand are added to the total. The key market for Aunt Vy's is in Iowa, near the company's headquarters.
author: By Michael Hartnett