Aldi: Fit & Active Southwest Veggie Stuffed Sandwiches
hes were designed to be a healthy, adult-friendly alternative to the standard "grab and go" frozen handheld product.
Aldi worked with its supplier and an independent testing laboratory to determine the product's specifications. After a short two-month development phase, the product hit store shelves in March 2004 within six months of its inception.
The sandwiches feature brown rice, black beans, sweet corn, chilies and pepperjack cheese in a mild salsa wrapped in a whole wheat, bakery-style bread with a paprika-cornmeal topping.
"It tasted unusually fresh and just had a really bright flavor to it," said Bret Thorn, assistant editor at Nation's Restaurant News, New York, and focus group judge. "It was quite tasty," he added.
The product can be found in the freezer section next to Aldi's private-label Momma Cozzi Stuffed Sandwiches. Each box includes two, 4.5-ounce sandwiches and retails for $1.69. The item joins Aldi's Fit & Active line, which includes frozen fruits, peach halves, wheat crackers, salad dressings, blue corn tortilla chips, rice cakes and dried fruits. All products under this label have similar packaging. In the case of the stuffed sandwiches, the box highlights the fact that there are only 5 grams of fat per sandwich and that it is a vegetarian product.
A line rollout advertising campaign for all the retailer's Fit & Active products took place during the first week of June 2004, involving in-store signs, banners and a two-page advertisement.
Albertsons: Essensia Organic Blueberry Juice
Organic products were a natural next step for Albertsons' premium-tier Essensia store-brand line. After eight months in development the retailer rolled out five organic juices in May 2004.
Essensia Organic Blueberry Juice joins Grape, Cranberry Berry, Apple and Lemonade varieties, all of which can be found in Albertsons and Acme grocery stores nationwide. They are positioned with either the shelf stable juice or in the organic juice section of stores that have a designated organic/natural foods set.
The retailer worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Quality Assurance International and other regulatory agencies to ensure the product met all organic standards. The juice regularly retails for approximately $4.49 for a 64-ounce bottle.
The package denotes the standard Essensia look with silver and blue graphics, but also has more focused label communication and creative detailing the organic ingredients and healthful benefits.
"Essensia Organic Blueberry Juice delivers upon the growing consumer interest in organic products," said Michael Schlissel, senior brand manager at Albertsons. "Our juices appeal to people seeking premium quality, great taste and 100% daily value of Vitamin C in every serving."
The juice category tends to be one of the leading drivers of the organic segment and holds one of the highest household penetrations, according to Schlissel and Mike McRoberts, brand manager.
In fact, natural and organic juices are up 60% in mainstream grocery, outpacing natural foods in market growth, they told SN.
The launch of the line featured customer and associate sampling, advertising, price promotions, dedicated point-of-sale pieces, in-store radio and other vehicles.
