NewStar Introduces Fresh PickMe Herb Sleeves

The new line of branded fresh herb packaging from  NewStar Fresh Foods is now being distributed to retailers nationwide. Launched at the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit last October, the “Pick Me” brand was developed to solve common issues at retail with fresh herbs. NewStar’s approach brings a bunch of benefits including enhanced food safety, consumer education, improved accuracy at register and merchandising efficiency, company officials say.

When it comes to most retail produce departments, it’s hard to stand out amongst the sea of green found in the herb section. The Pick Me line from NewStar, positioned as a “Fresh Flavor Station," is designed to cut through clutter with brightly colored packaging sleeves for three of their top selling herb commodities. Not only does the new line of Cilantro, Parsley and Italian Parsley herb sleeves pack a colorful punch—it also offers benefits for both retailers as well as busy shoppers.

Each sleeve prominently identifies the herb by name, and presents a flavor profile and usage suggestions on either side. The result is an upscale yet approachable “bouquet” look that appeals to all shopper demographics, and particularly resonates with Millennials, officials add. For retailers, the UPC code on each sleeve reduces SKU confusion and greatly improves accurate ring at register.

“While the color contrast is what initially grabs you, we believe the content we’ve included really appeals to today’s at-home chefs while also addressing common concerns for a majority of our retail partners,” says John Killeen, NewStar’s vice president of sales & marketing. “We’ve seen as much as a 30 percent increase in herb sales with one of our retail partners.”

While the packaging makes it way through retail, it’s already picking up design awards. The Pick Me line has been acknowledged with an American Advertising Award as well as an American Packaging Design Award. The company also revamped its website, www.NewStarFresh.com as a part of the product launch and developed a video to promote it to customers.

“It’s exciting to see the impact we’re having at retail, and for the design approach to be recognized as progressive. We see a great future for this product line and look forward to continued support from our retail partners,” adds Tim Meissner, director of business development/regional sales of NewStar.