Talking Shop with... Joe Gordon

New product 100% Fruit for All, is on-trend, healthy, tastes great and creates new margins for the retailers, says Joe Gordon, vice president, sales for Charles & Alice. Tell us about Charles & Alice and its new product, 100% Fruit for All. Joe Gordon: We are a French-based company that is expanding to other countries including the U.S. We have a strong heritage of making delicious and healthy fruit-based products. A lot of people ask me if Charles and Alice are real people. The company started as the Charles Faraud Co., which was established 75 years ago in Monteux located in the southeastern part of France. In 2010, the Charles Faraud Co. bought the Hero French subsidiary, located in Allex. Together, they became the Charles & Alice group in 2011. Our company name is the combination of two complementary names that speak to the personality and values of our brand. On one hand, Charles represents tradition, know-how and quality. On the other hand, Alice represents generosity, creativity and modernity. The combination is what we stand for. You recommend that 100% Fruit for All be positioned within the produce department. How does this benefit the retailer? We absolutely believe this product belongs in the produce department. First, the product has to be refrigerated, so we had choices between dairy and produce. The product is 100% fruit and has no dairy component whatsoever so we felt it did not fit well with the yogurts, cheeses and puddings. All of the consumer research we commissioned helped confirm this direction. When consumers were asked “where would you expect to find this product in a supermarket,” 63% said the produce department because that is where they buy fresh fruit. This benefits the retailer because we are bringing something new and exciting to that part of the store. It drives traffic and we expect it will help create a buzz. It also benefits the consumer because they get something new and healthy for their entire family to eat and it will be merchandised in the place that consumers would gravitate to first to find it. How does 100% Fruit for All respond to changing consumer preferences and needs? Healthy, clean ingredient statement, no sugar added, non-GMO, gluten-free—100% Fruit for All checks all these boxes, but it does so while still tasting great. Our range of products also helps to respond to consumer preferences today. For example, our lineup includes mango. Ten years ago, you may not have seen a mango offering. But, with the changing demographics of the U.S. market, the more sophisticated palate of Millennials and the greater incidence of Hispanics, we are anticipating mango will be one of our top sellers. What is so great about this product is that there is a variety for everyone—moms, dads and kids. The cup helps it fit with people’s busy lives and 100% Fruit for All meets their needs for healthy eating on the go. What can retailers do to maximize sales and merchandising opportunities of this new product within their stores? Because this is a new product format that is entirely new to the U.S., this product launch is creating a new category within the produce department. Because of that, it is important that the product have a presence at shelf so consumers see it. That is why we felt launching with six items in the line was important. We felt if the line were too small, there would not be enough presence at shelf to get this new category launched properly. Realizing you just started introducing 100% Fruit for All to retailers, what has the reaction been thus far? This has been one of the most exciting products I have ever sold. The reactions we have been getting from buyers have been overwhelmingly positive and it has been a great start to kicking off our efforts to build the U.S. division of Charles & Alice. It is on-trend, healthy, tastes great and creates new margins for the retailers.