U.S. farmers take center stage with new Kroger private-label brand

It’s the year of private-label brands, and The Kroger Co. has released a new one focused on local farmers. 

The latest expansion to the Cincinnati, Ohio-based supermarket company’s Our Brands portfolio comes in the form of Field & Vine, a line of produce grown exclusively by U.S. farmers in California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington.

The company said Field & Vine currently features blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries. 

“Harvesting at just the right time during the U.S. growing season allows us to provide our customers with an enhanced fresh experience, offering the highest-quality, best-tasting berries possible,” Dan De La Rosa, Kroger group vice president of Fresh Merchandising, said in a press release. 

The launch of the produce line follows the March release of a private-label seafood line that includes a wide variety of fish products, including salmon, tilapia, cod, swordfish, and more. 

The private-label trend has been a strong suit for Kroger, which has shown rapid growth in the market over the last few years. 

In August of 2023, data analytics firm Numerator reported in its Private Label Trends dashboard that Kroger’s Smart Way line was the fastest-growing private-label brand in the second quarter of the year. 

Related:Private label sales on pace to exceed $250B