Alltown Fresh Elevates Fresh Food Fast Meal Prep

The number one reoccurring irritant for consumers when shopping for groceries over the past 30 years is the length of time it takes to shop tied with the time it take to prepare a meal when cooking from scratch according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Now, Alltown Fresh has developed a new contactless way for customers to shop for fresh groceries and meals during the COVID-19 pandemic while reducing time in the store called ‘Fresh Crates program’. Here is how it works; customers place orders 24 hours in advance and pick up crates of fresh protein, produce or pantry items curbside the next day.

Here is the hook, Alltown Fresh has what they call ‘Meal Prep & Provisions”.  They have pre-assembled meal prep kits to help get dinner on the table in minutes. Shoppers can place an order before noon to have their meal prep kit ready for pickup by 5 p.m. Prep kits serve a minimum of four people and include options such as taco night; teriyaki rice bowls; tomato soup and grilled cheese; chicken, broccoli, and pasta bake; and fresh falafel wraps.

Technology upgrades have elevated customers relevance at Alltown Fresh as they began offering curbside pickup of all menu items and delivery through Grubhub to deliver fresh food choices and menu items straight to customers' doors. 

Local fresh food fast is a great message for any fresh food retailer and Alltown Fresh has strong relationships with local farms and purveyors to ensure a reliable supply of fresh food to four stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut. How are you helping consumer prepare dinner tonight?

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Grocerant Niche Fresh Food Disruption Expanding

Restaurant chain year over year customer counts continue to decline according to all reports including traditional restaurant trade magazines which do not to report bad news about the industry they cover and seek advertising for.

Battle for Share of Stomach

Bob Goldin, a Pentallect stated, “nontraditional channels represent a ‘sweet spot’ in the food and beverage industry. Their growth is based upon strong consumer appeal and generally favorable business models.” Pentallect President Rob Veidenheimer observed that “each of the channels has unique consumer appeal and continues to evolve at a very rapid rate. We have studied these channels closely over the past several years and see them as significant share gainers for the foreseeable future.”

Pentallect, conducted comprehensive research and analysis into 10 nontraditional channels – club stores, community-supported agriculture (CSA), ethnic/neighborhood stores such as bodegas, farmers’ markets, food trucks, limited-assortment stores, meal kits/home-delivered meals, online, specialty stores such as bakeries and butchers, and Trader Joe’s, gleaning insights from more than 1,000 consumers and trade sources.

While others talk about Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food, Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant ScoreCards were the first to identify, quantify, and qualify the niche, the success and the unique was in which your brand can successfully ‘Look A Customer Ahead’.  Success does leave clues stop capitulating year over year customer counts. 

Invite Foodservice Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®.  Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Grocer’s Relevance Continue to Decline

When a key food sector funded research project study shows a continued decline in key demographic customer loyalty one thing is obvious.  That is, usually things are much worse that then report found according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

So, currently supermarkets remain the go-to retail venue for fresh produce, but their pull is weaker among younger shoppers, according to the Food Marketing Institute’s 2019 “The Power of Produce” study. What other avenues of distribution are consumers migrating? Well, according to Johnson grocerant niche restaurants, dollar stores, and grocerant niche convenience stores.

Shockingly the report found that only 50% of all shoppers cited a full-service supermarket as their primary store for purchasing fresh produce. Wow, have things changed since I was a kid.  All that said FMI’s report gives traditional grocery stores a leg up on other retail formats, given that 55% of grocery trips include fresh produce. Ok, you know what I’ am going to say now.  We told you so! Yes, Grocerant niche fresh food sales continue to drive customer migration.

Here is where the FMI study edified what we have been saying for 1 years.  They found that the younger generation exhibits a greater affinity for buying fresh fruit and/or vegetables at supercenters and alternative retail channels, including online, dollar stores, convenience stores and farmers’ markets. Of consumers polled, just 34% of older Millennials named a supermarket as their primary store for produce.

 Rick Stein, vice president of fresh foods at FMI, said in a statement. “Specifically, the study suggests a need for a renewed focus on strategies for continued growth, including organic, locally grown produce; value-added produce for time-starved customers; produce-based beverages and private branded produce.” What he meant to say is you DONING WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS DONE AND DOING THE SAME WAY WILL NO LONGER WORK.

Here is some information from the study all food retailers will find useful.

1.        “Fresh fruit and vegetables also show potential to fit into more eating occasions. Although 36% of consumers polled said they eat fresh produce about three times a week or less, they would like to include it more frequently in meals or snacks, FMI found.

2.       56% of shoppers buy veggie shakes or fruit smoothies, and 53% buy cold-press juices. Those figures don’t include similar beverages people make at home or purchase from other areas of the store, such as kombucha.

Are you offering more fresh fruit and produce to your consumers as a Hand-Held Food for immediate consumption options?  If not Why?  Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant Niche.