Global Retail Brands November 2022 PLMA Chicago Issue

Should I Write About Kroger and Albertsons?

That wasn’t meant to be the headline, it was simply a mental note. I was asking myself if I should address this topic in the issue. As I thought more about it and read other opinions, it became clear this wasn’t so much a question of whether I should, but a warning to myself, because I didn’t want to write something negative But an opinion page is not the place for the timid, so here goes.

In case you haven’t heard, Kroger is trying to absorb Albertson’s. I’m kidding of course, everyone knows this…everyone is writing about it…and everyone has their own spin.

But in my humble and very opinionated opinion, people attempting to answer, “What are the implications for our industry?”, “How will this effect suppliers and other retailers?”, “Is it good for consumers?” might as well be forecasting the weather for New Year’s Day morning in Pasadena.

I don’t have the slightest clue what the actual implications will be, but if experience has taught me anything…

It will no doubt be a good transaction for shareholders as efficiencies will be found across many departments. And by efficiencies, I mean job loss of course. And there’s nothing Wall Street likes more than companies eliminating jobs.

It’s likely to be good for senior management who will find those efficiencies, increase their bonuses on the promise of increased profits and then go about the business of squeezing even harder the following year to maintain that. Until someone effecincies them out the front door.

It will be happy days for suppliers (if you are the biggest and most efficient in your category that is). Higher volumes and thinner margins mean you’ll have to look at possible mergers yourself. Mean and lean will be the only way to go.

It’s bound to be fabulous for consumers. Afterall, if competition means lower prices and improved quality for consumers, what will the opposite bring? Just think of cable and utility companies and the likes of OPEC, these behemoth’s are notorious for lowering prices and improving customer service, oh, wait…

Many years spent in the media business serving a number of different markets have exposed me to more mergers and acquisitions than I care to remember. Many of them impacted me personally and a majority of them resulted in “unintended consequences”. And please don’t confuse unintended with unknown, as in, “it wasn’t our intention to cut 40% of the back office workforce, but redundancies were found, blah, blah, blah”.

Let’s face it, where there’s an opportunity, there’s an opportunist. I’m not blaming anyone, it’s a dog-eat-dog world.

The rest of this issue is much more upbeat, and we’re thriled to be delivering it, in person, at PLMA’s Chicago Trade Show.

Kind regards, Phillip Russo Founder / Editor phillip@globalretailmag.com

Phillip Russo

EDITOR / PUBLISHER phillip@globalretailmag.com

Jacco van Laar

EUROPEAN DIRECTOR jaccovanlaar@globalretailmag.com

Melissa Subatch

CREATIVE DIRECTOR info@melissasubatchdesign.com

Andrew Quinn DIGITAL DIRECTOR andrew.quinniii@gmail.com

Luisa Colombo

Italian Business Development luisa@globalretailmag.com

Sabine Geissler

GREENTASTE.IT

Italian Business Development s.geissler@greentaste.it

CONTRIBUTORS

Perry Seelert Emerge perry@emergefromthepack.com

Christopher Durham Retail Brands Institute cdurham@retailbrandsinstitute.org

Maria Dubuc Marketing By Design mdubuc@mbdesign.com

Hans Kraak Kraak Media kraakmedia@gmail.com Elena Sullivan sullivan.elena@gmail.com

Tom Prendergast PLMA tprendergast@plma.com

Mark H. Cohen Colloquy Digital mark@colloquy.biz

Kent Media

Phillip Russo,

MARIA DUBUC

A creative and workflow expert in the retail landscape, Maria’s 30-year career translates branding experiences into eye-catching design that is unique and distinct for each client. he has created new private brands and redesigned/repositioned existing brands with leading retailers, while also implementing workflow management systems specifically tailored to the clients’ needs. Current clients include The Home Depot, Smart & Final, PetSmart, 7-Eleven, PriceSmart, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Sprouts Farmers Market, WinCo Foods, Natural Grocers and more. With SKU counts from 1,000 to more than 10,000 annually.reinvention and innovative execution.

CHRISTOPHER DURHAM

Christopher Durham is the President of the Velocity Institute Prior to this he founded the groundbreaking site My Private Brand. He is the co-founder of The Vertex Awards. He began his retail career building brands at Food Lion and Lowe’s Home Improvement. Durham has worked with retailers around the world, including Albertsons, Family Dollar, Petco, Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy, Metro Canada. Durham has published seven definitive books on private brands, including Fifty2: The My Private Brand Project and Vanguard: Vintage Originals.

HANS KRAAK

Hans Kraak is educated in biology and journalism and wrote three books about nutrition and health. He worked for the Dutch ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food quality and the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. As editor in chief he publishes in the Dutch Magazine for Nutrition and Dietetics, as a food and wine writer he published in Meininger’s Wine Business International and reports for PLMA Live EU and PLMA USA.

LIAN STEVENSON Director, Consulting Europe & APAC-MEA Lian brings 19 years of experience delivering strategic content for a large portfolio of UK blue-chip retail brands. As part of SGK’s Consulting Team, she has delivered initiatives to help CPG clients such as Britvic, J&J, General Mills, and Iceland deliver improved supply chain workflows, increase speed to market, streamline resources, and reduce overall costs. Lian is Lean Six Sigma accredited and is a certified change management practitioner.

LYNDSAY STONE

Design Manager, MBD Lyndsay has 15+ years in the design industry, with food and beverage packaging as a significant focus. As Design Manager at MBD, she enjoys helping retailers and brands alike find their voice and express it through creative packaging design. She is always looking for ways to connect with, challenge, and lead clients so their design potentials are realized.

GEORGE PURO

President of the Puro Research Group, a market intelligence firm specializing in consumer insights, competitive/market intelligence and analysis. Puro’s services are designed to keep you abreast of the latest trends, make you look smart in presentations and help guide decision-making. The company has provided organizations and companies, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to startups, with aha! insights about competitors, customers and industries in a variety of topics and industries, including consumer products; retail; transportation, travel and hospitality; healthcare and health insurance; financial services and investment banking; traditional marketing, as well as digital and social media marketing.

PERRY SEELERT

A retail branding and marketing expert, with a passion for challenging conventional strategy and truths. Perry is the Strategic Partner and Co-founder of Emerge, a strategic marketing consultancy dedicated to helping Retailers, Manufacturers and Services grow exponentially and differentiate with purpose.

NOVEMBER

PLMA CHICAGO

Chicago 13 - 15 NOVEMBER www.plma.com

FEBRUARY

BIOFACH Nuremberg, Germany 14 - 17 FEBRUARY www.biofach.de/en

MARCH

COSMOPROF / COSMOPACK

Bologna 16 – 20 MARCH www.cosmoprof.com

COSMOPROF ASIA Singapore 16 – 18 NOVEMBER www. cosmoprof-asia.com

PLMA ROUNDTABLE Rotterdam 8-9 MARCH 2023 www.plmainternational.com

JANUARY

WINTER FANCY FOOD Las Vegas 15 - 17 JANUARY www.specialtyfood.com

APRIL

ISM Cologne 23 – 25 APRIL www.ism-cologne.com

MARCA Bologna 18 – 19 JANUARY www.marca.bolognafiere.it

MAY

WORLD OF PRIVATE LABEL Amsterdam 23 - 24 MAY www.plmainternational.com

PLMA’s Chicago Trade Show Is Back

A lot has happened in the three years we’ve been away from PLMA Chicago, and we’re excited to get back to business in-person. The good news is that PLMA is coming off a very successful World of Private Label trade show in Amsterdam and have a sold-out show in Chicago. There are more than 1,300 exhibitors representing food and non-food sup pliers from nearly 50 countries. Visitor registration is tracking as expected in advance of the show, too. So we thought to check in with PLMA President Peggy Davies for some insight.

Peggy, it’s been three years since the last in-person Private Label Trade Show in Chicago. What’s happened in the store brands industry?

U.S. channels. That result represent ed a return to the steady, single digit growth we’ve seen over recent years. For example, just prior to the pandem ic, in 2018 and 2019, annual sales were up 5% and 6%, respectively. 2020, was a clear outlier. Store brand sales jumped 12% amid the nationwide shut down of foodservice, a greater empha sis on cooking at home, and a boom in online ordering.

This year, if the year-to-date trend holds, we expect an annual sales increase in the neighborhood of 9%. And that will be a very good year for the industry.

Why are store brands growing so much?

Quite a lot, more than you likely have space for. But the most significant is that store brand sales are up this year, ahead 9.8% through September. That’s nearly twice the rate of national brands, which are plus 5.4%, according to IRI. This follows a record $200 billion in sales last year, when store brands accounted for one of every five products sold across all

One reason is that store brands have come to be recognized by shoppers as a dependable ally against persistent inflation and other financial pressures. That’s not a surprise. During past periods of economic difficulties in this country, such as the 2008 recession and the years following, store brands sales increased sharply. In PLMA surveys at the time, shoppers across the country reported a high degree of satisfaction with store brands they purchased for the first time, adding they would continue to buy them when the recession ended. Proving again that consumer trial is store brands’ best friend.

So, there is lasting benefit for store brands each time an economy-related bump in sales occurs. Consumers stick with them.

Another reason for the surge is that store brands and the retailers who market them have been very respon sive to consumers’ new demands in the wake of the pandemic. As you walk the show floor you’ll see that reflected in the many new and innovative products on display.

Lots of colleagues ask, why is Chicago the site for PLMA's trade show?

Not many know this, but our show is annually ranked a Gold 100 event, identifying it as one of the largest trade events in North America. Because of our size, we need more than one mil lion square feet of space. The Donald E. Stephens Convention Center is one of the few venues in the U.S. that can accommodate us.

Plus, Chicago is convenient to reach. O’Hare offers daily direct flights from all over the country and for our inter national attendees, there are more than 100 daily direct international flights.

Well, there’s certainly a lot to see when you’re talking about 1,300 exhibitors. In general, I think visitors will want to pay attention to all the innovative products we’re seeing that use raw ingredients, have holis tic attributes, and are focused on sustainability in terms of manufac ture, supply chain, use and disposal. There’s also plant-based, free-from and self-care items that are new this year, not to mention the hemp-de rived CBD products that we think will generate quite a “buzz”.

The national pavilions are a big part of the show. There will be more than 350 booths in two dozen national pavilions from Europe, Latin Amer ica, and Asia. We believe the growth in international booths is largely spurred by changing U.S. demo graphics and increased consumer demand for food with an interna tional and ethic character or origin. Our international exhibitor numbers are also growing in response to U.S. retailers who are seeking overseas suppliers for their international and ethnic store brands.

Wine and spirits is another product category attendees will want to check out. Store brand wine and spirits con tinue to grow in retail stores across the country. There are nearly two

dozen suppliers exhibiting this year with innovative flavors, packaging and promotions for organic wines and cabernets, merlots and pinots from Ar gentina, Australia, Italy, Kosovo, South Africa, Spain, among other countries.

You won’t want to miss the canned cocktails, beer, whiskey, and bourbon that are also featured.

Finally, in the wake of two suc cessful shows over fewer than six months in what is still a very diffi cult environment for trade shows, particularly in-person events, what's next for PLMA? Will you celebrate a bit? And have we seen the end of online programs?

Well, we might all take a few days off and catch our breath, but we have a full plate for 2023.

I hope everyone will join us on Sunday, 11/13 in the afternoon for the Opening Seminars, on Monday for the Keynote Breakfast and Tuesday for the Retail Trends breakfast. A not to miss area is the Idea Supermarket which includes New Product Expo and Salute to Excel lence award winning products.

The trade show floor will be arranged in separate halls of the convention center so that exhibitors can be easily found. The South Hall will be devoted to health and beauty, OTC pharma ceuticals, household goods, kitchen ware and general merchandise. Food, snacks, beverages, and refrigerated and frozen foods will be featured in the North, South and Sky Halls.

There will be a place for online events as well as in-person. We will be back in-person at our upcoming Annual Meeting and Leadership Confer ence in March in Orlando, our Lunch and Learn online program will start in January.

Most importantly, we are very grateful to be back to live shows. There is no substitute.

As we approached our first in person show in three years, we’re enthusiastic and cautiously optimistic. We’ve ex ceeded our expectations with atten dance and the sold-out show. I know everyone is looking forward to the social and professional networking that our show provides.

Anything new that visitors should be looking for while walking the show floor?

We’ve covered a lot, is there anything else you think visitors should know about this year’s show?

PLMA’s Chicago Trade Show

More than 3,800 manufacturers, brokers, and suppliers from more than 70 countries, including producing private brand FMCG food and non-food products

Pavilions

Two dozen national and regional pavilion organizers from nearly 50 countries

Visitor Profile

Trade professionals including buyers from supermarkets, hypermarkets, discounters, drug stores, e-commerce, department stores, specialty retailers, importers and exporters, brokers, packaging, and design experts

Opening Seminars

Sunday, November 13 Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Rosemont IL starting at 2 pm

KEYNOTE BREAKFAST

Monday, November 14 8AM – 9AM

Hyatt Regency O’Hare Grand Ballroom

Economic Growth in 2023: Will It Impact Your Business Strategy?

PLMA’s Annual Roundtable Conference

8 -9 March 2023 in Rotterdam: The Role And Opportunities Of Private Label In An Unprecedented Era!

Arjun Chakravarti, Ph.D Managing Partner, COGKNITION

What’s the outlook for the U.S. macro economy over the next six to 18 months and how will it impact consumers’ ability to spend in 2023? How will job prospects in the medium-term affect consumers’ response to the highest domestic inflation in nearly 40 years?

Show Location & Hours

Donald E Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL Monday, November 14, 9 am to 6 pm Tuesday, November 15, 9 am to 4 pm

Special Features

PLMA Idea Supermarket is a special area that displays store brand products from more than 40 retailers from North America. The theme of Idea Supermarket is “Trends in Private Label.” The aisles of Idea Supermarket provide a world tour of new private rand developments and introductions in the recent past by retailers.

PLMA’s New Product Expo showcases more than 300 products of the latest innovations in the store brand industry from product to mar keting into packaging

PLMA’s 2022 Salute to Excellence Awards. The Awards give recognition and honor to retailers for innovation and quality in the creation of their own brands programs.

PLMA’s annual Roundtable Confer ence, which is scheduled on 8 and 9 March in Rotterdam next year, covers important topics for the private label industry. Consumers are more frugal and at the same time more informed than ever. A shift of shopping habits in generations is clearly identified and brand loyalty is not obvious anymore. Consumers demand clear messages and transparency when making a purchase. What is the role of private label and how can manufacturers and retailers respond and benefit?

At PLMA’s roundtable we will explore the possibilities and opportunities that changing consumer habits are creating. We will take a closer look at the transformation of retail formats and channels and identify drivers to implement in business strategies. Is the Metaverse a topic to watch for the pro motion of your private label product, to accelerate your goals and to reach new generations?

The 2-day conference will start with a lunch meeting followed by a store tour to leading retailers in the Netherlands. After the store visit you can join our networking cocktail reception to con nect with your international peers from the private label industry. The second day of the conference we will continue with engaging and important presenta tions that are relevant for private label today. A closing panel of experts will discuss the covered topics and wrap up the conference with key takeaways for the audience.

www.plmainternational.com

Working Remotely. Delivering Globally. Keeping Up with Consumers in a Rapidly Evolving World

In just three short years, we’ve seen dramatic changes in the way we do business. Since the onset of the Covid 19 crisis, retailers have had to adjust to rapidly changing conditions that affect every aspect of delivering product to consumers. From the challenges posed by people working remotely, to the current rise in infla tion, it is more important than ever for retailers to evaluate and select the right suppliers to drive brand sales.

Supply chain issues have also considerably affected retailers and manufacturers alike. While work ing diligently to maintain flexibility in operations, there is also still the distinct consumer demand for sus tainably sourced, fair-trade products that appeal to today’s purpose-driven market.

To maintain brand appeal of your private label offering, it’s important to evaluate your current or potential new suppliers. Here are some critical and currently significant questions that should be asked of any supplier:

1.

2.

3.

4.

By analyzing the answers to these key questions, you can ensure that your supplier has the flexibility and proven track record to continue to drive customer loyalty, even in a fluctuating market environment.

At Massimo Zanetti Beverage, our sole mission is to drive YOUR sales. Product quality, cost management,

efficient supply chain, and deep consumer insights are of critical impor tance. As one of the only vertically integrated global coffee companies, Massimo Zanetti ensures that you reach your consumers with a prod uct lineup that will meet customer demand at shelf and in the cart.

And because today’s consumers are also highly concerned about environmental impacts, authentic ity in sustainable claims is critical. Massimo Zanetti works with all certification agencies to ensure that their deliverables meet your brand strategy.

Let Massimo Zanetti Beverage pro vide your store brand with the right coffee for your shopper. Leverage actionable consumer insights and drive profitable sales!

For more information: corporatebrands@mzb-usa.com www.mzb-usa.com

PLMA Chicago Booth F-7405

What was your service level at the height of the pandemic?

Did you avoid product allocations or item optimization?

What did your organization do to get ahead of the inflationary environment?

What insights can you bring in your category that helps us with a forward look of the business?

Their Mission

At Certified Origins it is our wish to contribute to people’s enjoyment and health through good food: the kind made by using wholesome, sustain able, and genuine ingredients. We carefully select unique producers and cooperate with them to enhance their gastronomic excellencies worldwide. Thanks to our systems and tracing technologies, we celebrate our prod ucts’ authenticity and quality.

Sourcing

They have direct, strong relationships with the farmers throughout the Medi terranean from which they source. This confidence and trust built over decades guarantees the quality of products, and allows access to scale, with:

● 200 Cooperatives of farmers across the Mediterranean Area

● 250,000 Farms from small to medium and large in the Mediterranean Area

● 450 Olive Mills (from selected sources) across the Mediterranean Area

● 600 Hectares of tomatoes grown in organic certified Italian family farms

● 5 Regions of Italy for sourcing tomatoes

Research and Traceability

They have invested over $1 Million in Research & Development in transparen cy & traceability since 2019.

Certified Origins is the major player third-party certified as ISO 22005 to guarantee traceability and the first olive oil company operating on Oracle block chain technology to ensure transparency. Using this innovative Oracle blockchain and new 4.0 Production IoT technol ogies, they can track each shipment to reduce the risk of information manipu lation at the source, while ensuring food supply chain transparency.

Certified Origins is also pioneering and investing in Nuclear Magnetic Reso nance (NMR) technology to verify EVOO origin authenticity. This research is in partnership with University of Salento and can verify Extra Virgin Olive Oil

origin authenticity. A large private database of unique «fingerprints» with +1k different origin olive oils is able to provide scientific support to EVOO authenticity, and each year their database increases by hundreds of samples, to further improve the accuracy of the results.

More Information

PLMA Chicago

F-2917

Copra Coconuts: A Leading Manufacturer Of The Best Quality Coconut Products

Ben and Chai went to the Interna tional School of Bangkok together, graduating in 2007. As childhood friends we never expected to start a business together but as luck would have it, after college Chai and Ben were in New York City together and wanted to try some coconut water from leading brands as we had heard so much about the growing category in the US. We tasted sev eral brands and were shocked at the difference of quality from what we had grown up with drinking on the streets of Bangkok. That is when we decided to start Copra – and find a better way to deliver what coconut water is supposed to taste like.

We began our journey in 2012, experimenting with many different processing methods, finally landing on, and implementing a brand-new way to extract, process and bottle coconut water. We launched solely as a retail brand but soon pivoted into private label and bulk supply as demand for our amazing tasting coconut water (and soon other biproducts) was off the charts. Over the course of the next 10 years we expanded into other product cate gories such as coconut smoothies, coconut meat and coconut nectar and have built a state of the art, BRC Grade A factory in Ratchaburi province Thailand, equipped to supply major retail.

Our facility is wholly owned and located minutes from the lush Nam Hom coconut plantations of western Thailand; the region that produces the sweetest and most nutty coconuts in the world. Every day we harvest, extract, and fill fresh coconut water that tastes exactly as it does if you were to drink it straight from a young Thai coconut. We do this via our com pletely unique process and by keeping everything in a chilled supply chain. It is truly shocking the difference between what coconut water should taste like compared to what most of the market is still pouring. We have been on a mission to change that consumer expectation and to expand and set the standard in other product categories such as coconut smoothies and coconut nectar.

high and are very excited

to continue delivering the best coconut products that can be found on the market. The sky is the limit, each day more and more consum ers become aware of what coconut products should really taste like. Copra is on a mission to change the world for the better through the amazing potential of coconuts.

Rite Stuff Showcases its Snack Variety at PLMA in Chicago

From 13 - 15 November, the Rite Stuff Foods, Inc. (Frostkrone USA) team will be exhibiting at the PLMA in Chicago. Visitors to stand F2822 will not only be offered detailed information on the company’s product range but will also be able to sample its latest fingerfood and snack varieties in person.

At its PLMA stand, Rite Stuff Foods will be presenting a wealth of street food to customers from the retail and food service sectors:

Just like cauliflower in tempura, for example: tender cauliflower wrapped in tempura batter, baked to a crunchy perfection in just a few minutes.

Also on offer is a popular selection of potato snacks, such as Sour Cream and Chives ‘Twice Baked Potato’ or Triple Cheese ‘Twice Baked Potato’.

Just by looking at them, you’ll work up an appetite.

Rite Stuff Foods, Inc., part of the Frostkrone Food Group, has long made a strong name for itself as a leading pro ducer of potato specialities in the USA. The versatile potato snacks are made exclusively from original Idaho® pota toes and can be found in many different varieties. These products have enjoyed huge popularity with consumers in the USA for years.

In 2019, the Jerome-based (Idaho) company joined the ranks of the Frostkrone Food Group. Last year saw the company putting a new finger food production line into operation where now, amongst other snacks, the Frostkrone best seller, Mozzarella Sticks, and also the Cream Cheese Jalapeños are prepared together with a selection of other plant-based, tasty delights. Due to the expansion of production, the company has once again been able to improve its already very good position on the U.S. market. “The resulting variety of products added to

their repertoire is being well received by customers from the trade and the food service sector.” declares James D`Agosta, CEO of Rite Stuff Foods, Inc. and is confident that this develop ment will continue.

Taste, try and find out more at the Frostkrone F-2822 at PLMA Chicago

James D’Agosta and his team will be delighted to present the complete kaleidoscope of finger food and snacks to all their visitors at this year’s PLMA: “We’ve got plenty of trendy finger food and snack concepts lined up that will definitely inspire our visitors.”

www.frostkrone-foodgroup.com

PLMA Chicago Booth

Leading European Supplier

La Doria is a family company founded in 1954 in Angri, the historical heart of Ita ly’s tomato processing area. La Doria is a major supplier for mass market retailers both in Italy and abroad and is special ized in the private labels sector and retail brands. Approximately 95% of La Doria sales are generated via this channel through long standing partnerships with retailers Worldwide.

In addition to private labels, the Group sells products under La Doria brand, which is on the market from about 60 years, La Romanella (for value products), Althea, Bella Parma (for pasta sauces) and other major Italian and international leading brands (copacking).

Significant family involvement, abso lute commitment to quality and tra dition, attention to natural and health food of the Mediterranean diet are the fundamental elements of La Doria’s success. La Doria only uses real Italian tomatoes for an unparalleled sweetness and a texture that can only be found in the best home-grown tomatoes.

La Doria is also a historical producer of pulses and fruit juices. To ensure an authentic taste, the company carries out very stringent product selection at origin. High quality vegetables and fruits are packed according to natural conservation methods to leave the taste and nutrition intact.

Today the company is the first largest producer in Europe of peeled and chopped tomatoes and preserved puls es in retail segment and the first largest producer in Europe of pasta sauces in the private label segment. It is also one of the main producers in Italy of fruit juices and beverages.

desire

its work

the best of Italian

and stand out in terms of quality and excellence.

Sustainable Paper Innovations from Lucart

Lucart is a major European manu facturer of thin MG paper for flexible packaging and a key player in the consumer goods and Away From Home market as a producer and transformer of tissue and airlaid paper. We asked more about what makes Lucart unique.

“Our attention to people, sustainable processes and approach to innova tion mean that we offer cutting-edge products that meet market challeng es and perfectly match the require ments of our customers.

Fiberpack® is our flagship project in this field: it combines advanced technology and environmentally friendly processes, demonstrating that circular economy principles are fully applicable to the tissue sector.

We created this project starting from the idea of using all the elements of beverage cartons according to circular economy principles. The production process relies on an innovative technology that separates the cellulose fibres found in beverage cartons from polyethylene

and aluminium by physical-me chanical action. With this technol ogy we don’t use any substances that may be harmful to people or the environment. We produce tissue products with the fibres obtained through this process. We recover the aluminium and poly ethylene and convert them into a homogeneous material called Al.Pe.®, which other industries use to produce a variety of items.

Lucart is also the only brand in its target market to offer airlaid products with exceptional absor bency and strength performance. The Airlaid technology uses long, highly resistant cellulose fibres that never come into contact with water during the production process (dry paper), so that they remain super absorbent. Fibres treated with this process naturally form a ‘“dam” structure, offering outstanding results: it absorbs 50% more compared to other household paper and, thanks to its exception al resistance, it can be reused up to 10 times, compared to 1 or 2 of competing products.

We are a company made up of people who choose to use innova tive and sustainable processes in development, transformation and manufacturing of paper products, collaborating responsibly for the future of our business and of the planet.

We recently introduced hybrid technology: Lucart uses only re cycled fibres and cellulose coming from supply chains that are man aged according to acknowledged sustainability criteria. Hybrid products are obtained thanks to a unique and innovative technology that allows pure cellulose plies to combined with recycled paper plies, thereby ensuring excellent quality and maximum attention to environmental sustainability.”

For More Information: www.lucartgroup.com info.export@lucartgroup.com

The V-Label Brand: Values Beyond the Mark

In fall, everything around us changes in color: trees that were once green van ish into beautiful hues of honey gold, red, and brown. Nature prepares itself for facing the winter, to bloom again in spring. Everything slows down, and it becomes quieter. Change is good and inevitable.

For V-LABEL also, autumn it’s a great time to support vegetarian and vegan choice. In fact, there are two important days dedicated to this: the first is on October 1 – The World Vegetarian Day, and one month later, on November 1 –The World Vegan Day.

These anniversaries are an important moment for V-LABEL to remember the importance of guaranteeing vegetar ian and vegan choice through a clear identification of products and services suitable for this.

In fact, the V-LABEL is the internation al mark to identify vegetarian, vegan, and raw vegan products, registered in more than 70 countries, with a history of great values.

As a matter of fact, the V-LABEL brand guidelines were established by major European Vegetarian and Vegan Associations to provide assurance and guarantee safety for producers and consumers.

Furthermore, the V-LABEL contin ues to maintain the same criteria and checking methods without any varia tion, despite its widespread use.

For V-LABEL, transparency is a pri ority: that’s why self-declarations are not accepted and every ingredient as well as manufacturing procedures are inspected before applying the mark on products.

The origin of the V-LABEL is proof of reliability and safety itself. Designed in the early 70s as the institutional symbol of the Italian Vegetarian Association, the V-LABEL mark has always kept the values of the Associa tion, promoting sustainable develop ment that respects the Planet.

For this reason, the V-LABEL mark is not simply a certification for vegetar ian, vegan, and raw vegan products. It’s much more: choosing a V-LABEL product means being part of the great change, which includes values of etic, nonviolence, but also ecology and sustainability, respecting every life and the planet.

Also companies can give their con tribution to the change: by choosing the V-LABEL mark, they ensure that consumers who choose vegetarian and vegan products can always find quality. Not only that: by choosing the V-LABEL mark, companies posi tion themselves on the market with a serious and transparent approach to vegetarian and vegan products. Quality, transparency, and profes sionalism in the field of vegetarian and vegan certification – that’s why the V-LABEL is the first choice for consumers and companies all over the world.

For more information: www.vlabel.org segreteria@vlabel.it

Supply Chain Reliability Gained Through Decades Of Experience

Reliability gained through decades of experience, promptness in advancing solutions and commitment to sus tainability: Agritalia S.p.A., a family company based in Naples (Italy) and founded in 1987 by the brothers Stefa no and Sergio Massa, is specialized in private label programs and the export of food and non-foods products over seas, especially North America.

Thanks to a comprehensive portfolio of more than 100 qualified suppliers located across Italy and European Union, Agritalia represents an effective and smart solution for retailers to start private brand projects, from concept to re-orders. The company has built its of ferings on the four pillars of the Made in Italy Collection: extra virgin olive oil, pasta, pasta sauce and vinegar, on which it has acquired an extensive ex pertise over the years. Then, the range has been extended to other categories such as gnocchi, polenta, couscous, gluten free products, and more, and recently it has landed the world of non-food making its debut in the body-care aisle.

Plus, the company completes its offer ings providing a full range of services such as sourcing, quality control, marketing, and logistics support to take care of all stages of a project while assuring the highest flexibility.

In fact, when it comes to operations and shipments, Agritalia is steadily backed by sister companies Agrilo gistica and Agrusa. Agrilogistica is a new state-of-the-art logistics platform, strategically sited in southern Italy

near the principal ports of Naples and Salerno. Its greatest innovation is the Automated Replenishment Program (ARP), an advanced logistics solu tion which allows to optimize freight consolidation, delivering even a single pallet straight to the regional distri bution centers (DC’s), with maximum flexibility for all the private label proj ects. Agrusa is based in New Jersey and provides major support by reducing importing complexities by offering services such as but not limited to, cus toms clearance, deliveries via rail and road, marine insurance, product liabil ity coverages, inventory management in public warehouses, EDI capabilities, and administrative services.

The secret to success of the Group has been to always pay close atten tion to trends and evolutions in the food industry to shape the company’s business model to any challenges. In achieving its 35th business anniver sary this year, the company intends to confirm its efforts to make the entire supply chain management

increasingly smart and efficient, as well as attentive to the current rele vant topics, such as environmental sustainability. Agritalia, in fact, has accepted the challenge in the fight against climate warming by joining, through Goals 9 and 12, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development signed by UN member countries and joined the EU-funded ProCEedS project conducted by the Sheffield University, which will identify best practices for the implementation of the circular economy in the food supply chain.

For more information: www.agrilogistica.com www.agrusainc.com

PLMA Chicago

Le Bontà Brings Cacio e Pepe to Retailers Worldwide

Le Bontà was founded in 1994 in Pra to, in the Tuscan hinterland, to create sauces, meat sauces, and patès that express the best Tuscan gastronomic tradition.

Last October, Le Bontà Srl moved to a new 9,000 m2 plant in Campi Bisenzio (FI), bringing together two divisions (sauces and cereals) in a unique production center. The proj ect was guided by a desire to embark on a sustainable path.

The lines of sauces have been re newed. The company has invested in new technologies and machinery that triple the production capacity and al low us to replicate the authenticity of recipes with a perfect mix of tradition and innovation.

This year, Le Bontà Srl will launch a contemporary range that pays tribute to its origins: Chianina ragout, Porci ni mushrooms and truffle sauce, Agli one sauce, cacio e pepe sauce, Norma sauce and Amatriciana sauce.

The cacio e pepe sauce embodies the whole soul of the people of the Lazio region and above all of the city of Rome, a city devoted to grandeur and majesty but which never forgets the simplicity of its origins.

Like carbonara and amatriciana, the cacio e pepe sauce is one of the Italian culinary tradition's tastiest and most popular dishes. i Toscanacci have rein terpreted this historic recipe using the Tuscan DOP pecorino together with the Roman pecorino.

The new references arise from the great ability to evolve historical recipes in a new current and original key. The new products are suitable for all those who want to taste everyday typical Italian and quality flavors: they are ideal for everyone, young and older adults.

For more information: www.lebonta.it

“Pride in our farms, farmers and products”

Pacific Coast Producers is an Agricul tural Cooperative owned by over 150 family-farms located in Central and Northern California. We specialize in canning fruits and tomatoes for Private Brands throughout the world. Our founders, proud farmers themselves, have built a legacy that has been passed down through generations. Now, over 50 years later, we still have the same pride in our farms and products. Our growers have sustainable practices and harvest the highest quality fruits and tomatoes - so we can produce the best products possible for the world to enjoy.

Our products are sold to the retail, foodservice, and industrial sectors across the globe servicing 1.5 million foodservice outlets and over 95,000 grocery stores. Our product line includes canned fruits, fruit bowls, canned tomatoes, salsa, marinara, pizza and pasta sauces, organic fruits and tomatoes, as well as maraschino, glacé, and ingredient cherries. We also source many fine foods globally including mandarin oranges, pineap ple, tropical fruits, and mango.

for more information: www.pacificcoastproducers.com

PLMA Chicago Booth F-2300

Italian Quality Meets Customer Convenience

Valsa Group, as leading Italian chilled and frozen pizza and snack manufac turer, identifies its primary develop ment as the combination between Ital ian quality and customer convenience, with the daily goal of reaching a differ ent way of thinking, redesigning pizza in various sizes as well as in different concepts. This is possible thanks to the continuous communication inside the Group: daily ideas transfer helps in creating new concepts, as the sum of different expertise and experiences.

Valsa Group launches the new Cere al-Based Focaccia Napoletana range. A concept born into Valpizza R&D Department, with the aim to enhance cereals: they underlie Mediterranean diet and are by far the major source of energy, protein, B vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber for the world population.

Five Focaccia Napoletana cere al-based flavors: durum wheat and rice, oat, barley, corn, quinoa. A com pletely unique aromatic profile that comes from selected Italian grains, natural long leavening and tradition al hand stretching. The perfect way to complete Retailers range with a real Italian product, that can bring their customers to Italy within a bite.

The Group’s strategy strength, is the combination between traditional manufacturing process and a greater focus on convenience for the con sumer, keeping the highest quality standards: in contemporary market, convenience supported by premium quality, is essential to create value into supply chain.

Recent acquisitions, state Valsa Group as Italian integrated point of reference in pizza and snack manu facturing. With its 5 plants, through the brands Valpizza, La Pizza+1, Megic Pizza, Ghiottelli and Il Borgo: Valsa Group became the unique, large-scale and highly qualified partner able to supply a wide range of items in frozen and deli categories, innovate and support its partners in developing convenience creative concepts.

For more information: export@valpizza.it

“Authenticity” The Secret of Italian Private Label Success Mangia!

There is an enormous opportunity for retailers to connect with their customers and improve their margins by optimiz ing their Italian Private Label offering. What’s even better is that there’s no need to reinvent the wheel and embark on this journey alone, ITA has years of experience working with retailers and suppliers in developing programs that connect suppliers to retailers and retailers to consumers. This special feature explores these opportunities and shares some insight from retail colleagues who work with ITA.

Consumers Are Ready

There is a growing consumer push from American consumers to add value through “authenticity” in the purchase of their food and wines according to a survey conducted by Survey lab, a global leader in customized online research, on behalf PLMA (Private Label Manufacturers Association) based in New York. The study involved some 800 women and men from throughout the US who identified themselves as the principal grocery shopper in their household.

The survey revealed that shoppers are highly aware of the availability of international food products in their favorite supermarkets and food stores, can readily identify dozens of them on the shelves and can easily associate the products with specific countries and national and regional cuisines.The 2020 survey also documented that consumers have strong opinions about the product qualities and features that appeal

to them, and that they demonstrate a strong willingness to buy international food products for the first time.

A majority of American shoppers say they can identify the country of origin of all the food products in their supermarket, and more than half said they are aware of the country where all of their supermar ket’s food products are grown, produced or manufactured. An even higher percentage of millennials and Gen Z, both at 73%, said they are aware of the food products’ origins.

American consumers want more international food products in their stores. Nearly half in the study said that compared to five years ago there are now more international food products available in their favorite supermarket or food store. One in four said there is the same number available in their store. More than one-third would like to see their favorite supermarket or food store offer more international food products. The percentage who want more of them is higher in younger groups in the study: Gen Z (56%) and millennials (50%).

More than a quarter always or frequently purchase an international food product when they do their regular grocery shopping at their favorite super market or food store. Half of millennials and a third of Gen Z respondents buy international food products at that rate when they shop. Among all in the study, 43% said they buy at least one or two international food items when they shop, while another 22% said they buy three or more food items each time they shop.

Four in ten said international food products are generally priced higher than similar domestic food products in their favorite supermarket or food store. One in four said international food products are priced about the same; one in five said the pricing varies.

Three in ten of all consumers in the study said they purchase an international food product of any kind frequently or occasionally online. Among younger generations in the study the degree of online purchase of an international food product increases sharply: to 53% of Gen Z respondents and 51% of millennials.

said they are aware of the food products’ origins.

6 in 10

consumers in the study said they are aware of the retailer store brand that the products carry

Besides their favorite supermarket or food store, consumers also buy international food products at other types of stores, including mass merchandisers (cited by 38%), specialty food stores (30%), club stores (28%), low price stores (21%), neighborhood ethnic stores (20%), dollar stores (15%), local specialty food stores, such as deli, bodega (14%), and farmer’s market (12%).

When they shop for international food products, six in ten con sumers in the study said they are aware of the retailer store brand that the products carry. Younger groups demonstrate an even greater awareness of the retailer’s store brand: millennials (74% are aware) and Gen Z (67%). In a related question, half replied that when they shop for international food products, they are aware of “any brand” that they carry. Millennials were more brand con scious: Two-thirds of them said they were aware of any brand.

The features of an international food product that consumers find appealing when they are considering its purchase include taste (69%), quality (48%), authenticity (36%), exotic flavor (33%), uniqueness (28%), packaging (19%), size or amount (19%), unusual ingredients (16%), and performance (12%).

Private label products have become a key to success for many re tailers seeking to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Today, more than ever, consumers are demanding from

their retailers a greater selection of products across multiple price points, This choice plays into the hands of those retailers who will provide options for those shoppers who might not be big spenders but still insist on quality and value.

It is no secret that Americans love Italian specialty products. In another recent YouGov survey, 88% of U.S. consumers said that they like Italian food, making it the country’s most popular non-American type of cuisine. While many Americans are most familiar with pizza, there also is the fact that pasta, sauces, and olive oil have become pantry staples nationwide and the demand for these items, in particular, for products sourced from Italy.

U.S. consumers, now more than ever, are looking for new premium-quality authentic offerings at the right price points. Retailers are increasingly realizing that they can import prod ucts from Italy and offer a high-quality product in a way that maintains similar margins to those seen by retailers who use domestic products.Look to Italian private label products for outstanding quality and manufacturing tradition at the right price point. Your success will be guaranteed, especially with this sort of support.

Each episode leaves viewers hungry and eager to replicate the dishes he enjoys. But they soon discover that: Without Authentic, Quality ingredients, there is no Italian Food.

Stanley Tucci Jr, the American born Actor/Director is beginning the third season of his extremely successful TV show, Searching for Italy. In this series, Mr. Tucci eats his way through Italy’s food diverse regions. He emmerses himself in the local food cuture to uncover the secrets of the world’s greatest cuisines. To no surprise to those who know, he reveals how local ingredients drive each regions meals.

Whether he is enjoying a Pizza Margarita in Napoli, or a Ragu in Bologna or hunting for tartufo in Piedmont, he makes one thing abundantly clear. It’s the ingredients that define a region’s food culture.

ITA Chicago Office Provides Sourcing Opportunities for Retailers

CAMPAIGN OPPORTUNITIES

ITA provides Expertise and Co-Promotional Funding for “Authentic Italian” themed activities to reach shoppers at every touchpoint in their path to purchase. ITA is able to provide U.S. retailers with co-promotional funds for both digital and in-store campaigns to support the sales of Made in Italy food and beverages.

IN-STORE PROMOTIONS

•

•

•

(e.g.

The Italian Trade Agency Chicago Office Invites Retailers

To Explore The Importance of

Italian”

ITA, Italian Trade Agency, is the Governmental agency that supports the business development of Italian companies abroad and promotes foreign investment in Italy. ITA operates through a worldwide network of 79 offices in 65 countries, including 5 In the US - New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and Miami.

The Office is responsible for the promotion of food and bev erages directed at major U.S. Supermarket Chains (for both brand and private label products)

GOAL

Increase

Connecting U.S.

• Inviting Buyers to visit ITA’s official pavilions at major U.S. food trade shows (i.e. Fancy Food, PLMA, NRA).

• Hosting official U.S. Buyers Delegations to Italy’s most im portant food-related exhibitions and coordinating customized retailer specific trade missions and B2B meetings in Italy.

• Facilitating B2B meetings with Italian producers across all categories utilizing ITA’s Smart 365 digital platform

DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

•

EDUCATIONAL AND CULINARY TRAINING

The ITA has organized customized culinary training programs, conducted by Alma, Italy’s leading culinary academy, for U.S. major retailers’ senior leadership, associates, buyers, and chefs. U.S. retailers can enhance staff’s awareness and knowledge of “Authentic Italian” food and wines.

In the late 1950s, San Francisco businessman turned traveler and importer began selling shiploads of hand-woven wicker from one of the city’s piers. As crates were unloaded, cus tomers lined up and loaded up. He turned his shiploads into a storefront on San Francisco’s famed Fisherman’s Wharf in 1958 and it quickly became a destination for those who craved original and handmade items from around the world. They continue to focus on value and affordability so that our products are accessible to anyone who wants to make your home and your special occasions uniquely you.

With sales of more than $12 billion annu ally, Hy-Vee ranks among the top 5 most trusted brands and has been named one of America’s top 3 favorite grocery stores. Its more than 285 stores are located in eight Midwestern states: Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minne sota and Wisconsin. Distribution centers are in Chariton, Iowa, and Cherokee, Iowa, with a third perishable operation in Ankeny, Iowa. Hy-Vee’s corporate office is located in West Des Moines, Iowa.

JD Campbell Category Manager Specialty Products, Hy-Vee

Since the beginning of our relationship with the ITA we have increased sales of authentic Italian products by 36%.”

Insights from World Market

GRB: What was your motivation for working with ITA’s Chicago office to promote Italian Authenticity at World Market?

Linda: Authentic Italian products are an import ant part of our food assortment. Our customers love Italian products so we were looking for ways to grow the offering and create a special event with an engaging instore experience with compo nents that could be leveraged on ECOM.

GRB: What sort of projects did you undertake?

Linda: Quite a few, including:

• Develop assortment strategies

• Researching new product types and manufac turers and attend Cibus (with the ITA)

Insights from Hy-Vee

• Comp shop and factory visits after the show.

• Develop marketing content plan and a digital and social media marketing campaign.

• Create and instore graphics and signage.

• Plan and execute a grand opening event in a Key store with ITA members attending.

GRB: What were the most significant takeaways from this project?

Linda: We have the opportunity to expand our year-round Italian assortment.

GRB: Without giving away any secrets, can you share some of the results?

Linda: Huge sales increase over the prior year’s Italian event.

Linda McCain Senior Director, World Market

GRB: What was your motivation for working with ITA’s Chicago office to promote Italian Authenticity at Hy-Vee?

JD: When we were developing our authentic Italian program we want ed to partner with the ITA to help us make connections to the vast supplier base that Italy has to offer so that we could bring the highest quality of products the country has to offer home to our customers.

GRB: What sort of project did you undertake?

JD: We developed a dedicated section for authentic Italian products in our center store grocery sets that is up to sixteen feet in our larger stores. We also developed a private label line called Gustare Vita. Prod ucts range from pasta, sauces, oils, condiments, cookie, frozen meals, and gelato.

GRB: What were the most significant takeaways from this project?

JD: Our most significant takeaway is that our customers are looking from premium high quality products. We continue to see a shift of more eating from home and consumers are willing to trade up in quality for the experience.

GRB: Without giving away any secrets, can you share some of the results?

JD: Since the beginning of our relationship with the ITA we have increased sales of authentic Italian products by 36%.

We enjoyed a huge sales increase over the prior year’s Italian event.”

Markets are a chain of grocery supermarkets in the U.S. states of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi with more than 6,500 employees.

Best Quality + Best Price.”

Anthony J. Rouse, Sr., Founder

Arte Bianca

Crustless Bread, Baked Products www.artebiancagroup.it F1818

Acetaia Bellei

Balsamic Vinegar of Modena IGP www.bellei.it F1701

Bachet

Artisan Breadsticks, Baked Products, Panettone www.bachet.it F1825

Agrolegumi Canned Pulses www.agrolegumi.it F1706

Crea Vini

White wine, Rosè Wine, Red Wine www.creavini.it F1725

De Matteis Agroalimentare

Durum wheat pasta, Artisan Pasta, Organic Pasta, Specialty Pasta, Egg Pasta, Whole Wheat Pasta www.dematteisfood.it F1714

Bocon

Frozen Foods, Ready Meals, Packaged Snacks www.bocon.it F1811

Deangelis

Organic, Vegan Spreads www.deanocciola.com F1801

Dolceria Alba

Frozen Desserts www.dolceriaalba.it F1830

Gias

Frozen Ready Meals, Vegetables www.giasspa.com F1805

Emilio Mauri

PDO Cheeses (Taleggio, Quartirolo, Gorgonzola) from Lombardy www.mauri.it F1732

F.i.r.m.a. Italia Ready Meals www.firmaitalia.it F1710

Gruppo Milo

Artisanal Pasta, Bakery Snacks www.gruppomilo.it F1703

Gustibus Alimentari

Sauces, Pestos, Condiments, Sweet Spreads www.gustibusalimentari.it F1831

Aldino

Durum wheat Pasta, Egg Pasta, Organic Pasta, Gluten Free Pasta, Lasagna, Specialties www.mennucci.it F1724

ITALY

- www.italianprivatelabel.com

Campo D’Oro

Antipasti, Tomato Sauces, Pesto, Bruschetta, Olives, Jam, Sweet Creams, Organic Products www.campodoro.com F1702

Alimenta Produzioni

Baked Products, Bruschetta, Pizza Bases www.alimentaproduzioni.it F1828

Andriani

Gluten Free Pasta: cereal pasta, legume pasta - organic and conventional www.andrianispa.com F1800

Delizie Bakery

Breadsticks, Sweet and Savory Snacks, Biscuits www.deliziebakery.com F1731

F.lli Polli

Preserved Vegetables, Sauces, Olives, Pesto www.polli.it F1711

Cerreto Organic Organic Grains, Legumes, Ready to Cook Meals www.cerretobio.com F1728

Clas

Pesto, Pasta Sauces, Condiments www.claspesto.com F1827

Industria Alimentare Ferraro

Egg Pasta, Filled Pasta, Ready Made Meals www.industriaferraro.com F1826

Delizie di Calabria Hot Sauces, Pasta Sauces, Condiments www.deliziedicalabria.it F1824

Fava Bibite

Organic Soft Drinks, Organic Ice Tea, Mixers www.favabibite.it F1808

Dial Funghi

Dry Porcini Mushrooms, Porcini Cream www.dialfunghi.it F1836

G.M. Piccoli

Frozen Desserts, Frozen Pastry Products www.italianpastryexcellence.com F1707

Le Vie del Tartufo Truffle Based Products www.jimmytartufi.it F1813

Lucarelli Alferino

Table Olives, Lupin Beans, Capers www.olivelucarelli.it F1814

OlioCRU

Aromatic Oils, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Olive Paste, Organic Products www.oliocru.it F1709

Macoritto Valentino Short Breadsticks, Savory Snacks www.imacoritti.it F1810

Molino F.lli Chiavazza

Cereal and Gluten Free Flours, Yeast, Mixes for Breads www.molinochiavazza.it F1726

Rodolfi Mansueto

Canned Tomatoes, Dried Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce www.rodolfi.com F1735

Olitalia

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Condiments www.olitalia.com F1807

Rosso Gargano

Organic Whole Peeled Tomatoes, Pasta Sauces www.rossogargano.com F1834

Pasta Natura Gluten Free Pasta and Flours www.pastanatura.com F1806

Deep

Surgital

F1802

Surmont

Frozen Food, Frozen

www.surmont.it F1819

Meals,

Ruata F.lli - Goccia D’oro Balsamic Vinegar, Dressings, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil www.gocciadoro.it F1832

Terre di Puglia

Savory and Sweet Bakery Snacks www.terredipuglia.it F1713

®

Esseoquattro

Manufactures of fresh-preserver and greaseproof packaging for fresh food www.esseoquattro.com H1511

La Mediterranea Fertilizers www.lamediterraneasrl.it H1612

Montalbano Industria Agroalimentare

Pesto and Bruschetta Sauces, Preserved Vegetables, Olives www.montalbanofood.com F1803

Pasta Raguso

Artisanal Pasta from 100% Italian Grains www.pastaraguso.it F1708

-

S.I.A. Società Italiana Alimenti

Frozen Food, Frozen Ready Meals, Frozen Specialties www.societaitalianaalimenti.it F1730

Nove Alpi

Gluten Free Bakery Products www.agluten.it F1700

Policom

Plant-based Drinks, Nut Butters and Spreads, Vegan Spreads www.policomsrl.it F1727

Oleificio Zucchi

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Flavored Oils www.oleificiozucchi.com F1719

Raff

Savory Gourmet Snacks from Sardinia www.cuscinetticroccanti.com F1736

Tonitto 1939

Premium quality Italian ice cream and sorbet www.tonitto.com/en/ F1723

Sorini - Felletti Chocolate Pralines, Chocolates, Spreads www.sorini.it F1734

Vergani

Confectionary, Nougats, Pralines www.vergani.it F1809

Sottolestelle

Organic Bakery Products: Breads, Cookies, Crackers www.sottolestelle.com F1835

Zappalà

Selection of Cheeses and Specialty Dairy Products www.zappala.it F1823

ProfiMed

Dental Floss, Oral Care Products, Surgical Masks www.profimed.it H1613

Relevi

Air Fresheners, Scented Candles, Toilet Fresheners www.relevi.it H1611

Turati Idrofilo

Cotton Wool Products and Patented Dry, Water Activated Wipes , Make-Up Remover Wipes www.turati-idrofilo.com H1513

The Italian Trade Agency at PLMA 2022

The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) is the Italian Government Agency promoting the internationalization of Italian companies abroad and the attraction of foreign investment in Italy. ITA provides information, assistance, consulting, promotion and training to Italian small and medium-sized businesses. Using the most modern multi-channel promotion and communication tools, it acts to assert the excellence of Made in Italy around the world.

The Italian Trade Agency works with Italian and foreign companies along with the local authorities and businesses via its worldwide network of 79 offices in 65 countries, linked to Italian embassies and consulates. ITA offices are the ideal gateway for enterprises willing to establish business relationships with Italian partners, from sourcing Italian products, to investment opportunities in Italy.

ROME

Via Liszt, 21 00144 Rome, Italy

T. +39 06 59921

F. +39 06 89280353 urp@ice.it

HOUSTON

777 Post Oak Blvd Suite 320 Houston, TX 77056

T. +1 281 888 4288

NEW YORK 33 East 67th Street New York, NY 10065

T. +1 212 980 1500

F. +1 212 758 1050 newyork@ice.it

LOS ANGELES

1900 Avenue of the Stars Suite 350 Los Angeles, CA 90067

T. +1 323 879 0950

CHICAGO

401 N. Michigan Avenue Suite 1720 Chicago, IL 60611

T. +1 312 670 4360

F. +1 312 670 5147 chicago@ice.it

MIAMI

1 SE 3rd Avenue Suite 1000 Miami, FL 33131

T. +1 305 461 3896

F. +1 310 203 8335 losangeles@ice.it

F. +1 786 497 8900 miami@ice.it

F +1 281 974 3100 houston@ice.it www.ice.it

5 QUESTIONS TO GROW YOUR PRIVATE BRAND BUSINESS

ASK YOURSELF...

Are you tired of the endless one-sided transactional relationship? Are you tired of being pushed to procurement and told your products are no more than commodities?

Are you armed with the News & Insights you need?

As we approach the first anniversary of the launch of the Velocity Institute, I wanted to take a few moments to speak directly to private brand manufacturers and invite you to become a member. Launched in November 2021, the Velocity Institute is the global industry association committed to advancing retailers and their brands across all categories and channels. The Institute replaced My Private Brand, the groundbreaking thought leadership website introduced in 2008.

The Velocity Institute places retail members at its center and then surrounds them with the world’s best manufacturers and solution partners. Membership includes anyone who helps retailers build and grow their brands. Placing retailers at the center of what we do means developing strong relationships with our retail members. Those relationships translate into solid relationships with our manufacturer members.

The private brand industry has always had a special relationship with its manufacturers. The Institute is working to evolve and grow that relationship from strictly transactional to symbiotic. Working with the manufacturers on our board, we have developed five questions to address your specific business needs.

The Velocity Institute builds relationships designed to elevate retailer-owned brands. We bring senior executives from retailers and manufacturers together to elevate their brands, embrace mutually beneficial relationships, and embrace growth. In 2023 we will get the industry together with our marque event plan, the Velocity Conference + Expo, Velocity Sustainability Summit, and three Virtual Summits: State of the Industry23, Design23, and Speed to Market23.

Are you prepared to move from mimicry to innovation?

The Velocity Institutes' portfolio of in-person and virtual events provides the learning and insights manufacturers need to focus innovation on the categories and products that matter to retailers.

Whether it’s a presentation from an SVP of Walmart, Tesco, or Ahold Delhaize or a Fireside Chat with an Executive from Boxed, Lowe's Home Improvement, Staples, or CVS Health, we provide a look inside the strategy that will help manufacturers pitch more successfully.

Are you ready to meet Senior Retail Executives?

Whether it’s one of our marque conferences, a share group, or our Velocity Meetups in cities like Minneapolis, Amsterdam, Boston, Toronto, Chicago, London, or Austin, executive-level networking is what we do. We connect leaders to leaders and drive growth.

Each year the Velocity Institute fields exclusive consumer research and industry benchmarking that provides actionable insights for manufacturers and retailers. Our Daily News powered by My Private Brand is the only source focused exclusively on private brands. "Velocity Talks" and "Velocity Insights" video series provide conversations and insights from the world's private brand leaders.

Are you keeping up with the design strategy driving the best private brands?

It's easy to write branding and design off as unnecessary embellishments, but best-in-class manufacturers understand they provide a look inside the retailer's strategy.

Since the contest's inception, the Vertex Awards has featured more than 7s retailers from 51 countries, each presenting a world-class design. 2023 will mark the 10th Anniversary of the Vertex Awards, and we plan to hold celebrations in the U.S. and Europe. Past winners have included Kroger, Carrefour, Target, CVS Health, Woolworths, Asda, Jumbo, and more.

Christopher Durham

Christopher Durham is the president of the Velocity Institute. Prior to this he founded the groundbreaking site My Private Brand. He is the co-founder of The Vertex Awards. He began his retail career building brands at Food Lion and Lowe’s Home Improvement. Durham has worked with retailers around the world, including Albertsons, Family Dollar, Petco, Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy, Metro Canada. Durham has published seven definitive books on private brands, including Fifty2: The My Private Brand Project and Vanguard: Vintage Originals.

Innovation Is Not a Birthright

When Prince Charles became King, it was a true birthright that was 73 years in the making. It was not a surprise, it was pre-ordained at birth, and even with his many personal blunders, tragedies and triumphs, you knew the crown was forthcoming. The monarchy is a birthright, where bloodlines and birth order mean everything, and the lineage is mapped and predictable.

Innovation doesn’t work that way, it is not a birthright. We can equally be surprised by product successes and failures, and even with all the consumer research you can muster, innovation is not predictable. New Coke had millions of dollars in research to justify its reason-to-be and look what happened.

Innovation, though, comes from a real process. In this piece, we are going to address ten important drivers behind retail innovation and those retailers who would generally be recognized as bestin-class. These drivers don’t all have to work in perfect harmony with one another, and some behaviors you may excel in and others not so much, but they are

the underpinnings for success in innovation. You can measure them, you can gauge them in your organization, you can lose them, and you can acquire them over time. And as always, we can argue about them and debate their merits, but in my thirty years of experience, here are the ten that really matter.

Retailers who excel at innovation put a clearly communicated goal forward to the organization (and externally to suppliers), and state this is a priority objective. These retailers see it as their destination, to be in a place that is in front of their competition and Retailers who excel at innovation put a clearly communicated goal forward to the organization (and externally to suppliers), and state this is a priority objective. These retailers see it as their destination, to be in a place that is in front of their competition and always a step ahead. It is a priority communicated from the top, known across all organizational strata and incentivized for further support. The goal is repeated frequently in the beginning for traction and becomes known over time.

Just look at how some of the large up-and-coming Retail Innovators like Albertsons and Kroger talk publicly about their achievements. Kroger literally reports how many new own brand products they launch every year (630 in 2021). Albertsons also talks about this openly in earnings calls, like earlier this year:

It can be learned, it can be lost, but there is a process for imbedding it within your culture. Here are the ten drivers to becoming a best-in-class retail innovator.

VIVEK SANKARAN

“In own brands, we introduced 837 new products and increased adoption in lower penetrated divisions, driving strong growth and improved margins…sales penetration reached 25.6% with the strongest performance in floral, deli and meat. During the year, own brands was awarded four Private Label Manufacturing Association awards and recognition… for innovation in private brand marketing.”

If you are to become a best-inclass Retail Innovator, you have metrics not just internally for your teams, but also for reporting them externally.

Best-In-Class Innovators have a culture that supports, nurtures and prioritizes product development

KEY POINTS

4Culture can be built. Costco didn’t start that way.

4Innovation is part of the stated mission

4

members start to buy-in

4

4

levers and rewards encourage it

suppliers begin to understand it too.

Retailers who lead in innovation often didn’t start there, it took time and commitment (for example, Costco), and a realization that product differentiation was key. A retailer’s innovation culture is often transformed, in the beginning, by not just stating the goal (reference Innovation Driver #1), but also by a number of tactical levers being pulled. These levers become more cumulatively pervasive and strategically embraced in the organization with repetition. Cultural support means that team members outside an Innovation or Own Brands department subscribe to the mission. The benefit is often that the culture of innovation is not just inwardly facing, but becomes outwardly noticeable to the customers/suppliers too. It becomes part of your DNA.

Costco is a great example of developing a culture for own brands. Kirkland Signature launched in 1995, but wine only started in 2003 within the brand. Today, Costco sells $2.5B of wine globally and at least 20% is across the Kirkland Signature brand. Overall, Kirkland Signature is a $59B brand in 2021, and just 4 years ago it was $35B. This growth is phenomenal and it comes from a nurturing culture for own brands.

3Innovators create and build the organizational assets to support their mission

KEY POINTS

4Dedicated people (e.g., VP Innovation, Product Developers)

4Empowerment and crossfunctional alignment

4Reporting to the top

4Often integrated with own brands team

Innovation requires a top-down commitment and cultural repetition, and also dedicated people assets that go beyond the procurement team. These assets may consist of VP Innovation, Product Developers, Culinary Specialists/Chefs and R&D, and they often work hand-in-hand/ integrated with the Own Brand arm of the organization. They frequently report to the Chief Merchant or CEO to demonstrate that they are a focus and they are empowered to work with and even seek out new suppliers.

Innovation

• At Costco, the philosophy is to create differentiation around the most consumable, everyday, high-touch categories (red solo cup, 1⁄4 lb. hot dog, chicken soup, rotisserie chicken).

• At Trader Joe’s and Loblaw the philosophy is to add a unique “twist” to the ordinary.

Experimentation is rewarded, even expected at Best-In-Class Innovators

KEY POINTS

4Failure is never envied, but embraced

4Rewards at all levels for innovation, especially within category management

4Innovation guided by insight, not snuffed out by syndicated data and “proof of concept”

Experimentation at leading retail innovators is encouraged, and there is often a clear reward system that in place across departments for making it happen. While “failure” is never envied at these Best-InClass retailers, they embrace a dose of failure as part of this push for experimentation. Most mainstream retailers have disincentives for innovation through their Category Managers – seeking out slotting, circular placement fees, typical advertising buckets and other below-the-line CPG contributions for big data, category captainship and the like. Systems are often not built for innovation. It is also the idea that “finding, settling upon and choosing the white space” takes time, goes against CPG data analysis, and is simply unproven territory/risky that leads to a cautious environment. At places where innovation thrives, the reward systems have been gently upturned so that new product development is seen as part of the culture and an organizational imperative.

Trader Joe’s, a Best-In-Class Retail Innovator, has dozens of experiments-gone-wrong or “failures”, some of which are legendary across their loyal shoppers. But, they wouldn’t have it any other way, because you can’t live on the bleeding edge of pursuing new ingredient combinations and product ideas without some failure. If you don’t have failures you aren’t trying hard enough.

• At Wegman’s it is to provide culinary inspiration with creative ingredient/menu/meal integration (tomato oil, inventing basting oil, etc.)

• At Kroger it is to target key tiers/ areas for future growth (natural/ organic and Simple Truth, Private Selection and premium).

5Innovators target big categories, not just niche

KEY POINTS

4Retailers are not all alike in their innovation philosophies

4But there is one thing they have in common

4They all include big categories within their innovation targets

4Also, all products they develop align with the retailer’s DNA

Within a chosen philosophy, these retailers pick big categories to target, transform and ultimately “own” them in the consumer’s mind. While the niche areas are not ignored, it is the fertile larger categories/departments that become the focus areas. All targeted areas also need to fit within the retailer’s DNA, their perception and who they are at their core.

A perfect example of targeting a big category is what Loblaw did 34 years ago with The Decadent cookie, which supplanted Chips Ahoy as the #1 chocolate chip cookie and then got extended to virtually every department over time.

It is important for retail innovators to develop an upfront philosophy about where they seek out innovation.

6Marketing and merchandising are highly integrated in launching new products at Innovators

POINTS

4The process doesn’t stop with a new product

4Innovators utilize all retail media to support

4Each product has a story and an angle

4Told through social and digital media

4Merchandised off-shelf too

While the product development is a key part of Retailer Innovation, it does not stop there, as it materializes and is brought to life in the store and through retail media. There is a core story that is written for the product, a consumer “angle” if you will, and this story is told consistently – at shelf, on display, through integrated merchandising, on line, through social media, through magazines, etc. If you think about the four stage process for innovation success (1/ shaping the idea, 2/finding the source, 3/formulation and logistics, 4/marketing-merchandising execution), it is this fourth stage that is critically important in getting consumer traction. Retailers like Loblaw, Trader Joe’s and Wegmans put a strong emphasis on all of the integrated communication.

When Loblaw launched The Black Label Collection, an elevated tier within President’s Choice, they utilized various media and merchandising, and it all cohesively worked together to tell the story of the brand.

KEY POINTS

Innovators often involve the consumer upfront in the process, and their involvement is contagious

4Shopper (and chef) are an upfront part of the process

4Insights are captured, but intuition is too

4Top tier frequent shoppers and “best customers” have a vote and are socially engaged

7Retail Innovators have a proactive versus reactive mentality

KEY POINTS

4Innovative retailers direct the product development process

4 It isn’t solely derived from the supplier

4Research is encouraged, but is additive and not a blockade

4Goal is first-to-market

Innovation-led retailers have a mentality that they will direct the ideation and product development process rather than be the recipient of it (great if suppliers supplement, but not as the sole source). Being proactive in your product innovation is tougher in many regards, as there will be an unproven consumer, often requires some research, and it also involves engaging a supplier who is willing to co-invest in a new idea. However, it is the proactive mentality that is key to being firstto-market and owning the idea in the shopper’s mind.

The evidence is honestly split amongst retail innovators regarding how much they involve the consumer upfront in the ideation. Wegmans often first involves their chefs, who have direct interface with consumers, often spurring ideas. Trader Joe’s is less intent on getting a vast amount of consumer input upfront in their product development, whereas Kroger and Safeway are seeking out consumer insights through focus groups.

Kroger has also sought out their “best customer” (as identified through shopper card data) in socializing, blogging and getting input about new products. This type of top-tier customer involvement has been highly effective, even contagious, in building awareness.

NOTE: It is impossible to develop Cookie Butter Hummus unless you have a proactive mentality (launched August 2022)

Innovation Is Not a Birthright

KEY POINTS

4Culinary centers are becoming the norm (Walmart, Kroger, Safeway)

4Chef-staffed

4New formulations, sensory testing, “live” consumer panels

4Restaurants are “living labs” (Wegmans)

Right in line with organizational/ people asset investment, there are also modest (and sometimes not so modest) investments retailers are making in Culinary Centers. These culinary investments become the epicenter of where new formulation, sensory testing, “live” consumer panels, R&D, training and chef experimentation happen, as is the case with the Walmart Culinary Center (12,000 sq ft with test kitchens).

Wegman’s restaurants (like Amore) is often used to test new products, new experiments and provides immediate consumer feedback that is essential.

segmentation model (a varied look at the different consumers across the retailer, describing their personality, economic strata and psychographics). Leading retailers do not want to apply all trends to their business and innovation philosophy, they are selective about which trends to exploit, using those that make sense for their retail DNA.

Innovators have adept understanding of trends

KEY POINTS

4Shopper (and chef) are an upfront part of the process

4Insights are captured, but intuition is too

4Top tier frequent shoppers and “best customers” have a vote and are socially engaged

Retailers who are leading in innovation also focus on “trend understanding” as a key, foundational part of the process. This is a studied and regimented process that involves not just secondary insights (articles, reports, syndicated info), but also primary insights into fashion, lifestyle, health influencers within consumers’ lives. Retailers who examine trends also adapt and apply them across their consumer

CLASS BEHAVIORS OF RETAIL INNOVATORS

The Bottom Line

Innovation and being first are imperatives in today’s retail world. Innovation can be learned, it can be acquired with the right cultural adoption, and it can also be lost if it becomes devalued. Innovation is not a birthright.

To keep yourself honest and always aspirational, you can also compare yourself to the best. Take each of the ten Innovation Behaviors and utilize a stoplight analysis to compare and contrast your progress and where you want to go. But just remember, in the immortal words of Ricky Bobby’s father from Talladega Nights “if you ain’t first, you’re last”. It is true with own brands innovation also, if you ain’t first, you’re last.

Safeway and Kroger also have invested in chef-staffed culinary centers. Another aspect of culinary learning happens in retailer-owned and managed restaurants, where the investment also has the benefit of being a living laboratory for ideas.

Summary of Best-In-Class

Summary of Best-In-Class.

culinary

and kitchen

to

MBD RETAILER SPOTLIGHT SMART & FINAL

First Street Redesign

After celebrating their 150-year anniversary in 2021, West Coastbased retailer Smart & Final, which offers more than 3,000 club-size offerings in a traditional grocery store format, decided the time was right to reintroduce its premier private label brand, First Street. The company aimed to broaden its appeal beyond its existing customers, which includes both businesses and households, by attracting new shoppers in this postpandemic world.

MBD served as the agency of choice based on our vast experience in private brand and packaging, our success ratio in the marketplace, speed to market and long-standing

relationship with the brand. We are excited to share with you the results of this partnership with the reintroduction of First Street and Smart & Final’s successful role in the private brand space.

The Redesign Opportunity

• Market audit of current state of their brand, extensive competitor research

• Logo refresh; cleaned up & removed some of the legacy elements

• Modernized overall look and feel while maintaining the long-standing equity

• Designed to allow for evolution & growth while keeping a strong and bold presence on shelf

• Kept ease of shopability for their customers at the forefront, not losing sight of the needs of the club style shopper

• Created packages that generate more confidence and excitement around new products and new flavors

• Incorporated fresh ownable photography, where the product is the hero

Fresh & confident; overhead ice cream scoop imagery paired with interesting ingredient inclusions, allowing for introduction of any flavor you can imagine!

MARIA

Easy to shop; Bold color coding behind cold case doors, considering (direct on can) print challenges

Product is the hero, fresh bright fruit imagery adds appetite appeal to a ‘frozen’ category

LYNDSAY STONE Design Manager MBD

Modernized with brand equity in mind; clear differentiation between ‘milk’ types through imagery and color

Considering needs of club style shopper; playing up the strengths of already established category with previous color cues enhanced

Product is the hero, ownable imagery & clear title structures

The shelves are starting to fill up with the new designs and the results are on their way in! Early results show tremendous interest not only from shoppers but from store associates and corporate leadership alike. Stay tuned for the details!

Authors Thank You

Marketing By Design are thrilled to be able to support the (he)art of this industry during the pandemic years. A special shout out and thank you to all our clients who allowed us to innovate in ways we haven’t before. Let’s keep the momentum as we head into the big 3 [2023]!

Maria Dubuc

A creative and workflow expert in the retail landscape, Maria’s 30-year career translates branding experiences into eye-catching design that is unique and distinct for each client. She has created new private brands and redesigned/repositioned existing brands with leading retailers, while also implementing workflow management systems specifically tailored to the clients’ needs. With SKU counts from 1,000 to more than 10,000 annually, Maria focuses on scalable design excellence, and large private brand portfolios reinvention and innovative execution.

Lyndsay Stone

Allow for evolution & growth; true to the brand while also competing against national brands on shelf with bold callout presence

Lyndsay has 15+ years in the design industry, with food and beverage packaging as a significant focus. As Design Manager at MBD, she enjoys helping retailers and brands alike find their voice and express it through creative packaging design. She is always looking for ways to connect with, challenge, and lead clients so their design potentials are realized.

MANAGING CHANGE WITHIN YOUR TEAM IS A KEY AND VITAL ACTIVITY TO ENSURE THE FUTURE STATE IS A SUCCESS

Imagine being faced with a significant organizational change and the change management becomes significantly more complex and significantly more important. At an enterprise level change requires a concerted effort across teams, functions, and regions to ensure it is adopted successfully.

It is widely known that lack of awareness is the number one reason for resistance to change followed by the desire to change. If people don’t understand that the change is happening or indeed why it is needed and the benefits of it, they are unlikely to want to change themselves making it increasingly difficult for the organization to meet its overall objectives.

An average of 62% of employees don’t like leaving their comfort zone. Many will see change as a threat to their job and, ultimately their career and family life.

From the smallest to the largest of organizations, no matter what the change is, ensuring your employees believe in the change, embrace it, and ultimately adopt it should be at the forefront of any change plan.

HAVE THE RIGHT TEAM SET UP

The reality is the bigger the organization and the greater the global footprint, the more complex your change management becomes.

It’s important to have the right team with the right skill set to support & execute both the project management & the change management.

Consider allocating change managers or agents within each region or location who are close to the immediate teams, the point of contact, understand local culture, and have familiar and trusted faces that can provide support and provide feedback to the central team on how the change is landing, enabling any course correction to be activated.

ADAPT THE APPROACH

Every employee will go through their change journey in their own time. There is no one blanket approach, especially where you have geographical differences. Whilst the same change is affecting everyone, how you approach & manage the change in region or location will need to be tailored or personalized.

Think about any cultural nuances and expectations, who is best to deliver communication & the forums in which messaging is delivered. If not well thought through it could have a significant impact on how the message is received and ultimately how the employees respond and react.

Here are 5 KEY areas to consider when delivering enterprise-level change within your organization.

MANAGERS PLAY A KEY ROLE

Approximately 60% of enterprise transformations are unsuccessful and this is mainly down to employee resistance and lack of management support.

Managers are those closest to the teams and have trusted relationships. If they are not seen to be talking about the change in a positive way, that behavior will be mirrored in their teams.

Whilst having strong sponsorship & advocacy at a leadership level is important, it is critical when it comes to managers. Their change journey should start before their team, they should be brought in early and be able to feed into the change management plan in terms of how to manage & communicate down to them.

PROVIDE A MECHANISM FOR TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION

No change will be without its challenges or resistance but how organizations deal with those instances will affect the final outcome. It’s important to understand how the change is impacting the organization as the change is deployed to ensure it is going in the right direction and there are many ways to do this through surveys, focus groups and leveraging the managers and the change agents across the organizational footprint. The feedback will give you a clear direction of the areas that need to be addressed either through additional communication, training, or reinforcement & reassurance.

Lian Stevenson

LIAN STEVENSON

Director, Consulting Europe & APAC-MEA

ACT ON FEEDBACK

And finally, once you have received the feedback, it is critical that they are acted upon so employees feel like they have a voice and have been listened to.

Where organizations fail to act on feedback, they lose the trust and confidence of their employees resulting in increased resistance and ultimately the risk of not having their support for future changes should they take place.

Ultimately, organizational change requires people to change the way they work for the objectives to be met and for the future state to be realized. Not prioritizing those people in the approach to delivering the change will have a direct correlation to what that future state will look like and how long it will take to get there.

As you think about your next organizational change, big or small, it’s the people, not the process that will help you get there.

Lian brings 19 years of experience delivering strategic content for a large portfolio of UK blue-chip retail brands. As part of SGK’s Consulting Team, she has delivered initiatives to help CPG clients such as Britvic, J&J, General Mills, and Iceland deliver improved supply chain workflows, increase speed to market, streamline resources, and reduce overall costs. Lian is Lean Six Sigma accredited and is a certified change management practitioner.

Trends In Private Label Pet Foods

‘Humanization Of Food And Premium Products Are In Demand’

The pet food industry is still growing. In Europe, it is now worth 27.7 billion euro, growing by 3.1 percent in 2021. While new challenges - energy prices, inflation and the war in the Ukraine - pressure the sector, consumers still want the best for the little creatures that give them com panionship. To obtain some insight, we spoke with Paulius Ausmanas, head of the export department for the Lithuanian KIKA GROUP LT, UAB, which produces pet foods and exports it to more than 60 countries worldwide for own brands and private label.

On the other hand he signals posi tive developments for the pet food industry and the company he works for. “Consumers are paying more attention to what they feed their pets with”, Ausmanas continues. “Perhaps one of the main trends is the rising need for quality. More and more companies are moving from economy feeds to premium.”

Another trend he mentions is the humanization of pets. “We all know about the super foods which we add to our diet because of their health benefit. Nowadays, a growing number of requests for private label include adding more value through addition of superfoods and extra ingredients (coconut oil, chia seeds, etc.).” A third trend, as it comes to companies that provide private

label pet food, is the need for differen tiation from other brands. “A few years back companies usually were looking for something that looks like product X (like a brand), nowadays more and more requests are made for unique, tailor-made products which usually ends up with functionality.”

Consumers are paying more attention to what they feed their pets with

Ausmanas admits that the current eco nomic situation in the world impacts the company he works for in a signifi cant way. “There is an increase in cost not only for the materials and ingredi ents but also for energy, transportation and work force. Price increase already began during the pandemic and have not stabilised yet. Since the war in Ukraine, many companies in Europe notice a shortage of raw materials and disruptions in the supply chain.”

What Kind Of Pet Food Products Are Sold The Most?

“Before answering this – we need to remember the daily food pyramid of the pet, because it will in a way answer this question. The foundation of a pet’s diet is made up of dry feed. Then follows canned feed, treats and lastly supplements. Our current selling rates show that the owners know about their pet nutrition and stick to it. That is why our highest selling products for KIKA are Super premium quality dry feeds for cats and dogs.

Then comes the second largest part of pet nutrition - canned feed. This is substantially smaller, not only because it makes up a smaller part of pet nutri tion, but also because there is a global shortage due to the current economic situation and lack of materials. Finally, the smallest part of pet nutrition –treats and snacks. The tendency shows that pet owners buy treats for training or for pampering mainly, such as dried meat or fish treats. A fast-growing seg ment is supplementary treats. These treats are supplemented with minerals and vitamins, so that each treat not only pampers the pet but also aids in improving his health and well-being. It is like protein bar for the humans –tasty and healthy.”

Pet Food Production

All the pet foods the KIKA GOUP LT, UAB produces are made in the factory AKVATERA LT, UAB. Ausmanas ex plains how the company develops new pet foods and how it knows the food is of a good quality and composition.

“Our feed is not only a tool that fills the stomach– it is a problem solver”, he ex plains. “After three decades of working with pets, we see their issues up close.

We are looking for the most effective solutions which would be state of the art and once they are proven, we are sharing them with the markets. These products help to improve the well-be ing of pets to the next level.

Differences Between Countries

KIKA GROUP LT, UAB exports to more than 60 countries in the world. The most easily recognisable difference between countries and regions as it comes to purchase, is usually the level of the product, determined by the pur chasing power. “But that is just the tip of the iceberg”, knows Ausmanas.

“Trends normally vary country by country and region by region. For example, one of the main priorities in Northern Europe and Benelux is sus tainability - most customers want both sustainable packaging and products

produced by sustainable companies. If we go down south - ecological concerns are much less important and pricing can make a much bigger impact on final decision. Then, there is always the difference in the most popular breeds and sizes of dogsin more urbanised countries and regions people usually keep smaller breed of dogs or cats, in turn buying pet food suitable for such pets. In countries that are more rural or where a significant proportion of population live in large individual houses, guard dogs and other large breeds dominate. There are also very different cultural differences - some countries and regions are totally dominated by dogs, while some favour cats much more. Such trends are also reflected in the pet food industry too.”

By Hans Kraak

Hans Kraak is educated in biology and journalism and wrote two books about nutrition and health. He worked for the Dutch ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food quality and the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. As editor in chief he publishes in Voeding Nu, a business to business platform on food and health, as a food and wine writer he publishes in Meininger’s Wine Business International and reports for PLMA Live EU and PLMA USA.

Janita Januškaiskaitė-Plungė and her husband, co-owner, Tauras Plungė.

COSMOPROF IS FINALLY BACK

www.cosmoprof.com

“Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna has always had a strong international vocation and has built a worldwide platform that today involves over 10,000 companies and more than 500,000 operators in all five continents - said Gianpiero Calzolari, President of BolognaFiere. - The network is growing in line with the needs of a constantly changing market, continuing to develop innovative digital projects and services to facilitate operators. The collaboration with our partners abroad is a fundamental element. Combining the know-how and experience of our international teams, we can offer advanced business solutions for the restart of the entire sector”.

The secret for success of the Cosmoprof platform is its ability to adapt its format to the specific needs of each market. Cosmoprof events combine the most exclusive exhibition offer, with the top players from all sectors of the industry attending the shows, and opportunities for training and updating, thanks to the collaboration with trend agencies and experts from all over the world. Cosmoprof digital services, which are constantly updated and at the disposal of visitors for all the events of the network, facilitate scheduling b2b meetings on the show floor and optimizing visits to the fair, making Cosmoprof events an increasingly strategic experience for suppliers, manufacturers, brand owners, buyers, distributors, retailers, and operators interested in new solutions and inspirations for developing their business.

Thanks to these features, the Cosmoprof 2022 editions around the world registered highly positive results.

Cosmoprof North America took place from 12 to 14 July 2022 in a new exhibition centre, the Las Vegas Convention Centre (LVCC) in Las Vegas, NV. The exhibition gathered under one roof more than 1,100 brands and 32.000 operators. For the first time an entire pavilion was dedicated to Cosmopack North America, hosting the leaders of the beauty supply chain. Finished product brands exhibiting in Cosmoprof could present new proposals matching consumer’s habits and needs in the US with a special focus on sustainability, BIPOC beauty, and digital solutions.

Beauty stakeholders from all over the world joined the events of the international platform to discover how beauty evolved and which are the trends of the next future.

From 15 to 17 September 2022 the first edition of Cosmoprof CBE ASEAN finally took place at the IMPACT Exhibition & Convention Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. Cosmoprof CBE ASEAN was born from the collaboration between the BolognaFiere Group, Informa Markets, and China Beauty Expo (CBE). More than 500 international companies and brands and over 8,200 operators fostered new business opportunities in Southeast Asian countries, combining the skills of the most referenced trade fair organizers in the world.

a vibrant and cutting-edge business environment. The leading B2B event for cosmetics in Asia, strongly supported for 25 years by the key players in the sector, is continuing its mission of bringing together the whole industry in the Asia-Pacific region. Over 1,000 exhibitors from 40 countries and regions are showcasing their new proposals to retail outlets, distributors, wholesalers, finished products and packaging manufacturers, hair, and beauty salons owners, who are gathering in Singapore from all over the world thanks to the welcoming receptive offer of Singapore towards foreign visitors, and the support provided by the Singapore Tourism Board.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2023

Cosmoprof India, the network event dedicated to the Indian market, came to an end with great results. From 6 to 8 October 2022 the new and innovative Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai hosted 7,500 operators coming from more than 50 countries and 300 brands from 12 countries. This year the first edition of Cosmopack India was presented, too, with a specific area reserved for the supply chain of the beauty industry. Cosmoprof and Cosmopack India reflected the dynamisms and the growth of Indian beauty and offered an overview of the entire cosmetics supply chain in a rapidly expanding market.

Cosmoprof Asia is taking place in conjunction with Cosmopack Asia in Singapore from 16 to 18 November 2022 at the innovative Singapore Expo Exhibition Centre. Singapore, a sustainable and fast growing city, represents the gateway to the Asia-Pacific region and offers

The positive results of the 2022 events are a great launch for the 54th edition of Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, which will take place from 16 to 20 March 2023 in the Bologna Exhibition Centre. After the excellent results of the 2022 edition, with 220,057 operators from more than 140 countries and over 2,700 exhibiting com panies from 70 countries, leading compa nies are confirming their presence in Bo logna and are ready to present their most innovative proposals to global stakeholders. To adapt to the activities and commercial calendar of stakeholders, the 2023 edition will return to take place in March, the most suitable period for launches on the main markets, in full compliance with the most important international holidays. The areas dedicated to the supply chain and the retail channel of Cosmopack and Cosmo | Perfumery & Cosmetics will be active from Thursday 16 to Saturday 18 March 2023 to concentrate the attendance of operators from abroad on weekdays. The pavilions for the professional channel, collected under Cosmo | Hair & Nail & Beauty Salon, will open from Friday 17 to Monday 20 March 2023 to allow visits to both international distributors as well as operators of hair salons and beauty centres during their closing days.

Special projects and initiatives will enrich the content of what is considered the most important B2B event for the sector. The Cosmoprof and Cosmopack Awards will celebrate the most avant-garde launches in the global beauty industry, and the Awards ceremony will be a glamourous and not-tobe missed event gathering exhibitors, buyers, media, influencers, and trend scouters. CosmoTalks educational sessions will involve international experts and forerunners to explore what’s next for beauty, with special attention on new technologies and unhackneyed digital scenarios.

THE ONLY ITALIAN FAIR DEDICATED TO PRIVATE LABEL

JANUARY

BOLOGNA

The most important Modern Distri bution brands are booking a place at Marca by BolognaFiere, the only Ital ian fair dedicated to the private label, scheduled to take place in Bologna on January 18 and 19, 2023. The Techni cal Scientific Committee that supports the show, organized by BolognaFiere in collaboration with ADM, Associ azione Distribuzione Moderna, has registered four new entries, bringing to 22 the number of retail banners participating in the 19th edition of Marca by BolognaFiere.

Marca by BolognaFiere has the strategic support of the Technical Scientific Committee, made up of the most important retailers in modern distribution. The eighteen brands already exhibiting-Ard Discount, Brico Io, C3, Carrefour, Conad, Coop, Coralis, Crai, Despar, D.it-Distribuz ione Italiana, Italy Discount, Lekker land, Marr, S&C, Selex, Tuodì, Unes, VéGé- will be joined by four other new entries:

- Bricofer, which boosts the DIY sec tor, is a leading Italian DIY company that has carved out a prominent place for itself on the national business scene by offering quality products;

- Cortilia is an innovative e-com merce system, a kind of online farm ers’ market that connects farmers and consumers and allows them to receive their groceries directly to their homes;

- Decò, an Italian brand, is active in large-scale retailing, present in Central and Southern Italy;

- Risparmio Casa is a chain with outlets throughout Italy, specializing in home and personal care, with a wide assortment of products.

The next edition of Marca By Bologna Fiere will be a prestigious showcase where authoritative voices in the sector will meet and tell their stories, and where market trends and news will find space. An important show for the retail/consumer sector that renews its key assets starting with the two thematic salons.

Marca Fresh, a successful format reserved for fresh fruit and vegetable products, in its third edition, will make it possible to combine business needs with moments of networking and the matic insights. Marca Fresh, which is registering a positive response among operators, will be an experiential container for all players in the supply chain, with an approach to the market destined to evolve in terms of innova tion and sustainability.

Technological acceleration and inno vation in the area of sustainability are needed now more than ever. With this in mind, Marca by BolognaFiere will host the ninth edition of Marca Tech dedicated to intermediate goods for the MDD supply chain: packaging, logis tics, raw materials, ingredients,

technology and services. Marca Tech will offer the business community the latest trends to innovate and operate sustainably and effectively.

Also this year, exhibitors can par ticipate in the International Nov elty Product Selection organized in collaboration with IPLC-The Retailer Brand Specialists, aimed at finding the best products in the main catego ries of FMCG, ready to break through to international markets.

marca.bolognafiere.it

BIOFACHWORLD´S LEADING TRADE FAIR FOR ORGANIC FOOD

NUREMBERG, GERMANY

Organic is more than a label or certification: organic stands for quality and conviction – for the responsible use of nature’s resources. BIOFACH in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg is the place where people share their passionate interest in organic food, get to know each other and exchange views, and this since 1990.

The perfect opportunity for visiting professionals to meet organic producers from the organic market and be inspired by the sector’s latest trends. Enter the world of organic products and taste, too – into organic.

BIOFACH World

NürnbergMesse has proven expertise in the field of organic foodstuffs. In February every year, the international organic sector gathers in Nuremberg at BIOFACH, the world’s leading trade fair for organic food. The comprehensive range of certified organic products on display shows their diversity – from fresh products like dairy and cheese, fruit, vegetables, dry products like grains and pulses, nuts and confectionery to beverages. The international patron of BIOFACH is IFOAM – Organics

International, while the national supporting organization is the German Federation of Organic Food Producers (BÖLW). An integral part of this worldleading trade fair is the BIOFACH Congress, a knowledge-sharing platform that is unique worldwide. With another six BIOFACH events in China, India, Japan, South America, Thailand and the USA, BIOFACH World has a global presence and year for year brings together more than 4,500 exhibitors and 150,000 trade visitors.

www.biofach.de/en

BIOFACH

Paving the path

The path is the goal. And the goal is

In this case, the path

honest values, meeting people in person and

The inter national

is gathering

again in Nuremberg in 2023 in order

and create

paths

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MARCH

FOODEX JAPAN is one of Asia’s largest international food and beverage exhibitions. It is held by Japan Management Association (JMA, Minato Ward Tokyo Chairman: Masami Nakamura) and 4 other organizations.

Biofach

Certified

Cosmoprof

Copra

Emerge

Frostkrone

Global

Italian

La

Le Bontà

Lucart

Massimo

Marca

MBD

Pacific

PLMA’s

Seneca

Valsa

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

EUROPE

Mr. Jacco van Laar

Global Retail Brands magazine Herman de Manstraat 29 3842 AT Harderwijk, The Netherlands Tel. +31 (0) 6 13 68 18 08 jacco@globalretailmag.com

Ms. Luisa Colombo Italy luisa@globalretailmag.com

Ms. Sabine Geissler

Italy / Germany Greentaste.it s.geissler@greentaste.it

AMERICAS, ASIA, AUSTRALIA, AFRICA

Mr. Phillip Russo

Global Retail Brands magazine 240 Central Park South, Suite 9G New York, NY 10019 USA Tel. +1 917 743 6711 phillip@globalretailmag.com

www.globalretailmag.com