2023 Editors' Picks: Featured Winners
The past two years have been a period of strong growth across the private label industry.
Spurred mainly by inflation rates not seen in a generation, consumers turned to retail private brand products in an effort to stretch their dollars. In many instances, what they found were items that were equal to if not better than national branded products that offered a considerable savings. Looking to maintain this period of growth, new product development seen over the past year has been focused on uniqueness and differentiation.
No longer are retailers satisfied with providing shoppers products that are national brand equivalents. Today, offering shoppers consumables, health & wellness products, housewares, office supplies and more that provide high-value and cannot be found at a competitor is the focus.
From eating healthy, to providing better quality pet food, and meeting the needs of an aging population, the 2023 Store Brands Editors’ Picks reflect this effort.
For the complete list of winners, see the July/August issue of Store Brands.
Here are the featured winners of the annual award program:
Albertsons Companies
Open Nature Cauliflower Crust Pizza Garlic Chicken Alfredo (Silver)
Supplier: Co-packed
About: The only white sauce pizza in Albertsons’ assortment, shoppers have gravitated towards the new flavor as a low-carb meal solution.
Signature Select Breakfast Bowl Meat Lovers (Bronze)
Supplier: Co-packed
About: The breakfast bowls are a convenient breakfast solution packed with protein in every bite.
Lucerne Seasonal Maple Brown Sugar Non-Dairy Creamer (Gold)
About: The Lucerne Seasonal Maple Brown Sugar Non-Dairy Creamer delivers a unique single solution to Albertsons shelves in an emerging flavor profile.
Open Nature Cherry Maximum Fudge Moose Tracks (Bronze)
About: The Almond Milk Cherry Maximum Fudge pint is the grocer’s first non-dairy item, and the only one of its kind, that is co-branded with Denali Moose Tracks.
Soleil Yuzu Citrus Sparkling Water (Bronze)
About: Soleil Yuzu Citrus Sparkling offers a citrus blend with no added sugar or sweeteners. Both newcomers to yuzu and everyday consumers will find this as a well-balanced flavor.
High Ridge Brands
Curl Rhythm Haircare Collection (Silver)
Retailer: Dollar General
Supplier: High Ridge Brands, LLC
About: The proprietary formulas unlock the secret to luscious locks with the power of Baobob Oil imported from West Africa. This is then blended in the supplier’s labs to meet the needs of all hair types.
Kroger
Kroger Mercado Chorizo (Bronze)
About: Kroger’s Mercado Chorizo is a nitrite-free sausage that offers customers a high-quality and authentic eating experience.
Private Selection Duroc Pork (Gold)
About: Duroc is a heritage breed of pork and a product of the U.S. Compared to conventional pork, Duroc provides superior marbling and natural flavor.
Simple Truth Kipster Eggs (Silver)
About: Simple Truth collaborated with Kipster, a Dutch Innovator that has revolutionized egg farming, in order to bring humane and sustainable farms to the U.S. market. This Kroger item is the first carbon-neutral egg offering – not just in private label – but in the U.S.
Private Selection Street Corn (Gold)
About: The Kroger team has developed four unique kits for its private label street corn: Chipotle Pepper, Citrus Hatch Ancho Chile, Everything Seasoned and Jalapeño Garlic Ranch.
Simple Truth ReGrained Bread (Gold)
About: The bread contains 10% of ReGrained SuperGrain+, the company’s flagship ingredient, which offers “flavor depth and naturally-fortified nutritional attributes."
Private Selection Marinades with Koji
About: With four different flavors of marinade featuring the traditional Japanese ingredient used to tenderize meats for centuries, Kroger is expanding its private label offerings in the Asian aisle.
The Kingswood Company
Lasting Brilliance Jewelry Cleaner (Gold)
About: The assortment includes a range of specially designed formulas for cleaning an entire jewelry collection at-home and on-the-go.
Staples
Union & Scale Essentials Ergonomic Task Chair (Gold)
About: The task chair is an ergonomic seating solution designed to help users maintain healthy posture while keeping them comfortable and productive throughout an eight-hour workday.
Perk Hello Eco! Assortment (Silver)
About: The assortment is centered on sustainability and made of 100% commercially compostable products. The cups use a plant-based plastic lining to make this possible, while plates and bowls use a sugarcane-based alternative to traditional paper.
Topco Associates, LLC
Crav’n Flavor Beef Sticks (Bronze)
About: Made with premium beef and packed with seven grams of protein, Crav’n Flavor Beef Sticks are ideal for on-the-go eating, school lunches, traveling and more.
Basket & Bushel Vegetable Tray with Ranch (Silver)
About: Vegetable trays from the Basket & Bushel brand offer Topco member store shoppers an assortment of fresh, pre-cut ready-to-serve veggies at a great price, making eating healthy more convenient.
Basket & Bushel Citrus (Bronze)
About: Navel oranges, lemons, blood oranges and Cara Cara navel oranges appeal to fresh aisle shoppers with citrus flavor profiles at a lower price.
Crav’n Flavor Rainbow Sherbet Push Pop (Gold)
About: Each box contains six pops, made up of orange, cherry and lemon lime sherbet. This new offering has helped boost Own Brand penetration in the frozen section at Topco stores.
Food Club Cracker Cut Gouda Cheese (Bronze)
About: This gouda offering from Topco’s Food Club brand provides a delicious, convenient, new cheese solution.
Sweet P’s Mini Donuts (Bronze)
About: The donuts were developed to offer shoppers a sweet indulgence in a variety of flavors.
Full Circle Market Breakfast Rounds (Silver)
About: Available in Apple, Blueberry and Cranberry flavors, the Breakfast Rounds provide shoppers with a delicious, convenient option within Fresh Bakery.
Simply Done Glass Food Storage (Silver)
About: Offered in five sizes, the stain resistant containers are leak-proof, and have snap-on lids that hold in freshness and prevent accidental spillage and freezer burn.
Pure Harmony Soft Jerky Bites (Bronze)
About: Pure Harmony Skin & Coat Soft Jerky Bites offer support for healthy skin and a shiny coat while also supporting hip and joint health.
TopCare Foaming Bath with Epsom Salts (Silver)
About: Made with essential oils and offering the benefits of epsom salts, the products offer a fresh lavender scent and are free from parabens, phthalates and formaldehyde.
TopCare Dual Action Pain Reliever (Gold)
About: TopCare Dual Action Pain Reliever offers a premium retail that will grow total sales and increase profits while offering shoppers significant savings compared to the national brand equivalent.
TopCare Cool Mint Acid Reducers (Bronze)
About: The new and innovative flavor profile of TopCare Cool Mint Acid Reducers is creating excitement to the category. According to an eight-flavor taste study, Cool Mint is the flavor profile consumers most preferred.
TopCare Memory Support (Silver)
About: TopCare Memory Support Dietary Supplement is designed to promote memory health, mental sharpness and mental focus.
Full Circle Market Plant-Based Cream Cheese Spread (Silver)
About: Allergen-friendly and better for the environment, products across the line feature cream cheese flavor, offering only the upside of traditional cream cheese spreads.
Food Club Strawberry Lemonade (Gold)
About: Topco’s Food Club Strawberry Lemonade is made with real lemons, and no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. The bottle is a plastic carafe that is table-worthy.
Food Club Cranberry Tropical Juice Drink (Silver)
About: Food Club Cranberry Tropical Juice Drink contains a blend of the top trending tropical flavors, Mango, Guava and Passionfruit. The beverage contains 11% juice with no added sugar and 100% daily value of Vitamin C.