Albertsons talks 2021 award-winning products at PLMA Global
Continuing its four-day PLMA Global online event, the Private Label Manufacturers Association spoke with some of its 2021 Salute to Excellence Award Winners about their own brand products that earned the honors.
On Tuesday, PLMA spoke with Beto Galvan, vice president of own brands innovation & product managements at Albertsons Companies, about the four private brand products from the retailer that won. The full list of 2021 PLMA Salute to Excellence Award Winners can be found here.
Albertsons took home four Salute to Excellence Awards for its products released in 2021: Signature Select Restaurant Classics Old Fashioned Brown Bread; Signature Select Moose Tracks Ice Cream Cake; Open Nature Broccoli Crust Chicken & Kale Pizza; and Signature Select Bar Mix Sweet & Spicy.
When it came to developing the Signature Select Restaurant Classics Old Fashioned Brown Bread, Galvan said that Albertsons’ goal was to recreate the dining experience at home, specifically the brown bread found at many steakhouse restaurants.
“We knew that our consumers and our guests were looking for these dining-style experiences,” said Galvan. “What we’re trying to deliver is a restaurant style quality product that they can enjoy in their homes. As it relates to inspiration [for new products], it’s everywhere. Then you work with your manufacturing partners to bring the product to life.”
In the desserts category, Albertsons won for its Signature Select Moose Tracks Ice Cream Cake. Desserts and candy sales have increased during the pandemic, with candy and chocolate sales hitting an all-time high in 2021. Galvan said that he sees the trend continuing.
“Our consumers are still enjoying themselves through indulgent products,” he said. “We know that celebrations and parties are starting to happen again. We expect in 2022 for these products to show significant growth.”
In the snack & trail mixes category, Albertsons Signature Select Sweet & Spicy Bar Mix took home the award. The flavor was aimed at younger shoppers looking for new and unique flavors, which is a growing trend in private label.
“We’re targeting our Millennial shoppers for this product and we know that they’re looking for intense flavors,” said Galvan. “It’s not only hot and spicy. The combination of all the flavors make it a great snack. We start from an inspiration of a product we’re trying to replicate, and then we work with our panel of experts to find which one [formula] is the closest to when they’re looking for."
Finally, Albertsons gluten-free broccoli crust chicken & kale pizza won the Salute to Excellence award in the natural food category. The product from Albertsons’ Open Nature brand built on and innovated the cauliflower crust trend of years past.
“We pride ourselves on being innovation leaders,” said Galvan. “After the success we had with our cauliflower crust pizza, we went looking for what other things customers are looking for. We’re using these plant-based crusts and including them with meat to make it a perfect pairing. We want to continue expanding our flavors within these crusts. When leaning into these trends, it’s important that you don’t go overboard, but as shoppers start giving traction to these products, they’re giving you permission to expand into more of these spaces.”
For more on PLMA Global, visit PLMAglobal.com.