Kehe exclusive brand carries its natural, organic focus into bakery
Made With, the exclusive brand of Kehe Distributors, is hot out the oven with its first bakery lineup.
The Boulder, Colo.-based company that produces more than 100 products under the Made With name exclusively for Kehe Distributors and its roster of independent grocery retailers has previously focused on product development within the frozen foods, shelf-stable foods and fresh food perimeter categories, but is planning a new line of bakery products to be released in September.
The Made With bakery items are described as “attribute-driven bakery products,” by the Made With company, developing dairy-free, Kosher and non-GMO brioche hamburger buns, hot dog buns and a braided challah loaf.
“We’ve seen an increased demand for products without artificial flavors, preservatives, or colors in the marketplace,” said Ben Friedland, executive director of exclusive brands at Kehe, based in Naperville, Ill. “This new line fits that consumer demand but also our ingredient philosophy of a clean and great-tasting product. We took these items a step further by also catering to different dietary needs like dairy-free, non-GMO, and Kosher, which makes them truly unique in the market right now.”
The distributor is Certified B Corp and is a pure-play distributor of natural and organic, specialty, and fresh products to more than 30,000 natural food stores, chain and independent grocery stores, e-commerce retailers, and other specialty products retailers throughout North America. Recently, Kehe introduced a proprietary business intelligence tool for its suppliers that enhances its current reporting capabilities.
Made With said SPINS and IRI data shows sales of challah bread increased by 10% in the last year, as a demand in specialty and premium breads have grown. The company said the brioche and challah breads can help shoppers bring restaurant-quality breads home.
The line of breads are kicking off the bakery line that will also inch into some other organic, center-store products soon such as Kosher pretzels, vinegars and a Grade A maple syrup.