Spice Up Your Sauces

Whether they're cooking basic pasta or a spicy peanut satay, at-home chefs desire exotic and ethnic sauces and marinades.

Although some at-home cooks might settle for a basic marinara sauce when preparing a pasta dish, it seems that many others are looking for something with a bit more of an exotic kick. And these consumers seem to be turning to store brands to get it.

According to data from Nielsen, New York, two ethnic subcategories of sauces and marinades saw the most significant private label dollar and unit sales gains during the 52 weeks ending June 11. In Oriental sauces, private label dollar and unit sales jumped 8.9 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively. And in Mexican sauces, store brand dollar and unit sales rose 4.1 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively.

"The flavor profiles are venturing toward more exotic ethnic diversity — Caribbean, Latin American, Spanish, Middle Eastern, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, etc.," notes Tom Nuijens, managing partner and vice president of marketing and product development with Atlantic Beach, Fla.-based Half Moon Bay Trading Co., "and mixing of more unusual combinations of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices."

Premium pasta sauces also are becoming more common within the store brand arena, says Linda McNally, vice president, customer development with Youngstown, Ohio-based Summer Garden Food Manufacturing.

"A lot of our retailer partners are looking at basically upscaling their private label offerings," she says. "They're interested in doing line extensions on their existing brands." These extensions often include regional pasta sauces such as Bolognese.

Do consider rolling out sauces and marinades with ethnic/exotic flavor profiles.

"Everyone has marinara, tomato basil and all those," McNally says. "But now they're looking into the amatricianas, the alfredos and the carbonaras."

McNally goes on to say that consumers also want these products to be made with fresh, authentic ingredients. Many of Summer Garden's products incorporate imported Italian tomatoes and olive oil, as well as fresh garlic and basil, to fit in with these consumer needs.

Dave Stoff, president of S&B Tomato Inc., Bergenfield, N.J., says his company also brings freshness and authenticity to its sauces. Using local Jersey tomatoes, the company manufactures a tomato sauce The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P) of Montvale, N.J., retails under the Food Emporium Trading Company brand. The sauce contains no added sugar and is all-natural, low in sodium, gluten-free and kosher. Bill Paskowski, executive vice president of New York-based Victoria Fine Foods, notes that sauces and marinades that are all-natural, low-sodium, gluten-free and cholesterol-free are growing in popularity. And when New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg publicly challenged food manufacturers to reduce the sodium content in products sold in the New York metro, Victoria introduced a low-sodium line of pasta sauces to satisfy the mayor's request.

"This line has grown over 20 percent versus the previous quarter, with organic with organic growth only," Paskowski says. "I anticipate private label brands to grow in this segment in the future."

In addition to demanding more healthful products, Stoff notes that consumers are reading labels more often, looking for a list of easy-to-pronounce ingredients.

Bottle it up

Along with premium products made with quality ingredients, consumers are looking for premium-looking packaging. Paskowski says glass is still king in this area.

Smaller sizes of jars and bottles also are in demand, particularly within the simmer and finishing sauce arena. McNally says many retailers are requesting the products to be put in 15-ounce or 16-ounce jars or bottles instead of traditional 24-ounce containers.

Don't forget to verify that your store brand sauce/marinade supplier maintains the highest food safety standards.

"[This] is good for young career professionals that just want to prepare dinner for two, maybe, or use it as a side dish," she says.

And for products that could be adversely affected by exposure to ultraviolet light, opaque packaging might work better than clear glass or plastic.

"Some products have been successfully packaged in Tetra Pak [boxes] and Doypack [bags] with closures for this reason, as well as [for] the durability and weight-savings advantages," Nuijens says. "Something South African brand curry cooking sauces are a good example."

Do communicate a product's healthful attributes on labeling.

Also popular are microwavable sauces and marinades in retort pouches, says Perry Jowers, vice president of sales and marketing for Mullins, S.C.-based SOPAKCO. His company manufactures a line of shelf-stable potato-topping sauces in microwavable shaped pouches under the Kathryn's Kitchen Tater Toppings brand or for retailers' own brands.

"This pitcher-shaped pouch makes it easy to grip while pouring the contents," Jowers says.

Recipe to sell

No matter what type of packaging a retailer chooses, the inclusion of a recipe — whether on the product label or on a hanging tag — is still the most-effective way to get shoppers to try a sauce or marinade, McNally says.

Cross-merchandising also works well, Paskowski explains.

"Most retailers can combine end cap promotions on their private label pasta sauces and pasta brands," he says. "They can tie in these promotions for key holiday periods such as Columbus Day, or include these in their Italian festival events with in-store demonstrations."

But Paskowski adds that before working with a supplier to develop a store brand product, package or merchandising strategy, retailers ultimately will want to make sure the manufacturer is up-to-date with food safety initiatives — with Global Food Safety Initiative certification particularly desirable.

"It is a very comprehensive audit that calls for major traceability and plant security requirements that the European food market has had for many years — and is now becoming a major component needed for any U.S. private label food manufacturer," he says.

Look What's New

Fusia General Tso Wok Sauce from Batavia, Ill.-based ALDI Inc. is said to be spicy and bold. The product retails in a 12-fl.-oz. recyclable glass jar.

Now available from Stellarton, Nova Scotia-based Sobeys is Sensations by Compliments Tequila Lime Habanero Barbecue Sauce. The product is described as a tangy and smoky sauce that allows users to create bolder-tasting chicken, pork and shrimp. It retails in a 425ml bottle, which includes recipes.

Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets offers Wegmans Jamaican Jerk Marinade, which is said to be best with chicken and pork. The product — which retails in a 16-fl.-oz. PET bottle — is suitable for vegans.

New from Minneapolis-based Target Corp. is Archer Farms Asian-Inspired Sweet Chile Wing Sauce, said to be suitable for tossing with cooked chicken wings. The premium product retails in a 12.5-fl.-oz. glass bottle.