Wakefern earns Salute to Excellence Award for unique ravioli
Wakefern Food Corp. is celebrating a PLMA award for one of its private label products. The Bowl & Basket brand, found at ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, Fresh Grocer and other Wakefern stores, earned a PLMA Salute to Excellence Award for its speciality gorgonzola and walnut ravioli.
The 2021 Salute to Excellence winners in private label were named earlier this month, with winners including 80 store brand products. The awards from the Private Label Manufacturers Association had more than 770 submissions from 52 North American retailers, the highest number of submissions since the awards began in 1986.
“We are honored to receive a PLMA Salute to Excellence Award for our Bowl & Basket brand,” said Chris Skyers, vice president of own brands at Wakefern. “We strive to offer unique and delicious products under our private label brands, and the Bowl & Basket specialty gorgonzola and walnut ravioli is just one great example of the quality and value customers can find in our own brands.”
Bowl & Basket’s specialty gorgonzola and walnut ravioli features chef-crafted Italian egg pasta, filled with walnuts and gorgonzola, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, free from artificial colors and preservatives. The company’s own brands team traveled to Italy in January of 2020, completing a sensory sampling of over 30 flavors of ravioli to create the personalized premium assortment on shelves in stores today.
This is the latest, but not the first, PLMA award received by a Wakefern own brand. In 2017, Wholesome Pantry Organic was awarded two PLMA Salute to Excellence Awards. Wholesome Pantry organic spring mix salad and Wholesome Pantry creamy almond butter were both recognized in the PLMA’s “Healthy Eating & Natural Foods” and “Spreads” categories. The Bowl & Basket and Paperbird lines were also awarded 2020 Vertex Awards for private brand package design.
Founded in 1946, Wakefern Food Corp., America’s largest retailer-owned cooperative, is comprised of nearly 50 member families who today independently own and operate more than 350 supermarkets in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.