Distribution Roundup: DTC Brand Starday Inks First Retail Partnership; Beckon Doubles Conventional Channel Count

Direct-to-Consumer Brand Starday Inks First Retail Partnership

Better-for-you hazelnut spread maker Gooey snacks announced it is rolling out its flagship SKU to about 2,000 Kroger stores nationwide including banner stores like Mariano’s, Ralphs, Frys, and King Soopers, among others.

“[This partnership] marks a major milestone for Starday,” said Caroline McCarthy, Co-Founder and VP of Growth of Starday, Gooey’s parent company, in a press release. “This rollout comes approximately six months after our direct-to-consumer launch, making Gooey one of the fastest ever digital-first brands to hit national retail shelves.”

Launched online last summer, Gooey aims to produce better-for-you versions of “chocolatey childhood classics” without ingredients like dairy and palm oil, and with low sugar. The spread is made with hazelnut butter, agave syrup, cocoa powder and alt-sweetener allulose. The product comes in a 10 oz. jar (SRP $9.99) with each serving containing 6 grams of sugar, 8 grams of fat and 110 calories.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Kroger and honored by their validation of our data-driven approach to creating and scaling food brands. But more importantly, this partnership means Gooey is more accessible to more people. The key for us is to meet people where they are – and for a lot of people, that’s at a grocery store.”

Following its successful DTC launch, Starday introduced a second brand, ALL DAY, which makes spice-forward seasonings in three varieties. The company said it will launch multiple more brands and products throughout the year.

Beckon Ice Cream Expands Conventional Channel Presence

Boston-based Beckon Ice cream announced today it has doubled its store count through new partnerships with Kroger and Walmart. The clean-label, lactose-free dairy ice cream maker has launched its entire pint line at Walmart stores across California, Washington, and Nevada.

Beckon launched select SKUs at Kroger, QFC, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, and Dillons including its classic Vanilla, upcycled Peanut Butter Cup, Sea Salt Chocolate Chip and Cookies & Sweet Cream flavors.

“Ice cream is one of the few things in life that is purely for happiness,” said co-founder Katy Flannery, in a press release “So many people who are lactose intolerant have fallen to alternatives that just don’t taste like the real thing, or choose to suffer the consequences, and we are so excited to be able to give more people the ability to finally indulge in what they’re truly craving.”

The expansion comes after consumer research conducted by the brand, in partnership with consumer sampling platform Social Nature, revealed that 62% of the survey’s over 9000 respondents were interested in trying Beckon and shopped at conventional retailers like Walmart.

Future Farm Named Official Plant-based Meat Partner Of The Golden State Warriors

Latin American food tech company Future Farm inked its first professional sports partnership, announcing it has been named the official plant-based meat of the Golden State Warriors and Chase Center arena.

Alongside the announcement, the Chase Center has announced it has opened its first plant-based eatery: The Green House. The menu for the Green House will feature Future Farm’s Smash Burger, available for $13. Outside of the restaurant, Future Farm’s meatball sub will be sold at food stands throughout the arena.

The 18,064-seat sports and entertainment arena already offers a range of vegan food throughout the event space, but said this new eatery helps give fans a specific location for vegan-friendly meals. Future Farm, which makes alternative proteins from a blend of chickpea, pea, and soy protein, said for now, this is it’s only partnership with a sports arena and professional team.

No Evil Launches New Product At Sprouts

No Evil Foods is getting back to business. Following a financial recovery and full packaging redesign, the alt-protein maker announced its latest innovation, Best of Life Beef Strips, has secured distribution at over 300 Sprouts Farmers Market locations nationwide. Initially, the product will exclusively be available at the natural grocer and No Evil said it will open availability for wider distribution by this Summer.

The product is No Evil’s first alternative beef and first SKU that uses upcycled ingredients. Sprouts also carries No Evil’s Stallion ‘Italian Sausage’ and Comrade Cluck ‘No Chicken’ and the brand’s co-founder and COO, Sadrah Schadel, said the new innovation caters to consumer demand, but more importantly, a larger, positive environmental impact.

“Our Comrade Cluck ‘No Chicken’ is one of our leading products, but the average American consumer spends almost twice as much on beef as compared to chicken on an annual basis, and beef has the largest environmental impact, so it made sense to introduce a new protein variety to our line and we wanted to do something different and fun to fill a gap,” said Schadel, in a press release.

This is also the first product to roll out at retail in the brand’s new packaging which debuted earlier this month at Expo West and furthers its sustainability commitments in line with its Plastic Negative Certification, No Evil claims. The company has also announced it will introduce two new sauced meals direct-to-consumer this summer.

Laoban Dumplings Expands Retail Presence Beyond Washington D.C. Area

Washington, D.C.-based frozen dumpling brand Laoban announced it has expanded beyond its home market through a new partnership with Rainforest Distribution in New York. The pact will bring Laoban to retailers including Union Market, Brooklyn Fare, City Acres Market and DeCicco & Sons.

In addition to New York, Laoban is set to enter Foxtrot’s Chicago locations. Alongside this announcement, Laoban said it will launch at Fresh Thyme market next month in addition to rolling out at The Fresh Market in May.

Laoban, which began as a dumpling shop four years ago, first launched its frozen line for retail distribution last summer. Since then, it has partnered with numerous local independent retailers and gained placement at Foxtrot in D.C.

Sprouts Brings in Plant-based Tuna From Good Catch

Plant-based seafood maker Good Catch announced a new partnership with Sprouts Farmers Market to bring its legume-based tuna to all of the grocers locations nationwide. The shelf-stable, pouch-packaged product comes in three varieties: Naked in Water, an unseasoned and uncooked conventional tuna substitute; Mediterranean, similar to Naked in Water but flavored with garlic, herbs, sweet pepper; and Oil & Herbs, a ready-to-eat format.

“We’re thrilled to expand our distribution with Sprouts Farmers Market to give shoppers across the country craveable flexitarian options,” said Christine Mei, CEO of Gathered Foods, in a press release. “This is an important expansion for us as we continue on our mission to make innovative plant-based products more accessible to consumers.”

The product line, which was launched in 2019, takes on a different area of the store than the company’s newer frozen, breaded alt-seafood line which is already available at the supermarket chain in fish stick, fish filet and crab cake varieties. Good Catch’s tuna line is available for $3.99 per pouch.

Other notable distribution updates:

• Allergy-friendly cookie brand Partake continues to take on the conventional channel, announcing it will roll out its Crunchy Chocolate Chip, Crunchy Birthday Cake, Crunchy Ginger Snap and Soft Baked Chocolate Chip cookies to over 900 Walmart stores nationwide.
• Pop Art Snacks, which debuted its new Pop Stars flavor at Expo West, has gained distribution for the new line at Kroger stores, beginning in August.
• Organic snack brand Kate’s Real Food announced that it has partnered with Delta to make its Dark Chocolate Cherry & Almond flavored bar available onboard all of the airline’s flights.