The votes are in for Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ 2016 Readers’ Choice Best New Retail Products contest. Congratulations to CleverFoodies Inc., Burlington, Vt., for placing second with a total of 7,448 votes for its Scramble mix of vegetables, herbs & spices.
Marina Mayer, editor-in-chief of Refrigerated & Frozen Foods and the creator of the Readers’ Choice Best New Retail Products contest, talked exclusively with Warren Wilson, Jr., co-founder, to discuss more in-depth about the contest, the “winning” product and what’s in store for the future.
Refrigerated & Frozen Foods: First off, congratulations on being placing second in Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ Top 5 Best New Retail Products contest. What does this recognition mean to you, your company, your products and your consumers?
Warren Wilson, Jr.: As a 1-year-old startup, seeing CleverFoodies Scramble alongside iconic brands like Sabra and Ben & Jerry’s is surreal. We believe that Scramble has the potential to become a household name, and the industry recognition is encouraging us to continue our journey with great vigor.
Refrigerated & Frozen Foods: Your new retail product—Scramble—was nominated by Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ editor-in-chief Marina Mayer. What features does this new product hold that would allow it to even be nominated?
Wilson, Jr.: First, CleverFoodies’ Scramble has created an entirely new category in the dairy/egg department. Scramble was purposely concocted to pair with eggs. We’ve often been told that Scramble is to eggs what pasta sauce is to pasta.
Scramble delivers a solution for home chefs looking to prepare delicious meals without the need for all the prep work that usually goes with it.
Refrigerated & Frozen Foods: How did you go about accruing so many votes? What was your plan?
Wilson, Jr.: As a startup, we must be smart about utilizing the resources available to us. One of the benefits of having such a unique and delicious product is the number of engaged consumers we are able to connect with. The dialogue we have with them on our social media platforms is fantastic. People who try Scramble often become dedicated fans of our product, and that dedication translated itself into votes for this contest. And of course, we shared with every friend and family member imaginable.
Refrigerated & Frozen Foods: Any unique features to the product’s packaging?
Wilson, Jr.: Our packaging is a key attribute to our uniqueness and the freshness of our product. It is an IML container with an oxygen barrier label. This ensures our product stays fresh longer and looks beautiful at the same time. We are the first in North America to use this packaging technology. Keep an eye out for our new label design hitting stores this summer.
Refrigerated & Frozen Foods: What is on the horizon for your company?
Wilson, Jr.: CleverFoodies is focused on expanding upon the success at our current retailers and forging new relationships to deepen our distribution network nationally. There may also be some new flavors in the works, you never know.
