Dive Brief:
- Natural Grocers is expanding its private label portfolio with new and upcoming offerings across food categories.
- On Thursday, the grocer announced it added three varieties of organic mustard — yellow, spicy brown and Dijon — to the company's premium quality house brand.
- Last week, the grocer unveiled five new varieties of canned seafood: wild pink salmon; albacore and skipjack tuna; and two varieties of wild sardines. The grocer said sparkling spring water in non-BPA lined aluminum bottles will get added in the future.
Dive Insight:
The new additions build out the Natural Grocers Brand Product line, which was started in 2016 and now has more than 800 products.
Natural Grocers recently added other private label items, including wild-caught, sustainably harvested frozen prepared seafood, Epsom salts and organic chocolate bars, per the announcement last week.
With both the mustard and canned seafood announcements, Natural Grocers highlighted the affordability of its latest private label additions.
Raquel Isely, vice president of marketing for Natural Grocers, said in a statement that the company’s house brand is “an additional step towards providing our customers with premium quality at affordable prices.”
Isely stressed that Natural Grocers chooses products and vendors that align with the company’s values, which include supporting small farmers, family businesses and environmental stewardship. The organic mustards, for example, stem from a recipe that dates back to Germany in 1905. Isely said that the canned seafood meets the grocer’s fish and seafood standards.
Natural Grocers also spotlighted the product attributes for its new private label offerings. The three mustard varieties are all certified organic, non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free and kosher, per the announcement. They also do not contain artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. The new canned seafood options are non-GMO, have no salt added and are available in non-BPA lined cans.
Natural Grocers said that customers can expect to see more premium-quality, store brand additions in the future, including the upcoming sparkling spring water option.
During the grocer’s first-quarter earnings call in February, co-President Kemper Isely told investors that Natural Grocers-branded products accounted for nearly 8% of total sales, up from 7.5% a year ago, per a Seeking Alpha transcript.
Kemper Isely said that the increase was due to heightened customer demand “in the quality and value of our entire offering” as well as the continued expansion of the grocer’s private brand portfolio, which added eight new products during Q1.
“Our Natural Grocers-branded products delivered premium quality at compelling prices and represent a third facet of our affordability. ... Creating access to high-quality and affordable products and nutrition education has been a part of our legacy and is fundamental to our growth,” Kemper Isely said.
