Salinas, CA – Growers Express received the 4th annual Joe Nucci Award for Product Innovation by Produce Business magazine at the New York Produce Show and Conference in New York City on Wednesday, December 7, 2016. This honor acknowledges the success of Growers’ Cauliflower Crumbles® product, which is packed under the Green Giant™ Fresh and Farm Day Organic brands.
The winner was selected by the Produce Business magazine editorial team and was judged based on health, culinary application, versatility, shelf life, taste and flavor. The award, with criteria that includes the best innovation that will lead to expanded consumption of fruits and vegetables, was granted to the original chopped cauliflower product—Cauliflower Crumbles. Since its launch in 2015, this product has been wildly successful and is now a fresh vegetable staple for many time-starved and health-conscious consumers.
“We appreciate the significance of this award, made in the honor of a true innovation trailblazer in this industry, Joe Nucci,” said Jamie Strachan, CEO, Growers Express and Green Giant Fresh. He continued, “We believe innovation begins with getting your finger on the pulse of consumer and health trends, then creating a product that can spark healthier lifestyles through the discovery and enjoyment of quality, nutritious foods.”
Developing Growers Express’ Cauliflower Crumbles went beyond identifying an on-trend item and then processing it into an easy to use and recipe-ready format. Growers’ next generation patent-pending process, including the unique Crumbles packaging, contribute to maintaining freshness, preventing discoloration and ensuring delicious cauliflower for consumers to use in the widest variety of ways. “This process is why we’ve been so successful in gaining widespread distribution nationwide,” said Strachan. Continuing, “And the extended shelf life, and consistent cut and color of our Crumbles make it more attractive to retailers.”
The zip top package also features a steam in pack option ensuring fresh cooked cauliflower rice in just four minutes in the microwave. These time saving Crumbles offer a consistent chop size and blend for uniform texture every time. Washed and recipe-ready Cauliflower Crumbles are used in roasted, baked, sautéed, steamed and mashed dishes. Cauliflower is gluten-free, paleo-friendly and can be used in everything from side dishes and salads, to pizza crust and even delicious desserts.
“This new product almost single-handedly helped reinvigorate a stagnant category, growing category sales over 12% the year it was launched,” said VP Marketing, Jennifer Fancher. “Cauliflower Crumbles now outsell florets 2:1 and the YTD growth of Crumbles is 524% vs YAG.”
Following the popularity of Cauliflower Crumbles®, Green Giant Fresh developed two new Crumbles products— Cauliflower Crumbles® “Fried Rice” Blend and Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Crumbles®—great for hashes, mashing and tots.
About Growers Express
Founded in 1987, Growers Express is comprised of eight produce growers whose farming practices and standards, combined with their generations of experience and passion for farming, have contributed to making Growers Express one of the nation’s industry-leading suppliers of premium fresh produce. Headquartered in Salinas Valley—known as the “salad bowl of the world”—our total year-round ground base exceeds 40,000 acres. Our continually evolving and innovative line includes 40+ commodities, value-added products, bunching items, meal solutions, fresh herbs and a new organic line in 2015 under the banner Farm Day Organic.
Related website: GrowersExpress.com
Source: Growers Express