Good morning,
I’m thrilled to announce that our dressings have been accepted by the leadership of Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of Winn-Dixie, BI-LO, and Harvey’s Supermarket — the 5th largest supermarket chain in the US.
My wife, Kate Hanley, and I were sampling our dressings at the re-opening of Winn-Dixie in Central Baton Rouge a few weeks ago when Ian McLeod, President & CEO of Southeastern Grocers, came up to us to talk about our products. He loved our dressings, brand, and thought our they were very unique to the marketplace — he even offered a job in marketing at their headquarters if the salad dressings didn’t work out. "I don’t plan to do anything else" I respond laughing. Ian was walking around the entire store for hours with our Sensation dressing in his hands.
Adam Kirk, Vice President, came up to us and asked if we could handle 750 stores and ship to the UK — without hesitation, I responded with “Absolutely” and talked about our Louisiana-based manufacturing capabilities that can produce 10,000 gallons of salad dressing a day. He then introduced us to his team in Jacksonville, FL.
For the next 6 months we’re doing a test with all five flavors (Sensation, Strawberry, Avocado, Ranch, and Creole Ranch) to all the Winn Dixie stores in the state of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and parts of Georgia — about 123 stores. Once our line has been proven in the market we are to expand to the rest of the chain and possibly new markets such as BI-LO, and Harvey’s supermarket — another 633 stores.
With our current distribution of 350 stores, with 1-3 dressings, this is a major leap for us and a huge opportunity for growth.
Below are a few photos from the event, more general photos here.Cheers!
Richard
