“Our BroccoLeaf (short for broccoli leaves) product was launched almost a year ago,” says Matt Seeley with Foxy Produce Organic. “We started off with a bunched product and were able to build a solid customer base in the past year.” This resulted in the introduction of fresh-cut BroccoLeaf as a bagged item four months ago. “The bagged item is a convenience product that found a niche position in the grocery store. It can be found in the section that’s carved out for juicing and cooking. Due to the success of the bunched as well as fresh-cut product, we are looking at line extensions.”
“I expect consumption and sales of BroccoLeaf to grow in the fourth quarter of this year,” mentioned Seeley. “As the summer holidays are over, people get back into their routine of cooking a healthy meal.” BroccoLeaf is a very versatile product. It’s great for juicing and cooking, but it also tastes delicious in a salad or soup. When used for cooking, sautéing with olive oil and garlic seems to be the easiest and most common way of preparing it.
Consumption highest in cities
BroccoLeaf is distributed throughout the US, but the heaviest distribution is on both coasts. “It is an organic product that tends to have a larger customer base in the cities,” declared Seeley. Outside the US, it is available in Canada where the city of Toronto has been a very good supporter.
Consumer education
“Our biggest challenge is educating the consumer,” said Seeley. “This year, we have done 100 in-store demos so far to show the consumer how to prepare BroccoLeaf and we provide them with recipes as well. In-store they get to taste the product and the results are definitely there. Retailers have embraced the product and are seeing positive results from the in-store demos.“
