"In 2019, the demand in the market for more healthy and functional foods is increasing as consumers are becoming more educated and health-conscious," said George Shropshire, General Manager of Love Beets USA. "Historically, demand increases in the beginning of the year with trending diets like vegan/vegetarian, whole30, and the Mediterranean diet, which are all either plant-based or heavily focus on the consumption of vegetables."
Shropshire added that the demand for convenience options and ready-to-eat meal kits are increasing in parallel with healthy food options like beets and therefore Love Beets USA is continuing to focus on the category. "Along with dieting in the new year comes the daunting task of meal prepping and consumers are looking for convenient, ready-to-eat, fresh foods," he said. "Love Beets products meet those demands and accommodate consumers’ fast-paced lifestyle. Beets are already trending as a top 10 “superfood” for 2019 and consumers are looking for convenient beet items to add to meals or snacks. The health conscious, busy consumer is looking for products like ours that require little preparation and come in reusable, peel-and-reseal packaging."
Different uses
Love Beets provides several different options for consuming beets. Their products range from whole, cooked beets in a vacuum-sealed package, cooked baby beets in different flavors with a top-seal package, as well as other prepared beets, juices and powders.
"Consumers are becoming better acquainted with the health benefits of beets based off of recent research studies, making the average consumer more educated on the decision to purchase beet products as part of their regular diet," Shropshire noted. "Runners, athletes, swimmers, and bicyclists, in addition to the regular health-conscious consumer, enjoy the versatility of our product line. There are various ways to consume beets, such as adding powder to a smoothie, drinking a juice before a workout, eating marinated beets as a snack, or incorporating our cooked beets into a simple recipe."
Shropshire shared that the company will soon be launching a new beet product and will also be delving into other commodities other than beets. "We are launching our Golden Beet-o de Gallo, which is a twist on classic pico de gallo that combines green peppers, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, spices and our Honey + Vinegar golden beets. We are also launching a new Love Fresh brand, which will create a ready to eat seasoned vegetable segment of the market. Our first launch will include potatoes, mushrooms and artichokes!"
Sourced from different parts of the US
Love Beets sources their beets from around the US. Some of the regions have finished their seasons late last year, and despite some weather challenges last summer, there is plenty of supply available for the upcoming few months.
"We source our beets from both New York and Colorado," said Daniel Cross, CEO and Managing Director of Love Beets Production. "Both finished harvest in November and we’re using crop we’ve stored in atmosphere-controlled storage. New York was unseasonably warm and dry through the summer which meant some great crops but they’re more challenging to store. We’re using these beets quicker than our original plan as a result of this."
