Galaxy Nutritional Foods, the producer of nutritious plant-based dairy alternatives for the retail and foodservice markets, has announced a sharp rise in sales of its Veggie brand products via the Canadian supermarket chain Loblaw.
Sales of Veggie products through stores owned by Loblaw, the largest Canadian retailer, grew by 27 per cent over the last 12 months, the company said in a statement.
"Increased efficiencies and enhancements to several production lines have significantly expanded the number of Veggie brand products that we offer Loblaw and all of our global customers," said Angelo Morini, chairman and CEO of Galaxy. "The Canadian market has always been particularly strong for Galaxy since market trends there are in line with ours in the States. And, the fastest growing trend in the food business today is in our branded product category - natural and organic food products.
"Galaxy's exciting sales growth with Loblaw is representative of the success of two of our strategic goals. Our primary strategic goal is to increase our retail shelf space through an expanded Veggie brand product line while reducing sales of private label products. Another important strategic goal is to expand our global distribution," Morini said.
Galaxy took a further step towards achieving one of these goals earlier this week with the introduction of Veggie Shreds in cheddar and mozzarella flavours. The product comes in a resealable stand up pouch which Morini claimed was a first for the industry.
"Galaxy's Veggie products provide healthier solutions for many of the most popular consumer meals such as pizza, pasta, cheeseburgers and sandwiches. By using all natural Veggie products in their favorite foods instead of full-fat dairy products, consumers will be eating a great tasting low fat product that is cholesterol, lactose and saturated fat free. We believe that our substantial growth at Loblaw's stores reflects the consumers' desire to choose healthier, all natural foods. We look forward to serving this exciting growth market for many years to come," he concluded.