Supermarket Perimeter - January 2022 - 71

R&D
commissary category. One
customer in particular, Brewer
said, will pitch a flavor profile and
a protein that's pre-marinated
or a seasoning or pre-stuffed
product to a retail group. The
customer will then often look to
Excalibur for new flavors they can
use in their pitches.
" That business is growing,
especially with the labor
challenges at the store level, " he
said. " Processors can present
a program that looks like it's
store-made. It makes them more
inclusive to particular retailers. "
Excalibur also works
extensively with retailers who
have their own commissary
operations, customizing the
flavors and production batches
to match what retailers are doing
internally, Andorfer said.
" This makes it easier for the
commissaries to produce the
special item that they want. "
Other retailers that don't have an
in-house commissary, he added,
collaborate with meat companies
that Excalibur has worked with,
take a category and specialize it for
the retailers' particular needs.
" One of our specialties is
coordinating those opportunities
where the supermarket group
may not have the personnel and
the investment in a commissary, "
Andorfer said. " We can facilitate
for them to work with key
processors. "
Excalibur has even gone to
the extent of making flavor
presentations to the retailer
and suggestions for the
commissary that they could use,
Brewer added.
There are a number of
companies that do this,
partnering with the smaller
entities to specialize in a certain
line, Andorfer said.
" It's been growing consistently
over the past couple of years. The
biggest factor to growth in this
area is the labor. When you can't
get it in the store, we have the
ability to work with processors
and minimize the instore labor
investment. "
Labor will continue to be the
issue for the next 18 months to
two years, he added. Creating
custom programs with that fact
front and center will be important
to all of Excalibur's retailer and
supplier partners.
" Our staff understands the
retail side and labor challenges.
Knowing how to put programs
together that can work with a
minimal amount of labor will be
key. I think part of it is keeping
programs simple and not creating
a program that takes chef- like
skills or the equipment that's
associated with it. "
Product prep should be a
two- to three-step process and
no more, and Excalibur has
programs capable of meeting just
that need, Brewer added.
New spice brand
spotlights better-for-you,
sustainability
All Day, a new spice brand
created by New York-based
Starday, is aiming its products at
consumers looking ways to add
spice to better-for-you foods.
High-quality ingredients
and practices that minimize
environmental impact are among
the priorities of All Day, according
to Starday.
" All Day's lineup of unique
seasoning blends can be used
across a variety of cuisines.
Perfect for soups, sauces,
dressings, and on proteins,
veggies, salads and grains,
All Day blends are a new kind
of seasoning, featuring clean
sourcing and all organic, vegan,
and gluten-free formulas. "
The new brand offers three
unique seasoning blends:
* FUEGO: A tangy-meetssweet
heat to make your
mouth water. Perfect for meat
marinades, BBQ proteins, tacos
and crave-able veggies.
* BOOM: An intense, earthy
blend to add depth to any dish.
Perfect for soups, sauces, coldweather
dishes and anything
else that needs an extra
something-something.
* POPPIN: A zingy blend that
adds herbaceous brightness to
veggies, salad dressings, dips,
and otherwise-boring leftovers.
Developed by Starday
Excalibur works closely with retailers who have their own commissaries on flavor profiles for value-added
products that are made offsite and sold in grocery perimeter departments.
supermarketperimeter.com
co-founder Lena Kwak, former
culinary strategist and innovator
at a 3-Star Michelin restaurant,
All Day seasonings introduce
consumers to interesting
and worldly ingredients like
turmeric, mushroom powder,
and nutritional yeast in an
approachable way. Each of All
Day's seasoning blends have a
wide range in their use, according
to the company - they can act
as a major ingredient in a simple
dish and they can act as a minor
ingredient in a complex dish.
JANUARY 2022 - 71

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