Frozen Kauai on the shelf at Pick n Pay
● Kauai, a leader in healthy food in SA, has launched its first frozen product offering with Pick n Pay, following other fast-food brands that supply retailers to boost their profile.
“Frozen has had a huge resurgence overseas. Customers are seeing frozen as a convenient option where ready-made fresh used to be the destination for this,” says Dean Kowarski, CEO of Real Foods, the holding company of Kauai.
One of the most popular frozen food brands in France, with 920 shops, is Picard Surgelés, specialising in manufacturing and selling frozen products. Its roots date back as far back as 1906 and the company, which enjoys huge popularity in a country known to place particular importance on food, continues to grow.
Other fast-food brands have gone the retail route. Starbucks sells pods and coffee, Steers sells frozen hamburger patties, sauces, spices and dressings, Mugg & Bean sells coffee and Wimpy sells sauces in retailers.
Pierre van Tonder, CEO of Spur Corporation, says the group has 17 lines it sells through major retailers such as Pick n Pay, Shoprite and Checkers. Its salad dressing is the most popular, along with grill basting and cheese, pepper and mushroom sauces.
It has just launched four new spices: meat, chicken, vegetable and Texan steak. “We started off about nine years ago; we did it as a marketing exercise to get our name out there,” says Van Tonder.
It won’t make a fortune, he says, but there are other gains. “It’s not a strategic imperative that will make a big impact on numbers but it’s an excellent marketing tool,” he says, adding that it’s a very busy shelf space.
Nando’s sells its peri-peri sauce in retailers and the company has a 45% value share in the hot sauce category. “Our role within the retail channel is to open up the brand to be more available to more people on more occasions,” says Vanessa Nunes, marketing manager at Nando’s Grocery SA.
The “ready–to-go” meal market has traditionally been dominated by Woolworths, which pioneered the category in SA. Other large food retailers have increasingly focused on this category because of “timepoor” urban consumers and the higher margins prepared food yields.
Says Real Foods’ Kowarski: “We see the frozen category growing significantly. Freezing is a natural preservative — it locks in all the nutrients of vegetables and fruit, and doesn’t require the addition of artificial preservatives. It’s a great format for us to deliver convenient, chef-prepared meals, in line with our Kauai approach of no preservatives and colourants, and using highquality ingredients like free-range chicken.”
He says consumers are seeking out healthier, natural food options that are affordable and convenient
The “smoothie” range — a sachet that is blended with liquids at home — has been in Pick n Pay stores for about a month. Meals will be available from January next year and will include Kauai restaurant favourites such as Butta Chicken Bowl, and new meals such as Thai Veg Curry Bowl.
Kauai already sells healthy snacks and protein powders at Checkers and Dis-Chem. Over time, the plan is to launch ready-to-eat bars and a range of healthy beverages. Kowarski says they wanted a branded product or a co-branded product but did not want to be a contract producer.
Locally, the company has opened its 160th store, and is venturing offshore. The company has opened its first store in Europe, in Utrecht station in the Netherlands, and is looking at opening a second in March next year. The first store in Thailand has been opened in Bangkok and contracts are already in place to supply grab-and-go wraps, salads and juices in hotels and elsewhere.