Callaway Consumer Products has recently announced that its Organic Bistro Whole Life Meals line of frozen entrées, which includes three seafood items, is now being carried nationwide by United Natural Foods, America’s largest distributor of organic and natural foods.
“We started the business narrowly in Arizona and we’ve expanded to Western markets and done well. The decision to expand nationally in 2009 will have a significant impact on the number of consumers we’ll reach,” said Mark Whitehouse, CEO of Calloway in Scottsdale, Ariz. “All of our Organic Bistro meals were accepted and placed in Whole Foods this week, so they’re now available and we’re presenting the line to other stores in the East and Southeast.”
Additionally, Calloway is adding three entrées to its Organic Bistro line this year: Jamaican Shrimp Cake, Spiced Chicken Morocco and Pasta Puttanesca. Jamaican Shrimp Cake will join Organic Bistro’s two existing seafood entrées: Sockeye Salmon Cakes and Wild Salmon.
“We wanted to put together another cake in addition to our sockeye salmon cake, and we wanted something new and sustainable,” said Whitehouse. “So we got Oregon Bay pink shrimp that are sustainable and carry the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) label that all of our seafood sources carry. It’s spiced with a jerk spice that gives it a Jamaican flavor and it’s dressed with a side of peppers and onions.”
According to Whitehouse, the creation of the Organic Bistro seafood entrées came about as a result of “looking at a hole in the marketplace and identifying that people want more seafood, and there’s not a whole lot of seafood in the frozen category. Wild salmon is clearly our best selling entrée, and sockeye salmon is tied with our leading poultry entrees. It’s also gluten free so it’s not breaded, and contains 70 percent wild Alaskan sockeye, which is significant.”
Because seafood has been so successful in the Organic Bistro line, Calloway plans to develop more seafood entrées in the future.
“Clearly seafood is a major proponent of our line and supports our nutrition story as well,” he said. “It’s high in omegas and a good source of protein. We think consumers are looking to eat more seafood and we want to provide that, so we’ll continue to introduce it to the market.”
