Lance Reiter is the senior director of sales and new business development for The Season Brand, a canned fish brand that is part of The Manischewitz Co. The Season Brand, which was once a kosher-only product, is gaining ground in the regular canned fish section with new products and configurations.
SeafoodSource: How has The Season Brand evolved since its inception?
Reiter: The Season Brand goes back 97 years and the Manischewitz kosher brand goes back more than 125 years, so both have been well-known for a long time. More recently, the Season Brand has been separated from Manischewitz, which means it isn’t being pigeonholed in kosher anymore. Two years ago, we weren’t in the Hannaford fish section, but now we are. In metro New York, we have 25 or more items in the regular canned fish section, and we’re moving from the kosher section to the canned fish area in Market Basket. That’s important because you have a canned fish consumer who only goes to that part of the store, while the kosher person does both. So while we aren’t losing the kosher consumer, we are gaining the mainstream canned fish shopper.
SeafoodSource: How does your newest product, Season Savories, fit into this approach?
Reiter: We started shipping Season Savories in December, and we view it as a total innovation. It’s a healthy product—tumbled sardines with vegetables and seasonings—combined with the grab-and-go, eat-on-the-run aspect. It comes in a easy to open container with organic brown rice crackers and its own spoon. It’s truly a one-stop snack. It has been accepted very quickly.
SeafoodSource: What are the opportunities and challenges with introducing a new product?
Reiter: The opportunity is obvious: It’s something new and exciting for the section. The challenge is always about shelf space. There’s always a space game.
SeafoodSource: Isn’t there also a challenge with sardines and preconceived ideas about them?
Reiter: Sardines are actually very on-trend. In 2017, one of the top trends was sardines because of their superfood aspect. They fit into the Paleo diet, which Milliennials have gravitated toward. Almost 99.9 percent of the time you can convert a tuna eater to sardines. If you haven’t had a sardine, you just need a little education on the nutrition and benefits of eating them. The Savories flavor profiles help bridge the gap. It’s not a straight sardine flavor.
SeafoodSource: You’ve been in sales with American Roland, Cain-Celestial and now The Season Brand for many years: What makes you successful in your job?
Reiter: There are several things: I’m able to identify the point of difference of a product. I’m able to interact with people in a way that helps me connect with them to get the order. And one of my strongest traits is my ability to read a person. It’s not rocket science; you can learn the product.
SeafoodSource: What are three things people would be surprised to learn about The Season Brand?
Reiter: It’s not the old days of being owned by a Jewish family. We’re owned by (private equity firm) Bain Capital. People are surprised to know that Season Brand and Manischewitz are the same company. So we try to build on that by separating the brands. Finally, they are surprised at what the product brings to the table in terms of transparency, sustainability and being kosher.
SeafoodSource: What are three things people would be surprised to find out about you?
Reiter: I’m very passionate about what I do and I really wrap my arms around a concept. Family life is important to me. I have two sons and I like to travel with my wife. And regarding travel, I recently received a letter from United telling me I’ve logged 2 million miles on the airline.
