Massachusetts-based Blossom Water has secured authorization to sell its all natural flavored waters in 1,075 stores owned by the Kroger Family of Companies.
These stores operate under the supermarket banners of Kroger, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith's, King Soopers, Fry's and QFC as well as the multi-department store banner of Fred Meyer, the nation's third-largest supercenter operator.
They span 35 states across the Pacific, Rocky Mountain, Southwest, Southeast and Midwest regions of the U.S.
The Kroger Co. operates the largest traditional grocery store chain in the country. Business principles that made the first Kroger store successful in 1883 – service, selection and value – continue to guide company operations today, bringing steady market share gains in this highly competitive sector.
A case in point has been Kroger's differentiation from other "mass grocers" through expanding its offering of natural products while simultaneously improving affordability, thereby capturing opportunity from growing mainstream adoption of healthier eating.
Rose Harvesting in Isparta
Blossom Water Flavors
Blossom Water president and co-founder Steve Fortuna said: "Kroger is not just a leader in food and beverage sales.
"It is an industry thought leader. Their authorization affirms, not only for us but for other forward-looking retailers, that Blossom Water is quickly gaining resonance with consumers nationwide."
Founded in 2013, Blossom Water produces a distinctive and premium line of floral-enhanced natural essence waters that are available in four flavors: lemon rose, plum jasmine, grapefruit lilac and pomegranate geranium.
Unique in its botanical pairing of blossoms with fruit, Blossom Water received a 2015 NEXTY award nomination at premier trade show Natural Products Expo West. NEXTY nominations recognize companies on the leading edge of natural product trends. Yet Blossom Water's innovation also harks back to multicultural tradition.
Take lemon rose, for example. In Middle Eastern and Mediterranean regions, rose water is commonly mixed into lemonade to balance the refreshing tartness with nuanced taste and aroma. Rose is even thought to bring healing properties, both physical and psychological.
The natural rose essence in Blossom Water lemon rose is distilled from Rosa × damascena, more commonly known as Damask or Turkish Rose, where it has been harvested for centuries in that country's Isparta Province.
There, the roses are picked at crack of dawn before sunlight can evaporate petal oils, usually by women, then brought to marketplaces and village distilleries.
Peak harvest time transforms the province into a hive of activity, culminating in the Isparta Rose Festival, where rose water drinks as well as rose ice cream and other sweets are sold at concert and theater stages across scattered town centers.
As with lemon rose, all Blossom Water flavors deliver bright, thirst-quenching fruit upfront with a delicate floral note finish that is subtly aromatic yet crisp. Each flavor is simply pure water infused with essences of the fruit and flower, and balanced by a touch of natural sweetener, for an all natural and low calorie drink which fits into health-conscious lifestyles.
