Sprout Nutrition and CROSSMARK have entered into a new nationwide partnership to bring organic whole foods to babies, toddlers and all family members.
The "win-win" partnership gives Sprout expanded category presence and broad access to retailers with consumer insight capabilities while broadening CROSSMARK's presence within the Baby and Organic Family Snack categories.
With this agreement, Sprout is investing in proven capabilities that will drive growth of the Sprout brand nationally. Sprout gains a knowledgeable salesforce with a solid track record in the organic space and access to more than 5,500 retail merchandisers across the country. Retailers will benefit from collaborative planning to bring dynamic innovation and category/shopper insights to the rapid growing organic segment of the baby category.
The partnership with CROSSMARK is an important part of a major new brand investment by Sprout, under new ownership of private equity firm North Castle Partners, and a new CEO, Rick Klauser, a 10-year veteran of Gerber. The brand revitalization was ignited earlier this year with a packaging graphic redesign, the launch of 15 new products and a major marketing investment to drive retailer and baby category growth. Sprout also plans to build on its momentum, by adding new items in the fall, including Sprout Smash, an Organic Fruit Puree snack expanding the brand into the Squeezable Snack category. The improved speed-to-shelf capability will allow parents to find healthy, whole organic foods at their favorite retailers.
"Securing national distribution and strong retailer partnerships are both strategic priorities for us. Our new relationship with CROSSMARK represents a significant building block to achieve this important milestone," said Rick Klauser, CEO of Sprout. "Organic baby food is a millennial mom's expectation for what's best for her baby! Parents are setting a higher bar for product quality and clean, honest, labeling. It's no surprise that this would influence the expectations parents have for premium organic purees that we deliver through our Honesty Pledge: Non-GMO, Only Whole Fruits & Vegetables (never concentrates, preservatives fillers or thickeners), and transparent labeling."
"CROSSMARK is honored to work alongside Sprout as they continue to grow and set the standard in organics. Our analytics capabilities and retail representation across the country will help Sprout drive an increasing presence nationwide as they bring 'real, honest and pure' products to market and give parents increasing confidence in their choices," said Steve Schuckenbrock, CEO of CROSSMARK. "This partnership is a win- win."
