Kids Gourmet, a natural brand extension of Baby Gourmet aimed at school-aged kids, today announces its launch and introduces its first snack line, Squoosh. Squoosh, the only organic snack with a full serving of fruit & veg in every pouch, is packaged around the idea that as children grow up, they play an increasingly influential role in choosing their snacks from the grocery aisle. Squoosh packaging is designed to be fun and eye-catching and also appealing to children at a wide age range.
Although Squoosh was available on a limited basis in time for Halloween, the product line-up is officially launching in more than 250 locations nationwide throughout the month of December including Walmart Canada stores. Kids Gourmet is building on relationships forged with moms through Baby Gourmet, Canada's leading pouched, organic baby food brand. Fueled by brand trust, Squoosh is already enjoying early success before the launch, hitting week-over-week sales increases of 55-64% since its introduction.
"Since launching Baby Gourmet baby food purees 21 months ago, moms have been asking us what we had in mind for older children who outgrew Baby Gourmet, because they wanted to stay with our brand," said Jennifer Carlson, founder of Baby Gourmet and Kids Gourmet. "Moms find that as their children moved from snacking at home to snacking at school, keeping healthy options front and centre was becoming more challenging. Squoosh was created so school-age children have a brand of their own packaged in a fun way that appeals to the age group."
Childhood obesity has tripled in the last 25 years according to the Childhood Obesity Foundation. While market size for toddler snacks in Canada is $40M; it is an industry underserved for organic snacks, especially premium, organic fruit and veggie snacks (Nielsen data, Sept 2012). In fact publicly funded elementary and secondary schools in Ontario seeking responsible food options for children are starting to set out nutrition standards, such as the Sept 2011 standards set for food and beverages served on the grounds.
"Squoosh reminds me of the kid's version of juicing. Juicing, which has become a major trend, is a great way of increasing a person's fruit and vegetable intake. Adequate nutrient consumption is essential for a child's growth and development and many parents need some extra help getting those essential vitamins and minerals in," said Dr. Shelly Reitkop, N.D. "Squoosh is packed with great ingredients and the flavors are fantastic. The re-sealable packaging makes it perfect for kids since they can sip on the Squoosh as slow or fast as they like."
