Post’s Bob Evans expands deeper into vegetables

Dive Brief:

• Post Holdings is bringing its Bob Evans sides platform deeper into refrigerated vegetables with carrots, green beans and corn, the food manufacturer said in a statement. 
• The Bob Evans Farmhouse Favorites is the first line extension of refrigerated vegetables launched under Post. Bob Evans currently offers broccoli & cheese and mashed cauliflower sides.
• The new vegetable offerings further build out Bob Evans for Post, which the St. Louis-based company has grown into new refrigerated retail categories since it purchased the brand for $1.5 billion in 2017.

Dive Insight:

Bob Evans has carved out a valuable niche in refrigerated sides with items such as mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese. As consumers continue to look for items that can be easily and quickly prepared in their kitchens, it’s logical for Bob Evans to give them more options to choose from.

A time-starved consumer could opt to prepare Bob Evans’ mashed potatoes, and then complement that with the brand’s carrots, for example. The added vegetable sides fill a notable void for Post and Bob Evans. The new products are more likely to keep consumers within Bob Evans since they would be less likely to turn to another company’s sides for their vegetables.

At the same time, vegetables enable Bob Evans Farmhouse Favorites to tap into the growing demand for healthier options. And the refrigerated aspect of the new products may give its offerings a more favorable, fresher view with shoppers than frozen products already on the market.

“With all of life’s demands, consumers are looking for convenient dinner sides that are wholesome and delicious,” Ciare James, vice president of brand marketing at Bob Evans Farms, said in a statement. “Not only do these new options create an exciting way for home cooks to enjoy crisp, tasty, colorful veggies, but they also provide the high-quality, flavorful refrigerated dinner sides experience Bob Evans is known for.”

Bob Evans Farmhouse Favorites are currently being sold in the refrigerated aisle at select Kroger locations and will roll out to grocery retailers nationwide in August.

Bob Evans Farms is the top-selling refrigerated dinner sides brand in the U.S., according to Circana data cited by Post.

At the time it was purchased by Post, CEO Rob Vitale touted the acquisition as a way to increase his company’s exposure in the high-growth fresh, refrigerated section of the store. Bob Evans Farmhouse Favorites follows through on that goal. While the latest launch focuses on popular vegetables in carrots, green beans and corn, there is room for growth into other items such as Brussels sprouts and peas.