Greenfood is continuing its rapid expansion of the Picadeli salad bar brand in the USA. A new agreement with the food conglomerate Coborn’s means that Picadeli’s AI-driven salad bars will be established in several Coborn’s stores in the American Midwest.
Greenfood, one of Europe’s major food groups focusing on healthy and sustainable food, has nearly 1,200 employees across seven countries and generated SEK 5.7 billion in revenue in 2023. The company has seen significant success with its tech subsidiary, Picadeli, which now operates in both the American and European markets.
The launch of Picadeli in the states has primarily been through partnerships with major chains like Albertson, Schnucks, Sodexo, and Compass. Through these partnerships, Picadeli has already gained broad market penetration and tested its concept in various parts of American society.
With a new deal with Coborn’s, Picadeli is further strengthening its presence. Coborn’s is a privately-owned food company with almost 10,000 employees and 77 grocery stores across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
“This is another major step for Picadeli in the US market. Our focus remains on introducing our healthy salad concept into key food and convenience stores, driving efficient and rapid growth, mirroring our achievements in Europe,” says David von Laskowski, CEO and Group CEO of Picadeli and Greenfood Group.
A significant reason Coborn’s chose Greenfood is that Picadeli bars require less effort from store staff compared to traditional salad bars. While traditional salad bars may demand 50 to 60 hours of work per week, Coborn’s estimates their employees only need to dedicate 15 hours per week to manage a Picadeli salad bar.
“By digitising our processes and automating our ordering system, we reduce the workload on store staff. This makes it easier for us to scale up to meet the needs of American food giants. As US food chains face challenges with widespread labour shortages, this is crucial, allowing staff to focus on more value-added activities,” says David von Laskowski.
Following the pandemic, Picadeli has been working to establish itself in the world’s largest market for salad bars: the USA. Favourable weather, a culture promoting healthy eating, and widespread acceptance of salad as a meal give Picadeli enormous potential in the American market.
Today, Picadeli’s salad bars are available in several of Europe’s and the USA’s largest grocery chains. But Picadeli isn’t just found in American stores; it has also successfully established itself in company cafeterias, train stations, airports, military bases, and even on American university campuses.
Source: foodanddrinktechnology.com