Blount Fine Foods, a leading manufacturer of premium, handcrafted soups, entrées, sauces, and side dishes for retail and foodservice, and the market leader in fresh retail soups, Thursday announced the national launch of a full line of Blount-brand premium organic soups created to meet the demand for authentic, certified organic foods by an ever-growing segment of the marketplace.

The rollout comes after more than two years of testing, development and innovation of organic soup recipes, including ingredient sourcing and handling, as well as consumer packaging and marketing.

“As the popularity of prepared foods has exploded at retail, we have seen the call for organics to be part of the solution grow from a murmur to a rumble to a roar,” said Bob Sewall, Blount’s executive vice president of sales & marketing. “For the last two years, our chefs have been working with restaurant chefs to refine our true-to-nature, delicious handcrafted organic recipes; improving our sourcing and collaboration with certified organic farmers; and testing and studying consumer attitudes, tastes and desires as they relate to premium organic soups.”

Blount is launching its Blount Organics line nationally with seven varieties, including two brand new recipes that have never been offered anywhere:

• Organic Vegetarian Chili (gluten-free, vegetarian)—Hearty black beans, onions, potatoes and red  bell peppers are simmered in a rich vegetable stock with a hint of spice.
• Organic Tomato Bisque (gluten-free, vegetarian)—Ripe tomatoes and a creamy combination of milk, butter and spices are gently simmered to create this hearty bisque.
• Organic Coconut Lentil Soup NEW (gluten-free, vegetarian)—a robust, protein-rich vegetarian lentil soup with a mild, sweet coconut curry broth.
• Organic Ancient Grain Minestrone Soup (vegetarian)—Classic minestrone flavor with an ancient twist: farro, quinoa, and barley to satisfy high demand from a health-conscious marketplace.
• Organic Savory Harvest Bisque (vegetarian)—Sweet butternut squash and carrots are pureed with ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon and finished with diced apples, sweet potatoes and a hint of rosemary.
• Organic Chicken Tortilla Soup (low-fat, chicken raised without antibiotics)—A unique soup made with tender antibiotic-free chicken, flavorful roasted corn, diced tomatoes, Monterey Jack cheese, and jalapeño peppers.
• Organic Broccoli Cheddar Soup new (gluten-free)—An all-time favorite, made with generous pieces of broccoli, creamy sharp cheddar cheese and a touch of spice, is now certified organic.

In addition to the two new varieties, the rest of the line has undergone recipe improvements to further bring out the delicious layers of flavor Blount soups are known for. And the Blount brand has undergone a complete redesign to highlight product features and make the soups more attention grabbing and attractive to shoppers passing them in the refrigerated foods section. All soups come in 16-ounce microwavable cups with Blount’s exclusive Cool Grip Rim that makes picking up a cup of hot soup easy. The line will launch with both trade and consumer promotional campaigns, the latter being a first for Blount. The retail trade campaign kicks off in June 2016, with online and print advertisements in food trade publications, and direct response marketing electronically and via mail. Products and packaging will be introduced to buyers attending the International Dairy, Deli, Bakery Association’s (IDDBA) annual Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar & Expo in Houston June 5—7, 2016 (Booth #1901). Retailers also have access to a catalog of in-store collateral support from Blount that includes digital files for video screens and social media, floor signage and menu boards, tabletop soup ID cards for cross-promoting at the hot-to-go bar in the prepared foods section, channel strips, shelf-talkers and floor graphics.

For the first time since growing to be the country’s market leader in retail fresh soups, Blount will also market its soups to consumers with a campaign that kicks off in September. A consumer website, www.BlountOrganics.com will educate consumers on products, offer suggestions on menu pairings and serving via videos designed for social media sharing, but also give them a glimpse at just how much care and effort goes into bringing a premium organic soup to market. Blount will offer in-store sampling, purchase incentive via FSIs, and undertake “foodie influencer” outreach and communications. The company will also bring its brand experience on the road with out-of-store sampling in unique and unexpected ways throughout the autumn as the days get colder and shorter, and Soup Season kicks into high gear.

“Our consumer marketing strategy up until now has been to use licensing agreements to sell retail soups under well-known and respected brands consumers seek out, and to be the manufacturer of choice for many of the country’s most successful private label soup programs, both of which will only be enhanced by our entering the Blount brand into the marketplace,” adds Sewall. “With this launch, we are introducing a third option, the brand restaurant chefs have loved and trusted for decades, and a brand consumers will quickly come to understand gives them more.”

To accommodate the production demands of the new retail line, Blount will manufacture out of both its Massachusetts headquarters plant, as well as the McKinney, Texas, plant it acquired in January, which is currently being retrofitted for soup production and logistics, and working to achieve several ncertifications, including as a USDA “organic” manufacturer.

Learn more at www.BlountFineFoods.com, or stop by IDDBA booth #1901.

Blount Fine Foods is a family-owned and operated company that has been processing food since 1946.

Blount produces more than 900 premium products for restaurants, institutions, retailers and club stores in all 50 states. Blount manufactures more than 600 proprietary soup recipes, including 75 varieties of clam chowder alone. The company is the largest manufacturer of lobster bisque in America, was the first brand to launch restaurant-quality, single-serve grab-n-go fresh soups at retail, and has full lines of organic and gluten-free soups and sides.

Blount product lines include fresh and frozen (but never canned!) premium soups for foodservice and retail as well as premium side dishes and entrees. Blount’s premium soups and specialty foods are made with the finest and freshest ingredients, locally sourced whenever possible, and handcrafted in small batches by a dedicated team through unparalleled customer collaboration.

Blount operates production facilities at its Fall River, Massachusetts, headquarters, in Warren, Rhode Island, and now in McKinney, Texas. Its award-winning production facilities showcase the company’s commitment to energy conservation and sustainable business practices.

Customers include national restaurant chains that have their custom soups made for them in accordance with their secret recipes. Similarly, the deli departments of many large and small supermarket chains offer Blount-created hot-to-go soup selections as well as fresh store-brand pre-packed soup cups.

Blount also carries a full line of fresh and frozen soups sold to club stores and retailers nationwide under the Legal Sea Foods and Panera Bread brands.

Blount generates over 200 million servings of premium soups each year.

For more information, visit www.BlountFineFoods.com.