Fruit Me Up launches a new line of organic fruit pouches
Fruit Me Up! has launched a new line of certified organic fruit pouches made with fresh apples, no added water, no preservatives and no added fruit juice. There are four variants: Only Apples (No Sugar Added), Classic Apple, Apples & Cinnamon, and Apples & Strawberries.
While a product recall at fruit pouch market leader GoGoSqueeZ has skewed the category numbers somewhat, pouches have been driving the growth of the applesauce category, Sharon Sawyer, Fruit Me Up! senior marketing manager, told FoodNavigator-USA, with organic pouches accounting for 18% of [pouch] category sales and generating strong double-digit growth.
Fruit Me Up! Organic is targeting Moms aged 24-44, who are buying for their children's lunchboxes, although adults will also enjoy them, said Sawyer.
"We're not targeting adults in the way that brands such as Mamma Chia are. I'd say that our Naturally Better fruit pouches target kids' lunchboxes although they are enjoyed by all the family, while our Boost pouches target tweens [by pairing fruits with with slightly more sophisticated ingredients such as Greek yogurt, green tea, chia, and acerola cherry]."
While the GoGo SqueeZ recall was bad for the fruit pouch category, retailers and consumers alike are bullish about the market, said Sawyer. "We think there is still a lot of room to grow, and retailers are also creating private label products, which is always a sign that they think it is a good place to be! In general, we're seeing a lot of innovation because consumers are looking for convenience and heath, and pouches deliver both."
Fruit Me Up products stand out in the category owing to their clean labels, she claimed: "Fruit Me Up! Organic Only Apples has 40 calories and contains just organic apples and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to maintain color. The other three organic SKUs have 45 calories and just contain organic fruit, a bit of organic cane sugar and ascorbic acid."