Category Advisor: Canned and Packaged Foods—Shelf-stable Vegetables (Olives): Mario Camacho Foods

Mario Camacho Foods continues to introduce on-trend, category-building products. Meeting consumer demand for convenient, portion-controlled, healthy and flavorful products, the company has unveiled innovative 100-calorie snack pouches of olives without brine, in three flavors.

After tests with select retailers across the country, Mario Snack Olive Pouches have shown continuous incremental sales growth with no negative impact to existing category sales, according to the company.

One retailer that tested the product saw sales spikes anywhere from five to 13 times the usual levels when conducting in-store sampling. After the promotional event, base volume had doubled.

To build brand awareness, Mario Camacho Foods promoted the product through in-store product demos, customized shipper displays, couponing, trade shows, and advertising in both print and digital media. As a result, Mario Snack Olives has achieved nationwide distribution in new accounts, including Delta and Alaska airlines.

In addition to the added benefits of healthy, on-the-go convenience and category growth, the new packaging is not only innovative, but also sustainable. The BPA-free pouches use approximately 85 percent less packaging materials than their glass- or aluminum-packed counterparts. Also, the lack of brine reduces the weight, and therefore the environmental impact, through cost savings in shipping.