Oddbells

Driven by an interest to find a market for its uniquely shaped, non-blocky peppers, Baloian Farms is introducing Oddbells, a value-priced consumer pepper pack. The 1-pound brightly colored cello pack includes three to four of the aptly named red and green peppers, whose shape is caused by seasonal changes affecting pollination or crowding of peppers on the plant, conditions that result in as many as 30 percent of all peppers picked potentially being misshapen, according to Fresno, Calif.-based Baloian. In the past, these peppers, often classified as “choppers,” were usually sold to processors and foodservice providers for considerably lower prices than traditionally shaped peppers. Now, the new outlet of Oddbells enables retailers to offer two different SKUs to accommodate two different types of consumers while achieving reasonable margins on both items. Additionally, on-pack messaging calls out the value proposition and goal of avoiding waste.