KeHE’s New Sourcing Service Allows Grocers to Diversify Store Shelves

KeHE Distributors LLC has unveiled its new KeHE Connect Direct service, offering its retail partners the opportunity to access and buy an expanded assortment of natural and organic, specialty, and fresh products, including hard-to-find protein, bakery, bulk and cheese products, from three newly designated KeHE fulfillment centers.

KeHE Connect Direct increases retailers’ assortment options for dry, refrigerated, frozen and other special-temperature products outside of their home distribution center. Grocers now have access to thousands of additional new products to purchase and ultimately offer consumers on their store shelves. The program also simplifies the product-ordering process, with no order minimums, free two-day shipping for orders over $50 to anywhere in the contiguous United States, and up-to-date tracking information.

“We are excited to roll out this new supplemental sourcing service, KeHE Connect Direct, as it gives retailers in different regions a chance to obtain thousands of new and innovative products,” said Amy Kirtland, EVP of innovation and growth at KeHE. “Now KeHE retailers will have access to an array of new product options to choose from, which aligns with the demands of their consumers. Plus we’ve made the logistic process intuitive and easy, from ordering to shipping.”

Additional features of KeHE Connect Direct include:

• Besides purchasing products through the Connect Retailer platform, items can soon be purchased through EDI (electronic data interchange).
• Easy access to 10,000 or more new products in cases and cut cases, and each quantity with promotions and new-to-KeHE item offerings.
• Better-for-the-planet packaging, with all shipments using sustainable packaging.
• No order minimums or limits to ship.

Kirtland added: “Changes in the food and beverage landscape are ever-changing, from consumer preferences to supply chain innovations. The marketplace’s success is rooted in bringing the latest and broadest available selection of natural and organic, specialty, and fresh products to shoppers. KeHE Connect Direct is our latest digital option enabling our partners to accomplish this and fuel that marketplace need.”

Meanwhile, KeHE recently unveiled its latest list of 21 “Golden Ticket” winners during the company’s most recent TrendFinder event. Winners, which have the opportunity to be added to KeHE’s portfolio, include Funky Mello marshmallow cremes; all-natural Craftmix Instant Cocktail Mix; Heirloom Coffee Roasters, which uses only coffee cultivated using 100% regenerative farming techniques; Urban Veda Natural Skincare, formulated using natural ingredients and the principles of Ayurveda; and Salento Organics fair-trade chocolate-covered dried fruits, featuring ingredients small-batch sourced from local farms in the Colombian mountains in South America.

Naperville, Ill.-based KeHE is the largest pure-play distributor of natural and organic, specialty, and fresh products to more than 30,000 natural food stores, chain and independent grocery stores, e-commerce retailers, and other specialty product retailers throughout North America. A Certified B Corporation, the company has more than 6,800 employee-owners.