Amy’s Kitchen gets ‘back on track with innovation,' releases multipack offerings

19-Sep-2023 - Last updated on 19-Sep-2023 at 15:21 GMT

Image Credit: Amy's Kitchen

Natural frozen food brand Amy’s Kitchen is brushing off years of slower innovation and kickstarting new product and format development, including new packaging options, as the brand expands its presence in the frozen aisle and with more occasions, company VP of marketing Ritu Mathur told FoodNavigator-USA.

“We've been trying to get back on track with innovation. And so, after a couple of years where we were just trying to get through the challenges of COVID, we've renewed our focus on innovation, which is something the company has been built on. It is really in our DNA to launch new products, and so we're excited to get that engine going again.”

Focusing on product innovation with multipacks, family-sized offerings

This year, Amy’s Kitchen has released two types of larger frozen food options to meet the demand for consumers, Mathur said. Earlier this year, Amy’s Kitchen launched family-sized offerings of several of its entrees and more recently launched a four-pack of its burritos, which are available in Bean, Rice & Cheese Burritos, and Non-Dairy Bean & Rice varieties.

“[Consumers] wanted those larger portion sizes, and ... we heard from consumers that they were looking for that type of a product but in the more natural food set. So, they're not compromising on ingredients, ... and there just isn't a lot in the larger family-size, multipack options that are in the natural brands, and so we saw an opportunity for Amy's to come in and be a solution.”

When it comes to the broader market, frozen food is growing because it “serves a really important role for consumers” by providing quick and more frequently nutritious meals, Mathur said. “Because it's frozen, they're stored at that peak of nutrition, so you don't see a lot of degradation in terms of the nutritionals,” she said.

“We're naturally... aligned to what consumers are looking for more and more, and so for me, I just find that a really exciting place to be for Amy's," Mathur said. "[Natural has] expanded beyond just the consumer that buys natural products in the natural channel. A lot of consumers that shop in the Walmarts, and the Targets, and the club stores of the world are looking for that same type of product and wanting to feel like they're not compromising on health.”

Tapping into more occasions, snacking

Amy’s Kitchen is also exploring how it can deliver new products for different occasions, especially in the snacking and breakfast category, Mathur said.

“In the frozen set, we've got burritos, we've got pizza, we've got entrees, but there's a lot of other occasions that consumers could use a frozen product for such as breakfast or snacking. And we've heard from consumers that both of those two sort of segments that they're looking for those types of solutions."

Amy’s Kitchen is also focusing on marketing efforts to raise brand awareness and drive more trial, she added.

“The more offerings we might have across different occasions, we're really looking to grow awareness of our brand. I think we haven't had a real traditional focus on marketing in the past; most of our growth has been very organic,” Mathur said. “We have a real opportunity to tell the story of why Amy’s is so unique and why we are so proud of the food.”