很少有公司are as synonymous with canned fruits and vegetables on the grocery store shelf as Del Monte Foods.
But for much of its recent existence, the 133-year-old business was so focused on maintaining dominance in a space it has come to define that it missed out on ways ofunlocking the potential该公司首席执行官在接受采访时说，对于其他领域的品牌。
In an effort to better position itself to tap into consumer trends such as snacking, convenience and healthy eating, Del Monte — which is the brand by that name focusing on canned and preserved fruits, vegetables and produce —is expanding its offerings as it introduces frozen and refrigerated products for the first time and moves into other parts of the grocery store, such as the deli.
在接下来的两年中，德尔·蒙特（Del Monte）还计划将杂货店超越电子商务，便利店和仓库俱乐部，为客户创造更多机会体验其产品。
正如首席执行官格雷格·朗斯特里特（Greg Longstreet）所说，“新德尔蒙特”的目标将建立在其品牌资产，历史和地位，作为最早成为更具创新性和敏捷组织的工厂公司之一更快的市场 - 当今快速变化的市场中食品公司的当务之急。如果Del Monte的策略成功，Longstreet非常乐观，私有公司可能会将销售额增加3亿美元，到2022年大约17.8亿美元。
"We should be thinking bolder and thinking outside the can to grow and innovate and differentiate, and we've set course for a very aggressive innovation agenda," Longstreet told Food Dive ahead of the unveiling of its new product lineup at an event this week in New York. "We had this untapped potential for the brands."
尽管本周的大部分产品推广都以其同名品牌为中心，但Del Monte还在其产品组合中的其他两个品牌：Contadina Tomato Products and College Inn Inn Broths扩展了产品。
Contadina has pizza bites while Del Monte has its own bites stuffed with ingredients such as spinach and feta and broccoli and cheddar. Both brands are embracing cauliflower crust in their offerings。Del Monte also will be selling a non-dairy refrigerated probiotic parfait in the produce department, veggie-based dips that could be a lower-calorie alternative to hummus and veggie bowls featuring ancient grains.
College Inn will expand its reach with a convenient all-in-one sauce called Simple Starter that contains broth, seasoning and spices. The consumer just needs to add in the protein or pasta.
“是这个美国偶像是这个值得信赖的品牌，消费者寻求并倾向于提供健康和便利。我们终于利用了这一点，”朗斯特里特说。Our brands have been part of the consumers' lifestyles for a long time, but now as consumer trends change and behaviors change, we must change as well. And that's what this whole effort and this whole transformational journey and innovation journey is about."
为了增加成功的可能性，德尔·蒙特（Del Monte）正在扩大其营销部门，并在投放市场时花费更多地促进项目。
它使用的是联合打包机和共同制造商，除其他外，还可以洞悉Del Monte可能不熟悉或具有自己制造的能力的诸如Frozen之类的产品制作产品。它还可以与消费者和零售商彻底审查产品，以评估他们在介绍新产品之前对饮食和携带的兴趣。朗斯特里特说，各种规模的零售商都签署了一些新的阵容。
The company does come with a valuable advantage in name recognition — 98% of consumers are aware of the brand and six in 10 people currently haveLongstreet指出，它的产品在家中。
他说：“我们增加了成功的几率，但我们确实知道这是一个非常非常竞争的格局。”
The focus for Del Monte has been solely on brands the company already has in its portfolio. Unlike other competitors in the food space, Del Monte has not used M&A, a popular tool for big companies eager to spur growth and quickly boost their presence in fast-growing areas. Longstreet said the company wouldn't rule out a deal if it offered the right skills or capabilities.
"We don't have to do (M&A) at Del Monte. We have the brands. These brands have a long runway of growth potential," Longstreet said. "There is so much more innovation from within that we can do. We're just starting this innovation machine, running it full steam and I look forward to seeing what the next 12 to 24 months have in front of us as we bring more and more of these great ideas to market."
