WELLESLY, MASS. — Good Food Made Simple is branching further from its breakfast roots with its new line of frozen entree bowls and two new frozen entree burritos. The line of nine entree bowls, to debut later this year, will come in flavors such as Cavatappi Bolognese, Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese and Chicken Mole. Spicy Three Bean and Black Bean & Veggie burritos also will join the brand’s lineup.
Good Food Made Simple started in 2011 with the introduction of a 100% steel-cut oatmeal bowl in the freezer section. Now, Good Food Made Simple offers more than 30 stock-keeping units of breakfast, lunch and dinner solutions.
“We love breakfast, and we would love to just keep expanding in breakfast foods forever if we could,” said George Gavris, chief executive officer of Good Food Made Simple. “But lunch and dinner is a big category with a whole new set of flavor profiles. We get to experiment with new flavors and spices. The vast majority of us are foodies, and trying new products and restaurants is our indulgence. Our new product brainstorming sessions are driven by what we’ve tried, liked and think we can offer to consumers as real food, packaged in retail carton or bag. So this business is appealing.”
Beyond fueling his foodie nature, Mr. Gavris said expanding further into the lunch and dinner segments provides consumers with healthy, clean label options in a category typically known for otherwise.
“We strive to introduce our brand into established categories that feature less-than-acceptable ingredients to stand out from the larger C.P.G. companies,” he said. “These opportunities are endless.”
To further this effort of differentiating in the frozen category, Good Food Made Simple plans to transition its line of frozen burritos and wraps to made-with-organic ingredients, which means they will be made with a minimum of 70% organic ingredients. Its new entree bowls also will meet this standard, and its two new entree burritos already are certified U.S.D.A. organic.
“Since the brand’s inception, we have prioritized using only the best ingredients we can find, organic when not cost-prohibitive,” Mr. Gavris said. “We’re proud that five years later, we’re now in a position to transition a majority of our portfolio to the made-with-organic ingredient status.”
Getting to this point has not been easy, however. Mr. Gavris said transitioning to organic — especially with new products — can be risky. Finding a guaranteed, reliable supply of any food component is “virtually impossible” without entering a contract, he said, which is difficult for new product introductions because the company doesn’t have the sales history to rely on.
“We’re exposing ourselves to supply risk if our forecasts fall short of demand,” Mr. Gavris said. “This entire process is complicated by the challenge of coordinating ingredient contracts with the relevant growing season and the approximate timing of our needs. But there’s a rather large, unmet need in the category, and it’s always been our brand promise to provide simple and delicious recipes that consumers can feel good about eating. It’s a case study in how producers say something can’t be done, but if consumers will it, it happens.”
To reflect the company’s move toward more organic ingredients, Good Food Made Simple recently unveiled a brand refresh. The new product packaging sports a cleaner design, and the fronts of the packages feature easy-to-read health claims like “70% organic,” “non-G.M.O.,” “cage-free” and “never fed antibiotics.”
“These important claims stand out on the shelf and encourage shoppers to choose Good Food Made Simple over competitors,” Mr. Gavris said. “We really wanted to pursue a ‘food forward’ look to our brand. Our new simple design aesthetic showcases appetizing food photography, allowing shoppers to see exactly what their egg white patty, oatmeal or entree bowl will look like once prepared. It focuses on the elegance of our food.”
Mr. Gavris said he hopes the new products and brand design will allow consumers to have confidence that they can find convenient, healthy meals.
“The brand refresh brings to life our unique story and clean ingredient label for the millions of consumers who want to eat healthy, but don’t always have the time to prepare their own wholesome meals,” he said. “Shoppers seeking better, cleaner foods no longer have to skip past the frozen aisle. They can reach for Good Food Made Simple and know they’re going to have a delicious, cleaner breakfast, lunch or dinner, even if they don’t have time to prepare that for themselves.”
