‘SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE’: Commissaries’ Freedom’s Choice Cool Down Smoothies earns industry honors for label design
FORT LEE, Va. – The Defense Commissary Agency’s Freedom’s Choice Cool Down Smoothie received the Private Label Manufacturers Association’s 2021 Salute to Excellence Award virtually on Jan. 26.
DeCA’s commissary store brand product emerged as a winner in the Fresh Juices and Smoothies category. Overall, North American retailers submitted over 770 products to the PLMA in the food, beverage, kitchen, household, and health and beauty categories. The submissions were tested and judged by evaluators from consumer and industry groups.
“We believe the PLMA recognition demonstrates just how incredibly well our private label products are performing,” said Jim Flannery, acting executive director of DeCA’s Sales, Marketing and Logistics Group. “Our Commissary Store Brands have been around for less than five years and yet we’re achieving design awards that many other retailers don’t achieve until well after many years existence in the industry.
“We’re serious about offering our patrons quality products and adding the savings back in their pocket,” he added. “It’s great to see that our industry peers recognize us in that effort.”
PLMA’s Salute to Excellence Awards recognize outstanding store brands products introduced in the grocery industry, said the association’s president, Peggy Davies.
“The winners exemplify how store brands are exceeding consumer expectations with new and innovative products,” she said in a video announcing the 2021 retail winners. “They represent exceptional quality, value and innovation.”
DeCA’s winning design for the Cool Down Smoothie was created through a collaborative effort between the agency’s Commissary Store Brand team and its private label supplier, SpartanNash. They wanted a design that would resonate with the commissaries’ fitness-focused customers, said Jennifer Ferrell, chief of marketing and previous DeCA private label program manager.
“This was a redesign of an existing product and we saw this as an opportunity to align quality of this product to the military theme,” Ferrell said. “Whether you’re former, current or a spouse of a military member, fitness is familiar and we wanted to align to that familiarity.”
DeCA’s smoothie line is a natural for customers seeking nutritious alternatives. It offers the health benefits of fresh fruits with no added sugars, said Scott Daly, the agency’s private label program manager. “Our smoothies are a great way for our customers to enjoy pre or post-workout or even as a great source of Vitamin C anytime.”
Daly pointed to sales performance numbers that steadily increased with the launch of the new packaging in February 2021. Recent performance data from November 2021 through January 2022 shows a 93 percent jump in units sold and an 83 percent rise in sales compared to November 2020 through January 2021.
This is the third industry award DeCA’s Freedom’s Choice products have won in recent years. In February 2021, the agency won the PLMA 2020 Salute to Excellence Award for its Enhanced Water. That same product was initially recognized in August 2020 when it received the 2020 Gold Vertex Award for packaging.
Besides the Freedom’s Choice brand, which includes food products, DeCA’s commissary store brands lineup also includes the HomeBase brand for non-food items including paper towel and tissue products, garbage bags and other household items.
Commissary Store Brands are also sold under TopCare (health and beauty), Full Circle Market (natural and organic food options), Tippy Toes (baby products), Flock’s Finest (wild bird food), Pure Harmony (pet food), Wide Awake (coffee beverages), Crav’n Flavor (comfort food favorites). Crav’n Flavor, TopCare, Full Circle Market, Tippy Toes, Flock’s Finest, Pure Harmony and Wide Awake are not exclusive to DeCA.
DeCA introduced its private label program in 2017 and now has nearly 980 Commissary Store Brand products. Store brand sales in fiscal 2021 were over $128.3 million and the program moved almost 55 million units.
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About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.