PLANO, Texas — Sales and marketing specialist Crossmark Inc. has partnered with Sprout Nutrition to boost the brand and retail visibility of its organic whole foods for babies, toddlers and other family members.
Crossmark said Wednesday that the partnership will expand Sprout’s category presence and broaden its access to retailers with consumer insight capabilities. For Crossmark, the relationship will heighten its presence in the baby and organic family snack categories.
“Crossmark is honored to work alongside Sprout as they continue to grow and set the standard in organics,” stated Steve Schuckenbrock, chief executive officer of Crossmark. “Our analytics capabilities and retail representation across the country will help Sprout drive an increasing presence nationwide, as they bring ‘real, honest and pure’ products to market and give parents increasing confidence in their choices. This partnership is a win-win.”
With the agreement, Sprout gains a knowledgeable salesforce with a solid track record in the organic space plus access to more than 5,500 retail merchandisers nationwide, Crossmark noted. Retailers will benefit from collaborative planning to bring innovation and category/shopper insights to the burgeoning organic segment of the baby category, the marketing firm said
The partnership with Crossmark is part of a major brand investment by Montvale, N.J.-based Sprout, which is under new ownership — private equity firm North Castle Partners — as well as new leadership, CEO Rick Klauser, a 10-year veteran of Gerber. The brand revitalization began earlier this year with a packaging redesign, the launch of 15 new products, and a major marketing investment to drive retailer and baby category growth.
“Securing national distribution and strong retailer partnerships are both strategic priorities for us. Our new relationship with Crossmark represents a significant building block to achieve this important milestone,” Klauser commented.
Sprout also plans to add new items this fall, including Sprout Smash, an organic fruit puree snack that will expand the brand into the squeezable snack category. Crossmark said Sprout’s improved speed-to-shelf will enables parents to find the brand’s healthy, organic foods at their favorite retailers.
“Organic baby food is a Millennial mom’s expectation for what’s best for her baby,” Klauser added. “Parents are setting a higher bar for product quality and clean, honest labeling. It’s no surprise that this would influence the expectations parents have for premium organic purees that we deliver through our honesty pledge: non-GMO, only whole fruits and vegetables (never concentrates, preservatives fillers or thickeners), and transparent labeling.”
