By: Bob Starkey/Vice President of Business Development

Happy New Year from all of us at Winona Foods! By now you have settled back into your daily grind and like every New Year asked yourself, “How can your organization make a difference in the eyes of your customers or consumers?” What trends should we be focusing in on? How do I reach more Millennials? And without fail, the typical ideas resonate in your head. Lower prices! Better service! More Innovation! HOT HOT HOT food!
While some of these answers may be winners within your company walls, one of the larger trends we at Winona Foods continually focus on is CONVENIENCE. OK, before you hit delete, let me share a couple important points from our industry peers.
According to the NPD Group, CONVENIENCE is no longer “good enough”, rather, SUPER CONVENIENCE is the on-trend. The Specialty Food Association outlines that convenience means “a larger spend and most consumers are willing to pay a little more for less….as long as it makes their lives easier. And finally, Millennials (age 18-29), the largest generation to ever walk the planet, are titled the “Convenience Generation”. Keep in mind, the Millennial generation just happens to be your current and/or next in line customer, consumer, sales person or even CEO of your organization!
Let’s be clear, convenience does not equal laziness, rather, convenience equal’s loyalty and deeper connections or relationships to experiences, people and products. It’s our belief at Winona Foods that convenience can be achieved through various areas in our organization.
Here are few of our favorites!

Alejandro on the Go Portion Control Cups ~ Great grab and go convenience!

Winona Pure Oils ~ No need for large format bottles, convenient for applying directly on food or popcorn

Cheese Crafters Cheese Mac Sauce ~ Single serving sauce, no waste, very versatile, convenient for a topping or ingredient.