US: Ready Pac national communications meeting reflects on 2012

At a national communications meeting held in Anaheim, Calif., Ready Pac Foods, Inc. brought together its entire sales, marketing and research and development teams, along with key executives from cross-functional areas, to examine the company’s FY 2012 results and kick off its FY 2013. Despite continued economic uncertainty and challenges fraught by Mother Nature, Ready Pac executives were very pleased with their teams’ ground-breaking successes.

“When we’re caught up in the day-to-day bustle of action plans and deadlines, it’s easy to forget how much Ready Pac actually accomplished this past year,” said Tristan Simpson, Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications for Ready Pac. “Our ‘Top 5’ success list includes significant research, development and new product launches for salads and fruit, and achievements in distribution, service, quality, and information/communications. Celebrating these 2012 successes helps motivate the Ready Pac team to make 2013 even stronger.”

The Ready Pac Bistro® bowl salad line came in at the top of the company’s success list. Ready Pac invested in research and strategic planning with customers, resulting in the launch of Ready Pac Bistro® Organic bowl salads, new skus for the conventional line, and new private label bowl salads. The company also achieved significant new distribution of its bowl salads at key customers, as well as distribution growth with secondary placement in deli departments.

Ready Pac fruit and snacking new product accomplishments featured new seasonal items for summer and winter, including the use of pears and novelty fruits. A test market of a new fruit and yogurt parfait began in August. Other 2012 Ready Pac new product launches bridged snacking and salads, including school lunch items and the Disney-themed Ready Pac® Cool Cuts® salad and mini-meals line that received a PMA Impact Award for packaging excellence at Fresh Summit 2012. Another fruit highlight was the management of a key customer seasonal fruit transition program that resulted in double digit growth.

“Successfully launching as many new products as Ready Pac did in 2012 takes a company-wide commitment to innovation and service,” said Simpson. “My hat’s off to our operations/customer service team for their seamless new product introductions and weathering nature’s challenges, especially 2012’s major east coast snowstorms and super storm Sandy.”

The achievement of SQF Level 3 quality standards by four Ready Pac facilities in Irwindale, CA, Florence and Swedesboro, NJ; and Jackson, GA was another highlight on the company’s 2012 “Top 5” success list. Improvements in information and communication rounded out the list, with the relaunch of Ready Pac’s website and introduction of its first social media pages noted as key accomplishments.

For more information:
Tristan Simpson
Ready Pac Foods, Inc.
Tel: +1 626 678-2055
Tristan.Simpson@readypac.com
www.readypac.com