Dole Debuts All-Fresh Salad Kit Line with Plant-Based Protein
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA - Dole has a new line of all-fresh, ready-to-eat salad kits that combine plant-based protein with original dressings and hearty, on-trend ingredients to give restaurant-inspired salads to its consumers.
“Dole designed Bountiful Kits from the ground up to fulfill simultaneous consumer demands for clean eating, plant-based protein, vegan and flexitarian diets, ketogenic foods, and a preference for complete calories over empty calories,” said Lisa Overman, Director of Marketing. “Since a third of American shoppers now consider themselves to be flexitarian, meaning they actively incorporate more plant-based protein into their diets, we set out to create a more robust, satiating salad consistent with the top superfood trends of seeds, nuts, ancient grains, and kale, among others.”
According to the company’s press release, Dole Bountiful Kits™ target flexitarian and paleo consumers with a ready-to-eat blend of Dole lettuces and vegetables topped with an innovative Fresh Pouch packet of all-fresh grains, nuts, seeds, and other ingredients not often associated with this category. The result is a more satiating salad that eats like a meal.
“When combined with fresh-cut Dole lettuces and vegetables, plus an original Dole dressing, these clean-burning, plant-based proteins offer produce shoppers a far more satisfying salad experience than they’d expect to find at favorite restaurants or delis,” stated Overman.
Four new Dole Bountiful Kit SKUs shipped March 25, 2019, for national distribution by early May:
- Dole Sweet Thai Bountiful Kit: Fresh Dole chopped iceberg, green leaf and carrots combined with a Dole Bountiful Blend of edamame, black beans, red rice, and sesame seeds in a Fresh Pouch and topped with Dole’s Sweet Thai Chili Dressing
- Dole Lentil Cucumber Bountiful Kit: Fresh Dole chopped green leaf, iceberg, radishes, and red cabbage combined with a Dole Bountiful Blend of marinated green, black, and red lentils in a Fresh Pouch and topped with Dole’s Cucumber Vinaigrette
- Dole Fiesta Ranch Bountiful Kit: Fresh Dole chopped green leaf, iceberg, red cabbage, and carrots combined with a Dole Bountiful Blend of corn, black beans, and red bell peppers in a Fresh Pouch and topped with Dole’s Taco Ranch Dressing
Dole Bountiful Kits Offer Plant Based Protein for Flexitarian and Paleo Lifestyles:
- Dole Triple Quinoa Bountiful Kit: Fresh Dole chopped kale and carrots combined with a Dole Bountiful Blend of red, white, and black quinoa and chickpeas in a Fresh Pouch and topped with Dole’s Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Overman said a key product innovation is the Fresh Pouch in each Dole Bountiful Kit containing all-fresh ingredients ranging from edamame, beans, lentils, and bell peppers to rice, corn, quinoa, and chickpeas.
Dole Bountiful Kits were developed and are being marketed as an extension of Dole’s popular Chopped! Kits line. They offer the protein necessary to be enjoyed as a meal, as the foundation for a larger recipe or paired with other lean protein options as part of a flexitarian lifestyle as stated in the press release.
Dole Bountiful Kits will carry a suggested retail price (SRP) of $4.29 reflecting its denser ingredient mix. Dole will be incorporating Bountiful Kits in original recipes and healthy-living initiatives later this year to demonstrate the recipe possibilities of its new line.
For updates on Dole’s new salad kits and anything fresh produce, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
