Michael Angelo’s Gourmet Foods Explores the Organics Market

While the consumer demand for organics is growing rapidly, it can be overwhelming for an established manufacturer or retailer to jump right into the deep end—it’s that very fact that prompts many to start by acquiring brands that were organic from the outset.

But for those who are sticking with their own brands, there’s something to be said for testing the waters, gauging logistics and actual consumer interest, and moving into the space gradually. Frozen foods manufacturer Michael Angelo’s Gourmet Foods is doing just that with the launch of its new “Made with Organic” frozen meal line.

The meals are a way for Michael Angelo’s to ease into the organic sector with new suppliers and enhancements to its original recipes. The new Made with Organic line is made with 70 percent organic ingredients certified by organic certifying agency Quality Assurance International (QAI). Those organic ingredients include 10 types of vegetables, from eggplants and kale to Dirty Dozen offenders like spinach and kale, along with organic butter and cream, organic honey, and organic pasta made with Kamut® brand ancient grain wheat. The recipes are then further supplemented with grass fed beef plus antibiotic-free turkey and chicken which, while not certified organic, are nevertheless a step in the right direction toward traceably sustainable standards.  

“When you take one of our Made with Organic meals home, you can be proud of your dining choices; there are no preservatives, no additives or fillers, just clean, real ingredients. It's real cooking and real food,” said founder and CEO Michael Angelo Renna, in a press release announcing the launch. “It's not how other companies do it, but that's how we've always done it, and it's the reason we’ve never needed to defend the nutritional reputation of our products. We don’t have to add all those other things that fake flavor and texture and fill up the side of the box with ingredients that nobody understands. We just focus on wholesome nutrition and real, delicious ingredients to make our meals the old-fashioned way.”

Making the switch to fully Certified Organic isn’t easy, whether you’re a small business or a multinational. But as more businesses are inspired to get into the field, bridges like this “Made with Organic” line could be a smart way to bridge the gap between the ambiguous “all natural” label (which has all but lost its meaning entirely by this point) and going full-on organic. 

[SOURCE: Austin Business Journal]