Following a 2015 revamp of its ready-to-serve soups, the Campbell Company of Canada has turned its attention to its Great for Cooking line of condensed soup products.
Melissa Mendoza, senior brand manager with the Campbell Company of Canada, said the latest revitalization was aimed at advancing the company’s purpose of offering “real food that matters for life’s moments.”
Campbell’s is adding two new flavours to its condensed soups, with Cream of Bacon and Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato, that debuted on Aug. 1. It is also introducing its first-ever salt-free SKUs in Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom flavours.
The company is supporting the product launch with an extensive multi-media marketing campaign that includes TV, digital video, social and shopper marketing programs.
Mendoza said its condensed soups are aimed at families seeking the “ideal solution” for weeknight dinners, with a specific objective of increasing household penetration among millennial parents. New packaging emphasizes the ways condensed soups can be incorporated into meals as an ingredient – in addition to eating it as a soup – rather than as a standalone product.
Mendoza said the objective is to make it easier for consumers to “shop the shelf” and find the flavours they are looking for based on their eating or cooking occasion. The Great for Cooking product line is comprised of 47 products, about half of which are suitable for using in cooking and eating as a soup, she said.
In its December report Soup in Canada, research firm Euromonitor said retail value sales of soup declined 1% to $698 million last year, mirroring a 1% decline in volume sales.
The report said as the country’s population ages, an “increasing number” of consumers are switching to healthier alternatives or choosing to cook at home. “Some consumers view canned soups to be poor in taste and/or too ‘processed,’ therefore soups perceived as fresher—such as chilled soups, despite being small in the category—have performed well,” it said.
Campbell’s is also in the midst of removing the chemical BPA from all of its cans, a process that Mendoza said should be complete by the middle of 2017. Health Canada added BPA to its toxic substances list in 2010.
The company is addressing consumers’ desire to know more about how their food is made with a dedicated website.
Finally, it is also adding two new broths catering to home chefs that will be on shelves in time for soup season.
Mushroom Broth is infused with mushrooms and hints of cabernet sauvignon and permeated with the classic combination of rosemary and thyme, while Pho Broth is a traditional broth featuring the savoury flavours of ingredients such as ginger and star anise.
Mendoza said the latter addresses Canada’s growing Asian population and the influence their culture is having on food. She said pho is the second most-searched soup term in Canada.
The Campbell’s Pho Broth offers a simple alternative to traditional pho broth, which often requires several hours to simmer and uses between eight and 15 ingredients. The product is also vegetarian and gluten-free.
Campbell’s controls an industry-leading 59.6% of the Canadian soup market, according to Euromonitor.
A version of this article originally appeared at CanadianGrocer.com.
