Annie's growing organically case analysis

Growing Organically

Company Background

Annie Withey and Andrew Martin began the company with Annie’s Homegrown Shells and Cheddar in 1989

Created healthy, organic products that appealed to consumers desiring mainstream food items

This allowed Annie’s to grow by gaining share not only in the health foods market, but also in the traditional CPG market

Sales and profits continued to increase even with cheaper, established-brand competition

Investors are optimistic about Annie’s

Solera Capital purchased significant equity in 2001 & helped Annie’s grow

Annie’s is adamant about maintaining its culture as it expands

Committed to people, food, & the environment

All products non-GMO

“Social responsibility is part of the Annie’s brand DNA.” - John Foraker, CEO

Four Pillars of the Brand

Issues

Pursue which target market?

Pizza product strategy?

Price, Place, Promotion?

Market Segments

Frozen Pizza

Issues with frozen market:

Frozen foods perceived as less healthy

Consumers prefer desserts and snacks in frozen section

Limited frozen area for product

Annie’s Core Customers are not frozen foods shoppers

But selling this pizza product could drive them to frozen section

This would benefit both retailer partners and Annie’s

Product was successful in test-run in San Francisco Whole Foods

Choose Between:

“All-Organic” Product with 95% Organic Ingredients

“Made with Organic” Products with ≥70% Organic Ingredients

Frozen Pizza Industry

In Grocery segment:

Top 2 brands (Digiorno's and Private Label) own 34.3% of the market

In grocery stores, sales of frozen pizza declined by 4.6%

All top 10 brands experienced decline in sales except for private label

Private label is gaining more of the market

California Pizza Kitchen, Tony’s, and Freschetta ALL EXPERIENCED 20% DECLINE

Digiorno's is the only brand that experienced growth in sales

SWOT

Strengths

Popular brand

Loyal customer base

Existing market w/ children & Moms

Strong partnership w/ retailers (natural)

Grocery sales represent 94% sales

Large product portfolio (meals, snacks, dressings)

Investor support

Non-Gmo (local farms)

Weaknesses

New in frozen product development

Low advertising spending

Opportunities

Growth in organic market

Consumer increase demand for the frozen

section (desserts/snacks)

Popularity in premium brands

Threats

Larger competitors (i.e. national brands/regional)

Amy’s, Newman’s Own, and Kashi

Recession may effect sales of premium brands

Market strictly regulated

PLC & Ansoff’s matrix

Ainne’s

Recommendation #1

Annie’s targets “Core Consumers” segment

Frozen section in partner retailer stores

Natural foods channel (highest % growth)

Competitive standard frozen pizza market

Digiorno's Brands (downward price pressure)

Other “health” brands in frozen pizza market

Limited brand recognition in Natural & Organic Foods market

But Annie’s has proven cross-over potential into traditional packaged food Market!

Differentiating with more premium product

Recommendation #2

We recommend Annie’s chooses “All-Organic” Product with 95% Organic Ingredients

This is most consistent with Annie’s key values & commitment to organic ingredients

This would necessitate implementing a higher price point

Be consistent with Annie’s premium over standard products in current categories

Seek most shelf space in Natural retailers

Grocery segment is declining and competitive

It would be hard to penetrate this market without compromising brand image

Mass segment performance is primarily based on snacks; little need for frozen products

Venture into more spacious, profitable dessert/snack segments after initial penetration of frozen section

Thank You for Listening!

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