Raising the Bar

We built a team dedicated to supporting the FitCrunch^® protein bar brand and its distribution to large retailers nationally. Our ability to handle complexity at high volumes is empowering our client to hit annual targets and triple their sales.

The Challenge

Pervine Foods, LLC asked for our expertise in launching their new brand: Chef Robert Irvine’s FitCrunch, which is a line of high protein baked bars. They approached our Wexford, PA team about creating solutions for volume packaging, point-of-purchase displays, demand planning, storage needs, and more.

One of the key objectives for the FitCrunch launch was to ensure the packaging met the exact specifications required to get on the shelf at warehouse retailers like Costco and Sam’s Club. These retailers also have tight timeframes for reviewing new products and delivering orders. If not, this process is not done correctly and in a timely manner it can cost the client millions of dollars in lost revenue opportunity and damaged partnerships.

The Solution

Launching in Costco or Sam’s Club means delivering products in pallets that fit their shelves. The Wexford team worked with Pervine Foods every step of the way as they experimented with packout styles and counts to figure out what sold best. Our team’s rapid prototyping capabilities made it possible to speed through the optimization process and provide Pervine Foods with a solution they felt confident selling to the retailers.

Our team came up with an interlocking pallet design that carries all the weight on the corner boards, allowing up to ten pallets to stack on top of each other without resting on, and damaging, the FitCrunch boxes. Less damaged product meant saving almost a third of their usual packaging costs.

The Wexford team developed a full turn-key solution for Pervine Foods that encompasses everything from structural design and engineering, to packaging and pallet production, warehousing and just-in-time delivery. They also handle inventory management for nearly 50 SKUs, instituting a software program that keeps sixty to ninety days of product available at all times. This custom solution can fulfill around 15 million cartons per year and a just-in-time delivery system makes sure that no order is ever missed.

The Result

The success of this project is the culmination of nearly a decade of partnership with Pervine Foods. The Wexford team’s ability to respond quickly and fine-tune this solution gave the client the flexibility to evolve the FitCrunch brand and expand their distribution opportunities. Stephen Gould continues to work closely with Pervine Foods on FitCrunch and has since helped them bring other brands to market.

“Stephen Gould has the best packaging solutions I’ve ever seen during my 15 years in the CPG industry. They offer a superior service from product development, inventory management, pricing, all the way to an excellent print quality that represents us well on shelf. The priceless benefit of working with Stephen Gould is the friendships I’ve made over the years where it’s been a pleasure to grow our business with good people.”

David Plowden, VP of Marketing