CONTEST IS ON HOLD AS OF MARCH 16, 2020
Media Contact: Meghan Bell
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Stew’s Tank: On the Hunt for the Next Hot Product in Food!
Stew Leonard’s Launches “Stew’s Tank” Competition for New Jersey-Based Food Companies
Norwalk, Conn. – February 25, 2020 – Farm fresh food store Stew Leonard’s today announced the launch of its “Stew’s Tank” competition. Locally-based New Jersey food companies are invited to apply online for Stew’s Tank, which will give vendors the opportunity to present their products directly to Stew Leonard’s Buying Team and earn the chance to be sold at the Stew Leonard’s store in Paramus, N.J., and eventually all seven locations.
This is the second Stew’s Tank competition run by Stew Leonard’s. The inaugural competition was launched in New York in the spring of 2019 and resulted in four new products that are produced in the Empire State and currently sold at Stew Leonard’s: Bacaro Original Foods Eggplant Meatballs (Massapequa Park), Halesite Habanero Hot Sauce (Halesite), Kitu Super Coffee (New York City) and The Famous Meatballers (Wantaugh). However, the company has a long history of supporting new and innovative food producers.
“Stew Leonard’s launched rock star brands like Newman’s Own, Bear Naked Granola, Rao’s Marinara Sauce, and Long Island’s Butera’s Meatballs,” notes president and CEO Stew Leonard, Jr. “My family and I are excited about Stew’s Tank in New Jersey and we can’t wait to taste our next best-selling products from the Garden State!”
Just like the guys on that other Tank show, Stew Leonard’s buyers are always on the lookout for what will be the “next big thing.” Dozens of food vendors pitch Stew Leonard’s Buying Team every week for a chance to have their product sold in-store. But unlike other grocery stores, Stew Leonard’s doesn’t accept slotting fees– which means that the products on the stores’ shelves are there because customers love them and not because a big brand has paid Stew Leonard’s to put them there.
Interested vendors located in New Jersey should upload their best sales pitch video to the Stew’s Tank website by Sunday, March 15, 2020 and include information about the product’s background, why it’s unique, and why Stew Leonard’s shoppers will go crazy for it. Selected vendors who advance to the next round will meet with Stew Leonard’s Buying Team for a sales presentation. A select few will then be chosen to demo and to sell their products at Stew Leonard’s Paramus location from April 18 thru May 10. Stew Leonard’s Buying Team will track sales throughout the month and the best-selling products will earn a spot on the shelves at Stew Leonard’s in June.
About Stew Leonard’s
Stew Leonard’s, a family-owned and operated fresh food store founded in 1969, has seven stores in Norwalk, Danbury, and Newington, Conn.; in East Meadow, Farmingdale and Yonkers, N.Y.; and in Paramus, N.J. Stew’s earned its nickname, the “Disneyland of Dairy Stores” because of its country-fair atmosphere, with costumed characters and animated entertainment throughout the store that keep children entertained while parents shop. Stew Leonard’s legion of loyal shoppers is largely due to the stores’ passionate approach to customer service: “Rule #1 — The Customer is Always Right”; Rule #2 – If the Customer is Ever Wrong, Re-Read Rule #1.” This principle is so essential to the foundation of the company that it is etched in a three-ton granite rock at each store’s entrance. The company’s culture is built around an acronym for S.T.E.W.: Satisfy the customer; Teamwork gets it done; Excellence makes it better; WOW makes it fun. For more information, visit Stew Leonard’s website at www.stewleonards.com.
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