Blossom Water Doubles its Store Count with Kroger Deal

BlossomWater970Blossom Water, a brand of floral-infused essence waters, has secured new retail authorization at 1,075 grocery stores under the Kroger banner.

The Boston-based company announced the news in a press release on Monday. Blossom Water president and co-founder Steve Fortuna said the authorization “affirms, not only for us but for other forward-looking retailers, that Blossom Water is quickly gaining resonance with consumers nationwide.”

The brand’s entry into Kroger-owned stores — which includes Kroger, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith’s, King Soopers, Fry’s, QFC, and Fred Meyer — will span 35 states across the country in Kroger’s Pacific, Rocky Mountain, Southwest, Southeast and Midwest regions.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Fortuna said the new deal will double Blossom Water’s existing retail footprint of approximately 1,000 stores. The Kroger deal follows the brand’s distribution deal with TJX earlier this year, which saw the brand enter select T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshalls stores across the country.

“We have a very robust wholesale distribution footprint as well,” Fortuna added. “We’re in eight UNFI warehouses, four DPI warehouses, four KeHE warehouses, many DSDs. We believe we’re going to start entering a lot more chains in the coming months because we have the distribution to support that.”

To support such growth, Fortuna says the company will embark on its first institutional capital raise this fall.

“The brand has proven itself and we’re now at a point where the opportunities are there and [a strategic partner] makes sense,” Fortuna said.

The company’s full press release can be found below:

WESTWOOD, Mass., Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Massachusetts-based Blossom Water LLC (http://drinkblossomwater.com) has received authorization to sell its all natural flavored waters in 1,075 stores owned by the Kroger Family of Companies. These stores operate under the supermarket banners of Kroger, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith’s, King Soopers, Fry’s and QFC as well as the multi-department store banner of Fred Meyer, the nation’s third-largest supercenter operator. They span 35 states across the Pacific, Rocky Mountain, Southwest, Southeast and Midwest regions of the U.S.

The Kroger Co. operates the largest traditional grocery store chain in the country. Business principles that made the first Kroger store successful in 1883 – service, selection and value – continue to guide company operations today, bringing steady market share gains in this highly competitive sector. A case in point has been Kroger’s differentiation from other “mass grocers” through expanding its offering of natural products while simultaneously improving affordability, thereby capturing opportunity from growing mainstream adoption of healthier eating.

WESTWOOD, Mass., Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Massachusetts-based Blossom Water LLC (http://drinkblossomwater.com) has received authorization to sell its all natural flavored waters in 1,075 stores owned by the Kroger Family of Companies. These stores operate under the supermarket banners of Kroger, Ralphs, Dillons, Smith’s, King Soopers, Fry’s and QFC as well as the multi-department store banner of Fred Meyer, the nation’s third-largest supercenter operator. They span 35 states across the Pacific, Rocky Mountain, Southwest, Southeast and Midwest regions of the U.S.

The Kroger Co. operates the largest traditional grocery store chain in the country. Business principles that made the first Kroger store successful in 1883 – service, selection and value – continue to guide company operations today, bringing steady market share gains in this highly competitive sector. A case in point has been Kroger’s differentiation from other “mass grocers” through expanding its offering of natural products while simultaneously improving affordability, thereby capturing opportunity from growing mainstream adoption of healthier eating.