CHICAGO — Emily Groden’s frozen waffle business began with the prenatal pursuit of convenient and healthy foods for families. The lawyer-turned-entrepreneur launched his Evergreen early in the pandemic, and the brand has since expanded to hundreds of specialty and natural food stores. With the recent Chief Sales Officer hire, packaging refresh and new product offerings, Groden is gearing up for his year of growth.
Evergreen sells a line of miniature waffles made with whole grains, no refined sugar or dairy, and flavored only with fruits, vegetables, nuts or spices. Key offerings include Banana Peanut Butter, Mixed Berry Almond, Zucchini and Carrot, Pumpkin and Pecan.
The latest additions include gingerbread flavored with date syrup, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cloves. Chocolate and zucchini sweetened with honey, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Apples and cinnamon sweetened with honey.
“For the apples and cinnamon, we start with fresh diced apples roasted in the oven to get the caramel apple pie flavor and mix them into the dough,” Groden said. “The new flavors stay true to our mission of using just a few real ingredients.”
Waffles in resealable pouches are sold at nearly 600 retail outlets, including Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods Market, Bristol Farms, Roche Bros. and more.
“We’re really looking to scale that up this year,” Groden said.
Earlier this year, industry veteran Ryan Youngman joined the team to lead the sales effort.
“He’s been in the industry for 30 years and has seen it all,” says Groden. “We really intended to bring in people who have an incredible knowledge base to support me as a founder and the ability to help us move forward. I am very excited about this next chapter.”
Groden has plans to add the Evergreen brand to the new category and will offer a first taste of the upcoming product line at Natural Products Expo West, March 8-11 in Anaheim, California. is.
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