Mintel found a smaller, private company responsible for the category's greatest increases from 2000 to 2002. Bush Brothers (Knoxville, Tenn.) witnessed sales growth of nearly 20% over the period. Savvy advertising, regional expansion and product introductions fueled the growth rate, which was almost 10 times the rate of increase of the category as a whole.
Unilever's side dish sales grew 8% in that time frame due, in large part, to its introduction of Ragu Express in the pasta and sauce segment. The side dish that some have taken to eating as a meal garnered $20 million in sales in 2002, the year after its launch. In spite of that success, the pasta and sauce segment, as a whole, lost sales for the period.