August 20/Fall River, Mass. --  Blount Fine Foods announced the launch of its first premium single-serve 10oz grab-and-go retail soup.  The six varieties in the new line expands the offering of retail product sizes Blount offers in both branded and private label, which now ranges from 10oz to 32oz.

“Hot-to-go at retail has been our hottest product category for the last few years, but consumers don’t always want to eat restaurant-quality fresh soup the day they purchase it,” said Bob Sewall, Blount executive vice president of Sales & Marketing.  “Our consumer research indicates this new line complements the hot-to-go offering in better grocers, creating the opportunity to sell incrementally more soup at excellent margins.”

Influenced heavily by Blount’s line of Blount-brand foodservice soups, the new offering includes:
• New England Clam Chowder - The essential flavors and textures of sweet clams from the New England seacoast mixed with fresh cream, potatoes and a perfect blend of herbs.
• Creamy Tomato Soup [Gluten-free] - A blend of tomatoes, light cream, garlic and sea salt, all simmered in a creamy tomato stock.
• Broccoli Cheddar Soup - Broccoli florets and sharp cheddar cheese simmered with light cream, carrots and a touch of red pepper.
• Chicken Tortilla Soup [Gluten-free] - Pieces of tender chicken, roasted corn, diced tomatoes, Monterey Jack cheese and jalapeno peppers combined with tortilla chips and select spices.
• Baked Potato Soup - Russet potatoes blended with cream, butter, cheddar cheese and pieces of bacon
• Chicken Noodle Soup - Chicken simmered in chicken broth combined with a medley of fresh carrots, celery, onions, pasta and a mix of spices.

“Knowing the demand was there for a premium, single-serving, fresh soup with an excellent shelf life, we worked hard to develop the technology and production processes that enable us to launch this first-of-its-kind product,” added Sewall.  “To accomplish this, we developed state-of-the-art filling equipment with a proprietary design that allows a smaller portion of soup to be filled very accurately without any sacrifice in ingredient distribution.”

“The introduction of 10oz fresh soups has not just given Blount an excellent new product line, the very nature of a single-serve grab-and-go gourmet soup is that it creates new channels for us as well, including better convenience stores and the college/university market, where students demand good food on the go.”

The entire line is shipped and sold fresh and available for retail in cases of eight 10oz cups.