MANN PACKING LAUNCHES "ONE STOP PLATTER SHOP"
Seasonal Marketing, Holiday-Specific Items and Promotion Calendar

SALINAS, Calif. -- October 15, 2008 -- Mann Packing Company, the category leader in fresh-cut vegetables and one of the nation's leading vegetable party tray producers, is announcing the launch of its "One Stop Platter Shop," a turn-key program designed to grow sales and create incremental peak holiday sales with vegetable and "vegetable centric" party trays in the produce department. The program is categorized as follows:

"The Traditionals"
The Traditionals are large and small party platters with ranch dip. Greg Kurkjian, vice president of retail sales, said, "We tell customers to think of these trays as 'the anchor' of the platter category; just like garden iceberg in the salad category or broccoli florettes in the cut-vegetable category. These trays are clearly the front runner with broad consumer appeal--but sales are stagnating as more snack items are being introduced."
These large and small trays are the "workhorse" of the category, but incremental sales opportunities still exist. Kurkjian continues, "If you consider other shopping formats, there is a 'treasure hunt' component to the shopping experience consumers enjoy. They find an item that may be there for just a short while but keep coming back to see what's going to be there next. It's an ideal opportunity for produce."

"The Tailgaters"
"We jokingly refer to this as 'the guy's platter'" comments Lorri Koster, Mann's vice president of marketing, "because of the more indulgent ingredients. We went with this name because most Americans--even if you're not a sports fan--can relate to tailgating. We want to create new usage occasions in the minds of consumers. It could be your church potluck or an office party--but the concept of portability and entertaining is synonymous with tailgating."
The Tailgaters come in two varieties: vegetables with traditional ranch dip, beef bites and cheddar cheese cubes in one tray; vegetables, traditional ranch dip, turkey bites and mozzarella cubes in another. Koster said, "One unique value-added twist which sets these apart from other protein-enhanced platters in the marketplace is the inclusion of a small packet of party toothpicks colorful frills and all. The meat and cheese items aren't as 'finger friendly', so we thought consumers would like this added value--at no added cost."

The "Veggiecatessens"
If "The Tailgaters" are called the 'guy platter' Mann's "Veggiecatessens" clearly attract a sophisticated consumer and occasion by offering more savory dips (classic hummus, spinach dip and an artichoke dip which can be heated before serving) with multi-grain items such as pita chips, sourdough breadsticks and pretzel crisps. Koster comments, "While we know it's clearly a favorite, there is life beyond ranch dip."
According to Datamonitor, consumers' flavor preferences are divided between two trends: one based on experimentation, the other on familiar, comforting traditional flavors. Koster continues, "Particularly when entertaining, even at casual affairs, people want to impress their guests and offering more leading-trend items is one way to achieve that goal. Increasingly the consumer today, and in the future, will have a very developed palate. Consider the Millenials or Generation Y, they have grown up being exposed to gourmet and premium foods once considered exotic or premium. They have been called 'the most culinary-aware generation in history.' They are going to be looking for items like these."
While developing The Veggicatessens Mann was also conscious of the wellness image of the produce department. Koster comments, "The majority of the compartments in the tray do contain fresh produce. We want vegetables to be the mainstay--an effort was put towards identifying healthier grain type items for snacking so the wholesome image of the produce department is maintained." The dip formulas were also driven by Mann to ensure a satisfying experience. Koster concludes, "We spent a great deal of time and focus on making sure the dips had great color, texture and taste. The artichoke dip can also be heated which tastes great with the vegetables."

Season-Specific/Holiday Marketing
Mann's traditional party platters will feature graphic designs specific to the seasons or specific holidays or celebrations. A football themed label will be featured around Superbowl, the stars and stripes for patriotic holidays, pumpkins and black cats for Halloween, etc.
Kurkjian comments, "Holiday-themed packaging is not new, but we think it's underutilized in the produce department. This is about planting a usage occasion in the mind of the consumer, keeping the party platter set looking ever-changing and dynamic. Again, this creates a 'treasure hunt' mindset with the consumer - drawing them back to see the latest offerings."

In 'n Outs
These trays are designed around a specific holiday or event. Kurkjian comments, "We anticipate these trays being in stores for a two to three week period to sell against a very specific occasion. Think about the Olympics or the World Series. The sell-through will vary by region as the popularity of some holidays vary by region and whether your local team makes the playoffs or not, but we see a real opportunity to bump sales incrementally with these items."
The "In 'n Out" trays will also add to the dynamics of the category and keep consumers coming back to see what's new.

Marketing Calendar Being Set
In addition to the party tray offerings detailed above, Mann has built a year-long marketing calendar to include on-pack and in-pack offers to create impulse purchases and add value. Koster comments, "We are in a soft economy; people will be entertaining less and looking for more value when they do so. We've done 'Basket Affiliation' studies to learn what other items consumers are buying when purchasing party trays. You'll see a lot of marketing vehicles built around what we've learned."

Conclusion
According to Nielsen, sales of the vegetable tray category are down -8.6 percent versus a year ago (latest 26 weeks ending 08-26-08).*
Kurkjian concludes, "Sales in the tray category are starting to plateau. Only a complete program can reinvigorate sales and create a true party destination for consumers in the produce department. We've spent the past three months presenting this program to our customers and it has been extremely well received."

Mann Packing produces one of the country's leading private label trays and has seen sales of their own traditional trays with ranch dip grow 12.9 percent in the same year to date period cited above.
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*Data is projected to represent 100% of Grocery ACV