BrightFresh Looks to Bring Microgreens Into Everyday Produce Shopping

BrightFresh Microgreens is rolling out 14 new products designed to move microgreens beyond restaurant garnishes and into more everyday meals for produce shoppers.

The California grower will introduce eight Microgreen Salad Blends and six Micro Herbs at the International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando next month.

The new salad lineup includes Micro Arugula, Micro Broccoli, Micro Watercress, Micro Rainbow Salad, Micro Asian Salad, Micro Super Salad, Micro Crunchy Salad and Micro Spicy Salad.

Rather than positioning microgreens primarily as a finishing garnish, BrightFresh designed the products so consumers can eat them directly from the package or incorporate them into salads, sandwiches, bowls, tacos and entrées.

“Microgreens have long been valued by chefs for their flavor, texture and versatility, and we see tremendous opportunity to make those same qualities more accessible to consumers,” said Marc Oshima, senior vice president of sales for BrightFresh. “These new products are designed to make fresh flavor simple, convenient and relevant to everyday eating.”

BrightFresh will also introduce six Micro Herbs aimed at giving consumers familiar herb flavors in a microgreen format. The products are intended to provide flavor, aroma and visual appeal with little preparation.

The 14-product launch reflects a broader effort by BrightFresh to make the microgreen category easier for mainstream shoppers to understand and use.

Microgreens have historically been associated with restaurants, upscale plating and specialty produce departments. BrightFresh sees an opportunity to broaden their appeal by presenting them as convenient ingredients consumers can incorporate into meals they already prepare.

Convenience could be an important part of that effort.

Unlike many traditional herbs and greens that require chopping or other preparation, microgreens can be quickly added to finished dishes. BrightFresh has increasingly marketed its products around uses ranging from avocado toast and sandwiches to salads, bowls, soups and entrées.

The company grows its microgreens in San Marcos, Calif., using natural sunlight and the coastal climate to maintain year-round production.

BrightFresh currently offers varieties including Micro Rainbow Mix, Micro Arugula, Micro Cilantro, Micro Broccoli, Micro Kale Mix, Micro Radish Mix, Micro Beets and Micro Watercress.

The new salad program takes that concept a step further by positioning microgreens as more than an ingredient or topping and creating blends that can serve as the foundation of a meal.

That could give produce departments another option within the value-added greens category, where convenience, flavor and differentiation remain important selling points.

BrightFresh will formally showcase the new products at the Global Produce & Floral Show, scheduled for Oct. 14-16 in Orlando.

Whether consumers are ready to think of microgreens as an everyday salad rather than an occasional garnish will ultimately be decided at retail. BrightFresh is betting that making the category simpler and more familiar is the way to get them there.