March 2020 - 18

MERCHANDISING
A
s with any industry, garden centers are constantly
looking for new ways to generate revenue. And
despite a projection of $51 billion in revenue to kick
off the new decade (IBISWorld, 2020), now more than ever
is the time for garden centers to diversify their offerings.
When you're supplying your store, you typically stock
items like the usual green goods, pots and planters to
put them in, hard goods, and so on. But a growing trend
across garden centers might not be what customers put
in their garden - but rather items kept in the pantry.
Feeling Hungry?
Marshall Grain Co., an organic gardening and pet supply
store, was officially founded in Fort Worth, Texas, in
1946. Since their transition from grain to gardening, the
company has consolidated to one location in Grapevine,
Texas, and has shifted to a more " modern " approach with
their garden center - continuing to place an emphasis on
fully organic gardening and pet supplies.
" Now we focus on the urban and suburban gardeners, "
said Joyce Connelley, owner. " And we're continuing to
evolve further, trying to attract millennials who focus on
houseplants, indoor gardening, things like that. "
When Connelley purchased Marshall Grain Co. back
in 2005, the store sold organic gardening supplies, pet
products and local, artisanal sodas - known as Dublin
Sodas. It was the popularity of these sodas, which
garnered a cult-like following in Texas, as well as mixed
nuts and candies from a Texas-based company called
Vending Nut, that Connelley said encouraged the staff to
look at bringing in more local food items for retail.
" We're always keeping our eye out for types of products
that would fit in with our overall branding of natural,
holistic-type things, " Connelley said. " So, we expanded on
[the sale of sodas and mixed nuts], and started to bring
in things like salsa, pickled vegetables, barbecue sauces ...
different things like that. "
Enter Gourmet Gardens, a wholesale and privatelabeling
company out of Jacksonville, Texas, that
distributes their products to garden centers and retailers,
like Marshall Grain Co., nationwide.
" All of their stuff is natural ... no artificial coloring in the
pickled vegetables, " Connelley said. " We try to stick with
things that are natural, and have just natural ingredients -
like preserves, jams, etc. that are sweetened with fruit juice
instead of sugar. "
Private Labels and Preserves
For over 30 years, Gourmet Gardens has offered smaller
garden centers like Marshall Grain Co. the opportunity
to create custom branded private labels for any of their
products - from their salsa and barbecue sauces, down to
the pickled vegetables and dressings.
Sarah Hancock with Gourmet Gardens says that while
their wholesaling is incredibly popular, it's the privatelabel
opportunities for garden centers that she sees as
their highest-performing option.
" Over 90% of our customers choose the private label
option for their products, " Hancock said. " When it comes
to our look, we want it to look 'old fashioned,' like maybe
they made [the product] themselves. And that's what
they want, too - especially when they hear that [private
labeling] is free. "
Started unofficially in the 1950s, Dillman Farms, located
in Bloomington, Indiana, is also a regional canned goods
wholesaler and private label company. Described as an " allnatural,
premium food brand " which started with canned
apple butter nearly 60 years ago, Dillman Farms provides
retailers with everything from preserves and jellies to salsas
and marinades.
" My husband's grandfather started making apple butter
initially, " said Megan Dillman, marketing director. " It
eventually turned into people wanting that apple butter -
so he learned how to can it. Soon after, he started making
preserves by request. "
Like Gourmet Gardens, Dillman Farms also offers their
customers the opportunity to private-label their products.
But it's the company's ability to offer custom-labeling
options, providing garden centers more variety and
customizability in their labels, that they think sets them
apart from their competitors.
Instead of typical private-labeling options, which generally
give garden centers their choice of a limited selection of
fonts, colors and labels, custom labeling allows retailers to
completely customize every aspect of their label - providing
each garden center with a unique product.
" A lot of [garden centers] that are going to do private
label, we focus on educating them a bit more about doing
something other than just a stock label, " Dillman said.
" There's definitely been an increase in the 'private-branding,'
custom brand experience. "
Best Sellers
For Marshall Grain Co., Connelley says that what is
selling can depend on the time of the year, as well as what
18 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | MARCH 2020
March 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2020
