When Garden Lites launched in 2008, it made the simple promise of producing veggie-rich products using only clean and simple ingredients. Today, the Jamaica, N.Y.-based company is the pioneer behind better-for-you products with items such as frozen muffins, snacks and entrées. Unlike other health-and-wellness companies, Garden Lites’ entire portfolio of products share one common factor—all foods are made with vegetables as the first ingredient.
“Garden Lites’ first product offerings were our frozen vegetable soufflés, which quickly became available nationwide in the natural frozen section,” says Andy Reichgut, executive vice president of sales and marketing. “The niche format of a veggie-rich soufflé definitely touched a nerve with consumers, allowing the company to gain a foothold in the freezer case. We learned that consumers loved our ingredient statement, especially veggies always being the first ingredient, as well as using only clean and simple ingredients.”