Casey's Selects 13 Innovative Brands to Add to Store Mix
ANKENY, Iowa — Casey's General Stores Inc. selected 13 brands to be part of its future product assortments and planning from the retailer's first-ever Casey's Innovation Summit.
The event focused on discovering innovative brands and their products for distribution across the convenience store chain's extensive network of nearly 2,900 stores in 20 states.
"The enthusiastic response from emerging and innovative suppliers exceeded our expectations. Casey's was thrilled to see their business plans and productive discussions aimed at adding their offerings into our stores," said Chris Stewart, vice president of merchandising at Casey's. "Our guests love seeing new, diverse, and exclusive products alongside the brands and items they have come to love."
[Read more: Casey's Picks Up Seven C-stores in Kentucky]
Twenty new suppliers were chosen from Casey's 2024 Product Innovation Summit. Among them are:
- Health Ade Kombucha
- Spin Drift
- Yerbae
- Hop Water
- Alc-a-Chino Ready to Drink Cocktails
- Country Archer Meat Snacks
- Neuro Gum & Mints
- Sweet Chaos Popcorn
Casey's announced in August 2024 that it would accept applications from food and beverage companies for the opportunity to take part in the in-person Innovation Summit, held in Ankeny on Oct. 30.
More than 20 brands across various categories took part in the Summit, showcasing their unique products at Casey's Store Support Center. The event highlighted Casey's commitment to enhancing its product lineup and providing new, innovative brands to guests while providing an opportunity for smaller startups or entrepreneurs who may not typically have the ability to get in front of chain retailers to present their business strategy and offerings, the company said.
"The summit proved to me that Casey's understands what their customers are looking for," said Shawn McLaughlin, chief sales officer at Health Ade LLC. "Casey's invested time to host multiple vendors and ensure that we understood their strategies and business principles, and allotted time for meaningful conversations with the Casey's buying team."
The new products will appear in Casey's stores in the coming months. Information on Casey's 2025 Innovation Summit will be released later this year.
Founded more than 50 years ago, Ankeny-based Casey's is the country's third-largest convenience store chain and the fifth-largest pizza retailer.