Brand Building Locally Made- Fresh Thyme Program Gains National Attention

Fresh Thyme Market is the first partner in the Locally Made Retail Access Program, which works with grocers to gain shelf space for promising local Natural Product brands.

At Naturally Chicago, we are thrilled that we and Fresh Thyme have built a dynamic partnership — over the course of just a few months — that already is promoting dozens of local brands while gaining national media attention. 

 In January 2024, Fresh Thyme launched the first on-shelf Locally Made promotional campaign in the grocery chain’s Illinois outlets. Our thanks to Jonathan Lawrence, Fresh Thyme's Vice President of Merchandising and member of the Naturally Chicago Board of Directors, and Rebecca Stephens, who leads Fresh Thyme's local products program..

Supermarket News screenshot

A press release about the program, issued by Fresh Thyme, produced a unprecedented national publicity surge for Naturally Chicago and Locally Made, with articles published by Supermarket News, Progressive Grocer, New Hope Network, Grocery Dive, PR Newswire, Retail Insight Network, and Speciality Food Association. 

The following brands are benefiting from this first wave of the on-shelf promotion program: 

Ayo West African Foods... Big Shoulders Coffee... Big Star Cocktails... Birch Benders... Carolyn's Krisps... Chomps... Enjoy Life Foods... Evergreen... Every Body Eat... Fillo's... Fisher Nuts... Forbidden Root... Glow Superfood... GoNanas... Good Foods Group... Heywell... Hoppy Planet Foods… HU... Inspiro Tequila... Koops’ Mustard... Kooshy Croutons... La Preferida... Lifeway... Long Table... Ms. P's Gluten Free Granola... Nature's Fynd... NOW Foods... Open Water... Orchard Valley Harvest... Popadelics Mushroom Chips... Simple Mills... Unbothered Food... Warrior Kombucha... Windy City Mushroom... Zeal Creamery 

We are grateful as well to Naturally Chicago’s co-founding companies for their support in launching the Retail Access Program. 

Presence Marketing, the Natural Products Industry's leading broker for more than 30 years, applied its marketing superpowers to the creation and placement of shelf-talker placards identifying more than 30 participating local brands on shelf at Fresh Thyme stores. 

Also playing major roles in the development of Locally Made are KeHE and SPINS, Naturally Chicago's two other co-founding companies. KeHE is Fresh Thyme's Natural and Organic Distributor and is supporting new brands to get store access. SPINS is working with brands to help them prepare for retailer presentations by better understanding their category and trends. 

And we have more exciting news: Locally Made has commitments to launch its Retail Access Program into other major chains over the next few months, including Mariano’s, 7-11 Midwest, Dom’s Kitchen & Market/Foxtrot, and Go Grocer! 

Brands that would benefit from participating in Locally Made should join Naturally Chicago as brand partners.

And upon completion of membership, fill out the brand assessment to complete your application. 

Now learn more about the Locally Made-Fresh Thyme program in the following press release from Fresh Thyme.

FRESH THYME MARKET AND NATURALLY CHICAGO PARTNER ON LOCALLY MADE RETAIL ACCESS PROGRAM

Local Midwest grocer and community food non-profit help emerging local brands gain shelf space through new program

Fresh Thyme Market, a community-focused grocer, is honored to be the first grocery partner of Naturally Chicago’s Locally Made Retail Access Program. This partnership, combined with other community efforts, helps Fresh Thyme Market expand its local assortment on shelves and furthers its mission of giving back to the communities it serves.

Through the partnership with Naturally Chicago, Fresh Thyme Market carefully curates relationships with natural product entrepreneurs to create jobs, and thrive in the competitive retail grocery segment. By adding more of these products to shelves, Fresh Thyme Market also brings shoppers closer to food that is not only locally grown, but healthy and sustainable.

"Fresh Thyme Market is thrilled to be the first retailer in this exciting initiative," said Jonathan Lawrence, vice president of merchandising for Fresh Thyme Market and proud board member of Naturally Chicago. "As a community-focused grocer, we're proud to support these local brands and be an innovative and collaborative partner in their larger success stories."

To date, Fresh Thyme Market features over 6,000 local products chain wide. Most recently, the grocer hosted a pitch competition with Naturally Chicago that resulted in the addition of nine new Locally Made brands to shelves, including:

• Big Star Cocktails, produced by Apologue Liqueurs

• Carolyn's Krisps Snacks

• Evergreen Frozen Waffles

• Forbidden Root Craft Beers

• Inspiro Tequila

• IYA Foods Chipers Crackers

• Ms. P's Gluten-Free Granola

• Popadelics Mushroom Chips

• Windy City Mushroom

Naturally Chicago and Fresh Thyme also hosted a showcase in December that linked 35 partner brands to Fresh Thyme and KeHE’s national buyers and category managers. Some of these brands can expect to get on shelf at Fresh Thyme and to get picked up by KeHE’s distribution system. 

"Partnering with Fresh Thyme Market has been a strategic choice for Naturally Chicago, and we're thrilled to collaborate with a grocer that shares our commitment to fostering better-for-you brands," said Jim Slama, Co-founder and Managing Director of Naturally Chicago. "Fresh Thyme Market's dedication to community and their support for sustainable brands align seamlessly with our mission."

He continued, "Consumers increasingly seek out local brands, and we appreciate Fresh Thyme Market's role in helping to meet this growing demand. This partnership not only reinforces our mission but also strengthens our community-driven approach. As we continue to expand our reach, we're excited about the opportunities this collaboration brings and are grateful for Fresh Thyme Market's support." 

To find a Fresh Thyme Market location near you, visit freshthyme.com. 

 About Fresh Thyme Market

Fresh Thyme Market, a local, community-focused grocer with 70 stores in 10 states throughout the Midwest, was born from a genuine desire to help people live better and healthier lives. Every day Fresh Thyme Market works to be a trusted resource in our communities, bringing people access to real food at real affordable prices. With a local focus on what the community needs, each store provides fresh, natural, and organic food at affordable prices. By offering an immersive, intuitive shopping experience, Fresh Thyme Market meets people wherever they are on their journey to living a healthier lifestyle.

About Naturally Chicago

Naturally Chicago is a dynamic community of professionals dedicated to nurturing innovation and growth within the natural products sector in the Midwest. Our mission is to expand production and access to natural products and good food while fostering a more equitable, healthy, and sustainable food system. Through networking, collaboration, and education, we empower diverse leadership and drive innovation, resulting in a thriving ecosystem that contributes to a healthier and more conscious world.