Kevin Fortun Gets Back Into Soup Business, Launches "Fortun's Finishing Touch Soups"
Industry leader markets new line of gourmet ready-to-serve soups, rebrands finishing sauce line
KIRKLAND, Wash. (Sept. 9, 2013) – Kevin Fortun, a well-known entrepreneur and founder of the former Stockpot Soups, announces the launch of Fortun’s Finishing Touch Soups, a new collection of gourmet ready-to-serve soups for consumers and food service industries.
The product line consists of 12 varieties, each prepared with the highest quality of ingredients without the use of any preservatives, MSG, or trans-fat. Kevin Fortun designed the line to give restaurant operators and consumers more options in today’s value engineered products by using real ingredients in his specially crafted soups and sauces, while offering convenience and consistency.
“I’m incredibly thrilled to be back in the soup game,” said Fortun. “In my 30 years of experience in the industry, these are by far the best soups I’ve made. I’ve taken all of the guess work out of recipe development and prep time, allowing consumers to simply reheat and enjoy a delicious, steaming hot bowl of soup anytime they’d like.”
Select Finishing Touch Soups are available in a number of grocery stores nationwide, where they are served in hot kettles in the deli department and also prepackaged for ready-to-serve convenience. Varieties available in retail packs include the award-winning Ultimate 3 Clam Chowder, a gourmet blend of ocean, arctic surf and cockle clams with red potatoes, cream and fresh garlic and onions. New England Clam Chowder made with fresh and familiar flavors such as ocean clams, whole milk, and fresh potatoes, onions, celery and garlic; the smooth Lobster Bisque with Cognac made with a blend of lobster, crab and shrimp stock, whole milk, butter and fresh vegetables; and Seafood Gumbo, a rich and spicy combination of lobster, shrimp, crab, tomatoes, rice and fresh vegetables including okra, onions, celery, green peppers and garlic. Each retail pack comes in a 12-ounce container that serves one to two people, with prices starting at $4.49.
The complete 12-soup collection, including Roasted Tomato Bisque, Cheddar & Broccoli, Smoked Salmon Chowder, Beef Chili with Beans with American-style Kobe beef, Lentil and Sweet Sausage with fresh spinach and fennel; Azteca Chicken and Rice; Portuguese Sausage and Bean; and Classic Vegetable Beef and Barley are available to food service industries and delis through Fortun’s Kettle Program. There’s more to look forward to as other flavors become available for purchase in retail packs.
Prior to returning to the soup industry, Fortun was a pioneer in developing fresh-refrigerated finishing sauces, a culinary trend today. In 2009, he launched Fortun’s Finishing Sauces, a collection of 12 gourmet finishing sauces. Fortun’s Finishing Sauces can be found in grocery stores nationwide, on new retail racking systems which cross-merchandise the finishing sauces with the meat and seafood departments, and add value without taking up valuable real estate. By utilizing the unused space above the protein cases, the system captures lost sales opportunities and allows consumers to shop for protein and then pair it with a Finishing Touch Sauce to create a complete meal.
“Given the way consumers like to shop and navigate the grocery store, it’s a win-win opportunity to modernize the retail racks and packaging,” said Fortun, “Finishing sauces are a trend with home cooks as they look for quick, easy and healthful options to prepare at home for their families. Our sauces are restaurant-quality and are prepared using the best ingredients, giving our customers a truly amazing product—‘it’s like taking the chef home with you’ and getting a real restaurant experience.”
In addition to the new merchandising, Fortun’s Finishing Touch Sauces packaging was redesigned and is now more visually engaging with new labeling, bold colors and serving suggestion images.
The complete product line consists of twelve gourmet sauces:
- BBQ (Picnic in a Pan)
- Four Pepper
- Lemon Dill Caper with White
- Marsala & Mushroom
- Mediterranean
- Mulligatawny Curry
- Asian Style Pepper
- Rajun Cajun
- Santa Fe Verde
- Spanish Romesco with Saffron
- Spicy Mustard with Brandy
- Stroganoff
All finishing sauces are cooked, one kettle at a time, then rapidly chilled to preserve the made-from-scratch taste. These fresh-refrigerated products have a shelf life of 180 days, or seven days after opening. Fortun’s Finishing Touch Sauces come in 8-ounce containers that retail for $3.99 to $5.99 and are available in select grocery retailers nationwide.
Fortun, who made his name with Stockpot Soups, built his reputation on bringing top quality flavor and consistency of product to food service operators and families around the world. He brought Stockpot Soups to worldwide recognition with distribution in 23 countries, and later sold it to the Campbell Soup Company in 1998. After taking several years off from the consumer product industry, Fortun gathered many members of his original Stockpot Soups team to create Fortun’s Finishing Touch Sauces. Exotic flavors, fresh ingredients and chef-developed recipes ensure that the full-flavored Fortun’s Finishing Touch Sauces maintain the high standards expected to accompany the Fortun name, while providing a time-saving solution for busy consumers who crave great flavor and fresh ingredients.
For more information about Fortun Foods, email info@fortunfoods.com, call 888-988-1045 or visit www.fortunfoods.com. Follow Fortun Foods on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FortunsFinishingTouchSaucesAndSoups and on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/FortunFoods.
Media Contacts:
Kalyn Kinomoto / Lorne Richmond
Richmond Public Relations
206-682-6979
kalynk@richmondpr.com / lorne@richmondpr.com
About Kevin G. Fortun:
In 1981 Kevin G. Fortun developed a line of premium fresh-refrigerated soups, Stockpot Soups, which provided convenience and consistency to food service operators. Stockpot Soups, made with fresh, all natural ingredients and no preservatives, quickly became the leader in the field. After expanding into the retail market, Stockpot Soups grew into the largest fresh-refrigerated soup company in the world, with distribution in 23 countries. In 1998, Fortun sold Stockpot Soups to the Campbell Soup Company. For the development and launch of Fortun’s Finishing Touch Sauces, Fortun has brought several key personnel from every department of his Stockpot Soups team back on board to create authentic gourmet sauces designed for quality, consistency and convenience for the consumer.
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