Sales of Panera Bread refrigerated soups marketed at retail topped $100 million in 2017.
St. Louis-based restaurant chain Panera’s Panera At Home soups are the first soup brand in the refrigerated category to reach that milestone, according to the company. The 2017 total represents a 27 percent increased over 2016, according to market research firm IRI.
“Consumers are gravitating towards the perimeter of grocery stores, looking for food with our cafe-fresh taste, made with real ingredients,” says Mike Bufano, Panera at Home’s senior vice president and general manager. “Across categories, Panera at Home delivers on this consumer need for food that is not only 100 percent clean, but convenient and craveable too.”
The Panera at Home includes about 100 products in several categories, including more than 15 soup varieties. Broccoli Cheddar is the company’s top soup seller.