U.S. Whole Foods To Launch RightRice Vegan Risotto For Home Chefs

Vegetable-based rice alternative company RightRice has officially rolled out its latest risotto line exclusively across the U.S. Whole Foods

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stores, marking its third nationwide launch with the retailer in two years since its inception.

As the brainchild of serial entrepreneur Keith Belling, who has sold his previous business Popchips to VMG Partners’ owned Velocity Snack Brands, RightRice has been backed by Strand Equity, and former CFO of Impossible Foods, David Lee, selling more than two million packs in 7,000 stores.

RightRice’s risotto products, which are a dairy-free alternative to the classic Italian dish, come in four different varieties —wild mushroom, creamy parmesan, basil pesto, and creamy cracked pepper. Each pack contains 10 grams of complete protein, and five grams of fiber.

Belling notes how his team and investors have worked closely with their R&D department in creating a vegan version of risotto to achieve the dish’s traditionally creamy texture, and how the products can be prepared in only 12 minutes. 

“Risotto is one of the classic rice dishes, but tends to be time consuming, and often intimidating to make,” he recently told me. “We were worried about our ability to deliver a great tasting, truly plant-based option, but after we tried a variety of options, we were all delighted that we all preferred the dairy-free version.”

The new products remain aligned with RightRice’s core value of introducing culinary-inspired flavors to the shelf-stable rice category, which, alongside other dried grains including chickpeas and beans, has grown by 386% in U.S. sales during the pandemic, according to Research And Markets.

Targeting growing number of home chefs

Home-cook meals have also seen their sales increase over the past year, driving retailers to stock more convenient items. Research company Kantar also recommends CPG brands to find new ways to engage with consumers at home.

“The COVID-19 pandemic drove consumers to change up their routines,” Christina Pearson, Whole Foods’ global category market manager, wrote me via email, “which has made a lot of our shoppers turn to cooking more.” 

She notes how RightRice well caters to the shifting consumer needs with its innovative products, and expects these trends to continue in the near future. 

Pearson said: “Consumer food preferences are constantly evolving and are influenced by so many factors… We also saw shoppers turn back to basics and take the time to reimagine those staple ingredients when cooking at home.”

Meal kit delivery services, to which Belling believes RightRice is “incredibly complementary,” are also expected to grow further at a 13% CAGR between 2020 and 2027 partially driven by COVID to reach nearly $20 billion in sales, according to Grand View Research. 

RightRice has previously collaborated with meal kit and prepared meal delivery companies, including Hungryroot, Territory Foods, Thistle, Purple Carrot, and Veestro, and expects to continue building on these partnerships with the addition of risotto.

$50 million brand with omni-channel strategy

RightRice aspires to be a $50 million brand in the next five years as the company has generated $7.5 million in sales during 2020, and expects another 50-75% revenue increase this year.

The key to high growth is adopting an omni-channel strategy, making sure RightRice is available across retailers, e-commerce, and foodservice, with a particular emphasis on driving velocities and repeat consumer purchases, according to Belling.

Commenting on their recent partnership with fast casual Mediterranean restaurant CAVA, he said: “Our launch has gone great, and we’re all thrilled with the response. 

“As part of our omni-channel focus, the opportunity to drive a branded presence in foodservice plays an increasingly important role driving both sales and awareness, which is increasingly important given the limits on demos and other in-store marketing opportunities right now.”

However, RightRice’s risotto line will not expand into food services in the near future since it’s an exclusive deal with Whole Foods.

Belling said: “We had planned to raise a new round of funding during early 2021 and have just now started discussions with a handful of investors. We’re thrilled at the response and outreach we’ve had from some top tier investors that are interested in RightRice, along with the fast-growing plant-based category.

“As far as a potential exit opportunity, I’ve always believed the market dictates the right timing and you need to be prepared to be opportunistic when the right opportunities present themselves.”