Australian honey brand Meluka has had its products accepted by Whole Foods for ranging in up to 40 supermarkets across Northern California.
The brand’s parent company EVE Investments announced the development to the ASX this morning, pointing out that Whole Foods, owned by Amazon, has more than 500 stores US-wide, suggesting the Californian ranging could be a foothold into more widespread representation.
Meluka is managed in the US by food distribution company United Natural Foods which has succeeded in adding Organic Raw Native Honey and Organic Raw Native Honey infused with Tea Tree, onto the Wholefoods catalogue from which store managers select products.
The stores are located in San Francisco, San Jose – the heart of Silicon Valley – and Oakland, representing a population of around 15 million.
EVE MD Bill Fry says the company’s continued success on Amazon US with Meluka Australia-branded products has provided the company with a broad platform for expanded market penetration into the US organics and wholefoods sectors, a key pillar in EVE’s product development and international expansion initiatives.
“The acceptance of Meluka’s products into Whole Foods Market is an important milestone for our organisation. Whole Foods Market is one of the most recognised wholefoods retailers in the US with an extensive retail network.”
He said the deal showed the success of the company’s strategy of selling online on Amazon to boost awareness of the brand and products enabling expansion into traditional distribution channels.
