Kettle Cuisine today announced that it will no longer sell its single-serving gluten-free frozen soups to consumers in stores. The company said it was not able to build the frozen soup category and get enough highly-sought freezer space in supermarkets to continue offering the product. The company will continue to sell its gluten-free soups to restaurants and other food establishments.
This is particularly sad for me because Kettle Cuisine figured highly in my recent, well-received, story about gluten-free soups. This category of food that has always been particularly troubling for the gluten-free consumer. Kettle Cuisine helped make things easier by offering tasty, innovative soups in flavors that were otherwise hard for those who follow the gluten-free diet to find.
Here is the statement released by the company today:
To all of our friends In 2007, when the FDA announced a recommended standard for gluten free foods, I saw an opportunity to give back to a community that has meant so much to me and my family. As you may know, my daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease as an infant over 20 years ago, and at that time there were virtually no gluten free prepared foods available but there was a strong network of support from other families like ours. As such, it was a dream come true when in 2008 we were able to launch our line of restaurant quality, gluten free soups and offer a convenient solution to so many previously underserved people.
Since then, we have had the privilege of delivering soups to so many different people from all across the United States and Canada, and we have been humbled by your loyalty to us and to our soups.
Therefore, it is with much heartache that I announce the discontinuation of our consumer line of single serving frozen soups. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were not able to successfully build the frozen soup category. There are many great brands and products vying for space in the frozen food cases of supermarkets, and our products fell a little short of gaining the necessary sales momentum.
I want to personally thank you all for all of your amazing support and advocacy over the years, and I want to assure you that our commitment to serving great tasting gluten free foods remains as strong as ever. While we will no longer be selling products directly to consumers, we will continue to make premium quality, gluten free soups for restaurants and prepared foods departments in supermarkets.
You will still be able to find our single serving frozen products at select retailers for the next few months, but please call ahead to make sure they still have the varieties you are looking for.
Thank you again for allowing us to be a part of your lives, and if you have any questions I will do my best to respond in a timely manner. You can reach me directly at jerry@kettlecuisine.com
Jerry Shafir Founder & President
While it is true that many mainstream canned soups are now labeled gluten free, Kettle Cuisine will be missed by gluten-free soup lovers.
Amy Ratner
