ISO: ISO Cheez re KA flour at Trader Joe's

[rozinva]

I asked my store about it, and he said maybe he wasn't supposed to tell me this, but TJ is going to start marketing this same flour under their own name.

 

[pat-nocal]

yippie! good to know, thanks. In the meantime, it's still available at Safeway groceries here in

California and happens to be on sale this week.

 

[lisainla]

They already have it at the Trader Joe's in the Riviera Village, cheezz. I'm

surprised yours doesn't have it yet. I noticed in in the "New Products" end cap the last time I was there.

The packaging is the same color scheme as King Arthur's.

 

[pat-nocal]

Just came from Trader Joes and they said it is indeed KA flour. Nice price too.

 

[cheezz]

Interesting!! There were lots of bags on the shelf - with their name - which was a 'new' item

People were picking them up, thinking about it, and putting them back. Hard to try a new item when you love the old one so much. Thanks SO much for that info!!!!!

 

[cheezz]

That's so funny, because I thought the colors were the same, but labeled 'Trader Joes'

 

[sandi-in-hawaii]

Did you see the blog post by the editor of the King Arthur Flour blog?

She was lamenting the fact that KA and TJ's were breaking up.

Strange, if the new TJ flour is just KA, repackaged.

Not that I'd know anyway, since we don't have TJ's here....

smileys/frown.gif

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2009/03/02/say-it-aint-so-joes/

 

[tess]

I emailed KAF - and they say it isn't so....TJ's flour isn't rebranded KAF

Here's the reply I received from KAF...

Dear Fellow Baker,

Thank you for writing and bringing this to our attention. We do not do private label so the flour Trader Joe is offering is not King Arthur Flour. Our flour is available at many other locations-I hope you will be able to locate some near you.

I hope this information will be helpful. Please email again if we can be of further assistance.

Happy Baking,

Joan
Customer Care
King Arthur Flour
Baker's Catalogue, Inc.
800-827-6836
Bakers@kingarthurflour.com
100% Employee Owned
100% committed to Quality

 

[cheezz]

sounds like TJs is just trying to get us to buy the flour -- not nice!!! smileys/smile.gif

 

[pat-nocal]

hmmm, wonder why we're getting conflicting info. Thanks for letting us know Tess.

 

[sandi-in-hawaii]

I wonder if it's the other way around - wonder if any manufacturer would admit to it...

Usually the private brands are cheaper than the name brands, so I wouldn't think that the manufacturer would admit to selling under the TJ label at a lesser price. Wouldn't they rather sell their name brand at the premium price?

 

[lisainla]

The only thing I can think of is typically major manufacturers don't want the general public to know

that their product can be had cheaper under another label, and typically don't advertise or acknowledge private labels with their "brand name" formulas.

Another thing that is very puzzling, the packaging is so similar to KA, I'd find it difficult to imagine TJ's doing that without affiliation. It's so close that if they weren't connected, KA could easily demand a cease and desist on the packaging.