LAKEWOOD - Looking for Borsari seasoning in Wegmans?
The Borsari name can't be found at Wegmans - because the name has changed after Wegmans decided to sell the seasonings as a Wegmans name-brand product.
Betsy Morando, Borsari Food president, said the companies reached a deal to sell two Borsari seasonings - the original and orange-ginger blend - as Wegmans Garlic Herb and Orange Ginger seasoning. Mrs. Morando said the Borsari seasoning and the Wegmans products are identical, but with different names and packaging.
Article Photos
Betsy Morando, Borsari Foods president, holds Borsari and Wegmans Garlic Herb seasonings, which are the same product. The companies reached a deal to sell the Borsari seasoning as a Wegmans brand product, which started in July. The companies reached a deal to sell Borsari as a Wegmans brand product.
P-J photos by Dennis Phillips
''We at Borsari are honored and privileged to have our product be a Wegmans brand product,'' she said. ''Wegmans is a leader nationally. They set the gold standard.''
Mrs. Morando said Wegmans officials approached her two years ago with the idea of selling the Borsari seasoning as their own product. She said since July, Borsari seasoning salt in only Wegmans stores has been sold as garlic herb and orange ginger.
''We didn't sell the recipe. Wegmans has no involved with the product line,'' she said. ''Their product is identical to Borsari, just with different packaging.''
Mrs. Morando said Borsari in the company's own packaging can still be found in hundreds of specialty food stores and other grocery chains, like Whole Foods, which is Borsari's largest customer. Locally, Borsari can still be found at Herbs R 4 U, Lighthouse Grocery, Don's Car Wash, Fresh Cut Meats and More, Farm Fresh, Brigiottas, Cadwell's Cheese Barn, Lakeside Cottage, Ecklof Bakery & Deli, JP Diamond and Forte.
Mrs. Morando said being able to sell more Borsari seasoning as a Wegmans product was the reason the switch was made.
''The volume they can sell when paired with Wegmans recipes, their creative chefs and their marketing team is amazing,'' she said. ''It would be impossible to see the same volume they can sell.''
Mrs. Morando said teaming up with Wegmans has been a positive step for the Lakewood-based company.
''Their staff has been so fabulous,'' she said. ''It has been a great experience working with them.''
Jason Jordan, Wegmans grocery manager, said he can't say how many companies Wegmans has teamed up with in a similar fashion. He said the decision to brand another company's product with the Wegmans name goes through its corporate leaders and then to the Wegmans themselves.
''Borsari is a great product. Everyone in the company thought it was a great product,'' he said. ''It is something we're proud to put the Wegmans name on.''
According to the Borsari website, the Borsari Food Company was formed in 2002 after a market study showed that a seasoning salt based on Adolph Morando's, Betsy's husband, family recipe would be successful. Morando's maternal grandmother, Adelceesa Pirani Borsari, brought the recipe to America from the province of Emilia, Italy, when she immigrated in 1914.
For more information, visit the company's website at borsarifoods.com.