British brands have been quietly cracking the American grocery market, with household names such as Dorset Cereals and Walkers Shortbread successfully sitting on supermarket shelves.

When the supermarket business is estimated to be worth more than £551.1 billion annually, according to US Census Bureau figures, it is understandable that for many brands getting a listing in a stateside store chain is a boost.

Traditionally it has been non-perishable goods that have pursued the American dream. However, there have been two notable examples of British fresh produce finding favour in American supermarkets that could lead to more UK products crossing the Atlantic.

The Albert Bartlett Rooster brand hit US shelves at the start of November last year, with the potatoes grown by North American farmers using the same seed and ware as in the UK.

An Albert Bartlett spokesman says as this is the first season it is available in the US, the business has concentrated on targeting local markets for a limited time only, in states that include Arkansas, Atlanta, Colorado, Maine and New York.

'It has been a positive introduction to the US market, however, looking at sales growth at this point provides no real insight having only been in store for two months,' adds the spokesman.'The key objective for the business is to learn as much as we can from the initial launch to allow us to build for next season.'

The spokesman explains that of the many differences between operating in the UK and America, the biggest is the geographical scale and the challenges that provides. 'One core similarity is the need to increase consumption of fresh potatoes and to excite the consumer about the category,' he added.

While Albert Bartlett is growing the product in America, cutting out complications with shipping and customs, G's Fresh Beetroot is being transported from the UK processing factory to stores in America.

The company's president Guy Shropshire, who has relocated to New Jersey to oversee the new venture, says the product-flavoured beetroot under the brand name Love Beets, launched in November 2010.

Shropshire says the major markets are the North East, New England, Mid-Atlantic, Florida and Mid-West. And the product is listed in Whole Foods, Wegmans, Fresh Direct, Hannaford (owned by Delhaize), Costco and Giant Eagle.

The company ships the product in chilled seafreight containers, it is then delivered to a high-care packing room in New Jersey, where it is repacked into retail-ready packs before making its way to the retailers.

'Sales have been a great success. We started out on a limited number of shelves for the first six months,' says Shropshire. 'Then sales started growing exponentially after this period, as more and more retailers began carrying the products. The annual retailer growth rates are as much as plus 50 per cent in some cases.

'[For us] California is a very large and affluent market. It's one of our biggest opportunities for the next 12 months. We also see a great opportunity to diversify our product range, while staying within the confines of beetroot. Snacking and vegetable juices are interesting categories we are researching.'

Shropshire says that one of the reasons he believes the brand has met with such enthusiasm is because they spotted a gap in the market.

'Until recently, if you wanted to buy beetroot in the US, you had to buy pickled or canned 'beets' from the grocery aisle or raw bunches from fresh produce,' he explains.

'The quality, taste and convenience of these items is poor. Love Beets is unique tasting, convenient and grown, processed to the highest quality. Consumers jumped at the opportunity to buy something fresher, tastier and more convenient. These key attributes demand a significant retail price premium over cans, but consumers are willing to pay it because it's still good value.'

Therein lies the key to breaking America – offer a product that consumers cannot readily purchase, give it a unique selling point and with the right marketing strategy, the grocery sector is potentially there for the taking. —