Maverik Revamps Fresh Food, Coffee Concepts

By Linda Lisanti

NORTH SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- When Maverik Inc. created its latest store design, one of its objectives was to increase the focus on foodservice—both in variety and presentation. Now, one and one-half years later, the convenience store retailer is taking this a step further by revamping both its proprietary fresh food concept and Bodacious Bean coffee program to make each one a more thematically designed area of the store, and better tie in with the chain’s overall adventure theme.

In fresh foods, Maverik is implementing a new holistic approach. Previously, the company brought in separate food items and packaged them with a generic Maverik label—"a red swoosh" as Maverik’s director of adventure image, Scott Shakespeare, described it.

"It really wasn’t us," he told CSNews Online in a recent interview.

Now, Maverik is rolling out "BonFire," a consistent name and brand that ties all its food items together under a single entity, and one that complements the chain’s adventure theme. The packaging has a very earthy feel, plus the retailer intentionally chose a printer who only uses paper from companies that plant trees specifically to make paper.

The BonFire logo features a flame of a specific color depending on the product:

-- Red is for high-traffic hot items including hot dogs, roller grill, boats and trays.
-- Green: fresh foods, fruit and salads.
-- Blue: cold cuts and hoagies.
-- Purple: Baked goods and oatmeal.
-- Orange: Standard and general warmer items.

BonFire is launching in stages. Cold hoagies and salads have already been re-branded, and pizza will soon follow. The brand won’t cover frozen yogurt, fountain or coffee.

"We want the consumer to walk in and not feel like it’s a hodgepodge of [foodservice] products," Shakespeare explained. "With one brand, it relaxes the eye and gives the perception that these are all high-quality products."

Similarly, with Bodacious Bean, the retailer is overhauling the coffee program to make it more of a thematically designed area of the store. "Bodacious Bean has been around in its current form for several years, and it’s gotten stagnant," Shakespeare noted.

Currently in Maverik stores, the coffee area is accented by a mural depicting a winding river of coffee, but the machines sit on regular countertops. As part of the makeover, the section’s graphics will be changed to resemble red rock cliffs, and new countertops and other structural elements will be created to mirror the texture of the graphics.

Maverik’s coffee cup is being redesigned as well, and the actual beverage offering will get some tweaks too. While the details are still being finalized, Rich Green, Maverik’s category manager of dispensed beverages, said the stores will continue to serve two roasts, but they’re looking at "a slight upgrade with a higher throw weight."

Shakespeare said most of the new Bodacious Bean elements are ready to go, and the goal is to execute before the fall, which is a big season for coffee sales.

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