Fresh-cut vegetables hit the sweet spot for two of the most dominant consumer trends: health and convenience.

Gold Coast Packing’s fresh-cut vegetable products have always tilted heavily toward foodservice. But in recent years, the company has seen its retail footprint grow significantly, said Robb Bertels, vice president of sales and marketing.

“Consumers are more familiar now” with the broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cilantro and other vegetables Gold Coast specializes in, Bertels said. “Maybe they’ve tried grilled brussels sprouts in a restaurant and they think, ‘I can do that at home.’”

Gold Coast’s value-added veg products for retail come in packs as small as 10 ounces or as large as 2 pounds. Broccoli florets are the top seller, but demand is also strong for cauliflower florets, chopped cilantro, brussels sprouts and other products.

Gold Coast is happy to mix and match products — combination broccoli/cauliflower floret packs, stir fry or slaw mixes that may add snow peas, napa cabbage or shredded radish to the company’s staple products — or do whatever else its customers want or the market demands, Bertels said.

“We have a product development team, which is pretty interesting for a company of our size. It’s a great resource. We try to stay on top of consumers trends, flavors, new items, and we’re very customer-centric.”

Gold Coast is happy to pack under its own brand or in a retailer’s private label, he added. Private label is a rapidly growing category for the company.

While the price gap between national and private label brands has shrunk for many products in recent years, Bertels guesses that inflation is likely a reason why some of Gold Coast’s customers are requesting more private-label product, which many consumers perceive as being a value purchase.

Despite high food prices, Gold Coast has enjoyed “fairly steady sales,” Bertels said. That’s largely because, as high as retail prices are, they’re still significantly lower than the cost of eating out, he said.