Consumers are responding well to two new soups from Kettle Cuisine — Chicken Dumpling and Chicken Pot Pie — said Mike Seeger, the company’s vice president of Walmart and club stores.

It’s definitely a good time for high-quality soups in grocery, he said.

“Premium soups are on trend. The biggest driver is that you can get a hearty meal for under $5. It’s a health play as well as a value play.”

Customers are always asking for premium soups, but they also want to keep the retail below a certain threshold, added Andy Columbaro, senior director of business development.

“We have to balance a great tasting product with a cost that provides value to customers. And retailers always looking for more variety.”

There are several core soups retailers need to carry, Columbaro said: Broccoli Cheddar, Chicken Noodle, Loaded Potato, Lobster Bisque, NECC and Chicken Tortilla.

After that, it comes down to shelf space and strategy, which will determine whether they can add soups like Italian Wedding, Chicken Dumpling or Chili.

Within the premium category, trends Kettle Cuisine is tracking closely include ethnic flavors, plant-based, LTO’s, hearty soups and cups complementing self-service hot bars.

Shoppers continuing to expand their palates is driving demand for soups with ethnic flavors, said Paul Nazario, Kettle Cuisine’s director of sales for retail accounts. Asian, Cuban and Indian are among the top performers from overseas.

Health concerns, meanwhile, are driving the growth in plant-based, Nazario said. Plant-Based Chicken Noodle Soup, Plant-Based Broccoli Cheddar and Plant-Based Chilis are among the consumer favorites.

LTOs, meanwhile, remain in high demand as retailers try to “keep the excitement around soup,” Seeger said.

“Ironically the mix of retailers has evolved to focusing on more and more core soups and using the limited time only soups as the excitement generators.”

Kettle Cuisine also continues to see strong demand for soups crafted with artisanal cooking techniques and clean, wholesome ingredients, which “allows retailers to deliver differentiated, high-quality soup solutions to their customers,” Columbaro said.