More good news for Arbo’s Cheese Dip fans.
The popular locally-made cheese dip — as well as two upcoming new flavors — will be available in Kroger stores in late October or early November.
They will be available in 100 Kroger stores across five states — Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Alabama — says Andrew Arbogast, 37. They will be in Kroger stores in Memphis, Collierville, Germantown, Bartlett, Cordova, and Lakeland.
For now, the dips won’t be in every Kroger store in Memphis, but they will be in the Midtown and Poplar Plaza stores, and on Kirby Parkway and Truse Parkway.
“It feels like a huge accomplishment,” Arbogast says. “I say that now knowing how much work went into it. I had some local success and I thought that would be enough to get it into Kroger in the local section.”
Now, stores have to get approval from corporate to stock local items, he says.
“Things changed right before the pandemic,” he says.
So getting into Kroger was an “eight to 10 month process.”
But, luckily, Arbogast got to know people in Kroger’s Delta and Nashville divisions. They “were basically my champions in the corporate office.”
He also got to know Craig Gliva, a Kroger category manager, who has been his mentor through the whole process.
Arbogast throught about coming up with some non-dip-related products to offer Kroger, but Gliva told him, “It has to be a passionate venture for you. If you’re just trying to add on things that don’t align with what you are doing, those things tend to fall fast. What you should do is focus on your cheese dip brand.”
Arbogast debuted his Arbo’s Cheese Dip on May 15, 2021 at High Point Grocery. He brought 12 cases, which is 144 tubs, and it sold out that weekend, he says.
A year later, Arbo’s Cheese Dip is now in 300 stores in the Mid-South.
On August 15th, the dips will be available in major Texas cities. They will be sold at H-E-B Grocery Co.’s Central Market stores.
Arbogast will introduce the two new flavors — Queso Blanco and Spicy Original — in August.
“I’m going to release the two new flavors in some local stores here in the next three weeks,” he says, “maybe sooner.”
Fino’s From the Hill, Grind City Brewing Co., Oxbeau, and Doc’s Food & Spirits will be the first locations to carry the new dips, Arbogast says.