After a successful pop-up retail store in New York City last year, Rao's Homemade is launching another version this week in Chicago.
The Chicago iteration of The Saucery by Rao's Homemade is set to open this Friday for three days on a busy area of Michigan Avenue, offering consumers an opportunity to taste several of the company's products, including five new sauces and soups. The pop-up will also feature a collaboration with TV celebrity and cookbook author Kristin Cavallari. She will share her recipe for Baked Penne using Rao's Homemade's new Caramelized Onion Sauce.
Other new sauces featured at the pop-up include Vodka Arrabbiata and Pizza Arrabbiata. The two new soups are Italian-Style Lentil and Butternut Squash, all of which will be available to taste and purchase. Plans call for all of the new items to roll out to retailers nationwide beginning this summer. They will also be available on the brand's website.
The company learned some valuable lessons after a successful launch of the pop-up concept last year in New York, which hosted 650 consumers for reservation-only appointments, Yuri Hermida, chief growth officer at Rao's parent company, Sovos Brands, told SFA News Daily.
“First and foremost, we learned how valuable an interactive pop-up marketplace can be to bring our brand to life in a fun, premium, and interactive way,” Hermida said. “We discovered an opportunity to celebrate the quality ingredients, authentic Italian heritage, and the delicious flavors that define our products while connecting with brand fans and foodies in real life. The excitement around The Saucery by Rao's Homemade last year inspired us to bring it back to delight brand fans and invite even more people into the Rao's Homemade fan club.”
Consumers can also make reservations to attend the Chicago pop-up, with walk-ins allowed depending on capacity. Rao's is also hosting a virtual tour of the store online.
Rao's Homemade specializes in authentic sauces made with whole Italian tomatoes and other Italian specialty foods, including premium frozen entrées, slow-simmered soups, bronze die-cut pastas, and brick oven crust pizza.
In addition to the product offerings, the store will debut two limited-edition luxury handbags that celebrate the brand's iconic Rao's Homemade glass jar. The handbags, priced at $1,000, include “The Marinara” and “The Vodka Arrabbiata.”
The Saucery will also offer other experiences and merchandise, including Rao's Homemade sauce jars with personalized labels, sauce-inspired cocktails, such as the Olive Oil Martini and Pizza Margarita, and a 15 percent discount on products purchased at the marketplace.
The Saucery by Rao's Homemade will donate all proceeds from this year's pop-up to The Greater Chicago Food Depository, which seeks to address hunger in Chicago and Cook County.
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