commissary INSIDER - October 2017 - 1

Insight Insider

Wakeﬁeld Sandwich

Food Safety

Probiotics

Equipment

Technology

Depositors

King's Hawaiian's EDI

Insight Insider:

Wakeﬁeld Sandwich
leverages c-store
foodservice growth
by Andy Nelson

aperville, Illinois-based Eby-Brown
is the largest privately-owned convenience store distributor in the
United States. From its eight distribution
centers, the company supplies 14,500 retail locations in 18 states throughout the
Midwest, Mid-South and East Coast.

agency, the company came up with a
plan to take advantage of consumers' desire for healthier prepared-food options
in c-stores. The results include new options like fresh parfaits, egg white frittatas and other heart-healthy sandwiches
and wraps.

Eby-Brown also makes a mean sandwich - a lot of them. Its Wakefield
Sandwich Co. division, created in 1994,
features a full lineup of sandwiches
and other prepared foods. Fresh wedge
and sub sandwiches, wraps, butcherwrapped frozen breakfast and lunch
sandwiches and yogurt and pudding
parfaits are among the many products
on the Wakefield roster.

Convenience that doesn't compromise
quality has been a mantra of Wakefield
since Day One. And while the company's
core offerings have remained largely the
same in recent years, it's not afraid to innovate when necessary, as evidenced by
the rebrand, says Andy Batt, Wakefield's
vice president of business and brand development.

In September, Wakefield celebrated the
one-year anniversary of a major rebranding project. Working with an outside

"The core line of sandwiches has changed
very little, but Wakefield has been aggressive with healthier options and with
innovations that leverage flavor trends

WAKEFIELD SANDWICH'S REVAMPED LINE
FEATURES HEALTHIER OPTIONS.
PHOTO: WAKEFIELD SANDWICH

and appeal to additional regional and
ethnic market segments," Batt says.
For example, the new parfaits, which
contain yogurt, fruit and granola, are
similar to items popular at trendy cafes
and coffee shops, and they appeal to a
more upscale customer, he says. And,
for a different kind of customer, Wakefield tweaked the product. "We launched

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