Meat + Poultry - February 2009 - 45

TYSON

refrigerated alcoves with prepackaged
meal solutions for guests. I didn't
expect such a positive response for
the pre-packaged format; that was a
nice bonus."
Developing a new product for the
first time is not easy. Working with different ingredients posed one challenge.
"Originally, sauces came in one-size
containers, meat in another and tortillas
in another size," Simco says.
"Our initial sauce container was too
small. We went to a larger size so the
container was easier to work with and
open," Stiles adds.
Dawson's major challenge was
keeping the flavors of the fresh wraps
from tasting frozen. Broek Breshears,
food technologist/project leader, R&D,
says another hurdle involved the portion size. "Our wraps started out four
halves per package," he adds. "But
consumer research told us we needed
to go with two."
It took Tyson's Discovery Center
team eight months to develop the
gas-flush microwaveable package they
needed that would hold up to national
distribution. "After several tests, including high-altitude mountain-area
tests, drop tests and seeing how the
packaged product performed going
cross-country, we found the type of
package that would hold up," Bres-

hears said. "There's so much that goes
into creating a new product. We never created a product like this before.
We learned and the innovation came
from all Tyson channels."
Slicing was another hurdle as each
wrap contains protein and fi llings
rolled in a 9-inch tortilla. "We started
slicing the wraps by hand," Breshears
says. "We have since developed an automated way to slice."
Where and when to slice the wraps
was another challenge. "Ensuring consistently-sized, pre-packaged, net-weight
items was another challenge, but Santa
Teresa figured it out," Simco says.
Ensuring line workers were getting
enough tortillas coming to the line at
the right time and temperature was
another challenge.
"Tortillas and bacon arrive at the
plant frozen," Simco says. "They must
be thawed. The remaining ingredients
arrive refrigerated. They had to add the
cheese, sauce and other ingredients at
the right temperature and make sure the
sauce was at the right viscosity when
the wraps were assembled. Then you
have to freeze the prepared wrap for
distribution. The plant discovered ways
to optimize the process for an enjoyable
consumer experience."
The Santa Teresa plant is kept at
a cooler temperature, which posed a

challenge. "Our tortillas were becoming very brittle in the plant...we would
roll them and we saw a lot of cracking," Breshears says. "We figured out
a way to warm or slightly toast the
tortillas before rolling the product...
wrap and then freeze."

The evolution continues
Tyson Gourmet Wraps is a very convenient meal solution for consumers,
Simco says. "We started with wraps,
but there are other products we could
make," she adds. "We will continue to
expand the line because there is a true
consumer need - and put it into convenient business solutions for the retailer
or foodservice operator."
Currently, the only competitors
of Tyson Gourmet Wraps are storemade wraps and several regional
processors.
Creating Tyson Gourmet Wraps is
a prime example of Discovery Center
interaction. "We have culinary, R&D,
the packaging lab and pilot plant and
we did the shelf -life studies here, too,"
Simco says. "We used just about every
facet of the Discovery Center in bringing
Tyson Gourmet Wraps to market. Our
investment is paying off."
We would like to hear from you - to comment on
this story or to request reprints, contact us by
e-mail at: meatpoultry@sosland.com.

(Photo courtesy of Tyson Foods Inc.)

It's a Wrap: Tyson Gourmet Wraps
Turkey Club Wrap - Tender sliced oven-roasted turkey breast and fully-cooked
bacon rolled in a tomato tortilla and accented with sundried tomato pesto.
Asiago Roast Beef Wrap - Tender oven-roasted top-round sliced beef, shredded gourmet Asiago cheese and Dijon sauce in a garlic herb tortilla.
Pulled Pork & Provolone Wrap - Tender smoked pulled pork with Provolone cheese and spicy chipotle sauce wrapped in a jalapeño cheese tortilla.
South of the Border Chicken Wrap - Tender pulled white chicken combined with a fresh black bean and corn salsa, sliced Monterey Jack cheese
with red and green peppers, topped with a mild sauce blend of tomatoes
and chili peppers and rolled in a salsa tortilla.

MEAT&POULTRY

February 2009

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Meat + Poultry - February 2009

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