Meat+Poultry - April 2022 - 37

Tucker's out of Oklahoma or Freddy's or
Shake Shack, a lot of chains are featuring that
product. Other foodservice customers are
looking for that style of product because it
provides the portion they need, and it holds up
well. When it gets to their location, they can
smash it, grill it, get a quick cook time, and get
a thorough cook. Our 'smash burger' pucks
work great for that application. "
From a production and shipping standpoint,
Stewart said the smash burger pucks are easy
for Creekstone to produce. Machines form
the 4-oz pucks, which are approximately
2 ½ inches in diameter. Four pucks are
shrink wrapped in rollstock packaging to
form 1-lb packages for foodservice and
e-commerce customers.
Currently, Creekstone doesn't produce or
market its smash burger pucks for retail. On
the retail side, Stewart thinks consumers need
additional education about what to do with
that style of burger when it comes to cooking
and preparation.
" We have a little more work to do to get the
consumer educated at the retail level, but there's
an opportunity for us, " he said. " We could sell
a four-pack of those pucks and with the right
packaging and design and the right education,
the consumer would really enjoy being able to
replicate that same kind of burger at home.
" People are used to going to a Freddy's or a
Shake Shack and getting a good cheesy, yummy
burger and they want to replicate that at home,
but many don't know what ingredients they
need, " Stewart added. " Quite simply, you need
a really nice bun and a really great ground
beef product and then you can put whatever
condiments you prefer on there.
" This product should be an easy
foodservice to retail transition. "
But until some more education is
done, Creekstone will keep its smash
burger puck format for its foodservice and
e-commerce customers.
PREMIUM OFFERINGS
Creekstone Farms is known for its Black
Angus beef - that's the only type of beef it sells.
The genetically selected animals are raised for
Creekstone - all slaughtered, processed and
further processed at the facility.
" We are one of the few facilities that is
fabricating product that is literally coming
around the corner, slaughtering it and further
processing it all in-house, " Stewart said. " We're
a closed-loop system. We grind only in-house
material. It's all our 100% Black Angus genetics.
" We've been around as a production facility
for around 20 years. The story has been
consistent. We started with genetics and we
fine-tuned those genetics. We're only focusing
on one product, on one specific breed and
certified product. We've gotten really good
at that - at that consistency, that flavor, that
tenderness that customers have gotten used to
with Creekstone. "
Creekstone continues to build on its
reputation for quality, premium products
among its foodservice, retail and
e-commerce customers. The
brisket blend burger is one of its
premium offerings, building on
its long-time standing in the
barbecue category.
" Our reputation is very
strong in the barbecue
category, " Stewart said. " We
have some very high-profile
foodservice customers using
our briskets and our barbecue
products across the country - Aaron
Franklin, Bruce Kalman at Soulbelly in
Las Vegas, Chris Prieto with Prime Barbecue
in North Carolina, Noble Smoke in North
Carolina. That barbecue reputation makes our
brisket in extremely high demand.
" We've been able to create some signature
blends in our ground beef that include our
certified brisket. Customers know that
reputation and that elevated perception of the
barbecue product. So, they can get a piece
of that quality barbecue product, but in their
premium ground beef. "
Creekstone calls these premium ground
beef products its signature blend.
" A lot of foodservice processors have a
signature blend where they just throw a piece
of meat in there with the ground beef and call
it a 'signature' product, " Stewart said. " Ours
is a true signature blend that has the right
balance between lean point, flavor profile and
the Creekstone name. "
PANDEMIC EFFECT
Before the pandemic, Creekstone's business
was 60% foodservice, 40% retail. But when the
www.meatpoultry.com | 04.22 | MEAT+POULTRY 37
Creekstone produces a
variety of burger products
for its foodservice and
retail customers.
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat+Poultry - April 2022
