Supermarket Perimeter - February 2019 - 65

SPOTLIGHT

Sliced-meat specialist Buddig has
partnered with Kingsford on new
value-added meat products.

grow our product line of fresh,
great-tasting meats," says Tom
Buddig, executive vice president of Buddig. "We're excited to
expand our line of pre-cooked
barbecued ribs and entrees
under the Kingsford brand while
continuing to drive synergies
with their BBQ sauces, ﬂavored
charcoal and grilling products."

Heat-and-eat heats up
Labor-saving solutions are also
on the rise in the deli. One of the
newest additions to Spartanburg,
South Carolina-based Spartanburg Meat Processing Co.'s
product lineup is a heat-and-eat
branded rib product.
Spartanburg's 24 oz. TGI
Fridays rib tray is marketed in
supermarket delis, says JoAnne
LaBounty, the company's
president and CEO.
"The feedback has been
tremendous," LaBounty says.
"There's an opportunity in
the market. Folks like the
reusable tray."
In addition to branded products, Spartanburg supplies private-label grocery deli products
to Winn-Dixie, Safeway and other
retailers.
Spartanburg's full line of
value-added products includes
cooked pork baby back ribs
in any size from 1 to over 2.5.
pounds. St. Louis style pork ribs
are also available in a range of
sizes from 1.5 to over 3 pounds.
The company also offers two
house blends of dry rub that add
the perfect seasoning to fully
cooked pork ribs.
Spartanburg's fully cooked

pork riblets with barbecue sauce
are favored as a great appetizer
for parties and tailgating. "The
quick preparation by oven, grill
or microwave makes less time
preparing and more time sharing," according to the company.
And Spartanburg is about
more than just ribs. Fully cooked
shredded pork, chicken or beef
in 15, 16 or 18 ounce containers
are a fast, easy meal for retail
customers. This line of products
can be customized with varying
shred density from ﬁne to coarse
as well as the ﬂavor and quantity
of sauce in the blend.
All Spartanburg products are
made to order to maximize the
shelf life and integrity of the
product. The company's team
of specialists combine customers' ingredients of choice, meat,
sauce and packaging to achieve
the perfectly tailored retail
product.
That includes choice of cooking method - steamed, smoked
or both. All items are custom
sized and packed to customer
speciﬁcations in vacuum packaging allowing the longest possible
shelf life.
Spartanburg's fresh value-added products have a shelf life of

over 150 days. Label choices
include a variety of house labels
or the company can co-pack
retailers' own brands.

Brand power
Another innovation in value-added meats arrived last year from
Homewood, Illinois-based Carl
Buddig and Co.'s partnership with
charcoal category leader Kingsford features a variety of barbecue
and other meat meal traditions,
including Baby Back Pork Ribs,
Pulled Pork, Pulled Beef Brisket and
Seasoned Pork Carnitas.
The program has been "very
well received," to the point
where the ribs are now No. 1
in their category, says Robert
Gay, vice president of marketing
for Homewood, Illinois-based
Buddig. The ribs are packed in
their own oven- and grill-ready
pan and can be cooked in 15
minutes in the oven or 8 minutes
on the grill, Gay says.
On-trend with clean label, the
product contains no HFCS or artiﬁcial ﬂavors or preservatives.
"Kingsford is a highly respected
brand across categories with
exceptional consumer awareness. This partnership is a natural
ﬁt for Buddig as we continue to

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Turkey options
Turkey has seen big growth as
a more healthful alternative to
other meats, and value-added
turkey options make up a big part
of the story.
One of the newest value-added
items from Telford, Pennsylvaniabased Godshall's Quality Meats
Inc., a specialist in premium meats
and turkey products, is aimed at
jerky fans looking for an easier
eating experience.
The new Artisan Butcherbranded turkey bites from
Godshall's are softer than typical
turkey jerky, making them easier
to eat, says Brandon Hill, the
company's Western regional sales
manager - retail. The 3 oz. packs
come in three ﬂavors: pineapple
teriyaki, mango sriracha and
Korean BBQ.
Jewel, Fresh Thyme, Northern
California Safeway are among the
retailers selling the product.
FEBRUARY 2019 - 65
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Supermarket Perimeter - February 2019

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