Snack World - May 2013 - (Page 40)

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY REPORT Jalapeño, Crunchy and Puffs Flamin’ Hot Cheese, Crunchy Flamin’ Hot Limon Cheese and Crunchy Xxtra Flamin’ Hot Cheese. Sizzlin’ Hot Crunchy Cheese Flavored Kurls from Chicagobased C.J. Vitner Co. is the company’s leading product in the segment, according to Joe Papiri, vice-president of sales and marketing, Snak King Corp., City of Industry, CA, which acquired the Vitner’s brand in 2012. “For our consumers, you can’t make it hot enough,” he said. Young and ethnic consumers are the key targets for hot snacks, and Mr. Papiri pointed out that the company’s Sizzlin’ Hot variety has a huge following in these demographics. The company offers a whole range of flavors and is looking to expand its market for hot flavors into the Chicago suburbs. In addition to its Hot Cheese Curls, Herr Foods Co., Nottingham, PA, offers Buffalo Blue Cheese and Jalapeño Popper Cheese-Flavored Curls. Both of these puff-style cheese snacks are fairly recent introductions, and the company noted that with the Jalapeño Popper snack “behind that big, cheddar cheesy flavor is a zesty little pinch of jalapeño pepper that packs a little zing.” ADDING CRUNCH Earlier this year, the company added some crunch to its cheese snack line by introducing Herr’s Crunchy Cheese Sticks. In taste tests, Herr’s Crunchy Cheese Sticks made with real cheese and no trans fats were preferred 55:45 over a national brand, according to the company. As the top marketer of cheese snacks behind Frito-Lay, Wise Foods, Berwick, PA, gives heat a little bit of sweet with its Hot ’n Honey Cheez Doodle Puffed cheese snacks. It sells crunch and puffed Cheez Doodles in a Honey BBQ and White Cheddar varieties beyond the traditional cheese. Cheese snack manufacturers continue to add heat to its products, proving hot and cheesy is hot, hot, hot. — Shane Whitaker Pork Rinds Hot Times for Pork Rinds To fire up sales, crank up the heat. That’s the mantra for pork rinds, cracklins and skins. In fact, it seems that pork rind producers can’t make them hot enough. In addition to boosting sales among core ethnic, male and middle-aged consumers, the next generation of flaming hot and super spicy snacks are attracting new generations of loyal consumers, according to Jim Frazier, senior vice-president and general manager, Evans Food Group Ltd., Chicago. “These spicy flavor profiles have opened up [a newer market with] younger consumers,” he noted. “We’re taking a mature product and renewing and revitalizing it with innovative flavor profiles and new packaging.” Mark Singleton, vice-president, sales and marketing, Rudolph Foods Co., Lima, OH, seconds that intense flavors are hot in the market right now, along with new shapes like pork curls, as well as a variety of crunchiness and textures. “Our flavor of chili limon is doing particularly well: It BROUGHT TO YOU BY J.R. SHORT, HEAT AND CONTROL, MINSA, PRINTPACK, READING THERMAL, RUDOPLH FOODS, AND TNA NORTH AMERICA 40 Snack World May 2013 www.sfa.org combines a bold chili flavor with a lime kick. We’re seeing about 6% unit growth in all of our products in the C-store channel, so we’re quite optimistic that there is a resiliency in the marketplace right now, despite the real economic issues the country has been facing,” he said. DIALING UP THE HEAT Evans’ new co-branded (with TW Garner Food Co.) Texas Pete line of Hot & Spicy Pork Skins and Chipotle Pork Skins shows how pork rind manufacturers are creating products geared at a broader audience. “The younger generation is more adventurous and wants to really experience their foods, and this applies to snacks, also, particularly spicier ones,” Mr. Frazier explained. http://www.sfa.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Snack World - May 2013

Snack World - May 2013