Supermarket Perimeter - November 2021 - 55

INSIDER
PACKAGING
Single-serve
OPERATIONS
Food labeling
SANDWICHES
by Andy Nelson
COMMISSARIES, central
kitchens and other offsite facilities
that supply value-added foods to
grocery perimeter departments
have ramped up their demand
for heat-and-eat sandwiches
from San Ramon, Calif.-based
Raybern's, said Doug Hall, the
company's marketing director.
" Commissary is a big part of
our business, and it's definitely
trending up, " he said.
Going the commissary route is
a popular option for retailers who
want the quality of a Raybern's
but want to put their own
stamp on their sandwich lineup.
Raybern's makes it easy, Hall said,
for retailers to add their own store
branding to products.
" It typically comes in with
retailers who are looking to build
their brand equity, " he said. " We
make it easy to execute that. "
Raybern's sandwiches can be
marketed either frozen in centerstore
or refrigerated for heatand-eat
sales in grocery instore
delis. In instore, sandwiches
can be microwaved in the
store for consumption there or
taken home.
The company offers about
eight different sandwich flavors,
and varieties of pack size (single,
two-count, eight-count, etc.)
brings its total SKUs to about 25.
But during the pandemic,
Hall said, Raybern's found itself
coming back to just a handful of
tried-and-true options.
" Kind of a unique proposition
came into play during COVID, "
he said. " Labor was tight, we had
a difficult time keeping up with
demand, and we realized that
we needed to focus on our core
products. "
Those three core products
-Philly cheese steak, roast beef
and chicken bacon ranch -are
not only Raybern's biggest sellers,
they're also easier to make than
some of its other products, which
also proved crucial in the high
demand/low labor situation the
company found itself in.
Philly cheese steak is what
Raybern's is most known for.
Its Philly is No. 1 in its category
nationwide, Hall said.
That focus on its top three
sandwiches has worked great
during the pandemic, but once
things return to some version of
normal, Raybern's will once again
start expanding its sandwich
product roster, Hall said.
Raybern's will get back into
breakfast sandwich production
before 2021 is over, for instance.
This time, however, the company
will launch its lineup with a bit of
a different spin.
" We wanted to offer something
a little different, an indulgent treat
for breakfast, " he said. " Waffle,
egg and sausage, pancakes and
maple biscuits. "
Also set for a late fall or early
winter release is a meatball
sandwich. And Raybern's has
Commissary
is a big
part of our
business, and
it's definitely
trending up. "
Doug Hall, Raybern's
about 15 other sandwiches
currently under development.
" You're going to see a lot of
new sandwiches in the next six
months. "
The automation and other
labor-saving efficiencies
Demand for Raybern's Philly Cheesesteak and two other core
sandwiches soared during COVID.
supermarketperimeter.com
NOVEMBER 2021 - 55
RAYBERN'S
http://www.supermarketperimeter.com
Supermarket Perimeter - November 2021

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