Supermarket Perimeter - November 2021 - 56

SPOTLIGHT
A new sandwich twist on barbacoa
The latest value-added innovation from Jennie-O
Turkey Store, a division of Austin, Minn.-based
Hormel Foods, is a heat-and-eat turkey barbacoa
perfect for commissaries and retailers looking for a
new sandwich option.
The recipe-ready product is a fully cooked turkey
barbacoa seasoned and marinated with paprika, garlic
and guajillo chili pepper spices.
Lean turkey protein is on trend with consumers who
are seeking more flavorful, nutritious menu options,
according to Jennie-O. It's a nutritious protein option
that makes prep convenient, quick and easy and offers
consumers an on-trend protein for Mexican dishes.
" Our new turkey barbacoa is an exciting product
that foodservice operators can just heat and shred, "
said Katie Lynch, a Jennie-O associate brand manager.
" We were intentional about the use of guajillo chili
pepper for seasoning because it's one of today's hottest
flavor trends, and we're proud to offer a lean protein
option with great flavor. "
Raybern's created out of
necessity during the pandemic
will aid in that speedy rollout of
new product.
When COVID hit, Raybern's
was expecting its fresh perimeter
sales to explode. The opposite
happened: frozen sales took off,
as people wanted to limit their
trips to the store and stock up on
product with the longest shelf life
possible.
This summer, however,
pent-up demand for perimeter
product has finally been released.
" Perimeter has exploded -it's
an inverse between perimeter
and frozen, " Hall said. " And the
perimeter is such an interesting
space. Consumer demand has
definitely changed there. "
Increasingly, people are seeing
the instore deli as a place to find
alternative meal solutions. People
are looking to the perimeter as
an alternative to fast food, for
instance, which plays right into
the hands of a Raybern's.
The company often thinks of
its target consumers in terms of
two hypothetical consumers.
" Pam " is a working mom with a
somewhat higher income who
needs something warm and
substantial to feed her kids and
herself while they're hustling to
and from after-school activities
or in other on-the-go situations.
" Jackson, " another typical
Raybern's consumer, is on a
budget and looking for something
affordable to fill him up and that
he can eat in the car going to or
from work. He may pick up his
Raybern's at his local Walmart
or Dollar General and heat it in a
microwave oven instore.
Raybern's is not one of the
biggest sandwich brands on
the market, so the company
has had to work hard at getting
its marketing messages out
to customers and consumers,
Hall said.
56 - NOVEMBER 2021
supermarketperimeter.com
Top ten
sandwiches
in the US:
1. Grilled cheese
2. Grilled chicken
3. Turkey
4. Roast beef
5. Ham
6. BLT
7. Club
8. Bacon
9. PB&J
10. Pulled pork
Source: YouGov
" It's all about being in front of
consumers, " he said.
Facebook and Instagram and
frequent giveaways have been
key components in that strategy,
helping Raybern's zero in on its
core customers. Anytime any
Raybern's customer reaches out
to the company, Hall sees it on
his own phone. It's a great way to
keep his ear to the ground, and
he's frequently surprised.
" I never would have guessed
that consumers would share their
own recipes, " he said. " They'll
talk about adding their own
onions and peppers to their Philly
cheesesteaks, for example. It
makes us think: maybe we should
be adding it on for you instead. "
It must be paying off -in the
past two or three years, Raybern's
has added about 30 new retailers,
so many that the company is
conscious of not growing so fast
that it affects its ability to service
its current customers.
It's a good time to be a smaller
brand in this space, Hall said.
" With smaller brands there's
a trust element, " he said. " That's
the biggest thing we've been able
to decipher. There's definitely a
mistrust of big brands today. "
JENNIE-O
http://www.supermarketperimeter.com
Supermarket Perimeter - November 2021

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