Over the past two years, Butterball says it has emphasized a renewed focus on innovation in the turkey space with a newly created innovation team to focus solely on new product development and identifying unmet consumer needs in the turkey space.
“There has been a significant demographic shift in recent years and the buying power of younger consumers means companies have to be constantly innovating to adapt to the changing demands and desires,” said Jeff Mundt, Butterball VP of research and development and innovation. “It’s an exciting time to be innovating for a storied brand like Butterball. We’re always looking for ways to introduce fun and energizing creations that get people excited about new ways to enjoy a favorite protein.”
For the first time since the company renewed its focus on innovation, it is ready to unveil a product in a previously unexplored category for the brand—snacking.
With a wide assortment of snacking options in the marketplace, Butterball says it has created a product that maximizes convenience without sacrificing taste, quality or the naturally lean protein option our consumers seek to fit their healthy lifestyle.
Butterball has introduced its Premium Snacks—a portfolio of seasoned turkey breast slices paired with sweet and savory sides. Inspired by distinct meal occasions there are three varieties in the line:
- Thanksgiving-seasoned turkey breast with stuffing bites and dried cranberries;
- Citrus teriyaki-seasoned turkey breast with sesame sticks and dried pineapple pieces; and
- Cajun-seasoned turkey breast with cornbread crisps and dried apple pieces.
“Snacking is a popular category that is already filled with many protein options, so we challenged ourselves to find a way to make Butterball Premium Snacks stand out on the shelf,” said Michelle Lieszkovszky, Butterball innovation brand manager, emerging innovation. “Moving away from the typical cheese and cracker varieties or the protein-only options often found in the snacking space allowed us to venture into more complex flavor combinations and offer unexpected snack components like cornbread crisps and dried pineapple. We’ve reimagined the snacking space and struck the perfect balance of coupling unique flavors with a strong nutrition profile.”
Butterball says each snack contains 100 percent all-natural turkey breast with 10g of protein, 140-180 calories per serving and meat with lower sodium compared to leading competitors.
Butterball Premium Snacks can be found at select retailers.
Headquartered in Garner, North Carolina, Butterball is the largest producer of turkey products in the U.S.—producing more than 1 billion pounds of turkey each year. For more than 60 years, the company has provided foodservice and retail products to customers and consumers around the world. Butterball products are currently distributed throughout the U.S. and in more than 45 countries. The company operates six processing plants located in North Carolina, Arkansas, and Missouri.
