Philadelphia-based Dietz & Watson showcased its uncured frank and sausage category at the recent IDDBA Show in Anaheim, California. Taylor Grissinger, senior retail marketing manager, spoke on the show floor with The Griffin Report of the Northeast’s Maggie Kaeppel.
Grissinger said the company has new SKUs of 15-ounce franks, in four flavor varieties, under the Dietz Dogs name. The company had a booth offering some of them to attendees.
Jalapeno cheddar, jumbo beef frank, beef hot smoked sausage and bacon cheddar franks are among those products, she said, along with uncured options.
“Choices are a really big thing for us,” said Grissinger, adding that Dietz & Watson is offering the healthier uncured option for retailers, as well as families looking to choose a healthier lifestyle. She said uncured is a nutritional callout and trend that has persisted over the years.
Dietz & Watson’s sliced pickles also are popular. They are thinly sliced and stackable, Grissinger said.
Grab-and-go snacking also is an opportunity category for the company. Its Dietz & Dats-style lunch kits offer an “elevated flavor combination” compared to traditional Lunchables, she said. “We’re looking at the elevated salamis and Asiago cheeses to really tap into that sophisticated consumer.”
The snacks are paired with an accompaniment, such as almonds or dried mango.
Dietz & Watson also is expanding grab-and-go options for its meats and cheeses. Some of its bulk-slicing products are offered in a vacuum-sealed, resealable package in the deli department. This is in addition to the fresh-sliced consumer program, where meats are cut behind the counter, put in a deli bag and placed in a secondary display for grab-and-go.
“Same products, same great quality, taste and texture, just different packaging formats,” Grissinger said.
Having retailers offer the full line of products makes them more easily identifiable on the shelf, she noted. “And there’s more we can do from a promotional standpoint when you have a full line of items.”
Grissinger said value is important for Dietz & Watson, which offers premium products. With prices higher due to inflation, she said they are focused on educating consumers on the value of their products.
Showing the number of sandwiches that can be made from a pound of Dietz & Watson deli meat or cheese, versus a single serving of a steak is an example. “We’re really just trying to show the versatility of the product and the value and what can be done with a pound or two pounds, whatever it is that the consumer’s buying at the deli counter.”
She said education is a key focus within point of sale, such as showing a literal sandwich and how many may be made from a pound of deli meat. “It’s really just saying what it is and communicating that to the customer. We’ll do that at the service counter and in other areas or destinations, depending on where the product is merchandised.”
Grissinger added that the company is “growing and we’re thriving. We are out of the pandemic, so supply issues are not what they were. We’ve overcome that in great strides. That’s been very positive.
“I think our retailers would say that they’re happy with the level of service that we’ve been able to provide post-pandemic. We’re in a really healthy spot as a business, and we’re interested and excited about the continued growth we’ll see in 2023.”
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