Krave jerky set for January launch

Jerky is one of Canada’s fastest growing snacking segments^1,2. It represents almost $70 million in Canada, growing +14% year-over-year, a rate that outpaces many major food CPG categories¹. The impressive growth in jerky is happening at a time when eating habits of Canadians are evolving. Nine of ten consumers now snack multiple times per day¹. As these snacking occasions rise, variety is critically important¹. Lifestyle is also dictating shifts in snacking as consumers demand on-the-go, portable snacks with health attributes¹. Meet KRAVE, a jerky brand that is launching nationally in Canada in January. KRAVE targets the better-for-you shopper with a low-fat jerky that contains no artificial flavours, and is free of gluten. It’s also a good source of protein.

The Hershey Company acquired KRAVE Pure Foods, Inc. earlier this year, a company rooted in Sonoma California’s wine country, adding meat snacks to its product roster and further expanding into snacking. KRAVE jerky offers consumers four unique and culinary-inspired flavours – Sweet Chipotle Beef Jerky, Chili Lime Beef Jerky, Black Cherry Barbecue Pork Jerky and Grilled Sweet Teriyaki Pork Jerky. A cut above other jerky brands, KRAVE Jerky is moist, tender and satisfying. The brand differentiates itself from the competitive set, targeting the coveted better-for-you-shopper. By capturing the better-for-you shopper, retailers can anticipate incremental growth in the jerky category.

The brand kicked-off its full-year of marketing support with an experiential pop-up restaurant called KRAVE Kanteen in November. The pop-up restaurant invited consumers at locations in downtown Toronto and Vancouver to enjoy lunch and dinner menus featuring small bites made with KRAVE jerky and paired with wine. Menu items included Chicken & Chili Lime Beef Jerky Tacos, Sweet Chipotle Beef Jerky Mac N’ Cheese, and a KRAVE ‘Jerkuterie’ platter. KRAVE Kanteen also featured a ‘butcher counter’ engaging foot-traffic near the busy pop-up locations where consumers had an opportunity to sample KRAVE jerky’s four launch flavours.

The KRAVE jerky launch is supported by a full toolkit of dedicated merchandising solutions. Retailers can anticipate driving sales through half-pallets, prepacks and premium trays. Secondary merchandising vehicles are also available, including clip strips and wire racking units – all with a premium look and feel.

KRAVE jerky is the 2016 launch that retailers can’t miss out on – it delivers on emergent consumer demands to facilitate continued growth in jerky.

Please contact your Hershey Sales Representative at 1-800-268-1301/1-800-361-8245 (Quebec) or your Wholesale Representative for further information on KRAVE jerky.

 

Sources:

1. 1. Snacking beyond the Snacking Aisle: How to take a bite out of Canada’s snacking demand – Nielsen 2015


2. 2. Broader Snacking includes: Refrigerated, Frozen, Confectionery, Salty snacks, Cookies/Crackers, Desserts, Fruits/Nuts, Nutritious portable, Dips/Salsa