During a Nov. 23 call with the media to discuss its Q4 performance and fiscal 2015 year, Donnie Smith, Tyson Foods president and CEO, sang the praises of how the company has benefitted from the 2014 acquisition of Hillshire Brands Co., especially in the area of new product innovations. One of the products he mentioned specifically was the launch of Jimmy Dean brand bacon at retail, slated for early 2016, but already available in some markets.
“Of course we have Wright Brand bacon, which is our premium, stack-pack, thick-cut bacon, and we also have Tyson bacon, which is a very good quality, mainstream product with a loyal following,” Smith said. “But we see room to expand loyalty for a premium, L-board bacon behind the Jimmy Dean brand, bolstered by our deep capabilities in sourcing, making and selling bacon. Positioning Jimmy Dean in the bacon category is a great revenue synergy that came out of the integration of Tyson and Hillshire.”
According to a spokeswoman with Tyson’s innovation team, Jimmy Dean Bacon is available in Hickory Smoked and Applewood Smoked profiles and was initially distributed in 2015 in the Northeast, Dallas-Fort Worth, Florida and Phoenix-Tucson markets. The products are now available to ship nationally, she said.
The product is positioned to compete with other 16-oz., premium-category bacons at retail targeting families considered heavy bacon users who consider bacon a key ingredient for many occasions.
