Both new pies will be packed with white meat chicken, home-style gravy and topped by a made-from-scratch crust. The new Chicken Pie with Classic Vegetables will feature corn, peas, string beans and carrots, while the Chicken Pie with Red Bliss potatoes will offer pieces of random-cut potato. Both pies will be available in three-serving, 26-oz. sizes. The average retail price for the two new pies is $6.49 each.
“That’s the same [price] as the current ARP for Willow Tree’s original top-selling chicken pie,” she added.” Since each retailer sells the pies at a slightly different price, Willow Tree uses ARP rather than suggested retail price.”
“We created our original premium chicken pie as a main entrée, with sides dishes left to the consumers’ choice,” said Walter Cekala, president. “But as family lifestyles and eating habits have changed, we decided to offer additional options for complete, satisfying meals that deliver the same high quality and delicious taste consumers have come to expect from Willow Tree. We baked a lot of pies and did a lot of taste-testing until we were satisfied that we had found vegetables and potatoes hearty and flavorful enough to be added to our signature product.”
The company plans to provide sales support through multi-media advertising and couponing campaigns, sampling programs, point-of-purchase signage and sales materials. It also recently introduced new boxed packaging designed to reduce breakage during shipping and storage and to enhance in-store display.
Last year, the company upgraded its production facilities to accommodate this new product line expansion. The upgrade also increased the efficiency of Willow Tree’s pie-making operations, allowing the company to better control costs and maintain pricing.
