Big changes are happening for Butterball, including product offerings, consumer-friendly labels with fewer ingredients, product packaging, and new consumer campaigns – which collectively constitutes what Butterball refers to as "the biggest refresh" in the brand’s 60-plus-year history.
New Butterball product developments
While Butterball says existing retail products are naturally healthy, the company’s team has worked diligently to improve flavor and limit ingredients such as nitrates and nitrites where possible.
Butterball is introducing a brand new “All Natural” product line with no artificial ingredients, as well as expanding its “Farm to Family by Butterball” brand with both no antibiotics ever and organic products. These products showcase a new contemporary look across retail and are designed to give consumers exactly what they need from turkey – a healthy protein that still tastes great.
The All Natural products include a lineup of smoked sausage, turkey bacon, breakfast sausage, frozen turkey burgers and turkey meatballs that are rolling out nationwide. These products boast simpler labels: no hormones or steroids, no nitrates or nitrites, no artificial ingredients, and are minimally processed.
Consumers will also have a chance to taste these changes in the deli as Butterball releases a new premium deli flavor portfolio. New deli turkey breast flavors like cajun, cracked pepper and deep fried, and a new Buffalo chicken breast, all of which will be sold alongside Butterball’s signature Thanksgiving roasted deli turkey breast flavor.
“As consumers’ preferences for more natural, healthier products increase, we are simultaneously improving our products, labels, processes and ingredients to reflect what consumers expect from their protein choices,” said Butterball Chief Marketing Officer Bill Klump. “We want consumers to know exactly what is in or not in the products of their trusted turkey brand, and we let that insight drive what we call out on the package.”
New package design
Coupled with the new product lineups, the new package design makes Butterball products easier to for shop and elevates what consumer insights reveal as the most purchase-motivating product benefits, the company stated. The overhaul includes new designs on every product across the brand, prominent nutrition labels featured on the front of products, and cleaner ingredient upgrades without compromising taste.
All Natural product guarantee
Now through November 15, customers can try Butterball All Natural products with a 100% money-back guarantee. If, for whatever reason, a customer is not satisfied with their All Natural purchase, they can receive a full refund at butterballguarantee.com.
Promotional campaign launched
The upgraded Butterball products are featured across consumer platforms with social and digital promotions, and TV advertising that includes a reoccurring presence in Food Network Magazine & Pioneer Woman Magazine, as well as sponsorship of Pioneer Woman content on Foodnetwork.com and in-store video activations.
Mundt named vice president of research & development
As testament to Butterball’s company initiative to emphasize innovation to meet shifting consumer needs, Jeff Mundt has been hired for the newly created role of vice president of Research & Development and Innovation. Mundt brings more than 25 years of experience in food innovation, brand and product launches and pipeline development, and most recently came from The Hershey Company.
“We have a significant growth opportunity to build out our product portfolio through aggressive, thoughtful innovation efforts, and we need a champion to head that initiative and drive our brand,” said Klump.
Klump cites shifting consumer needs as the key driver for this renewed focus on innovation. “Our research has shown that consumer needs have changed, even among those we consider to be our core consumers. The product as we know it isn’t as relevant with consumers as it once was,” said Klump. “We created this position, equipped Mundt with a dedicated team and carved out resources with the specific focus of looking for new business that might not exist today.”
Mundt has a wide-ranging background in food innovation and extensive experience in brand and product launches, strategic planning and pipeline development. With more than 25 years’ expertise in the food and snack space, he brings a strong background leading cross-functional teams as demonstrated by his experience bringing disruptive chocolate and snack products to market, driving multimillion dollar revenue results.
Mundt holds a bachelor of science in chemistry from East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, a master of science in food science and nutrition from Rutgers University and an MBA from New York University.
