Innovative Birmingham-based company creates impressive
national food industry coalition with Los
Angeles and Seattle-based
entities built on playful brand personality, breakthrough taste and
texture, skinnier carbon footprint
BIRMINGHAM, Mich., Feb. 1, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- Here's the skinny! Metro Detroit-based Skinny Butcher, a plant-based
brand launched by the former Garden Fresh Gourmet executives behind
America's #1 fresh salsa, has announced its' restaurant quality
line of Crazy Crispy Chick'n Breasts, Tenders, Nuggets, and Patties
is now available throughout Michigan at Costco Wholesale, all Gordon Food
Service outlets, and SpartanNash corporate stores. Founded by
Dave Zilko, Mike Griffin, and the late Jack Aronson (whose wife, Annette, remains
active with the company), Skinny Butcher is also offered at
independent markets via Lipari Foods' distribution network of more
than 700 stores in 27 states.
Unlike Garden Fresh's humble beginnings, at the Aronson's
struggling Ferndale restaurant,
Skinny Butcher debuted nationally in the competitive, plant-based
frozen poultry alternatives category in May
2022 at Walmart. The playful Skinny Butcher brand, featuring
a retro butcher winking impishly at consumers, was part of an
irreverent copromotion with the popular Netflix series, Stranger
Things, with the TV show's logo on the company's Crazy Crispy
Chick'n Nuggets package. The campaign went viral on social media
and was Walmart's #1-selling plant-based item throughout June
2022. Skinny Butcher then entered Midwest and Northern
California Costco locations, and expanded regionally in thousands
of Safeway, Albertsons, Gelson's, and H-E-B supermarkets.
"Skinny Butcher's successful debut on the national plant-powered
protein stage has been exhilarating, but nothing tops the feeling
of bringing our delicious, best-in-class line to market at home,"
said Zilko, CEO of Skinny Butcher. "It meant everything to us that
Garden Fresh was based in Michigan
and succeeded on our unwavering commitment to having the best
products, using the best ingredients, and creating a brand profile
that resonated with consumers in a fun, authentic way. That same
dedication drives us daily at Skinny Butcher."
The company's alternative chicken lineup originated when Aronson
adopted a vegan diet after being diagnosed with cancer in 2018, the
same time that plant-based food offerings began gaining in
popularity. Skinny Butcher is the first to use a vegetable
fiber strain Aronson discovered in Italy combined with pea protein (the industry
gold standard), a proprietary spice blend, and a special double
breading method, giving Skinny Butcher the only "Crazy Crispy"
crunch in this entire category. The products do not contain soy or
palm oil.
"Skinny Butcher has the crispiest, closest to real fried chicken
taste and texture on the market," continued Zilko. "Our exclusive
double breading process packs a crunch consumers won't experience
with any other breaded chicken or plant-based chick'n product."
The company is striving for a skinnier carbon footprint with
its' breakthrough plant-based products. The sustainability
factor compared to real chicken boasts 96% less water and 97% less
land usage as well as 86% less greenhouse gas emissions.
When it comes to connecting with consumers, Skinny Butcher rules
the branding coop.
"We've strategically differentiated ourselves with shoppers
in an instantly iconic way with our butcher who winks at them and
communicates playful information inside clever thought bubbles,"
said Griffin, Skinny Butcher Chief Creative Officer. "Consumers are
in on the fun together, and truly, fun and togetherness are the two
ingredients that make family meals memorable and special."
Zilko created a national coalition of world class food
development and manufacturing entities when it became evident that,
due to the progression of Aronson's illness, Jack would be unable
to oversee operations as he did at Garden Fresh. Skinny Butcher is
an equity partner with Los
Angeles-based Golden West Food Group, which exclusively
manufactures its products and shares sales responsibilities. The
company also accepted an eight-figure investment from Seattle-based Valor Siren Ventures, proceeds
of which will be dedicated to promotional activities.
According to a Midwest broker for Costco, Skinny Butcher is "the
best plant-based chicken item featured to date." The company's
eight count, two-pound box of Crazy Crispy Chick'n Breasts at
Costco retails for $13.99. The
suggested retail price for Skinny Butcher Crazy Crispy Chick'n
Nuggets, Tenders, Patties, and Breasts packages in conventional
retail stores is $5.99.
For more information about Skinny Butcher and its sustainable,
plant-powered protein products, visit skinnybutcher.com.
About Skinny Butcher
Metro Detroit-based Skinny Butcher LLC is a national
plant-based protein company committed to sustainability offering a
breakthrough line of poultry-alternative products available at
retail outlets. Visit www.skinnybutcher.com.
About Golden West Food Group
Golden West Food
Group (GWFG) is a premium manufacturer of food products with
headquarters in Vernon, California. GWFG offers thousands
of products nationwide to a variety of customers in Foodservice,
Military, Private Label and Retail Channels including Grocery, Club
& Mass Merchant.
Contact: Whitney McGoram / CKC Agency
whitney@ckcagency.com / 202.525.0606
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SOURCE Skinny Butcher