A mother huddled with her two adult sons around one of the meat cases at Tony’s Fresh Market in Berwyn, Ill., carefully comparing a paper ad to fresh pork products.
I’ll admit I was intrigued.
They didn’t just grab a package of pork chops and move on. They studied, discussed, compared prices and kept searching until they found the best product to meet their needs.
Of course, I couldn’t resist asking how they were choosing what to purchase.
“Money’s tight right now,” the mother admitted. “We’re trying to find the best deals, and Tony’s has the most variety.”
Their favorite treat? Pork steaks.
Earlier that week, I visited another Tony’s store in the Chicagoland area where I ran into an older woman named Loretta at the pork case.
“What are you looking for?” I asked.
She said the right amount, color and variety of pork products. Plus, it was Tuesday — Senior’s Day, where all meat is discounted 10% for seniors.
The King of Pork in Chicago
As I continued to watch shoppers of a variety of cultures and ages peruse the pork bunkers at Tony’s, I was amazed that people were not just buying pork chops, hams and roasts. They were picking up livers, hearts and snouts, too.
They literally sell the whole hog. Every week they offer a variety of pork products at a variety of price points – they know what their consumer wants and what factors are on their mind when they put pork in their cart.
This is what makes Tony’s multiculturally-focused grocery store that serves a low-income to middle-income consumer so wildly successful at selling pork. It’s no wonder Tony’s leads the fresh pork category in the Chicago market, despite other retailers being larger in size.
“Our bunkers are mainly core items and then we have our feet, neck bones, stews, some of the offals are in the upright shelves. We repurpose all of our trim into homemade sausage,” says Scott Hackbarth, director of meat and seafood for Tony’s. Read more about their approach to sell pork .
Win More Households
Multicultural consumers account for 97% of all U.S. population growth over the past 20 years. Looking ahead to the next 40 years, experts say that growth isn’t going to stop. We need to reach more multicultural consumers who already love pork and make sure it continues to be their go-to protein.
David Newman, senior vice president of market growth at the National Pork Board, says, “It’s simple. We must win more households, more consumers and more eating occasions. It’s not just about selling more pork, it’s about creating long-term demand.”
Reaching more people means focusing on younger generations and building more affinity for pork. Ashley Sampson, a millennial influencer, points out that younger generations are intimidated by pork.
“A lot of us are teaching ourselves how to cook pork at home. You have one bad experience with a dry pork chop and then you don’t want to risk that again. You want to go with something you are confident in. That’s why we need to create content that gives people confidence they can do it at home,” she says.
Get Off the Bench
Not only do we need to make a product consumers demand, but we need to expand who we are reaching with our product. There are great minds at work in this space. But I can’t help but wonder, what can you do to help? How can you win one more household? How can you sell one more package of pork chops? How can you ensure one more good eating experience?
Watch what’s happening in the pork case. Know what people look for when they purchase protein. Work with your state association to activate more pork promotions in your local grocery store.
Harness the power of your voice on social media. Maybe it’s posting your latest pork creation on the grill that you cooked to 145°F. Or maybe, like us, you’ll be serving pork at your senior’s graduation party. Keep talking about it and share it.
The opportunities to grow pork demand are there — the data backs that up. Now, it’s time we own our part to make that happen.
Read More:
Snout-to-Tail Strategy Sells More Pork in Chicago Grocery Chain
No Surprise: Prop 12 Raises Prices for Pork in California
Girls Can Grill: How It’s Inspiring Central American Consumers to Eat More Pork
