Friday, July 30, 2010

Dear Premium Food Marketer,

It goes without saying that we love cheese in Wisconsin. Our state provides some of the best there is, after all.

 

Luckily for us, the people at Formaticum have created a new way for all cheese lovers to embrace their inner fromager with their new Cheese Journal.

 

The Formaticum Cheese Journal is a book designed to help you remember your favorite cheeses. It features an introduction with helpful information about cheese, information on milk types, how to taste cheese and serving tips. There are 59 pages in the journal – enough space to remember 118 cheeses!

cheesejournal1

cheesejournal2

We know that the journals are available online and at Whole Foods stores, but would argue that in addition to Formaticum’s clever line of cheese paper and labels, they would provide specialty cheese shops a great way to market their premium food products.

 

What types of food accessories could you provide to foodies to make your product more special?

 

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Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Market Premium Food with Cookbooks and Recipes

According to a July 2009 report by Mintel, 52% of the general population is dining out less because of the economy. This presents an opportunity for premium food marketers to bring their message to the place where Americans are dining: their homes.

 

Here’s an out-of-the-box idea for reaching these in-home diners: cookbooks. In today’s digital world, you might be surprised to learn that many people still use printed cookbooks.

 

In a recent Better Homes & Gardens study, cookbooks ranked as the #1 resource women turn to for recipes, with 66% of total U.S. women and 91% of BHG readers selecting this option.

 

In addition, cookbooks took the #1 spot for quality of recipes – 84% of total U.S. women and 97% of BHG readers rated it the best source.

 

An excellent example of how to market your premium food with a cookbook is The Great Big Cheese Cookbook:

 

gbcc-cover

 

Authored by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (disclaimer: they are a client), the book features more than 300 recipes all containing the most essential ingredient: Wisconsin Cheese.

 

Does your premium food product lend itself to a cookbook? What are some of your personal favorites?

 

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Friday, March 12, 2010

Celebrate National XYZ Day to Market Premium Food

Who doesn’t love a good celebration or holiday? Traditional holidays – Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc. – always draw a big marketing crowd.  Which makes it tough to stand out. But, if you think outside traditional holidays, opportunities abound for premium food marketers.

 

There is literally a food “holiday” for every day of the year.  Find the ones that best suit your brand and leverage them in your marketing efforts.

 

A great example is a campaign our agency developed for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board: April’s National Grilled Cheese Month.  No, we did not invent the holiday, but we did recognize its potential and have secured national television coverage, gained thousands of readers for an e-newsletter and secured millions in consumer impressions for this campaign alone.

000280 GrillChseEnewsRoute.indd

 

Here are just a few examples of some non-traditional food holidays to help you market your premium food:

 

January 4 – National Spaghetti Day

February 20 – National Cherry Pie Day

March 26 – National Spinach Day

April 17 – National Cheese Ball Day

May 2 – National Truffles Day

June 17 – National Eat All Your Vegetables Day

July 6 – National Fried Chicken Day

August 20 – National Lemonade Day

September 26 – National Pancake Day

October 28 – National Chocolate Day

November 14 – National Pickle Day

December 15 – National Cupcake Day

 

Once you have established which holiday (or holidays) works for you, the marketing possibilities are endless. Incorporating cohesive social media, public relations and advertising components will help spread awareness and allow you to build on the holiday each year.

 

What’s your favorite non-traditional holiday that celebrates food? Have you ever taken part in a national (insert food item here) day? Let us know.

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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Let’s Get Toasted

Part of the fun of working at a PR agency that works with food commodity boards is that we learn about quirky “holidays,” like National Salsa Month (May), National Iced Tea Month (June), and one of our personal favorites, National Grilled Cheese Month (April).

Classic Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Classic Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Did you know?

  • Americans make 2.2 billion grilled cheese sandwiches at home each year. (www.slashfood.com)
  • In 2004, a grilled cheese sandwich bearing the image of the Virgin Mary sold for $28,000 on eBay. The owner saw the likeness toasted onto the sandwich and kept it for 10 years before auctioning it on the site.

For the second year we’re celebrating this holiday and doing our best to bring awareness to one of America’s favorite sandwiches. We take it seriously, too. Last year we made dozens of grilled cheese sandwiches for happy co-workers during a staff meeting. Raisin bread, focaccia and rustic rolls were buttered and grilled. The gooey insides included dulce de leche and mascarpone, blue cheese and bacon, Fontina and apples and more. My personal favorite? The Tuscan Grilled Cheese.

If I’ve piqued your interest – or appetite – sign up for the Grilled Cheese e-Newsletter here. You’ll receive recipes and tips from Laura Werlin every Friday in April.

Are you still reading this? I thought you’d be warming up the pan by now. If you get a chance, post a comment on your favorite.

- Marlena

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Monday, March 23, 2009

Wisconsin Earns Title of Big Cheese

The 2009 United States Championship Cheese Contest wrapped up last week in Green Bay, Wis. The contest drew a record 1,360 entries from cheesemakers in 32 states.
Not surprisingly, Wisconsin cheesemakers dominated the competition, winning 114 of the total 192 awards, including 41 Best of Class awards.

The prestigious overall first prize title of U.S. Champion was awarded to one of my favorite Wisconsin cheeses, SarVecchio Parmesan from Sartori Foods in Antigo. This deliciously addictive Parmesan is nutty and slightly sweet with a hard, granular texture. It’s relatively easy to find in grocery and specialty stores (try Whole Foods), or you can order it online at www.sartorireserve.com. It pairs perfectly with honey preserved almonds and sparkling wines like Prosecco. Many top chefs are also fans of SarVecchio. Here is a link to a recipe for Wisconsin SarVecchio and Sausage Polenta, from local chef Tory Miller of L’Etoile restaurant in Madison. Enjoy!

A few other favorites that received honors at the show include:

  • Lil’ Will’s Big Cheese – This smear-ripened cheese from Willi Lehner at Bleu Mont Dairy has an earthy flavor, perfect for rounding out a cheese plate.
  • Smoked Capriko – I had the opportunity to sample this semi-hard, mixed milk (cow and goat) cheese from Nordic Creamery over the weekend at the West Allis Cheese Shop in the Milwaukee Public Market – it was delicious! The Capriko is available in plain and several flavored varieties.
  • Marieke’s Premium Aged Gouda – This is my go-to cheese. I almost always keep a piece in my refrigerator for company, or to satisfy my own cheese cravings. It’s a creamy Gouda with a nutty, slightly sweet flavor.
  • Balsamic BellaVitano – I’ve loved every other flavored version of Sartori’s BellaVitano line, so I’m sure the Balsamic won’t disappoint. BellaVitano is a hard, crumbly cheese with a sharp, full flavor.

For more information about the contest or the cheeses mentioned here, visit eatwisconsincheese.com.

- Megan

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