Everything about the world today is fast-paced, but the current foodservice landscape seems to be moving at lightning speed. With consumers being exposed to more global flavors and intricate cooking methods and skilled labor being harder and harder to come by, the need for innovative and high-quality proteins has never been in higher demand. 

To dig deeper into the topic of product innovation, we sat down with Blake Flores, the director of marketing for the Foodservice division at Hormel Foods. Flores recently led the innovation team through several successful and groundbreaking product launches. We discussed why the need for innovation in the foodservice industry is so important, what made his most recent projects stand out and how inspiration comes from everywhere and everyone – from operators to the direct sales team. 

Asking Why and What If

“Inspiration can come from anywhere,” reflects Flores, “If we’re not learning from our operators’ experiences, we’re learning from our own. Global flavors continue to trend, so digging into regional cuisine worldwide has been an exciting endeavor.” But innovation is not always about evaluating trends and solving obvious problems. “Sometimes you really evaluate how the back-of-house is running and explore problems they might not even know need fixing. Always asking ‘why’ and ‘what if’.” 

One recent product innovation that shows off this way of thinking is the HORMEL^® Ribbon Pepperoni. “Why do pepperonis need to be round?” Flores asked before working with his team to create the ribbon-sliced product. “We’re introducing a familiar ingredient that can be utilized in new and innovative ways in your kitchen, giving favorite dishes new texture and dimension.” 

“Inspiration can come from anywhere.” 

We Innovate for Your Customers

The restaurant industry is saturated with options. Consumers of all ages are looking for quality and excitement when choosing where to dine, placing special emphasis on atmosphere, entertainment and social media appeal.¹ The easiest way to appeal to consumers’ ideals? Offer something new, something they’ve been craving and something not everyone has on the menu. 

Of course, we understand that this is easier said than done. Let’s look at the current fried chicken sandwich phenomenon. Since early 2018, Google searches for “fried chicken sandwich near me” have skyrocketed, overtaking burger searches and causing what is currently referred to as the “fried chicken wars.”² 

However, operators were quick to express that adding the highly-requested fried chicken sandwich to their menu came with almost more pain than gain in terms of labor and execution. But leaving a fried chicken sandwich off their menu entirely meant losing out on a huge trend that customers were willing to pay for. That’s when the team had the idea for FLASH 180^TM Battered Sous Vide Chicken. 

“The fact that Hormel Foods wasn’t in the fried chicken industry helped,” says Flores. “We didn’t have decades of traditional pre-fried and frozen chicken breast manufacturing weighing down our decision-making—we were free to solve the current challenges of the fried chicken breast process.”

Invaluable Operator Insights

“Our deep understanding of operators’ pain points and needs helps us dial in our innovative efforts,” Flores shares. “Our direct sales team is our biggest advantage out there when it comes to new ideas. They relay boots-on-the-ground data and experiences that a data report can’t replicate.”

“Our deep understanding of operators’ pain points and needs helps us dial in our innovative efforts.”

As the sales team reports back on their experiences, the innovation team is able to concept, research, develop and test possible new products. “The whole process usually takes around two years to complete,” continues Flores. “But if the conditions are right, we’ve developed a new product extension in as little as 17 weeks.” Flores is referring to the HORMEL^® FIRE BRAISED^TM Eye Round, a product extension of the HORMEL^® FIRE BRAISED^TM Meats line that was specifically asked for by an operator. 

Thanks to operators trusting our team with their experiences, excitement and concerns, we are able to work quickly to discuss the vision and needs for products directly and create them with a quick turnaround. This goes far beyond just an operator’s vision – our team will also relay any challenges an operator has concerning optimizing product resources, performance, safety or efforts on the line. 

As consumers continue to seek new food experiences, the team at Hormel Foods is hard at work making sure our innovations match operator needs as much as they do consumer desires. “Success comes when we solve operator pain points. Seeing them thrive thanks to our work is when I feel a true sense of accomplishment.” 

1 Simplot. State of the Consumer: How Dining Habits Are Changing. 2024
2 “Chicken Sandwiches Near Me” and “Burgers Near Me,” Google Trends. 2024

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