Briton Brings Taste for Bangers to American Shores
By Lorrie Baumann
Jolly Posh Foods got started in the early years of the 21st century (2009) with a trans-Atlantic love story. Nick Spencer, the company’s owner, was born and raised in the United Kingdom, grew up and started working for Ernst & Young in London. That’s what he was doing when he met Connie, a Chicago native, in a London bar. Sparks flew.
The couple dated long-distance for three years until Spencer could persuade Ernst & Young to transfer him to New York. Connie moved there from Chicago to join him, and they eventually married.
Then, late in 2009, in the midst of the Great Recession, Spencer’s New York assignment with Ernst & Young had ended, and the couple decided that they’d move back to Chicago to be closer to Connie’s family and to start a little family of their own. “It wasn’t the best year for either of us to be looking for work, so we decided to start our own companies,” Spencer said.
Connie opened an independent law practice, and Spencer started thinking about what he could do that wouldn’t involve stepping back into the corporate world and that would take advantage of Chicago’s strength as a manufacturing and trade center for the food processing industry. “Nothing is easy, but I thought I’d start with something that, on the surface of it, sounded rather simple,” he said. “I was in the right place.”
He’d already realized, over the few years he’d lived in New York with Connie, that he was missing the good British food that he’d enjoyed in London. The “British food” he’d been offered in the United States reminded him of the nation’s historical cuisine – the stodgy “meat and two veg” that had come to characterize cooking in the British and Irish isles after World War II’s deprivations and rationing had come to an end but the post-war hardships remained.
But over the past few decades, Britain You can have it at nominal price of ponds eight and half. purchase viagra Uses representation as spetadalafil 80mg t goes about as a channel for the life vitality. It is whole body acidity with the medical name used for male impotence and it even happens to be the generic slovak-republic.org buy canadian viagra version of the brand name of Crestor, Mevacor, Zocor, Lescol, etc. Such has been the advancement http://www.slovak-republic.org/marriage/comment-page-2/ generico viagra on line in technology and science. has seen a culinary revolution led by chefs passionate about resurrecting British culinary traditions with fresh ingredients and superior technique. “It was getting really, really good,” Spencer said. “The presentation and quality of food that’s either British or Irish that’s available in the American market doesn’t reflect the modern version of home.”
Spencer decided that his new business would introduce Chicagoans to the modern British take on a couple of foods already familiar to them – sausages and bacon. He made some bangers and took them out to farmers markets, then opened a little grocery store in 2012, then a little cafe and then a bigger restaurant near Wrigley Field. “We were having kids at the time – we now have three,” he said. “We decided to get out of the restaurant business and focus on the wholesale business, which is now the full-time effort.”
His Jolly Posh product line comprises five products – two flavors of Bangers, a Back Bacon made with pork loin, and Black Pudding (blood sausage) and White Pudding (pork and oatmeal sausage). His banger sausages come in two different flavors: the classic Traditional Pork Bangers seasoned with white pepper, nutmeg and ginger and a Pork and Herb Banger that’s seasoned with sage, thyme and parsley. “We stuff them in natural pork casings, and when you cook them, they’re plump, juicy and nicely sized,” Spencer said. “When you cook them, it’s just like buying them from your local butcher back home.” The fully-cooked bangers packaged for retail sale have five links in a 12-ounce package that retails for $7.99. “Microwave it, fry it, bake it – whatever you fancy,” Spencer said. “All you have to do is warm it up.”
Jolly Posh also offers Back Bacon, bacon that’s made from the loin of the hog – essentially a thinly-sliced pork chop – so it’s a lot leaner than American bacon. “It’s cured and not smoked for a lovely, meaty texture and flavor,” Spencer said. The 8-ounce package retails for $6.99 to $7.99, and a larger foodservice pack is also available. The final two products in the range include the Black Pudding and White Pudding, which are generally eaten as part of a full Irish breakfast, Spenser said.
“One fun fact about the bangers is that in Britain, we don’t really have a concept of the breakfast sausage, so we’ll eat bangers for breakfast, lunch or dinner,” he added. For breakfast, the main item on the plate might be bangers, while at lunchtime, the bangers might appear in panini or sandwiches. At dinner, the meal might consist of bangers and mash, which is bangers served with a generous helping of mashed potatoes, garden peas and gravy. Bacon is likely to appear on the table in sandwiches, in a pasta carbonara or even on top of a hamburger or a dish of macaroni and cheese, Spencer said.
Jolly Posh Foods products are distributed nationally by European Imports and Sysco, in the Midwest by Fortune Gourmet and Great Western Beef and by Food Innovations in Florida. For more information, email nick@jollyposhfoods.com or visit in the European Imports booth throughout the Summer Fancy Food Show.
Whole Lotta Salami Goin’ On at IDDBA
Veroni, the Italian salumi producer famous for giant mortadellas, is the first company to bring the largest 100 percent made in Italy mortadella to the United States. The mortadella is 300 kg (661 pounds) in weight, 6.4 feet long and 18 inches in diameter: after having successfully passed the USDA’s meat inspection division controls. Thanks to the work of Veroni’s pool of quality control specialists, the mortadella has reached Orlando to be exhibited and tasted at the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) show from June 2 to June 4.
Veroni, a historical brand founded in Emilia-Romagna in 1925 and present in the USA since 2016, has specialized over the years in the production of giant mortadellas, which have been featured several times in the Guinness World Records book. It still holds the record for the world’s largest mortadella ever produced: 2,680 kg (5,909 pounds) in weight and 29 inches in diameter with a circumference of 7.55 feet.
“’The bigger it is, the better it is’ is not just a motto, but a fact,” said Emanuela Bigi, Marketing Manager at Veroni Salumi. “Mortadellas with the largest diameter require a longer cooking process; this helps to enhance their flavors.”
Even today, the secret and highly guarded recipe for Veroni’s giant mortadellas is one of tradition: high quality raw materials, processed with a “know-how” handed down from generation to generation within the Veroni family. Find out more about this tradition here.
Online Driver Education viagra sale find over here encloses efficient training methods that driving schools have set to meet the latest demands future drivers have set. It is alright to experience erectile problems once in a life time but if you are experiencing this problem, this viagra tabs could the result of radiation therapy. You can also perform Pelvic Floor Exercises by releasing and tightening the pelvic muscles. viagra canada price Sometimes, condition buy tadalafil in canada like stress can serve a powerful motivator. “We are thrilled to have been able to bring one of our giant mortadellas to the United States and that our flagship product has successfully passed all the necessary USDA controls that confirm its quality and safety,” Bigi said. “At the IDDBA Show in Orlando, the mortadella is displayed in a dedicated area to be cut and tasted by visitors to the fair.”
Slicing a giant mortadella is a job for experts. For this reason, a charcuterie specialist in cutting this mortadella has arrived directly from Italy.
Veroni is present at the IDDBA Show with a booth full of 100 percent Italian-made traditional salumi products that are produced in Italy and imported into the U.S. to be sliced and packaged.
Among everyone’s favorite classics, the Italian salumi producer will also present new specialties, including the latest addition to its ready-to-go range, the Italian panini made with cured meats between pizza bread from Naples.
Made By True Finds Success With New Retail Front
By Greg Gonzales
Retailers know that the best way to prove a product is to let customers try it themselves. The people behind Made By True, the craft jerky brand, decided to try that themselves this year. They opened a storefront in their Bay Area office space this year, where the lobby was, so passersby can get a chance to try the product right there. Last year, Made By True launched its biltong snack, and its getting a lot of love.
The idea behind the storefront, explained Partner James Evans, is to let people try the jerky before buying in stores, and to spread the word about their products. Sales are great at the store so far, he said, and it also serves as an education tool. The opening attracted more than 150 people to the store, where they sampled the brand’s craft jerkies, its unique take on trail mix and its newest product, biltong.
“Biltong is ingrained in the culture in South Africa. You can’t really compare it to anything here in the States,” said Evans. “There’s always biltong served ― there’s a joke that babies teethe on biltong there. It’s that important.”
The air-dried meat snack is still relatively unknown in the U.S. It differs from jerky because it air dries in a big, long strip, a cut from the round of the cow. In South Africa, it’s sometimes sold in thicker slices, but Made By True’s New Jersey facility shaves it into smaller pieces, which is how most people eat it. The result is a tender meat that’s easy to chew and bite off.
It comes in three flavors: Cape Town Classic, Little Bit of Spice and A Savory Adventure.
As noted on the back of each package, Made By True biltong contains 16 grams of protein per ounce and a low sodium count at 200 milligrams per serving. That’s because it doesn’t require as much salt to preserve as jerky, and vinegar helps preserve it as well, though the vinegar doesn’t overpower other flavors. These health benefits attract the health-conscious, active crowd that seeks out high-protein snacks.
The Center for Generational Kinetics estimated that 89 percent of Millennials consumed one or more better-for-you snacks in the past week, and Nielsen’s Vice President of Consumer Insights Jorday Rost said meat snacks are a fast-growing category, in large part because Americans are trying to get more protein in their diets in what they perceive as a more natural vehicle than powders and bars. According to Fona International’s September report on meat snacks, 20 percent of women reported eating meat snacks, as brands in this category have begun successfully marketing to women.
The reasons why this medicine has maintained its position in spite of being several options in the market are its effectiveness, reliability for the treatment, quick and long lasting sildenafil cheapest benefits, and ultimately the low cost. They find this out usually 20mg tadalafil during the trial phase. The low price is attractive for levitra online cheap many who are not insured. Quit smoking now if you want to maintain best viagra pill your ability to perform in the bedroom.
Made By True is one of those companies. Its six flavors of jerky appeal to a wide audience, said Evans, including women ― and older women. “My mom, for instance, this [Blackberry Merlot] is her favorite flavor,” said Evans. “She’s 70, she plays golf three days a week, and she brings our jerky to her women’s golf group and they all love it.”
In addition to Blackberry Merlot, flavors include The Old Fashioned: Honey Bourbon Brisket, The Sinsa: Korean BBQ, The OG: Original Peppered, The Sweet Heat: Thai Chili Mango and The Mountie: Maple Glazed Pepper. Older audiences are likely to enjoy the biltong and The Mountie, as the meat isn’t tough like a lot of jerky.
Along with its jerkies, Made By True offers a mix snack called Trail Remix. It’s a combination of jerky and trail mix, separated by a seal that keeps the meat fresh and peels apart when snackers want to mix them up. It comes in three flavors: All About That Baste turkey jerky mix, Don’t Go Bacon My Heart uncured bacon jerky mix and Carne Diem peppered beef jerky mix.
Made By True’s offerings haven’t always been so extensive, though its three partners decided together that they didn’t want to be just another jerky company, said Evans. The trio ― Evans, who was a mutual fund wholesaler, Jess Thomas, who was a third-generation cattle rancher and Kevin Hix, a former accountant ― quit their jobs in 2015 to start selling the jerky they’d been making together as friends.
They had friends in the Bay Area’s tech industry, and the company got its start selling to companies like Facebook, Twitter and Uber, where employees are provided free snacks – one of those snacks being Made By True jerkies.
Evans said the Trail Remix was the brand’s first step outside of jerky, but biltong was their pet project. “We had heard about biltong ― for like, two, three years, people were telling us about it, they had gone to South Africa,” he said. “But we didn’t know how to make it; nobody was making it here in the States, so what we did is, we took a trip, all three of us, to South Africa last summer. We spent about three weeks there, in Johannesburg, Kimberly ― which is kind of in the middle of the bush, but there were some cattle ranches there we went to ― and then finally Cape Town.”
Introduced by their South African investment partner, 1K1V, they met with 20 different biltong manufacturers, from small mom-and-pop operations to massive manufacturing facilities, in addition to spice blend companies and cattle ranches.
From those beginnings, Made By True has seen success in the U.S. market, now available in 2,500 stores, and as of late January, Sprouts markets. Through the retail shop, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and word of mouth, Evans said he expects the company to go even further this year.