Meat snacks prove a hearty seller in convenience stores. The category was up 6.1% for the 52 weeks ending Nov. 23, 2019, in all U.S. outlets including c-stores, compared to the previous year, according to Greg Doonan, communications manager at research firm Nielsen. Jerky sales didn’t quite keep up with the category as a whole, but still grew at a respectable 3.1% clip over the same period.
Yet, despite the muscle over the long haul, the winter months can pose a challenge for many c-store categories, including meat snacks.
This time of year brings a sales dip in the meat snacks category, said Scott Zaremba, owner of Lawrence, Kan.-based Zarco USA, which operates two convenience stores. “This is our normal trend. From now through the end of February, we’re flat. Happens every year — like clockwork.”
For Joseph Bickham, president of the five-store Fuel City chain in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, part of the category dip is due to the traveling season.
“I would say that during the summer, that’s just typically when people spend more time on the road,” he said. “It’s a great road snack.”
But with savvy maneuvering, c-store retailers can still maximize results in the category.
For example, this time of year, Bickham drives sales by consolidating his meat snacks display into about four feet of space — focusing his efforts on showcasing the top movers for the season. But he also repositions the display in a key location.
“We’ve given it priority,” he said. “So we do put it up in the front of the store so everyone sees it.”
Traditional Tastes
While exotic flavors and proteins can move briskl in the summertime — “We’ve sold ostrich jerky before,” said Bickham — this time of year, the mainstays keep the category solid.
What are those mainstays?
“It’s probably the traditional, like a four-ounce pepper stick,” Bickham said. “Then second, I’d say teriyaki. Then maybe third, like a habañero. We’re in Texas; we like our spice.”
Zaremba echoed that assessment. He said that traditional and teriyaki are his top sellers.
In general, meat snacks appeal to customers because of their low-fat, no-carb and no-sugar profile, Bickham said. “It’s always been a healthy alternative.”
Both retailers see beef sticks and standard peg bags selling well. Bickham is also seeing success with variety protein packs.
“There’s a (three-protein) pack we do really well with,” he said. “I would say that it’s the growth in that category for us. (It) would include almonds, cheeses and then some meat snacks.”
Local Items
Still, incorporating some unique items — including local products — can add excitement in the category.
While Fuel City carries the big national brands, it carries local products, too. Fuel City has found success with local products from a supplier out of Waco, Texas, that cures its own meats.
“Across all categories, (even) with the prepared foods, I think folks really love buying local,” said Bickham. “We love offering local.”
Zarco USA tried to make its own jerky at one point, Zaremba said. “We started to do some of our own, and then we backed off of it because we couldn’t get our product quality or day-to-day consistency.”
Though, he wouldn’t rule out trying again. “We might ramp that back up into the early summer.”
Flavor is still growing in the segment, said Bickham. And while Fuel City isn’t afraid to try a selection of varied flavor options, it’s hit or miss. Some do really well, he said. But certainly not all of them.
Slow season or not, market consultant Mordor Intelligence, in its “Meat Snacks Market-Growth, Trends and Forecasts” report, projected that the category is set to grow at a 9% pace between now and 2024.
That’s a solid performer — no matter how you bite it.