When I’m at the grocery store and looking to pick up some frozen burgers to keep in the freezer, a couple names are at the top of my mind. Bubba Burger and Birchwood Foods are the ones I’m the most familiar with. Cardinal surely would be on the list if I had moved north into Canada instead of south into Georgia when I left Chicago in 2006. But Ball Park? That’s a hot dog brand, of course.
 
Except it’s not just a hot dog brand anymore. The brand has expanded into the freezer with a line of frozen fully cooked burger patties. It’s far from the only one, of course. Johnsonville has entered the freezer case as well with Johnsonville Grillers, a line of sausage patties. The aforementioned Bubba Burger has expanded from frozen burgers into steaks, pork chops and pulled pork. Lloyd’s, which I know from its red tubs of shredded barbecue meats, also sells racks of ribs.
 
Look through any grocery store and you will find plenty of products that have expanded from their core items to new products in other aisles in the grocery store. Children’s cereals have moved into snack bars and yogurt. Ice cream flavors feature beloved candies and cookies as ingredients.
 
A brand name is a valuable thing when it has a high degree of consumer trust behind it. If you get a loyal consumer base, those shoppers who love your sausages may take a chance on your lunch meat or your prepared meals. People who love your pulled pork may give snack sticks or jerky a try if it’s under your brand. Whether they buy the product over and over will depend on quality, of course. But don’t be afraid to take a chance on something new.
 
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Sam Gazdziak