Robbie and Brookshire Brothers Tamales – A Hot Product Idea

Challenge:

Brookshire Brothers, a 72-store chain headquartered in Lufkin, Texas, was big in the cold tamales business. “But we were looking to expand our offerings for our customers who want their food hot and ready to eat,” said Debra Arnold, Director of Deli Operations for Brookshire Brothers.

That meant new product packaging. “We wondered what would happen if we brought tamales out of the cold case,” Arnold noted. “I knew we could sell these hot, but we had no packaging. I knew that if the customer could see the product, it would sell like hotcakes.”

Solution:

Once Arnold and Brookshire discovered the Hot N Handy® Pouch from Robbie Fantastic Flexibles, she suspected the tamales could make a successful transition from cold to hot. Robbie helped prove her hunch to be correct.

Robbie packaging engineers made a simple slug change on the existing pouch design to feature the “Fresh Harvest” Brookshire store brand. “It held up well on the hot table,” Arnold said. “The food is hot, but the customer can pick it up by the handle. The product looks outstanding in the pouch, too. It’s awesome!”

Results:

“Robbie’s printing capabilities gave us the opportunity to do so many things,” Arnold said recently about a customized Hot N Handy® Pouch for Brookshire tamales. “The gusset is black so liquid does not show. We have our UPC code, copy for ingredients, nutrition facts and branding and promo copy that says ‘anytime is a good time!’”

The new Hot N Handy® Pouch triggered an immediate 20% increase in sales over the same period a year ago.  “We are now 30 to 35% up over previous years,” Arnold acknowledged, “and I expect another 20-30% increase. Tamales are the signature item in our deli. Our goal was to do something to get the most of this product, and the packaging helped us do that.”

Robbie Hot N Handy® pouches are now also used to package Brookshire Brothers rotisserie chicken, wings, rope sausage, leg quarters and boneless wings. And a new rib bag is being customized to hold a full slab. So Brookshire is definitely expanding the use of Hot N Handy® packaging for all its hot product ideas.