Friday, July 2, 2010

Bringing Europe Into The Barbecue Union

We've been off the blog circuit for the past few weeks as we've been focusing on introducing our products to Europe.  We officially kicked off our European tour with travel to Norway where we presented our premium line of Jake's Barbecue Sauce, Dry Rubs and Marinades.  This event was many months in the planning stage focused on taking full advantage of Norway's very limited summer period which amounts to approximately 10 weeks.  Our key entry location Jacobs Markets.  Jacobs is a very high quality market and grocery targeting superior service and support for its customer base.  The market specializes in delicacies we don't normally see in the United States with things such as alligator, buffalo, wild game and including whale meat along with their standard offerings. 

We focused on a two day event just outside the front entrance to the market with a long flat grill chocked full of burning white oak charcoal.  Our faire, country style cut pork ribs, ground beef burgers and Norwegian sausages. 

The crowds were amazing as lines formed around the market. Sales of Jake's Barbecue Sauce moved at a brisk pace simply by way of the extra barbecue emphasis. 

The second day saw even more people come out for the event as well as purchase Jake's fine barbecue sauces.  While there we had the opportunity to talk with customers, chefs, store managers and more.  We also shared our recipes and the great American experience of Barbecue.  Our Burgers were mixed with Jake's Barbecue Sauce, Jake's Dry Rubs and ground beef.  The ribs were marinated in Jake's Barbecue Sauce and sprinkled with our Tri-Tip, Steak and Rib Rub.  The sausages were a wonderful blend of Jake's dry rubs, ground meat, curry and cheese, a really wonderful taste. 

Following the outside barbecue we brought our operations into the market where we met with customers and discussed ways to Barbecue especially in areas where the weather isn't always the best.  As well we discussed distinct barbecue styles, methods and recipes.  The photo at the right is an image of one of the shelves holding Jake's Barbecue sauce.   Note, the pricing of items is a fair bit higher than prices in the United States.  With conversion rates a small 8 oz jar of Jake's BBQ sauce is effectively $8.00 which goes along with their outrageous $10.00 a gallon gasoline.  Now we clearly understand why Europeans prefer their sauces in small containers...simply cost.

In the coming months we plan to visit more European countries and further extend our support for the European market as we truly work to Bring Europe Into The Barbecue Union.

Jake


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