The work is never truly over for one of the original stars of the deli aisle, craft meats. And as deli meat powerhouse Columbus Craft Meats has attested with its 100 year anniversary just on the horizon, the company has provided nearly a century of quality products with more innovations on the way.
The company’s legacy, Columbus SVP Sales Jay Holt recently told me, is a winning combination of the company’s core values and serious dedication.
“For the past 99 years, we have pursued our passion for craft meats with a stubborn commitment to high-quality ingredients, and authentic curing and cooking processes. Our success is driven by a deep respect for our heritage, and the culinary traditions that continue to infuse and inform our craft today,” Jay says. “We also owe our success in large part to a refusal to take shortcuts.”
Jay illuminates that this internal recipe has proven successful as reflected in the loyalty of Columbus’ consumers. Columbus believes that meat should be crafted, not contrived, and uses this shared belief with shoppers to continue expanding its high-quality portfolio in both cured and cooked meats.
“We have refreshed our look, and continue to roll out new products that revolve around consumer trends for snacking and entertaining,” Jay tells me. “Columbus has grown almost 20 percent annually over the past three years. We never stop asking how we can improve and address consumer needs.”
In this vein, Columbus has a number of new products under way to inspire deli meat fans. The company is currently transitioning antibiotic free meat, in addition to simplifying its ingredient list. Columbus has also launched snacking solutions which have been wildly popular for Millennials, including the following:
Jay explains that Columbus will continue to evolve its company and product offerings using the same core principles of passion and commitment is what has seen the company to its 100th year, and will see the company through to its next milestone.
“Our accumulated experience demonstrates that we can successfully craft new products and attract consumers who appreciate them. This has given us a huge knowledge base which we will use to keep pushing, experimenting, improving, and perfecting our craft along with a method of amplification from technology,” Jay says.
So, how is Columbus planning on celebrating its 100 years of craft meat success? Jay tells me that the while the company can’t release any plans just yet, it has some announcements in the works to celebrate with Columbus customers and consumers who have supported the brand throughout the years.
As Columbus takes on 2017 and its milestone century year of business, stay tuned with Deli Market News for all the latest.
