
Nolechek's Kicks Off 2020 Strong at San Francisco's Fancy Food Show!
Nolechek’s is starting off 2020 with a trip to San Francisco, where the Specialty Food Association is hosting the Winter Fancy Food Show! We’re traveling with the team from Marieke Gouda to our first ever trade show and we couldn’t be more pumped. This show is a HUGE trade-only event where 1400+ exhibitors from around the globe gather to showcase 80,000+ specialty foods and beverages. This is the largest marketplace on the west coast and more than 44,000 people are expected to attend.
The Specialty Food Association
Nolechek’s became a member of the Specialty Food Association (SFA) in December 2019. The SFA is a membership-based trade association founded in 1952 that represents over 3,500 businesses. Members include specialty food artisans, purveyors, importers and entrepreneurs. It connects these members with distributors, retailers, and others involved in the specialty food trade.
The application was lengthy and involved discussing Nolechek’s history, vision, mission, and more. We provided references, testimonials, and marketing information. The final requirement was to submit up to five products for review; we sent Hickory Smoked Honey Cured Bacon, Kishka, Jaternice, and Liver Sausage. Notice how that was just four products? Now that we have our Hickory Smoked Natural Uncured Bacon perfected and ready for sale, we plan to submit our fifth product.
Back to the Fancy Food Show
We can’t wait to debut and sample our new and delicious product, Hickory Smoked Natural Uncured Bacon at the 2020 Winter Fancy Food Show. This TRUE NO NITRITE bacon uses a Mediterranean blend of fruit and spice extracts, along with yeast to replace the nitrite and phosphate. This alternative approach to preservation has allowed us to create an honest and transparent product. We’ve received rave reviews after sharing our first batch with customers and are excited to share this product with industry professionals. We committed ourselves to creating a product that rivaled the flavor, aroma, and quality of our Traditional Hickory Smoked Honey Cured Bacon and are proud to say that we succeeded. Partnering with Marieke Gouda at the Fancy Food Show is a no brainer. Their team has experience at food shows, and can you say BACON GOUDA? Sampling Nolechek’s true no nitrite bacon is the perfect opportunity to showcase a premium product. And moving into 2020, we are making plans to cook the first batch of our new true no nitrite bacon for Marieke Gouda’s Bacon Gouda!
And if there’s room in our luggage we’ll pack some Special Reserve Hard Salami and Beef Brisket Strips. What better product to showcase Marieke Gouda’s selection of internationally recognized Gouda?
Beyond the Fancy Food Show
Our goal for the Fancy Food Show is that doors will open that allow Nolechek’s to learn about opportunities to move into markets beyond our current availability. A goal of Nolechek’s over the past 6 years has been to find a distributor or buyer outside of Wisconsin. Our product is crafted for individuals who appreciate premium products with a story that spans four generations and it’s time to expand our reach. We believe in what we do and are dedicated to catering to customers who are willing to travel to enjoy our product, or those local customers that believe in supporting a small, family business. Telling our story and connecting with people is part of the journey to achieving our goals. We are excited to move into 2020 doing just that; a new year, a new decade, and new adventures.