洋新闻 | 好时要卖牛肉干了！Hershey dips into meat market with jerky

小粉重点节录

1) 北美最大糖果制造商好时公司2015年1月29日（上周四）宣布，将收购健康肉类零食制造商Krave 纯净食品公司（Krave Pure Foods Inc），以进军快速增长的肉类零售市场，但未透露交易价格请输入文字

2) 这标志着好时首次投资非糖果业务。JP摩根的分析员也提到好时可能开始看淡甜食的增长空间。

3) Jon Sebastiani 是Krave肉干的创建者。他的使命就是使他的肉干成为有益健康的高端食品。“我觉得这种产品已经被完全误解了。”他说，“大多数普通消费者认为，肉干是充满人工成分、含盐量高、浪费皮革的垃圾食品，只配出现在加油站便利店的角落里。

4）在美国，除了一天的三个正餐，基本上大家一整天都要“吃”不停。不少快餐厅也把握这个机会推出不同正餐之间的“零食时间”。与此同时，有一些人民也会以零食替代正餐，所以零食中的功能“自我陶醉性”（indulgence）与“充饥”（nourishing fuel）的边界已经开始模糊。而蛋白质正是美国人民需求的零食成分

Hershey Co. has a sudden hankering for protein,with plans to add jerky to its lineup. The maker of sugary treats such as Reese's, Kit Kat and Twizzlers says it's buying Krave Jerky for an undisclosed sum. Krave, based in Sonoma, Calif., positions itself as a premiumjerky with no artificial ingredients and comes in flavors including black cherrybarbecue, basil citrus and lemon garlic.

Michele Buck, president of Hershey North America, saidthe company plans to continue expanding its offerings across the "snacking continuum" through acquisitions and in-house development. Although Hersheyis already a strong player in sweet treats, the Krave deal is intended to giveit a foothold in snacks people see as healthful fuel.

The push to expand beyond impulsive sweets comes asAmericans' addiction to snacking grows. Rather than sticking to three meals aday, people are increasingly grazing on smaller bites around the clock. Thetrend has prompted Dunkin' Donuts to position its fried-chicken sandwiches as snacks, and Taco Bell to introduce a Happier Hour for people looking for a late afternoon pick-me-up.

In the packaged food universe, the nation's snacking habit is blurring the lines between what qualifies as an indulgence versus nourishing fuel, prompting food makers to market snacks with nutritional benefits such as fiber. Protein in particular has become a desirable ingredient, which in turn has helped boost jerky sales.

"We know consumers have an interest in portable and protein-based nutrition," Buck said.

Last year, jerky sales in the U.S. totaled $1.41billion, according IRI, a Chicago market researcher. That's up 13% from 2013 and 22% from 2012. Meanwhile, Hershey on Thursday reported fourth-quarter sales and profit that missed Wall Street expectations and lowered its earnings and revenue outlook for the year.

In a note to investors, J.P. Morgan analyst KenGoldman wrote that the Krave deal "perhaps indicates that Hershey is lessen amored of candy's growth potential than it previously was." He notedthat indulgent snacks such as chocolates and cookies generally underperformed categories such as trail mixes, nuts and meat snacks.

Jon Sebastiani, who founded Krave in 2009, sees even more growth potential for the jerky market by improving the category's image.As such, Krave notes that its products do not contain nitrates or artificial flavors, and that they're lower in salt and cholesterol than competing jerkies.

"It's very inviting to a female consumer,"Sebastiani said.

Sebastiani, who will continue to lead the unit and report to Buck, said Krave Jerky sales have been growing at triple-digit rates.Last year, he said sales totaled $36 million. The company's offerings are expanding, too.

Capitalizing on the desire for protein, Sebastiani said Krave plans to launch a "meat bar" this year to compete with granola bars found near supermarket checkout aisles.

Jan29, 2015
via Los Angeles Times