Foodservice in the c-store has fast become a desirablesegment in the eyes of the consumer. Because of that, operatorsare left with the challenge of providing a tasty, satisfyingmeal without sacrificing the speed and convenience thatcustomers expect everytime they enter the store. The demand forsuch a quick, yet high-quality product has opened up an opportunityfor retailers to expand their grab-and-go offerings, and Sara LeeFoodservice is helping retailers maximize profit potential by introducingits Stuffins line of hand-held products.

Stuffins is a new line of hand-held snack or meal solutions featuringsix different varieties. The Sara Lee line features three real fruitfillings—blueberries and cream cheese; strawberries and creamcheese; or apples and pecans—inside a fluffy pancake wrapping.Stuffins by Jimmy Dean feature a golden pancake wrapping filledwith three delicious choices: bacon, egg and cheese; sausage, eggand cheese; or ham, egg, cheese and bell peppers. Sara Lee developedthese six profiles from testing that proved their popularity, usingthe top-selling flavors for both the sweet and savory varieties.

Research Makes Perfect
Sara Lee developed the six varieties to help retailers capitalize notonly on the popularity of handheld foods, but also the boom of themarket’s two fastest-developing segments.

“Breakfast and snack dayparts are thetwo most rapidly growing segments,” saidMelanie Bandari, senior project manager,bakery, for Sara Lee. In fact, in 2006, 50% ofthe traffic growth that came from the quickservice restaurant (QSR) segment stemmedfrom the breakfast daypart. Because of that,Sara Lee developed these six varieties, allof which appeal to both the breakfast andsnacking crowds.

“Approximately 20% of all meal occasions fallinto the ‘snacking’ category,” Bandari added. Thefruit-filled, pastry-like sweet flavorsoffer retailers a wayto use Stuffinsby SaraLee tocomplement all of their dayparts, even during the hours when consumerswouldn’t typically look for a sweet product. “The ‘snacking’segment, when consumers are looking for both sweet and savoryoptions, presents a really compelling and significant opportunity foroperators, especially when it’s tied along to the breakfast segment,”said Bandari.

It’s Not Just What’s on the Outside that Counts…
When developing Stuffins, Sara Lee wanted to create a productthat not only appealed to everyone, but also was unique. Sara Lee’sbakery team developed Stuffins using a concept similar to the wrapor a burrito, leaving an opening at the top to allow the consumerto view the fresh, great-tasting fillings within. While the wrap conceptmay be tried and true, Stuffins ups the ante by bringing somethingdifferent to the table.

“When we were evaluating what type of concept to use in creatingthe wrap, we didn’t want to use a typical tortilla,” said Bandari.“We wanted to offer consumers a unique approach to a wrap—andprovide peel ‘n eat packaging that would make it easy to enjoy.” Thisled to the creation of the pancake wrap that contains the warm fillingsinside Stuffins. “With Stuffins by Sara Lee and Stuffins by JimmyDean, we’re offering consumers the perfect breakfast or anytimesnack—and c-store operators a hot, convenient meal solution,”said Bandari.

Stuffins offer retailersa simple way toenhance their offering.The products come frozenand require only a minutein the microwave beforethey can be displayed ona countertop warmer forup to four hours. Bandarisaid the popularity of Stuffinscomes from having a hotand ready-to-go productfor the consumer to grabbefore startinga busyday.