Thanasi Foods Launches "DUKE'S" - A Premium, Steakhouse-Style Beef Jerky with a Co-Branded Flavor Difference

BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanasi Foods LLC, a nationally-distributed supplier of branded foods, today announced plans to launch a premium line of innovative meat snacks called "DUKE'S™", bringing all of Thanasi Foods' premium, co-branded, and flavorful meat snacks together under one brand label.  

DUKE'S is launching with Thanasi Foods' newest co-brand ingredient partner, Kikkoman®, as a key ingredient in the DUKE'S Teriyaki Beef Jerky product.  Additionally, Thanasi Foods is introducing DUKE'S with the first nationally-distributed angus beef jerky.  DUKE'S Original Angus Beef Jerky takes the quality of beef jerky a step further by exclusively using 100% USDA approved angus beef as the protein of choice.   Both will be featured in the Thanasi Foods booth 4035 at the NACS trade show, October 6-8 in Atlanta, Georgia.

"This is an incredibly exciting time for Thanasi Foods, our distributor and retailer partners, and consumers," commented Justin Havlick, CEO and president of Thanasi Foods.  "DUKE'S is the result of our five-year product line planning, allowing us to bring generations of recipes, nationally-known co-brands, and America's favorite steakhouse flavors together under one brand line.  DUKE'S offers distinctive steakhouse-style flavors, ingredients, packaging, and most importantly a small-batch, handcrafted quality that is a stand-out against other meat snacks.  These are exactly the product differentiators that we aspired to bring to market, and we are confident that our consumers will recognize the DUKE'S difference in just one bite."  

"Beef jerky is a high-priced snack category deserving of a new, national brand leader, built on the fundamentals of handcrafted quality to grow household penetration," added Havlick.  "Knowing that a true-quality, premium brand now exists on America's retail shelves is going to keep consumers shopping the category.  Thanasi Foods is pleased to introduce the brand with our new Angus Beef Jerky and the world-famous Kikkoman flavored Teriyaki Beef Jerky.  These products round out our current steakhouse-style smoked meats line-up, which includes our popular Jim Beam® Bourbon Glaze Steak Strips, FRANK'S® REDHOT® Chile 'N Lime Steak Strips, and Stubb's® Spicy Bar-B-Q Brisket Strips."

"Kikkoman stands for quality, and represents the collective of almost 400 years of Asian sauce and marinade craftsmanship," said Mike Evans, vice president of marketing, Kikkoman USA.  "From the soy sauce DUKE'S uses, to the Takumi Teriyaki Sauce that was selected as a key ingredient of the DUKE'S Teriyaki Beef Jerky, we are proud to match Kikkoman with such a quality beef jerky brand."  

Like all of Thanasi Foods' products, the DUKE'S product line is USA-made. DUKE'S is primarily produced at Thanasi Foods Macomb Smoked Meats LLC facility in Macomb, Michigan.  

About Thanasi Foods

Thanasi Foods LLC is a privately held and family-owned, Boulder, Colorado-based developer, manufacturer, and supplier of household branded foods.  Established in 2003, Thanasi Foods award-winning BIGS®, Jim Beam®, FRANK'S REDHOT®, Vlasic®, STUBB'S® , Bacon Salt® and Kikkoman® branded snack products can be found in over 50,000 U.S. retail locations today with a growing retail share.  For additional information about Thanasi Foods and the company's products, visit the website at www.THANASIFOODS.com, www.DUKESJERKY.com, and www.BIGS.com.

About Kikkoman USA

For more than 50 years, Kikkoman has played a major role in changing the evolution of flavor in America. Today, Kikkoman is the nation's leading brand of soy and teriyaki sauce and a major supplier of a variety of Asian sauces and seasonings. Kikkoman introduced the sweet-savory taste of teriyaki in a bottle over 45 years ago.  Kikkoman now offers a family of teriyaki products, including its newest addition - the Teriyaki Takumi Collection. These thick, rich sauces put a whole new spin on the joy of teriyaki.   Kikkoman Sales USA, Inc., a member of the Kikkoman Group, is based in San Francisco with seven branches throughout the United States and Canada. Please visit www.kikkomanusa.com  to learn about Kikkoman's history, premium products, recipes, time-saving tips and more.

THANASI Foods, the THANASI Foods logo, and BIGS, are registered trademarks of THANASI Foods LLC in the United States and other countries. DUKE'S and DUKE'S House of Meats are trademarks of THANASI Foods.  All company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated.

SOURCE Thanasi Foods LLC