Meat Snack Mania

In a sense, the Hormel Foods breakthrough into the Chinese snacking market started with Funky Nuts products. Marianne Pollock, director of innovation for Hormel Foods International, remembers that project well. “They were literally learning how to do it in real time,” said Pollock, a 24-year veteran of the company’s International division. “They hadn’t done anything like it before, so it was a lot of learning.”

The launch of SKIPPY^® Funky Nuts products — peanut-butter-coated almonds covered in crispy quinoa puffs — was a milestone moment for the company’s snacking portfolio. In 2017, a new Hormel Foods snack brand appeared in the aisles of Chinese retailers for the first time. It would not be the last.

They were literally learning how to do it in real time. They hadn’t done anything like it before, so it was a lot of learning for them. We all learned a lot.
Marianne Pollock, director of Innovation for Hormel Foods International, on SKIPPY^® Funky Nuts products

“Bringing a new product to market, it’s like exercising a muscle,” said Nico Hua, assistant director of marketing for Hormel Foods International. Hua has been integral to the execution of the company’s snacking strategy in China. “The more you work that muscle, the stronger it gets; the stronger we all get.”

Two years after the launch of Funky Nuts, Hua and her team introduced HORMEL^® Light Life Thin-Cut Beef Jerky to Chinese snackers, a modern product miles beyond the quality of most jerky snacks available in the country at that time, Pollock said. Other meat-snack products from Hormel Foods in China have since followed the inaugural beef-jerky launch, all well received by consumers.

“Everyone is so excited about this,” Hua said. “We are so happy with how much consumers are enjoying meat snacks. There is a very promising future in store for these products.”

Precision Products

Following the trend in Western markets, snacks in China are increasingly replacing meals. Snack sharing is also prevalent, with many Chinese consumers sharing snacks with family, friends or colleagues. Consumer preferences are constantly changing, and China is no exception. The market is continuously impacted by shifting demographics, global influences and changing lifestyles. Keeping pace with these trends requires an around-the-clock effort, and a thoughtful approach to product development.

“We’re deliberate with the choices we make about new products,” Pollock said. “It’s not, ‘Oh, I’ll just launch a product and see what happens, it’s trendy, whatever.’ We don’t do that. We work hard to understand consumers and decode what they’re looking for.”

For each product launch, the international team at Hormel Foods homed in on specific consumer groups. The recently launched HORMEL^® Bistro Salami Snack, for example, is positioned as a social snack designed to pair well with wine and other alcoholic beverages. The product was launched in 2022 and has resonated with young professional adults.

HORMEL^® Golden Salted Egg Yolk Snackable Sausage is encased in glossy packaging to maximize its appeal as a premium product.

Hormel Foods International is also reaching China’s younger consumers, who have shown interest in trying bold, spicy flavors with unique textures. Regional flavors and globally influenced tastes such as Mala (spicy Sichuan pepper) have become popular, inspiring the international team in China to develop meat-snack iterations catering to adventurous palates.

This desire for sensory satisfaction extends even beyond flavor, as there is a growing appreciation for visually appealing packaging that reflects consumer desire for premium products. HORMEL^® Golden Salted Egg Yolk Snackable Sausage, for example, is encased in glossy packaging to maximize its appeal as a premium product. This trend of packaging allure reflects a shift in the Chinese consumer mindset — one that blends traditional aspirations of success with a newfound appreciation for personal indulgence and relaxation.

Dot in the Ocean

Hormel Foods International has plenty to be excited about in China.

“I remember seeing beef jerky on the investor report the year we launched it. That gave us a lot of confidence,” Hua said. “It gives us the confidence to know that at Hormel China, we can do something new that can inspire the whole company.”

We’re a dot in the ocean at the moment, so it’s exciting to remember that we’ve still got so much more to offer and so much more room still to grow.
Marianne Pollock, director of Innovation for Hormel Foods International

And the promising reality is, the company is merely scratching the surface. Snacking in China represents a $66 billion market, presenting Hormel Foods with all kinds of opportunity for future expansion. It’s already happening, in fact, as the early success of HORMEL^® branded meat-snack products recently inspired investment in an all-new production facility in Jaixing, which will exclusively produce meat snacks once completed.

“We have a really good role to play,” Pollock said. “We’re a dot in the ocean at the moment, so it’s exciting to remember that we’ve still got so much more to offer and so much more room still to grow.”

That applies elsewhere in the world, as well, as successful innovations born in China often have potential to inspire in other international markets like Indonesia and Brazil.

“We are doing projects across the world, inspired by what our team in China has achieved,” Pollock said. “That’s what I love about my job. It’s about seeing what isn’t there, and then being able to build it out, and that’s what we want to do with snacks.”

“International is complex, but it’s actually very simple,” she added. “If you know where you’ve come from, you can design where you’re going, and if you know your consumers, you can get to the right place with the right products. And I like the direction that we’re going.”

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