Well-Schooled

To paraphrase Dr. Seuss, “Consumers are consumers, no matter how small.”

At least that was the thinking of the team at Hormel Foods. The company recently created and launched SKIPPY^® P.B. & Jelly Minis, ready-made PB&J sandwiches that are meeting the approval of one of the toughest crowds around: kids.

Undaunted, members of R&D, consumer insights and more sought out expert input and feedback from local students. It was a strategy grounded in practicality. Elementary school kids in and around Austin, Minn., came through in a big way on the development of the award-winning SKIPPY^® P.B. Bites a few years ago. They came through in a big way this time, too.

“They’re open and honest,” said Stephanie Swift, a consumer insights analyst who works on the project. In other words, they don’t spare your feelings, nor do they worry about obstacles to their desires.

Hormel Foods employees were looking for that brand of unvarnished truth two years ago when SKIPPY^® P.B. & Jelly Minis were still in the R&D phase. They sat down for lunch with about 30 second-graders. True to form, the kiddos didn’t hold back.

“We took a lot of their feedback to heart,” Swift said.

The resulting product is a round, soft bakery-like bun filled with SKIPPY^® creamy peanut butter and strawberry or grape jelly. (There’s an option with whole-grain bread and natural peanut butter spread as well.) Each pouch contains two minis. They’re versatile and portable, features that appeal to today’s busy families.