Metro Detroit-based Skinny Butcher has announced its’ restaurant quality line of Crazy Crispy Chick’n Breasts, Tenders, Nuggets, and Patties are now available throughout Michigan at Costco Wholesale, all Gordon Food Service outlets, and SpartanNash corporate stores.
Founded by Dave Zilko, Mike Griffin, and the late Jack Aronson (whose wife, Annette, remains active with the company), Skinny Butcher is also offered at independent markets via Lipari Foods’ distribution network of more than 700 stores in 27 states.
Unlike Garden Fresh’s humble beginnings, at Aronson’s struggling Ferndale restaurant, Skinny Butcher debuted nationally in the competitive, plant-based frozen poultry alternatives category in May 2022 at Walmart.
The playful Skinny Butcher brand, featuring a retro butcher winking impishly at consumers, was part of an irreverent copromotion with the popular Netflix series, Stranger Things, with the TV show’s logo on the company’s Crazy Crispy Chick’n Nuggets package.
The campaign went viral on social media and was Walmart’s #1-selling plant-based item throughout June 2022.
Skinny Butcher then entered Midwest and Northern California Costco locations and expanded regionally in thousands of Safeway, Albertsons, Gelson’s, and H-E-B supermarkets.
The company’s alternative chicken lineup originated when Aronson adopted a vegan diet after being diagnosed with cancer in 2018, the same time that plant-based food offerings began gaining in popularity.
Skinny Butcher is the first to use a vegetable fiber strain Aronson discovered in Italy combined with pea protein (the industry gold standard), a proprietary spice blend, and a special double breading method, giving Skinny Butcher the only “Crazy Crispy” crunch in this entire category.
The products do not contain soy or palm oil.
The company is striving for a skinnier carbon footprint with its’ breakthrough plant-based products.
The sustainability factor compared to real chicken boasts 96% less water and 97% less land usage as well as 86% less greenhouse gas emissions.
When it comes to connecting with consumers, Skinny Butcher rules the branding coop.
Zilko created a national coalition of world-class food development and manufacturing entities when it became evident that, due to the progression of Aronson’s illness, Jack would be unable to oversee operations as he did at Garden Fresh.
Skinny Butcher is an equity partner with Los Angeles-based Golden West Food Group, which exclusively manufactures its products and shares sales responsibilities.
The company also accepted an eight-figure investment from Seattle-based Valor Siren Ventures, the proceeds of which will be dedicated to promotional activities.
According to a Midwest broker for Costco, Skinny Butcher is “the best plant-based chicken item featured to date.”
The company’s eight-count, two-pound box of Crazy Crispy Chick’n Breasts at Costco retails for $13.99.
The suggested retail price for Skinny Butcher Crazy Crispy Chick’n Nuggets, Tenders, Patties, and Breasts packages in conventional retail stores is $5.99.
For more information about Skinny Butcher and its sustainable, plant-powered protein products, visit skinnybutcher.com.