Tasty Tuesday in North Wales, PA

Most frozen poultry products in grocery stores these days are loaded with salt as a way of producing the most important attribute in any food, the elusive element called 'flavor'. The Koch's Turkey Farm Cranberry Turkey Burger by contrast has just 60 mg of sodium in a 4 oz. patty! That would be the naturally occuring level, because we only added dried cranberries to lean ground turkey and left out the salt! We let the true turkey flavor shine through...just last night in North Wales, PA (north of Philly) a fan of the Koch's Cranberry Turkey Burger had her fill and raved about the low sodium content of the item.

Virginia on a cool, crisp December weekend

Richmond and Charlottesville, VA Whole Foods Markets hosted my sampling efforts this December weekend for the Cranberry Turkey burger from Koch's Turkey Farm. Great nutrition, easy preparation and a coupon helped to sell 40 plus boxes of the lightly sweet burgers at each store. A mango chutney and a honey mustard sauce played supporting roles in winning over interested shoppers.

2 great days in 2 terrific stores...

Friday in Reston, Va we had a great time sampling Koch's Organic Turkey Bacon with a side of sirloin steak! The store had a one day special on the steak, so Roger, the meat dept. manager, gave me cuts of sirloin which I sauteed along with the turkey bacon, also on sale. I put out samples of turkey bacon and steak on toothpicks to the delight of Whole Foods shoppers. The result - a sellout and many happy customers, like this man who got the last pack of organic turkey bacon...

Saturday in nearby Falls Church Virginia, another opportunity presented itself. After observing the in-store stock levels of our turkey bacon and Cranberry turkey burgers,I decided to do a tag team demo with burgers and bacon! Once again a great response from shoppers brought a sellout of not one Koch's Turkey Farm item, but two! This smiling staffer and all team members at Whole Foods were partners in my success - thanks to all!

Yes Virginia, there is a tasty Organic Turkey Bacon...

Many years ago, a wise newspaper editor at the Baltimore Sun told a young reader that there was indeed a Santa Claus. Her name was Virginia and she had only to believe in the magic of Christmas and it would be so....Santa and all.

Well, for those of you that can't believe that there is a tasty turkey bacon, tomorrow, in the DC suburb of Reston, Virginia, I'll be sampling just such an item, Koch's Organic Turkey Bacon. Stop by the Whole Foods Market for a bite and see for yourself what a great turkey bacon should taste like! You will be a believer, I promise. Repeat performance on Saturday, when I'll be in the Tysons Corner WFM in nearby Falls Church with my electric skillet at the ready.

Mutzabaugh's in Duncannon, PA

Duncannon, PA on the Susquehanna river was the sight for a holiday grocery store tasting hosted by Mutzabaugh's Market - an area landmark. Many foods were featured, but the Cranberry Turkey Burger from Koch's surprised many tasters with its light, sweet taste. The event was billed to run from 4-7 pm, but I started early and stayed busy. This was the first sale of out natural turkey burgers at Mutzy's and we look forward to ongoing sales of this and other items to the good people of Duncannon, PA.

Sunday night in the city...

It was a bustling Sunday night in the Chevy Chase, MD Whole Foods store where busy shoppers took time to taste our smoked deli breast and smoked nitrite free turkey breast. This friendly family got 2 thumbs up from their kids on the Koch's Turkey Farm holiday favorites. You know what they say, once you pass the kid test, you're in!

Turkeys in Devon

The Whole Foods store in Devon, PA had a Thanksgiving preview sampler night last week and Koch's Turkey Farm took part in the evening festivities. I sampled out terrific turkey bites as part of a diverse offering of seafood, cheese, turkey and other Holiday meal options. That's Charlene next to me in the turkey suit, doing a great job of introducing her customers to Lil' Gobblers Turkey Bites, many of whom took home a box after a tasty bite!

Weiser's Market - Akron, PA

Friendly staff at Weisers Market in Akron, PA made for a successful Friday demo of the Koch's Cranberry Turkey Burger. Shoppers showed a willingness to try something new and they were not disappointed. Store staff, including Laurie, shown in this photo, took a strong liking to the subtle sweetness of the turkey burger, with a twist - diced, dried cranberries right in the patty.

Bronze Turkeys ready for Thanksgiving

Bronze Turkeys offered by Koch's Turkey Farm "We are pleased to announce that we'll be offering a limited amount of Bronze Turkeys for the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday" said Duane Koch, president of Koch's Turkey Farm in Tamaqua, PA. He added: "The birds are rarely raised and sold in the US since most turkey growers switched to the white variety years ago. These birds are beautiful and broad breasted, raised without antibiotics and according to humane standards".

Swarthmore Fall Fest

How many more beautiful fall days can we possibly have this year? The Swarthmore Coop Fall Festival ordered up some great weather today for the Philly suburb and I served up about 150 Cranberry Turkey Sliders, one panful at a time. My propane camp cookstove did just fine, turning out 4 ready to eat sliders every 5 minutes. A dollop of cranberry sauce was the condiment of choice for the dark meat sliders, served on a Martins potato roll. My first customer blew me away when he ordered 10 of the tasty treats, but in about 15 minutes, his order was ready. He actually called me later in the day and told me the burgers were great, a comment repeated throughout the day by festival attendees.

Valley Farm Market in Bethlehem, PA

If you want to visit a great supermarket, make your way to the Valley Farm Market in Bethlehem, PA. They have a sprawling fresh produce area, as large as you'll find. (that's Alice from produce holding our turkey burger box) The meat, seafood and deli counters carry a full selection for their loyal customers. The Koch's Cranberry turkey burgers were enjoyed by many hungry shoppers and I think in the coming weeks and months, we'll be selling a good variety of Koch's Turkey Farm natural products at this fine store.

Turkey burgers and nuggets in Jenkintown Whole Foods

I just returned from a Friday afternoon demo in the Whole Foods store in Jenkintown, PA. Center of the plate offerings were Turkey nuggets and Turkey Burgers a la Cranberry. Customers making their shopping rounds eagerly sampled both items, leading to a burger sell-out and many boxes of nuggets moving from freezer shelf to shopping cart. Tomorrow morning , I'm headed for the WFM at 9th & South St., Philly. Stop by if you can and say hey to the best turkey nuggets and burgers, from Koch's Turkey Farm, of course!

Greensgrow Farm Fall Fest yields Mayoral meeting!

We could not have asked for nicer weather in the fair city of Philadelphia for the Greensgrow Fall Festival at the urban nursery and sustainable ag oasis. People streamed into the celebration site, full of plants, flowers and food where activities hummed in every corner. There was face painting, pumpkin decorating, a farmers market, music and a surprise visit from the Mayor of Philly, the Honorable Michael Nutter. I'd been cooking Cranberry turkey Burgers all day, to rave reviews, when his honor stopped by. I greeted him, told him about Koch's Turkey Farm and asked for a quick pic. He was very happy to take the time and I have yet another celebrity close encounter to share while selling the benefits of out great turkey burgers.

Pocono's demo in White Haven PA

A beautiful autumn Saturday morning and I'm at the White Haven Market in the Pocono's region of Pennsylvania. I had met the store manager, Mark, a few weeks earlier at a food show and promised him a demo when he ordered 3 cases of Cranberry Turkey Burgers. My usual set-up with a table, sign, electric skillet, cooking oil and condiments paved the way for dozens of curious customers. By days end, 2 dozen boxes were sold, with store staff particularly pleased with the slightly sweet taste and healthy nutrition they found in every bite.

Back to Basis Good Food Fest in NYC!

It was a beautiful day in the Meat packing district of lower Manhattan as the 1st annual Good Food Fest, sponsored by Basis, was held. There was a mix of chefs cooking local foods and growers, selling their products for all to enjoy. Koch's Turkey Farm thinks that any opportunity to make contacts in NYC is a good one, so a sunny Sunday in the Big apple (talking turkey) was time well spent! For more info on the local foods distributor sponsoring the event, go to: www.basisfoods.com

Mayor checks in at Koch's Turkey Farm stand at the Allentown Fair

Mayor Ed Pawlowski stopped by the Koch's Turkey Farm award winning tent at the Great Allentown Fair this week and is shown here with his son and Pam Koch Williams. Earlier that day, the stand won the "Beautification Award" as best decorated stand. Under Pam's direction, there were hay bales, corn stalks, scarecrows, pumpkins, fall garland, mums, banners and lights making for a truly beautiful tent.

The Great Allentown Fair now open through Labor Day!

Koch's Turkey Farm has a food stand at the Allentown Fair this week, through Labor Day. We're offering Turkey drums, Turkey BBQ, turkey cheesesteaks and other terrific turkey items for all to enjoy. Come join us on the fairgrounds, near the Beer Garden and Gate #8. Top music acts Rush, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, and Justin Beiber will perform at the Fair, in its 158th year. For more information, go to: http://www.allentownfairpa.org/

...then come on down and try one of our outstanding turkey cheesesteaks, with everything - best in show in my humble opinion!

AWI Food Show - York, PA

I met some great people at the York Fairgrounds this week while exhibiting during the semi-annual AWI Food Show. AWI is a regional meat, produce and grocery supplier in the mid-Atlantic to independent markets. While showing our natural turkey line, the Cranberry Turkey Burger was the star of the show and I stayed busy cooking for the attendees. Store owners and managers from NY, PA, MD and VA sampled the Koch's Turkey Farm product and several placed orders. Many of these stores are right here in our local area and it's nice to have them as customers - like the Valley Farm Market managers from Bethlehem, PA. (see pic)

Burgers, Drums and Mangoes

I ran into some heavy summer traffic on I-95 driving from PA down to North Carolina for this weeks Koch's Turkey demo's. It was well worth the 10 hour interstate effort as I had a quick sell-out of our Cranberry Turkey burgers in the Durham, NC Whole Foods Market on Friday.

For the rest of the day, I went to a tropical theme and sampled smoked turkey drums with sliced mango. I cut off pieces of the smoked drum, after heating them up in a skillet and added a chunk of warm mango to make tiny kabob bites. The sweet mango and smokey drums led to several sales of our terrific turkey drums.

If you're not busy, Saturday morning I'll be at the Winston-Salem WFM, see you there!

Sold out in Wayne, PA!

This week the great Cranberry Burger Demo show went to Wayne, PA to test the people's reaction to the latest tasty burger from Koch's Turkey Farm. It went very well, people were won over quickly by the subtle sweetness of the berry burger and a sell out was recorded in short order. It just shows you that people are willing to give a new product a chance, especially when it's healthy (low in sodium, calories and saturated fat), easy to prepare (7 minutes from the freezer in a fry pan), and tastes good! Food allergies and other ingredient issues are important for most people I meet at Whole Foods Markets and it's great to have a turkey burger that answers their concerns.

The Bronze Turkeys have landed!

A picture is worth a thousand words they say, so here you go...

These baby turkeys are crosses between bronze and white and we are growing them here at the farm for the Thanksgiving season. Antibiotic free, vegetarian fed and humanely raised, that's the Koch's Turkey Farm way.

Carolina on my mind...

This week, July 23, 24, 25 take me to the Tarheel state and the cities of Raleigh, Cary and Chapel Hill. Look for me in Whole Foods stores in those cities sampling the terrific Cranberry Turkey Burger from Koch's Turkey Farm.

Hey, it's only 450 miles from Tamaqua, PA, 'turkey central' and I already have plans to have lunch in Richmond, VA (with a potential customer) on the way. My hope is that Carolinians will respond in the same positive fashion that I've encountered in the mid-Atlantic states, so keep your fingers crossed for me and warm up your grill, here I come!

Philadelphia Force!

This weekends Cranberry Burger tasting takes me to the Whole Foods Market in Philadelphia's Callowhill area, not far from the Art Museum. On a very hot summer day, shoppers were in no hurry to rush through the air-conditioned store and enjoyed the many samples I handed out. One of the customers turned out the be the Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Chief Charles Ramsey (4 gold stars on his collar). I thanked the Chief for the work he and his officers do every day to protect that people of the city and asked him about an officer shot just the day before. He said the officer would be ok, but need a lot of rehab for his leg wound. I got a quik pic with the Chief and wished him and his officers well.

Tomorrow I'll be back in the store, so stop by and taste Koch's Turkey Farms outstanding, surprising, revolutionary Cranberry Turkey Burger - see you in the meat department!

Sold out in Vienna,Va!

Another 90 degree day, another demo for Koch's Turkey Farm. This weekend I'm in the lovely town of Vienna, Va., a suburb of Washington, DC, just a three hour drive from the farm. I parked in the sweltering lot and entered the store, where the meat team leader quickly greeted me and wished me luck. He was a busy guy, getting different cuts of meat ready for hungry weekend customers. As I set up my sampling station, I realized that the 6 cases of Cranberry Turkey burgers that were on order for this store had not arrived. I did have a dozen boxes on display in the frozen meat case, so I got busy and the delicious burgers sold out in just an hour! (See Pic)

I took a short break, 30 minutes or so, and then started cooking again - hoping that the tardy delivery would arrive soon. A few minutes later, I went to the receiving area to check for the product and was happy to find our turkey burgers were in the house! More sampling and a couple of hours later, many new customers took home the tasty patties and I was done for the day. I returned Saturday morning to spread the story of America's most exciting burger innovation - the Cranberry Turkey Burger from Koch's Turkey Farm! Needless to say, customers enthusiasm for the turkey patties was terrific and in another 3 hours, another sell out!

Final score: Fair Lakes 6 - Annapolis 5

I had a fantastic 4th of July weekend at Whole Foods stores in Annapolis, Maryland and Fair Lakes, Virginia, sampling our all American Cranberry Turkey burger! Shoppers swarmed into their local Whole Foods markets, shopping lists in hand, getting their pantries ready for holiday cookouts. Hundreds of the soon to be revelers took a moment to taste the amazing Cranberry Turkey burger from Koch's Turkey Farm - and they weren't disappointed. Among the scores of sales, there was one family that took home 4 boxes themselves (that's 16 of the 4 oz. burgers!) After the sales blitz was concluded, I tallied 6 cases sold in Fair Lakes and 5 cases sold in Annapolis. You can see from my grin that I was very pleased with the results as was Jessica, WFM Demo specialist - Annapolis.

Annapolis, MD and Fairlakes, VA for the 4th of July weekend!

Friday, July 2nd the Koch's Turkey Farm demo stand will be at Whole Foods Market in Annapolis, MD. Heading into a busy holiday weekend should be a perfect time to sample our Cranberry Turkey burgers to busy Annapolitans. Saturday the 3rd, you can catch a bite of the delicious, nutritious turkey burger at Fairlakes Whole Foods in Fairfax, VA.

Let me just say that while we gather with family and friends this 4th of July, let's count among our blessings the freedom that we continue to enjoy as Americans. The service men and women that protect our freedom are on the front line - so keep them in your thoughts and raise a glass to their courage and committment, shown every day on a desert battlefield far, far away.

Chevy Chase Local Day

Last Saturday in the Chevy Chase Whole Foods Market was dedicated to local vendors. Koch's Turkey Farm was invited and we were happy to take part in the special day. I only wish that more grocery stores would make the extra effort to reach out to local producers of meat, produce and groceries to fill their store shelves. We should all know where our food comes from and I was asked by several customers where our farm is. In the coal country of Pennsylvania, not far from the Yuengling Beer brewery in Pottsville, I told them.

My biggest little fan at the event turned out to be the cutest of them all. Kids are big fans of the Cranberry Turkey burger, and Mom and Dad do listen when the little one says "Wow, that tastes really good!" So, in closing - thanks kids - for your tasty, enthusiastic support!

Burgerblast in Baltimore!

The Whole Foods Market at Mt. Washington in Baltimore was the scene of a Koch's Turkey burger blowout today. Not only did dozens of boxes of the Cranberry turkey burgers sell in just 5 hours, but the wonderful people of Charm City appreciated the mildly sweet patties with every tastebud they had. To add to the days excitement, there was an unexpected celebrity sighting when Elena and Sophie from my favorite TV show, "Ace of Cakes", stopped in the store (to pick up a few things after work?). Sophie passed me by with barely a glance, but Elena stepped right up to my sampling station and tried the Cranberry burger without hesitation. As she walked away, I thought I should've asked for a picture with her, but the moment had passed. Oh well, I can always catch her on the Food Network http://www.foodnetwork.com/ace-of-cakes/index.html .......when I'm not cooking turkey burgers,of course! Tomorrow - on to Chevy Chase WFM!

Friday Baltimore, Saturday Chevy Chase

Tomorrow I'll be at the Whole Foods Market in historic Mt. Washington in Baltimore, MD talking turkey. On Saturday, my travels will take me down the road to Beautiful Chevy Chase, Md, home of the newest WFM in the area. At each store I'll cook and serve 400-500 bite size portions of our delicious new Cranberry Turkey Burger. My experience tells me that we'll sell 40-50 boxes of turkey burgers in each store as a result, making some hungry customers very happy this weekend. Don't take my word for it, stop by and find out for yourself - is this fruity burger the best thing to hit the frozen meat case this year? Hey, just 7 minutes from the freezer to the frying pan (1 Tbsp canola oil) to your dinnerplate, works for me!

Rockville Rocks the Cranberry Turkey Burger!

What a great time I had at the Whole Foods Market in Rockville, MD today. From the moment I arrived at about 9:30 am until I finished at 2:30 pm, all went well. Elsy and her team in the meat department were very helpful and the customers response to the samples I cooked was terrific. In just about 4 hours I sold over 4 cases of the Cranberry Turkey Burgers from Koch's Turkey Farm - on sale for $4.99 a box. People were happy to find such a healthy burger with just 2 ingredients - turkey and cranberries! The other great thing about these burgers is that they cook in just seven minutes from the time you take them from your freezer and put them in a preheated skillet with a tablespoon of Canola oil. Let's see....7 minutes, that gives you just enough time to make a salad and pour yourself a cold beverage on a warm summer day. Enjoy!

Rockville, MD this Saturday!

The Koch's Turkey Farm on the road demo show will be at the Whole Foods Market in Rockville, Md this Saturday, June 19th. Take a few minutes out of your day and sample our amazing Cranberry Turkey Burger - you won't be disappointed. A healthy low fat burger, just in time for the summer grilling season - with cranberries and turkey in every bite. Only available at Whole Foods...

Silver Spring and Bethesda Merry-land

My demo today, in Silver Spring, Md Whole Foods market went very well. People love the Cranberry turkey burger and bought the 1 lb. box on sale for $4.99. One man, recovering from a stroke, was so happy to find a ready made yet healthy burger. His diet requires him to watch his sodium intake and at 60 mg per 4 oz. burger, he was delighted.

What he told me next made me very happy and proud. Once a week he speaks to recent stroke victims and he said that his topic this coming week will be the Koch's Turkey Farm Cranberry turkey burger! Food choices for victims of stroke are not easy and to think that our burger will make his life just a little easier, well it made the whole day worthwhile.

Tomorrow I'll be at the River Rd. WFM in Bethesda, Md - so tell your friends to stop by and try the sensational, delicious and nutritious Cran babbily berry burger from Koch's!

PA Preferred - Giant Food Show

Tomorrow I will join 180 Pennsylvania vendors in presenting our products to Giant grocery of Carlisle, PA. Giant is a large chain in the mid-Atlantic area and a strongly desired customer. If you get your product in their stores and their customers buy it, you can sell a lot of goods - in our case, turkey. I will show a range of natural turkey items and cook up some cranberry turkey burgers as we approach the 4th of July. I'll also sample our new Koch's Turkey Farm Gravy - Spicy edition! The gathering will take place at the PA Farm Show Facility in Harrisburg, so if you're in the area, stop by and tell them you're with the turkey guy!

see this:    http://www.papreferred.com/

Gaithersburg, Md Whole Foods demo

There's an action shot from the demo in the Kentlands Whole Foods store in Gaithersburg, MD. I was directing the interested customer to the meat freezer, while a WF staffer took the pic.

Response to the burgers was great as I cooked them for 7 minutes at 350 degrees in an electric skillet, with a tablespoon of canola oil. Condiments included dijon mustard and 'Beltway" BBQ Sauce, a local favorite. People were very happy to see the low sodium content on the nutritional profile, since many 'processed' foods are heavy with salt. Hey, at Koch's Turkey Farm we're just making the world a healthier place, one burger at a time...

Gaithersburg, MD Whole Foods

This Friday and Saturday, June 4th & 5th I will be sampling the Cranberry Turkey burger from Koch's Turkey Farm at Whole Foods Market in Gaithersburg (Kentlands). My only aids in this endeavor will be an electric skillet, some condiments and such items as to aid in the orderly distribution of bite sized samples of the fantastic fruity burger. Low in calories, sodium and saturated fat,  this burger delivers as healthy a profile as you will find in burgerland. Stop by if you are in the area, just off Rt. 270 in Montgomery Country, Maryland - and see for yourself what all the fuss is about. It's about the marriage of diced dried Cranberries and lean ground turkey in each and every bite!

weavers way coop

I had a fine demo at the Weavers Way Coop new store in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia yesterday.  Cranberry Turkey burgers were featured as was our new Koch's Turkey Farm Spicy Turkey Gravy. This is the Coop's 3rd store and they do a great job selling our natural turkey products. Customers, who were familiar with our product line, were thrilled with the new store at 8424 Germantown Rd., that opened just 2 weeks ago.  If I lived in Philly, I think I'd join the Coop - they are a terrific bunch of people. Based on their response to the samples, I think they'll be grilling our turkey burgers this Memorial Day weekend!

test kitchen

I spent some time in the test kitchen today with 2 trial products. 1. A spicy turkey bbq featuring our smoked turkey breast and a no high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) BBQ sauce from Beltway BBQ. 2. Also we tried a stuffed turkey cutlet, with a nice piece of turkey breast and a serving spoon of cranberry dressing. Will either of these items hit supermarket shelves anytime soon? That remains to be seen, development of new items can take up to a year - but we never stop tasting and trying to come up with the next great turkey entree here at Koch's Turkey Farm!

great day in Chevy Chase!

It was a great opening day in Chevy Chase, MD today for the new Whole Foods Market. People young and old entered the new store and were impressed by the design, warmth and spaciousness of the new natural foods store. I sampled Cranberry Turkey burgers for 1/2 the day and oven roasted turkey breast in the afternoon. Both products were well received by the steady crowd. Tomorrow, I will have the same offerings, plus a Koch's Turkey Farm button to anyone that reads this post, comes to the store and says "I want my turkey burger button!"

Whole Foods Chevy Chase grand opening

All residents of DC and environs are hereby invited to the Chevy Chase, MD Whole Foods Market grand opening this week, May 18-22! It is there I will perform grilling of my own creation, the spectacular, delicious and nutritious Cranberry Turkey Burger from Koch's Turkey Farm! Tasty treats and samplings will abound throughout the store, so come one, come all - Join in the festivities!

Chevy Chase...not the actor

At next weeks grand opening of the new Chevy Chase, MD Whole Foods store, a pitchman (that would be me) will make the case for his innovative new burger, the Cranberry Turkey Burger from Koch's Turkey Farm, Tamaqua, PA. Christian Hunker will spend several hours each day sampling the item that he developed in 2009 in the Koch's Turkey Farm kitchen. A mix of diced, dried cranberries and lean, ground natural turkey - the burger is a healthy twist on fatty, sodium laden patties found elsewhere. How will the hungry shoppers react? Their opinion counts and will help determine this new burgers' fate.

Turkey Burger Invasion

Great day in DC! Whole Foods Market on P St. in Washington was the scene of a one man turkey burger invasion today. Customers were amazed by the subtle sweetness of the Koch's Turkey Farm Cranberry Turkey Burger! Menu plans in homes from NW to SE DC were altered as the citizenry returned home with the precious poultry patties. That's not all folks....Saturday I will appear in an encore performance as the best turkey burger demo man in the country...stop by and say hi and take home some natural turkey goodness!

Tomorrow and Saturday you will find me at the Whole Foods Market, P St., NW, Washington, DC. Stop by and try the new Cranberry Turkey Burger from Koch's Turkey farm. Lean ground turkey and diced dried cranberries - 2 super foods in every bite... only available at Whole Foods.

Cinco de Mayo - continued

This is me and my "A Team" of helpers today at Norristown High School. We sampled Turkey sliders, oven roasted and smoked turkey breast to the student body - and we were a big hit, making this my best Cinco de Mayo ever!

Cinco de Mayo

You will find me at Norristown High School today, sampling turkey sliders for Cinco de mayo....because everybody loves tiny turkey burgers!