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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Remke Market customers now can buy Kentucky Proud Italian sausages, brats and breakfast links made by eight Washington County, Ky., pork producers.
Kentucky Heritage Meats, headed by John Medley of Springfield, is expected to sell about $250,000 worth of products to Remke in the initial phase of the partnership. Remke will sell the products under its store brand. The packaging includes the Kentucky Proud logo, which will tell Remke customers the product was produced in Kentucky by Kentucky farmers.
“This is exactly how Kentucky Proud is supposed to work,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “The producers will profit from this partnership, and they will spend some of their new income in their local communities. At the same time, Remke customers will buy these high-quality products and come back for more. I congratulate Kentucky Heritage Meats for making this deal, and I thank Remke for its commitment to Kentucky Proud producers.”
“We limit the items we put the Remke name on to premium-quality products that we think are better than the national brands,” Remke Markets President Eric Rabe said. “We are excited about the potential of this partnership. We think it’s a home run.”
Remke will offer samples of the Kentucky Heritage Meats products at its Buttermilk Towne Center store in Crescent Springs May 10-12 from noon-7 p.m. Fresh Italian sausage will be grilled from 3-6 p.m. each day.
Medley plans to expand the Kentucky Heritage Meats production facility to meet the growing demand. He and the other farmers under the Kentucky Heritage Meats umbrella will increase production and may seek more producers.
Earlier this year, Remke launched a premium salsa under its store brand that is supplied by local producer Millard Long and made from tomatoes raised by Boone County growers. The chain sold some 5,000 jars of the salsa in the first 21 days.
Remke launched Kentucky Proud promotions in its seven northern Kentucky stores last December and has reported tremendous success. The employee-owned chain sells more than 200 Kentucky Proud products, including sauces, salsas, mixes, meats, cheeses and jams.
“We have had more positive input from our customers about Kentucky Proud than anything we have done in the last couple of years,” Rabe said. “Our customers enjoy the products, but they also feel good about buying things from people in the state.”
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture and its Kentucky Proud marketing partner, Allied Food Marketers, brokered the deals between Remke and the Kentucky Proud businesses.
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