Meat + Poultry - February 2016 - 37

"Sausage is supposed to be the leftovers -
the trim and the pieces that didn't make it. You
grind them up and put them in a casing. But I
don't do that here," he says.
People want to feel good about what they
eat, Dixon says. "A lot of people tell me how
much weight they have lost from eating our
chicken sausage," he adds.
There are also a few older customers who
have told Dixon his sausage is too lean, but
Dixon isn't about to fatten up his offerings.
In its report, Mintel noted that 45 percent of
consumers cited fat as a concern when making
a purchasing decision, followed by sodium,
preservatives and calories. "This indicates
there are opportunities to present products
that are healthier, but they must taste good in
order to be well received," Mintel concluded.
Dixon agrees, if it's lean, it has to be
flavorful. While the base proteins of his
sausage are low fat, Dixon believes that other
ingredients, such as fruit, cheese, bacon and
veal, add moisture to the formulations.

FLAVORS AND FORMULATIONS

sales of $9.6 billion. That number comes on the
heels of 18 percent growth between 2009 and
2014 to estimated sales of $8.7 billion.
"Addressing consumer health concerns
through more natural products, fresh
presentations, and satisfying the need for
variety through ethnic and innovative flavors
has helped encourage consumers to purchase
again," according to Mintel.
Health, freshness and variety are factors that
Dixon has addressed at Gibbs Butcher Block
for several years. He touts the leanness of the
sausage, noting that he only uses 90 percent
lean pork and all-white, skinless chicken.

Jim Dixon displays four
versions of his colorful and
flavorful gourmet sausage.
Dixon has formulations for
300 different sausages.

"A lot of people
tell me how
much weight
they have lost
from eating
our chicken
sausage."
- JIM DIXON

Dixon, who formerly worked in the restaurant
industry, says many of his sausages originated
from restaurant menus that offered such dishes
as chicken piccata, chicken parmigiana and
veal marsala.
"Items like that translate well as ingredients
into sausage," adds Dixon, who sells most of
his varieties for $5.99 a pound.
While Dixon doesn't study food trends
earnestly, he stays abreast of what flavors are
popular. For instance, knowing that hot and
spicy is in favor, Dixon offers several versions
of sausage dedicated to that category, including
Trinidad scorpion chili, Carolina reaper and
jolokia (ghost pepper) chili, among others.
"It's getting hotter and hotter," Dixon says,
literally and figuratively, of the spicy trend.
Some varieties are based on popular
sandwiches, such as the original reuben griller
sausage, which combines cooked corn beef,
Swiss cheese and a touch of sauerkraut. Others
are based on Asian and Mexican dishes, such
as chicken cashew stir fry and bean burrito
sausages.
Dixon says his fruit-flavored sausages,
including blueberry, cherry, peach mango
and strawberry banana, have also gained
a following. The key is to achieve a
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