- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 10-12 oz package of CharcutNuvo Organic Italian Chicken Sausage (sliced)
- 9 large – medium eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup grape tomatoes (sliced in half)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup feta
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, & garlic powder together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet to medium-high heat. Cook the sausage, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Remove the sausage and place on a separate plate.
- Add the spinach into the skillet with the garlic, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until spinach wilts.
- Add the sausage back into the skillet and distribute evenly. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over sausage and spinach.
- Pour the egg and milk mixture into the skillet, and top with cherry tomatoes. Cook on stovetop 1 or 2 minutes until you see the eggs at the edges of the pan beginning to set.
- Next, top the frittata with sun dried tomatoes. Place the skillet in the oven, and bake until the eggs are set, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Top with feta cheese, slice into wedges, and serve!
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 10-12 oz Package of Charcutnuvo Jalapeno Cheddar Pork and Bison Bratwurst (sliced)
- 2 small russet potatoes (chopped)
- 1 lb green beans (halved)
- 1 large head of broccoli (chopped)
- 2 large bell peppers (sliced)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp fresh italian herbs
- salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley
- Preheat the oven to 400F, and line a large sheet pan with foil.
- Chop the potatoes, chop the broccoli, slice the bell peppers, and trim the green beans.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, Add potatoes to skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove potatoes from the skillet and place in a large bowl.
- Add another tbsp of olive oil and the Jalapeno Cheddar Brats to the skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes until lightly browned.
- In the large bowl with the potatoes add the Jalapeno Cheddar Brats, green beans, bell peppers, and broccoli. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil on top, season with garlic powder, paprika, italian herbs, and red pepper flakes, and toss to coat.
- Spread mixture onto the sheet pan with foil.
- Bake for 15 minutes and remove the pan, Toss mixture and place back into the oven. Bake for another 10 minutes or until potatoes and veggies are fork tender.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve!
- 1 heaping cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup butter
- 1 10-12 oz package of Charcutnuvo Wild Boar (sliced)
- 1 lb cooked and shredded chicken
- 2 cups shrimp (pre cooked)
- 1 bunch celery (diced)
- 1 green bell pepper (diced)
- 1 large yellow onion (diced)
- 1 bunch green onion (diced)
- 1 bunch fresh parsley leaves (finely chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 6-8 cups Chicken broth
- Cooked Jasmine White Rice for serving
- 2 Tablespoons cajun seasoning (possibly more to taste)
- 2 bay leaves
- ⅓ tsp your favorite hot sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Make the roux: Melt butter in a large stock pot and whisk in flour until smooth. Continue whisking until mixture reaches a golden dark caramel color.
- Meanwhile heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the wild boar sausage. Continue to cook for 3-5 minutes on each side until browned. Remove to a plate.
- Add 6 cups of chicken broth to the stockpot with the roux and mix well. Add in veggies and parsley to the pot and stir well.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat until vegetables are slightly tender (about 7 minutes).
- Stir in cajun seasoning and hot sauce to taste.
- Add in wild boar, chicken, and shrimp.
- Salt, pepper, and season with garlic powder or cajun seasoning to taste. Serve warm over rice!
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 10-12oz package of Charcutnuvo Jackalope Sausage (sliced)
- 1 red onion (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 stalks celery (diced)
- 2 carrot (diced)
- 2.5 cups plain tomato sauce
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 19 oz can red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
- ⅓ tsp hot sauce
- 2 tbsp half and half
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- In a large stockpot heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in jackalope sausage and cook for about 3-5 minutes on both sides until browned. Remove to plates.
- Add in the rest of the olive oil, onion, bell pepper, carrots, celery, and garlic.. Cook until onions become fragrant and soft.
- Stir in sausage, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes, kidney beans, hot sauce, half and half, chili powder, cumin, and chipotle powder.
- Cook on a low simmer for at least an hour and up to 3 hours.
- Serve hot, garnished with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and fresh scallions!
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 10-12 oz package of Charcutnuvo Organic Hot Links (sliced)
- 2 Russet potatoes (chopped into small pieces)
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- 1 onion (diced)
- ½ cup diced scallions
- ⅓ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes and season with paprika, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook for 7-10 minutes until cooked halfway through.
- Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and continue to cook until potatoes are cooked though, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile in another skillet, heat the other tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Stir in sliced hot links and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste for seasoning, and add salt, pepper, or garlic powder as needed. Garnish with diced scallion and serve!
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 10-12 oz package of Charcutnuvo All Natural Smoked Pork & Beef Brats
- 2 russet potatoes (sliced)
- 1 green bell pepper (sliced)
- 1 red bell pepper (sliced)
- 1 onion (quartered)
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 1/2 tbsp fresh italian herbs
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Add potatoes, bell peppers, onion, and garlic into a large bowl. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle in fresh italian herbs, and mix.
- Spread potato and pepper mixture onto a large sheet pan, and add red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and italian herbs to taste.
- Place sheet pan in the preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, when the veggies have about 5-10 minutes left to roast, grill or brown the Charcutnuvo brats in a medium to large skillet until nice and browned.
- Serve hot as is or with dijon mustard on the side for the brats!
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 10-12 oz package of Charcutnuvo Chicken & Pheasant with Spinach Sausage or Organic Chicken Spinach Sausage, or a mixture of both (sliced)
- 1 lb bowtie pasta
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 8 oz bottle of sundried tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
- Pinch of Salt
Rebranding the ColoradoBiz 2015 Top Manufacturer
April 18, 2016 David C. Roth
Completely rebranding a high-profile product line that has tremendous customer and retailer loyalty is a juggernaut effort. What anchors our approach is our conviction that a brand is not a logo or a shouting of features and benefits. It’s a gut feeling you want others to have about what you stand for, how you relate to them and the impact you can have on the quality of their experiences. In other words, what makes your company and its products imperative?
My partner, Rick Bacher and I are called in to brand and rebrand many types of companies. A sausage manufacturer was a first for us, however. And boy, did we score with Continental Sausage, Inc., winner of ColoradoBiz’s 2015 Top Company in manufacturing.
Not only did we have a remarkable story to reveal about four generations of culinary artisanship, a passionate and community-focused husband and wife leadership team, a rich archive of historical imagery from the family’s businesses in Switzerland, and a plethora of industry awards ― we had phenomenal products to showcase.
It ended up being these two drivers—craveable flavor profiles that appeal to what we refer to as “modern palates” and the highest standards of ingredient selection, sourcing and production—that became the anchors for our brand strategy. Every brand touchpoint, from the name and logo to the website, package design and messaging, needed to reinforce these attributes in a bold and compelling manner.
That was a big shift for Eric Gutknecht and his wife, Jessica, the company’s CFO. They had already achieved more than a 500 percent increase in sales since they took over the business from Eric’s parents in 2003 and started selling their products in major retail accounts like Costco, Whole Foods and various specialty stores. They achieved that with a brand name and packaging that were unremarkable.
But they asked for that shift. Having recently sold their family’s deli in Cherry Creek in order to switch their entire focus to manufacturing, they felt it was imperative that their branding more accurately reflect what their company truly stands for in everything it produces, how it operates and what its mission is within the industry.
Based on our extensive brand audit, all of that got summed up in our proposed value proposition, “REDEFINING CLASSIC CHARCUTERIE,” which became the company’s new brand positioning and its trademarked tagline.
As we addressed the topic of creating a new brand name for the entire product line, we encouraged Eric and Jessica to recognize that they were producing much more than just sausages, so it seemed critical to not limit the new name to that one specific category. We made the case that sausages, bratwursts, pastramis, pâtés and all of their other products are more broadly defined as “charcuterie,” a European term that is increasingly showing up on restaurant menus and in culinary publications throughout North America.
These products are the “classics” and the varieties Continental produces are steeped in its family’s four generations of traditional Swiss charcuterie artisanship. Bringing the family’s proud heritage in line with today’s highest standards of ingredient sourcing, recipe formulation and manufacturing was a real priority for Eric and Jessica. So was their mandate to exceed the expectations of their customers’ increasingly adventurous palates, keen understanding of nutritional and dietary requirements, and strict ethical standards regarding how their food is produced.
Taking all of that into consideration, we proposed the name “CharcūtNuvo,” playing off of the two words, “charcuterie” and “new” in a playful and thoroughly modern manner. The tagline, Redefining Classic Charcuterie™ further reinforces this. The new website does so, as well, in a visually and editorially engaging manner, even though it will primarily focus on e-commerce.
When we turned our attention to redesigning their packaging, we focused on the product names. Using a black background color allowed us to make the product names really stand out in super bold, all-white typeface. So when loyal customers look for Continental’s beloved Jackalope Sausage or Mac-n-Cheese Furter, they’ll be sure to find them, even though the brand name and package design is different.
For the initial brand transition, we made sure to include an updated version of the Continental logo on the new packages, indicating that Continental Sausage, Inc. is the “Maker of CharcūtNuvo.” We also printed the two logos on all of the shipping containers and boxes, to minimize confusion among distributors and retailers.
As is the case with any major rebranding, especially with a consumer-facing product, it is critical to create dynamic messaging that results in engagement. In this case, we opted to go with a print and digital ad campaign of big, bold, whimsical text headlines, accompanied by imagery of the new packaging.
For example, one ad in that campaign reads: “Our Jackalope is Dope.” And the only other items featured on that ad are an image of the new packaging for their Jackalope Sausage product and the new logo and tagline. Another single-spot ad features the phrase, “Shar-koot-noo-WHOA!” along with a variety of products in their new packaging and the new logo and tagline. The latter ad will be featured at Coors Field, where the company’s products are featured at the concession stands.