Business Opportunities Weblog

October 1, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 2 Comments

Miami Herald:

At first blush, one might assume the popularity of pickled pigs feet — a sour, bony, gelatinous food — has waned in recent decades as the array of munchies has grown. Unlike chips, dips and buffalo wings, they have yet to earn a space on the traditional Super Bowl party platter.

But Jonathan Foster, 31, and Timothy Foster, 28, who moved to South Florida last summer, know better. The clean-cut pair traded in their respective jobs as a financial analyst and investment advisor to take over the family business for a good reason.

SW Red Smith has been been pickling sausages, eggs, pickles, pig knuckles and feet at a profit, or close to it, for more than 60 years. Shoppers throughout Florida and southern Georgia, where the products are principally sold, will recognize the company’s blue and red labeled products, which depict a smiling, seemingly inebriated sausage dressed in tux and top hat.

The brothers’ plan is to infuse new life into the operation they’ve adopted from their father and their uncle, leveraging a sense of humor and apparent curiosity in their product to spur sales. But just how to get people eating more pickled meat snacks could prove challenging.

Photo by J. Albert Diaz/Miami Herald Staff.

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Tags: Food, Niche, Success