Jackson & Partners, founded by former MLB and NFL superstar Vincent “Bo” Jackson, is realizing success with its seafood, meat, and plant-based analog products.
The company’s fourth-quarter sales are expected to exceed forecasts by 40 percent due to a large influx in retail and foodservice contracts, according to Jackson & Partners Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Alexander Cook.
The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.A,-based multinational food and beverage manufacturing company operates nine brands producing beef products, appetizers, and plant-based products - but seafood is its sweet spot. In addition to its All-Star Signature Sideliners shrimp meals and Pro Crab, Jackson & Partners recently launched Veteran Strong Dips. Dip flavors include Buffalo Blue Crab, Spicy Lobster, and Smoked Mahi.
“Pro Crab, Veteran Strong Dips, and Signature Sideliners Shrimp all outperformed projections in both foodservice and retail,” Jackson & Partners Regional Sales Midwest Manager Michel Picard told SeafoodSource. The lines are marketed in both the United States and Canada.
The company’s new Veteran Strong Seafood Dips are manufactured by disabled vets in the company’s Florida-based plant. Proceeds from the products are donated to Hire Heroes, an organization that helps disabled vets and their families.
“My values in the food industry are the same as they were when I was playing sports. I put my all into everything I do,” Jackson said in a press release. “I make sure my products have a sustainability and social responsibility aspect to them.”
Jackson & Partners also sells Veteran Strong burgers, along with plant-based lines Gotcha! Yes, It’s Plant Based, The True G.O.A.T., and Tiger Seed.
The company is also expanding its plant-based private label Gotcha! products into the seafood category. In the near-future, numerous plant-based seafood, dairy, snack, and drink products will come to market under its Gotcha! brand, according to the company.
Meanwhile, Jackson & Partners’ 4-Star Best Aquaculture Practices-certified All-Star Sideliners Indian Farm-Raised Shrimp is expanding its footprint into retailers throughout the U.S., President and CEO Jackson told SeafoodSource earlier this year.
“We are very excited to showcase the quality, the care, and attention that we put into our All-Star branding and also into the expansion of this line into other value-added shrimp items,” he said.
The company has exclusive shrimp supplier relationships with “five of the most-responsible companies in India,” Jackson said. Its Pro Crab brand features pasteurized blue crab meat from Mexico and blue swimming crab meat from Southeast Asia.
The company’s products are available in major retail outlets and the company also provides private-label goods for some of the country's largest grocery chains and foodservice distributors.
Investors in Jackson & Partners include entrepreneur Kevin Harrington of Shark Tank; Larry Wert, past president of broadcast media for Tribune Media and NBC; and Richard Brown, the chairman of Browz, LLC, and former chairman and CEO of Electric Data Systems, Cable and Wireless PLC, H&R Block, Inc. and Illinois Bell Telephone Company.
The company also recently hired Martin Slusarz as its chief financial officer and partner. Slusarz was the senior vice president of finance at Discover Financial Services for 23 years, and held a major leadership role in taking Discover public.
“Bo has assembled a first-rate leadership team, a high-quality product line, and customer response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Wert said. “I became impressed with their product innovation and team energy. It is my honor to join them.”
Jackson & Partners creates products that fill voids in the market, according to the company.
“Research shows consumers want to feel good about how they spend their hard-earned money,” the supplier said. “Jackson & Partners’ emphasis on sustainability, social responsibility and providing the best products at fair prices fits with how today’s and tomorrow’s consumers spend and will continue to spend.”
Photo courtesy of Jackson & Partners
