Ready-to-eat roast pork complete with crunchy crackle has proved a market hit for a Riverina-based producer which has collected a swag of awards for the product which has found its way onto millions of Aussie dinner plates since it was introduced last year.
Riverview Farms Pork Roast with Crackle recently scooped three major wins at the Australian Food Awards, including the gold medal in the Convenience Main Meals category, Best Convenience Main Meal and the Champion Australian Convenience Food trophy. It was also a finalist for Australian Product of the Year.
The product is sold cooked, hot and ready to eat, much like the hot chickens so many consumers buy each week.
Riverview Farms Brand Manager Ashley Hoffmann says busy lifestyles, evolving consumer tastes and hesitation over how to cook the perfect pork roast are some of the reasons behind the boom in convenient options like this.
“Consumers are making more frequent, smaller trips to the supermarket each week and ready-made meals and precooked products are high on the shopping list. Hot convenience foods offer consumers inspiration for ‘what will be for my dinner tonight’ or ‘my lunch right now’,” he says.
“We couldn’t shut our eyes to this change in buying behaviour, so we chose to innovate to meet the needs of the modern consumer. It’s been a huge success that has propelled Riverview Farms to a leadership position for pork in the ‘grab and go’ meals category, which we’re very proud of. We focus on innovation, service and the very best quality pork, and we are delighted by the way the market has embraced our latest product offering.”
Ashley says the success of the ‘ready to go’ Riverview Farms Pork Roast with Crackle shows that consumers are excited about products which reduce the complexity and time required to prepare their favourite meals.
“Our research overwhelmingly shows that consumers choose roast pork because of the crackle but a lot of us are too busy to prepare a roast on a regular basis. The Riverview Farms Pork Roast with Crackle is prepared and cooked instore the traditional way, so consumers can now buy a pork roast they love and have it any day of the week.”
Riverview Farms is part of the Rivalea brand family, which owns and manages the entire production cycle of its products, from raising pigs, to processing to distribution, to ensure second-to-none quality.