How Butterball expanded into national chains and drove 20% menu growth with Tastewise

Butterball wanted to move beyond simply selling more turkey and become a partner that helps operators win. But without real-time visibility into what customers were ordering, discussing, and craving, it was hard to bring anything more strategic into national chain conversations.

Using Tastewise, Butterball brought live demand signals into every discussion. Instead of guessing what might work, the team could show what was already working by market, by occasion, and by menu.

Butterball needed to show up to chain conversations with more than product, they needed proof.

• Limited visibility into real-time demand. The team lacked a clear view of what customers were craving across regions, occasions, and menu formats.
• Difficulty engaging larger chains. Without stronger insight, it was harder to participate in strategic discussions with national accounts.
• Incomplete view of chain performance. Assessing menu gaps, strengths, and competitive positioning across chains was difficult without a broader data foundation.
• Sales conversations stayed too product-focused. Meetings often centered on selling turkey rather than helping operators identify growth opportunities.

Tastewise became Butterball’s real-time lens into customer demand and chain performance.

• Real-time demand by market.  Social, menu, and consumption signals showed what guests wanted now, mapped by geography and occasion.
• Holistic chain diagnostics. Butterball could walk into meetings with a clear view of menu gaps, strengths, weaknesses, and competitive positioning.
• Customer-ready insights. The team translated demand signals into simple, visual stories that made opportunities easy to understand.
• A shift to consultative selling. Sales teams moved from pitching products to advising operators on where and how to grow.

To support chain conversations, Butterball analyzes multiple layers of foodservice and consumer behavior through Tastewise.

• Menu signals. Show what chains are adding, removing, and promoting across turkey and competing proteins.
• Consumer demand signals. Reveal what guests are craving across regions, dayparts, and usage occasions.
• Social conversations. Surface emerging preferences, sentiment, and discussion around dishes, ingredients, and menu experiences.

By combining these signals, Butterball can walk into each chain conversation with a clear, data-backed point of view.

Tastewise helped Butterball turn better insight into stronger relationships and measurable menu growth.

• +20% YoY growth in turkey menu items
  By aligning menu recommendations with real consumer demand, Butterball helped chains build more relevant offerings and improve turkey menu performance.
• Expanded into 7 national chain accounts
  Insight-led conversations gave Butterball a stronger position in discussions with larger operators, opening doors that were previously harder to access.
• 85% of engagements backed by data
  Tastewise became a standard part of how the team prepares for and runs customer conversations, making discussions more credible and more consistent.
• More strategic customer relationships
  Instead of focusing only on product features, Butterball now leads with opportunities, helping operators understand where to grow and how to act on it.