Food City, Here We Come!

Hello Again, Folks. Very sorry for the long lag between posts, but I'm back with good news involving your favorite snack, Buzz Buttered Steaks! This Fall we got a great opportunity to stock Buzz Buttered Steaks in another large grocery warehouse called Mid-Mountain Foods in Abingdon, VA. What's so exciting about that, you ask? Well, Mid-Mountain Foods services approximately 150 Food City stores throughout Southern Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee! So if you live in those parts, and you were raised on Buzz Buttered Steaks, then all you should need to do is find the meat manager at your nearest Food City and make an impassioned plea. When he/she sees just how much you've missed this part of your childhood, they'll surely break down and order a case... or ten. :) In all seriousness, Food City stores are a great opportunity for us to widen our reach, so please look for and ask for Buzz Buttered Steaks when and where you can!

Forget the Peanuts and Crackerjack!

We're very excited to announce that through our partnership with Appalachian Power Park, home of the West Virginia Power baseball team, during the 2009 season, the Kid's Eat Free program will feature Buzz Buttered Steaks. If you're not familiar with the program, at every Monday home game, kids under 12 receive a voucher for a free meal at the park. This year the meal consists of a Buzz Buttered Steak sandwich, potato chips and a drink. Monday home games during the season fall on April 13, May 18, June 1st & 15th, July 6th & 27th, August 17th, 24th & 31st and the season finale on September 7th. And for all you fans who aren't under 12, Buzz Buttered Steaks will be available at each concession stand all year long. So get out and enjoy the games!

Also, while you're there, notice our sign on the centerfield wall. Each time a Power player hits the sign with a batted ball, Buzz Food Service employees will donate $25 to charity, and allow the player to choose where it goes! Buzz Buttered Bucks, Bats and Balls for a good cause!

Let's Go KROGERing!

Great news, everyone. As of this week, you can find Buzz Buttered Steaks in each of the 45 Kroger stores in the state of West Virginia. This is hopefully the first step in establishing a wider reach for the product and if all goes well in the WV stores, the product might again be available in stores throughout southern Virginia, where we know we still have a lot of fans. Thanks for your business!

Who IS that handsome couple?

I've gotten a lot of questions about the photograph on the back of the box. No, it's not the infamous meat thieves from the tale on the box, it's actually a picture of my Dad, Dick Gould Jr. and his mother, Gladys Brewer Gould, or 'Peg'. The picture was taken in 1968, shortly after my Dad, his Dad and two partners bought Hy-Grade Sales and renamed it Buzz Products, Inc., after the company's signature product. Dad was 24 years old at the time. In any case, although the photo is not dated, we don't need an archaeologist to figure out when it was taken. If Dad hadn't grown his signature mustache yet, then it's an OLD picture.

In the coming weeks and months, I'll shed more light on Dad, Granddad and their invaluable partners, Jim Sturm and Mike Spadafora.

What's That I Hear?

In another exciting milestone, Buzz Buttered Steaks aren't just back in your local grocery stores, they're back on your radio! If you haven't heard them yet, as of February 1st, we're running spots on 107.3 KAZ announcing that Buzz Buttered Steaks are back in stores, just like you remember them. Many thanks to the fine folks at WV Radio for their help. If you're heard the ads, please let us know what you think. If you haven't heard them, turn the dial to 107 and you won't have to wait long.

The Greatest Tate in the Union

One of the most enjoyable aspects of reintroducing Buzz Buttered Steaks has been reconnecting with customers from years ago. One of those people, and another person to whom we owe a debt of gratitude, is Don Tate, businessman extraordinaire from here in the Kanawha Valley. Don co-founded, owns and operates most of the Fas-Chek Supermarkets here in the state as well several Save-A-Lot Food Stores. On top of that, he finds time to own two car dealerships and to support his beloved University of Charleston Golden Eagles, among many other good causes.

Don Tate and his stores sold many, many cases of Buzz Buttered Steaks over the years and they were as sad as anyone when they were no longer available. Today, we're very proud to say that with Don's help, Buzz Buttered Steaks are once again available in Fas-Chek stores everywhere. Thanks a million, Don!

The Great Steak Caper of '76

"The legend around Buzz Buttered Steaks grew even wider in 1976 when thieves stole a Buzz truck containing more than six tons of the popular product. By the time a multi-state manhunt ended, more thana dozen well-fed accomplices were charged with distributing stolen goods. As publicity around the case grew, Buzz Buttered Steaks experienced record sales and the rest, as they say, is history."

The quick summary above is printed on the back of our brand new retail boxes, and may have as much to do with the popularity of Buzz Buttered Steaks as the quality of the product itself. I get asked about this part of the product's history all the time, by young people who want to know if it's true, or by older folks who swear they remember every detail. I always let people know that it absolutely happened, although if the entire truth were told, the thieves who stole the truck were probably didn't set out to enter the steak business. They were running a stolen car ring and, for whatever reason, were looking for a refrigerated truck. Only after they got the truck all the way to Parkersburg, WV did they realize that the contents of the truck could be awfully valuable. (Sort of like snatching a purse and finding the crown jewels inside. :)) As the story goes, they quickly scrambled to rent some cold storage space and recruited a group of friends to try and sell the product door-to-door. This turned out not to be the smartest plan, but as my Dad used to say, "That's why they were criminals." Anyway, I'll revisit this story another time with more details and perhaps some outside perspective.