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Companies who add water are hurting their consumers

Is added water hurting you?

By | Boulder Sausage Insiders | No Comments

If you’ve read the ingredient label on a food package, you’ve probably seen “water” more times than not, and never thought twice. I mean after all, water is natural and we’re taught if you can recognize and pronounce all the ingredients, you’re good to go. WRONG! Water is commonly added as an ingredient in creating many food products, especially sausage, and it’s NOT to your benefit…

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Meat the team Part 2

By | Boulder Sausage Insiders | No Comments

Continuing our blog series, we’d like to share some images of the Boulder Sausage family, and their thoughts about the company and the products that we produce.

Boulder Sausage employee pointing to logo on his shirt
It’s always a team effort to make something great that we all believe in. We have pride in what we do and we’re serious about having fresh meat shipped to market the next day so it never has to be frozen.”
Boulder Sausage employee pointing to building sign
We have great values! Loyalty to making the best product, to our customers, employees and community. Very conscientious of impact and yet simple in it’s desire to create good food!”
Boulder Sausage employee in front of building
We live in a world where so many companies are just focused on maximizing their bottom line and will cut corners or do whatever they can to do so, at the expense of their customers. Boulder Sausage is absolutely not that way. We are wholehearted and committed to creating an exceptional product that WOW’s the customer.”
Boulder Sausage employee in front of building
As soon as I interviewed with the company I knew the values aligned with mine and the company culture fit my personality. It felt like a team of people I knew I’d love to work with and a company I’d want to grow with.”
Boulder Sausage employee in front of building

The company was started on a great product that has been able to stand on its own. Customers don’t need to be sold on our sausage, they just need to taste it.”

Why We Avoid Water and Fillers

By | Boulder Sausage Insiders | No Comments

We live in a fast-paced world, full of hustle, bustle and competition. People increasingly seek out food products that are fast, easy, and cheap. Most sausage products easily hit two out of the three. They can be prepared in very little time on the grill or on the stove and are very adaptable for a wide variety of cooking techniques. However, in the attempt to make sausages cheaper, many manufacturers sacrifice quality, texture, and flavor.

At Boulder Sausage, we NEVER add any Fillers or Water. It’s always simply premium lean pork and spice!

Food fillers help add weight to the food by using less expensive ingredients, like water, fat, and starch. This helps some sausage producers keep the cost down but comes at a sacrifice to quality. The meat processing industry is notorious for their use of fillers to increase the apparent size and weight. Processed meats like sausages and hamburger are the worst offenders for filler-stuffing. Believe it or not, this can lower the manufacturer’s costs by 10% to 30%, at the expense of the consumer.

Types of Fillers Used in Many Other Sausage Brands

Non-Meat Fillers

Most non-meat fillers are flours and starches. These add sweetness and gluten while making products lower in nutrition and high in carbohydrates. Cereal binder and maltodestrine are two of the most common non-meat fillers, composed of oatmeal, and flours, starch and breadcrumbs. Cheaply made sausages often also contain a dry biscuit powder called “Rusk,” and cheaply made hamburgers often use soy protein. All of this adds up to a grainy cereal texture and a bland or bready taste.

Meat Fillers

Mechanically Deboned Meat or MDM is another popular type of filler used in the meat processing industry. It is actually made of meat but doesn’t use the same lean cuts of pork shoulder that Boulder Sausage uses. MDM usually includes chicken and turkey meat and some lower cost alternatives, such as scrap parts, glands, organ meat, or “head meat.” In addition to being generally unappealing, MDM creates a mushy pre-chewed (fine grind) texture in the product.

Extenders

These types of fillers have a high amount of protein and are widely used to “stretch” the meat or to make it appear as though you’re getting more food. These usually have cereal blended with fat, meat, blood, and various internal organs. While widely used in processed meats like sausages and hot dogs,  these can also be used to extend shelf life in frozen products.

Water

One of the most common fillers in any type of sausage is plain old water. Unlike most of the ingredients mentioned here, water doesn’t harm the flavor or texture of the sausage.

Why then does Boulder Sausage avoid adding water to our products? Because we want to be honest and open with our customers. When water is added in sausages, it bulks up the uncooked product. When the sausage is cooked, the water evaporates, leaving you with a smaller quantity even though you paid for a larger amount.

Why do we skip fillers altogether in our sausage?

Sausage without water and fillers mean a significant difference between value and price. Many companies focus on cheaply offering a larger amount of product in packages by adding to the gross weight. This way, the customer sees a larger package, a lower price, and thinks that they’re getting a better deal. What they don’t realize is that they are truly getting much less then what they have paid for, and its not nearly as healthy. Net weight shows true value after cooking the product.

When you buy Boulder Sausage, you can rest easy knowing that you truly get what you pay for! We strive to create a product that you can trust and be proud to serve to your valued family and friends. Everyday we follow the motto, if it isn’t good enough for our family – it isn’t good enough for yours! At Boulder Sausage you are apart of our family and we hope you enjoy our products as much as we enjoy making them!

Super Bowl Snacks: Keeping You at the Top of Your Game

By | Boulder Sausage Insiders | No Comments

Well, it’s all settled. The Patriots will face off against the Rams in Super Bowl LIII. Now that we know who’s playing, all that’s left to decide is how to watch the big game. Our favorite way to watch is surrounded by family, friends, and scrumptious snacks. While some snacks are definitely more tasty than others, keep in mind that some are far better for you than others as well. To keep you at the top of your game-watching game, we present our 5 guidelines for Super Bowl snacks.

Know the Game Plan – A good Super Bowl party planner knows it’s all about the spectacle. We love to have a wide spread of scrumptious bites available, but nobody wants to spend the whole time in the kitchen! Plan for snacks that can be made ahead of time and kept warm in slow cookers, or that don’t need to be kept warm at all. Sausage and Cheddar Biscuits are a great option that can be made ahead!

Mange the Mess – It’s not just the game that captures our attention this time of year, it’s everything that comes with it. We don’t want to miss a second of the gridiron action, but we also want to catch the funniest commercials and rock out to the halftime show. With all eyes on the TV, it’s best to avoid foods that need forks and knives. Stick to finger foods, or foods that can be individually speared on a toothpick, like some flavor-packed Boulder Sausage Currywurst.

Grab Something Green: A full on salad with dressing probably isn’t the best bet for TV tapas, but that doesn’t mean you should scrap the vegetables. A good veggie selection brings freshness and bright flavors to your lineup and keeps your guests from feeling weighed down. Crudite platters are always a hit, but if you’d like something a little fancier, give these Wedge Salad Appetizer Bites a try, using our delicious Peppered Bacon!

Don’t Neglect the Protein: Alongside those veggies, you’ll definitely want some protein heavy munchies. We’re hoping for an exciting game, and you’ll need plenty of energy to keep up if it goes into overtime! Protein packs a great pop of energy to keep you going, and our delicious bacon adds a big pop of flavor when wrapped around cream cheese stuffed jalapenos.

Flag the Additives: It may be quicker to grab a bunch of frozen highly-processed snacks, but it’s a definite food fumble. Boulder Sausage products are never frozen and are never made with chemical additives. Check the labels on every product you buy, and make sure you’re feeding your friends and family sausages made with only lean pork shoulder and flavorful spices, never MSG or preservatives. Check out our kid-pleasing Corn Dog recipe for a familiar favorite without all the chemicals.

When the game’s over, and the party’s winding down, you’ll be glad to know that your guests are full of real, nutritious, healthy food made right here in Colorado. As we always say, your health is your wealth, and we’re here to make sure that you can enjoy the game with the freshest, tastiest, and healthiest sausage around.

ATTN: Costco Shoppers – NEW 100% Recyclable Trays!

By | Boulder Sausage Insiders, News | No Comments

Hey Costco shoppers! 

In an effort to continually improve ourselves while consistently delivering you our same great product, we have upgraded our packaging to 100% recyclable trays.

Not only are we completely transparent about our products’ ingredients (simply premium lean pork and spices), we are now completely transparent in our Clearly Clean product packaging. You can now capture a 360 degree view of our ALWAYS FRESH product- from top, to side, to bottom.

While you’ll still receive the same volume of product at the same great price, your sausage will now come in two separate packages (both individually labeled and dated) bundled as a Twin Pack, allowing for easy separation and storage. Note: if you are freezing the sausage, we recommend transferring it from its retail package to either freezer paper or bags as the retail packaging does not allow the moisture to escape, thus ice crystals will form within the retail package when frozen.

Not only are we changing the products’ packaging but we are also changing the display box that houses the product on the shelf.

Look for this new and improved packaging (but same great product) to hit store shelves this weekend!

#thinkgloballybuylocally #transparency #recycle #sustainability

Hey Costco shoppers! In an effort to continually improve ourselves while consistently delivering you our same great…

Posted by Boulder Sausage on Thursday, January 10, 2019

Our Sausage Story

By | Boulder Sausage Insiders | No Comments

BOULDER SAUSAGE · MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2018


Simply crafted sausage and bacon.

Tastier. Healthier. Fresher.


Most people know Boulder Sausage due to its same signature recipes and Boulder roots for the past 50+ years; however, the story of Boulder Sausage actually began in the early 1900’s when the parents of Don Olk traveled from Germany to Racine, Wisconsin and started hand crafting sausage. In 1961, World War II veteran Don and his wife Frieda decided to move west and ultimately settled in Boulder, CO where they opened Don’s Cheese and Sausage Mart on Pearl St.

Don’s Cheese & Sausage Mart was well-known amongst the lunch crowd and quickly became a staple to many Sunday afternoons and childhood memories. As business grew, Don decided to franchise, opening several locations across Colorado’s Front Range. Unfortunately, business began to suffer-leading to real financial trouble and the closing of most locations.

As a result, some investors reached out to Jim Burton, a reputable local with financial wisdom. Upon his audit, Jim knew that the company was headed into bankruptcy; however, he saw great opportunity. There was a fantastic product, but simply no business. Motivated to help save the jobs of the 10 employees, Jim took on the challenge. He began by gathering a group of partners together, forming GBS Partners, Inc., who formally operates as Boulder Sausage today.

The partners ultimately decided to change the business model. Instead of keeping the restaurant alive, they focused on manufacturing and distributing the quality sausage directly to grocers throughout Colorado. They found pride in being different; maintaining the same great product but building relationships with the stores’ meat managers in order to build the business.

GBS Partners, Inc. was truly ahead of the curve in doing business differently both in operations and with products. In its first year, Boulder Sausage only made $200,000 in total revenue, but at least jobs were safe. The partners chose to loan the company money on Fridays so that the employees would be able to cash their checks. Employees were finally treated as a valuable asset and vendors were now paid on time. The partners were into healthier lifestyles and believed that, “your health is your wealth.” They took into account what people wanted and needed, developing a way to make Boulder Sausage a trusted, healthy brand. They used only high-quality premium pork, no MSG, kept it fresh (never frozen), and lowered sugar content (ultimately removing sugar from all but two recipes). These strategic moves became the foundation of being different and lead to their unanimous recognition for excellence.

Over the past 30 years, Boulder Sausage has continued to set themselves apart. Keeping the tradition of fresh sausage minimally processed with only pork and spices. Boulder Sausage has strived to become a brand you can trust, always going the extra mile to ensure quality.

Although Don is absent, the signature recipes that his family created still live on at Boulder Sausage.


It’s very important that we do what we say, because we are authentic.

~Jim Burton – CEO, CFO


Want to be a Boulder Sausage Boardroom Insider?

By | Boulder Sausage Insiders | No Comments

Welcome to our Boulder Sausage Insiders blog, full of behind the scenes content. At Boulder Sausage, we are committed to delivering an exceptional product that you can trust and be proud to serve to your valued family and friends. One of the many ways we build trust is through our brand transparency. Whether you’re an avid Boulder Sausage enthusiast or you just want to learn some more, you’ve come to the right place. As a customer, you are apart of our family, so come on in to our “Boardroom” and we’ll show you around!

Check back often as we will continue to deliver tons of great behind the scenes content, including:

    • Our Brand Story
    • Meat Our Team (pun intended)
    • How It’s Made
    • Nutrition Insights
    • Boardroom Content
    • & Tons More!!!!

On behalf of our entire team, welcome in!
Boulder Sausage. Tastier. Healthier. Fresher.

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