Company Headquarters

• BUBBA Burger's headquarters are in Jacksonville, FL.

Company History

• BUBBA Burger was founded in the early 1990s by Walter "Bubba" Eaves. His goal in founding the company was to produce "a perfect and juicy burger."
• BUBBA Burger developed a production method that resulted in burgers that can be cooked from a frozen state and still be juicy and flavorful.
• In 2000, BUBBA Burger opened a new production facility in Elberton, GA. At the same time, Bubba Eaves added partners and established BUBBA Foods, LLC, which took over production of BUBBA Burgers.
• BUBBA Foods is now a subsidiary of Hickory Foods, Inc.
• In 2011, BUBBA Burger opened its first restaurant, The Original BUBBA Burger Grill, in Jacksonville.
• The company opened a total of 4 restaurants, but quickly closed the restaurants with the last location closing just 17 months after the first opened.
• BUBBA Burger has developed several partnerships and sponsorships with sports organizations, including the Rock 'n Roll Marathon Series, Shea Racing and the San Jose Giants.

Where to Purchase

• BUBBA Burgers were initially sold in the southeastern U.S., but the company has since expanded and the burgers are distributed throughout the country. They are also available in Canada and throughout the world at U.S. military commissaries.

• BUBBA Burgers are available at grocery stores across the U.S. Specific retailers can be identified using a city or zip code here. Some examples include Sprouts, Vons, Safeway, Albertsons and Target.

Key Staff

•  William Morris is President and CEO of BUBBA Burger.
•  Eric Esch is VP of Sales at BUBBA Burger.
•  Andy Stenson is VP of Marketing at Bubba Burger.

Financial Information

• BUBBA Burgers has annual revenue of about $9.4 million.
• BUBBA Foods parent company, Hickory Foods, has estimated annual revenues of $22.93 million.

Education

• Morris attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA between 1977-1981. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree.

BUBBA Burger

• Morris founded Hickory Foods in August 1988 and has worked there for more than 31 years.
• In 2000, Morris and Hickory Foods purchased BUBBA burger from its founder Walter Bubba Eaves.
• In 2012, Morris purchased another company in Jacksonville, FL, Peterbrooke Chocolatier, Inc. He changed the name to Peterbrooke Chocolate Co and operates the company under Hickory Foods, the parent company of BUBBA burger.
• Morris created another company under Hickory Foods in 2012 called BIG American Brands, LLC. The company's goal is to deliver BUBBA burger products to college campuses.
• In 2016, Morris and BUBBA burger partnered with Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach to expand the brand's reach and awareness across the country and in southern California specifically.

Social Media Profiles

• William "Billy" Morris on LinkedIn 
• Billy Morris also has a duplicate profile on LinkedIn.

Articles About William Morris

• "Bubba Burger heading to college: Jacksonville-based Hickory Foods continues to develop products and markets" in Jax Daily Record 
• "Bubba Burger owner buys Peterbrooke Chocolatier" in the Florida Times Union 
• "BUBBA BURGER® Named Entitlement Sponsor Of IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship At Long Beach" in Performance and Racing Teck Talk 
• "BUBBA Branches Out" in The Columns, a Washington and Lee University publication
• "BUBBA BURGER HOPES TO HIT THE BIG TIME; Partners Plan to Expand Product beyond Its North Florida and Georgia Markets" in the Florida Times-Union 

Personal Life

• Morris lives in Jacksonville, FL.

Research Strategy:

BUBBA burger Partners with IZEA to Launch Three New Veggie Burgers

•  This article was published by MarketWatch on February 25, 2019.
• BUBBA burger partnered with the marketing specialist IZEA Worldwide to launch an "influencer marketing campaign to drive awareness of three new veggie BUBBA burgers."

US Trademark Office Approves Application to Register the Shape of a Burger

•  This article was published by Lexology on January 28, 2019.
• BUBBA burger received approval from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its irregular-shaped burger patty. This means that BUBBA burger "had made a sufficient showing to the USPTO that the below shape of its burger was not functional and that the shape itself serves to identify Bubba burgers as the source of burgers so shaped."

IMSA's Stellar Long Beach Race Ended With A Corvette Shoving A Ford GT Into A Wall

•  This article was published by Jalopnik on April 13, 2019.
• BUBBA burger was mentioned in this article as the sponsor of the "Bubba Burgers Sports Car Grand Prix of Long Beach."

Hospitality at The Players

•  This article was published by News4Jax on February 28, 2019.
• BUBBA burger partnered with The Players golf tournament to offer food throughout the event. According to the article, "BUBBA Foods has partnered with events and venues across the country and is proud to be a part of THE PLAYERS 2018."

How the Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger actually compare to traditional burgers — and each other

•  This article was published in Business Insider on June 10, 2019.
• When compared with the Impossible Burger and Beyond Meat, the BUBBA burger has "almost twice as much fat and calories" and is the biggest burger among those compared.

Bubba burger N Drink's 1 Year Anniversary

•  This article was published in the Gazeta de Povo on November 4, 2019.
• BUBBA burger celebrated its first anniversary with free Moscow Mule drinks to the first 100 customers and a donation of 10% of sales to the Brumadinho City Hall.

Bubba burger reopens this Saturday with free draft beer and gin

•  This article was published by Bem Parana on November 29, 2018.
• The BUBBA burger located in Plaza de España reopened following renovations and offered the first 50 patrons a free liter of draft beer and the first 100 customers lemon gin and gin gordons.

BUBBA burger Signs on to Sponsor Jacksonville Classic, Women's Golf Team

•  This article was published by Jacksonville University on December 9, 2018.
• BUBBA burger signed on to be the title sponsor of "October's Jacksonville Classic at Marsh Landing Golf and Country Club for the next two years."
• In addition, BUBBA burger became the "official burger of JU women's golf."

BUBBA burger Renews Sponsorship for 2019 BUBBA burger Junior Hydroplane Series

•  This article was published on the website of the South Shore Outboard Association on December 8, 2018.
• BUBBA burger renewed its sponsorship of the New England Junior Hydroplane Championship Series for 2019. Andy Stenson, Director of Marketing at BUBBA burger, stated, "It’s racing series like the BUBBA burger Junior Hydroplane Series and organizations like the South Shore Outboard Association and American Power Boat Association that provide kids an opportunity to learn about competition, sportsmanship, and build confidence during a family friendly event."

Sutter Home Family Vineyards Kicks Off 29th Annual Build A Better burger Recipe Contest

•  This article was published on Cision PR Newswire on April 2, 2019.
• BUBBA burger was a promotional partner for the 29th Annual Build A Better Burger Contest presented by Sutter Home Family Vineyards.

1. Beyond Meat  

• Beyond Meat is a key player in the global packaged burger market. The company offers frozen and vegetable-based products that dominate the meat-alternatives market. Beyond Meat's entire value proposition is based on its plant-based products.

2. Kellogg Co mpany 

• The Kellogg Company is a top competitor in the global packaged burger market. According to Euromonitor, Kellogg is the number one seller of vegetable burgers. The Kellogg Company's value proposition is its integrity, accountability, passion, humility, and simplicity.

3. Paragon Quality Foods  

• Paragon Quality Foods, with its outstanding reputation for superior quality products, is a leading burger manufacturer and a pioneer in the burger sector. The company is a key player in the frozen burger segment. Paragon’s value proposition is its superior quality and inventive thinking.

4. The Kraft Heinz Company

• The Kraft Heinz Company is a leading player in the frozen burger segment. The company has reformulated and rebranded its Boca burger to better compete in the growing plant-based foods category, and it offers frozen meat-substitute burgers. Kraft Heinz’s value proposition lies in being the leading food and beverage brand in the world, offering an unparalleled range of products from iconic brands.

5. Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods  

• Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods offers soy-free, plant-based burgers. The company is a key player in the global packaged burger market. The value proposition of Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods is its use of clean ingredients and elevated protein levels in its products for the meatless foods category.

6. Monde Nissin  

• Monde Nissin is a key player in the global packaged burger market. The company offers sustainable, healthy protein burgers and customized solutions for its clients. Monde Nissin’s value proposition is its commitment to families sharing meals.

7. Campbell’s  

• Campbell’s is a key player in the global packaged burger market. The company offers burgers made from ingredients that are grown and prepared with care. Campbell’s value proposition is that it manufactures real food that matters for Life’s moments.

Research Strategy

• We began our investigation with an inquiry into industry reports and databases (e.g., GlobeNewswire, NBC-2.com, and einnews.com). We determined the names of key players in the global packaged burger market in this manner. Our next step was to visit each company's website to locate the requested information. We also made further inquiries into the previously mentioned sources and media sources to corroborate the information provided by the companies. We did this to confirm that these companies are competitors of BUBBA Burgers and confirm the veracity of their value propositions.

BUBBA Burgers

Competitive Advantage

• Bubba Burgers is the #1 branded frozen burgers. The burgers are sold nationwide, in Canada, and world-wide through the US Military Commissary System.
• Their patties are made from quality ingredients such as grass-fed beef, which is leaner, lower in cholesterol and calories, and have no preservatives or added hormones. Other products include all-natural burgers, veggie burgers, and gourmet burgers among others.
• In January 2019, the company was award a TM Registration on their unusual patty shape.

Strengths

• The brand uses quality ingredients and features healthier options than other pre-made packaged patties.  
• The company started in 1990 with four varieties. Today, it offers 15 varieties including some vegetable varieties, reduced fat, hot Italian sausage, Bratwurst sausage among others. They are the #1 branded burger in the US.
• Earlier this year BUBBA burger partnered with IZEA to promote three new veggie burger flavors including the Latin Grill Veggie, White Beans Veggie, and Beans and Beets BUBBA Veggie burgers. In September, they announced that they are also expanding their BUBBA turkey burgers.

WEAKNESSES

• Some consumers claim BUBBA Burgers are overpriced, especially when compared to the price of normal meat.
• In addition, there are claims that their burgers taste old and bland. Customers advice adding additional seasoning to make it bearable.

Annual Revenue

• Bubba Burgers is a privately-held brand that does not offer its revenue to the public. Hoovers estimates the annual revenue to be $1.92 million.

Cities, States, Countries

• BUBBA burgers are available in grocery stores nationwide. They are also available in countries with US military presence.

Beyond Meat

Competitive Advantage

• The competitive advantage of Beyond Meat is their ability to produce plant-based meats that have "the taste, texture and other sensory attributes of popular animal-based meat products" with the additional nutritional and environmental benefits of being plant based. Beyond Meat was one of the first players in the industry.
• Their products are being quickly adopted by large retailers in the US such as Dunkin Donuts, Dennys, and Hello Fresh among others.
• They have increased their international presence by distributing to 35 countries. Recently, Beyond Meat started distributing to three other countries, while also building their first co-manufacturing facility outside the US.
• Beyond Meat has superior products and strong branding.

Strengths

• Beyond Meat is one of the fastest growing food companies in the US.
• It is disrupting the meat industry, the largest category in food.
• The company's products are strictly non-GMO. Beyond Meat offers a wide range of meat products, as opposed to just one product.

WEAKNESSES

• Since its introduction to the market, Beyond Meat has seen a large increase in competition especially from big players such as Amazon and Nestle.
• There are claims that its products are nowhere close to real meat. The products supposedly have an unfavorable smell as well.

Annual Revenue

• Their third quarter financial press release gives their projected full year 2019 revenue to be between $265 million and $275 million, updated from $240 million. Their 2018 revenue was $87.9 million an increase of 170%.

Cities/States/Countries

• Beyond Meat is sold at approximately 58,000 retail and food service outlets around the world. They have a footprint in the US, Canada, and their international footprint includes about 7,000 locations in 35 countries.
• They have a footprint throughout all of North America, some parts of South America, the Netherlands, and other European countries.

BUBBA Burgers Competitors: Competitive Landscape

Competitor #1: Kellogg Company

a) Competitive Advantage

• Kellogg Company has a strong product portfolio because it is the "world’s largest cereal maker and 2nd largest maker of cookies and snacks", which helps them distribute their products to more than 160 countries globally.
• Kellogg’s is "emerging as a powerful brand in some of the developing markets in the world" by spending almost 8% of their annual revenue for brand and product building programs.

b) Strengths

• Kellogg's presence around the world is one of its strengths because their products are manufactured in over 20 countries and marketed in over 180 countries worldwide.
• Another strength of Kellogg Company is their strategic acquisitions of which they "acquired various companies over the years which helped it in optimizing the use of its resources." Some of those companies include Morningstar Farms, Kashi, Bear Naked, Austin Cookies and Crackers, Natural Touch, Cheez-It, Murray, Amos, Garden Burger, Plantation Brands, and their biggest acquisition in 2001, the Keebler Company.

c) Weaknesses

• Kellogg's questionable marketing campaigns is one of their weaknesses. Some of their marketing campaigns that were questioned by consumers include: a negative feedback due to mismatch "between the marketing messages and the products themselves"; and another marketing campaign that were questioned by food bloggers due to "high sugar content and use of ingredients such as high-fructose corn syrup."
• Kellogg also wasn't able to capture the market in the developing countries because of their slow product innovation in cereals and veggie foods, despite the overcrowded competition in the market.

d) Annual Revenue

• According to their 2018 annual report, the revenue of Kellogg Company is about $13.547 billion.

e) Operation Locations

• Kellogg Company's "corporate headquarters and principal research and development facilities are located in Battle Creek, Michigan."
• As of February 25, 2019, Kellogg Company operated offices, manufacturing plants and distribution and warehousing facilities in the United States and other countries, including "Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Great Britain, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, and Turkey."
• They also have "joint ventures in China, Nigeria, and Ghana which own or operate manufacturing or warehouse facilities."

Competitor #2: Paragon Quality Foods

a) Competitive Advantage

• According to Martin Lyons, HSBC North Lincolnshire and Doncaster's Area Commercial Director, "Paragon Quality Foods is a strong and innovative business which has regularly been recognized for its high quality UK-sourced products and innovative business approach –including being shortlisted for HSBC’s own Business Thinking Awards in 2011."
• Paragon Quality Foods is also "incredibly tactical in maintaining the highest industry standards in order to attract top class customers across European become a well-known and trusted brand in the industry."

b) Strengths

• Paragon Quality Foods has earned their excellent reputation by "consistently delivering superior quality, with a huge community of loyal consumers in the fast food, restaurant and pub sectors."
• They also maintained their strong partnership with their leading beef suppliers in order to continuously improve their standards.
• Paragon Quality Foods, founded in 1955, has become the leading burger manufacturer, "supplying national foodservice wholesalers, cash & carries and pub groups across the UK and Europe."

c) Weaknesses

• One of Paragon Quality Foods' main weakness is the limited brand awareness and promotions that they do on their company website and social media pages.
• Paragon Quality Foods only operates within the UK and Europe, which limits their client reach.

d) Annual Revenue

• Paragon Quality Foods' turnover for the year 2018 is about 33 million GBP, a 10.61% increase from 2017.

e) Operation Locations

• Paragon Quality Foods operates and supplies their beef in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Cyprus, and Spain.

The Kraft Heinz Company

Competitive Advantage

• Kraft Heinz’s competitive advantage arises from the fact that it is one of the world's leading food and beverage brands, offering an incomparable range of products from exemplary labels.

Strengths

• The Kraft Heinz Company serves as a top player within the frozen burger segment.
• The company recently re-branded and reformulated its Boca burger to help it compete better within the expanding plant-based foods segment, and it offers frozen meat-substitute burgers.

Weaknesses

• Kraft Heinz has failed to remain competent enough to acquire the right taste and texture for the burgers.
• It is also facing stiff competition in a congested plant-based market that continuously innovates and provides superb eating experiences.

Annual Revenue

• Kraft Heinz's 2019 revenue (in the twelve months prior to September 30, 2019) was around $25.332 billion, which represented a 3.36% year-over-year decrease.
• The company's 2018 revenue amounted $26.268 billion, which indicated a 0.74% growth over 2017.
• Kraft Heinz's 2017 revenue for reached $26.076 billion, which indicated a 0.85% decline over 2016.
• Its 2016 revenue was approximately $26.3 billion, which represented a 43.42% rise over 2015.

Cities/States/Countries Where They Have a Footprint

• Kraft Heinz has 61 different office locations in 22 nations. These countries include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, India, Brazil, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Poland, Russian Federation, Singapore, and Turkey. Its locations include the following:

•  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Headquarters)
•  200 E Randolph St. (Chicago) (Headquarters)
•  85 Algonquin Rd #210 (Arlington Heights)
•  140 Spring St. (Avon)
•  1701 W Bradley Ave (Champaign)
•  32 London Bridge St. Floor 20/21 (London)
•  12 Bleukenlaan (Turnhout, Belgium)
•  Locked Bag 2 (South Melbourne, Australia)

Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods

Competitive Advantage

• One of Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods' competitive advantages is its use of clean ingredients and elevated protein levels in its products for the meatless foods category.
• Around 99.9% of Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods' products are not co-packed, which provides them with the opportunity to remain ahead of trends as opposed to depending on another company's facility to provide them with time to run a product, which can consist of several trials to perfect, particularly while they are scaling up. Hence, they can easily pack several emerging brands.

Strengths

• Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods offers burgers that are soy-free and plant-based.
• The company is a key player in the global packaged burger market.
• The burgers are made of clean ingredients.
• For added nutrition, they pack their foods with real vegetables.
• The company has exceptional sales representatives and a solid marketing team that assists them, which has facilitated Dr. Praeger's Sensible Foods to open several establishments.

Weaknesses

• The central manufacturing for what the company requires makes the running of the system rather difficult, while decisions are stagnant.

Annual Revenue

• According to D&B Hoovers, the company generates an annual revenue of $30.92 million.

Cities/States/Countries Where They Have a Footprint

• The primary location/headquarter is situated in Elmwood Park, New Jersey.
• Its products and stores are located in the United States and Canada.
• It has store locations in states such as California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts.

MONDE NISSIN

Competitive Advantage

• Monde Nissin possesses the benefits of FTAs. FTA is an agreement between two or more countries to eliminate or reduce tariffs and other requirements of commerce that restricts trade between them.
• With FTAs, exporters have better profit margins due to the absence of tariffs. It also mitigates the impact of fluctuating foreign exchange rates.
• Another advantage of Monde Nissin is its advocacy, Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga (Family Mealtime Matters). It aims to encourage families to gather during dinner and share meaningful conversations over meals.
• Later, in 2012, the advocacy was supported through the partnership with Department of Education and strengthened through Presidential Proclamation 326. Every 4th Monday of September is celebrated as Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga Day all over Philippines.

Strengths

• Monde Nissin has been providing flavorful and convenient meals and snacks for over 35 years.
• Monde Nissin is the manufacturer of Lucky Me! instant noodles and Monde biscuits such as Bingo, Eggnog, and Breadstix.
• The products of Monde Nissin are exported to 40 countries around the world, including countries in Asia, Africa, Middle East, Europe, North America, Oceania, and the Pacific Islands.
• Monde Nissin's Lucky Me! continues to be the most chosen consumer brand in Philippines, according to Kantar Worldpanel Brand Footprint Report in 2019.

Weaknesses

• Monde Nissin's Lucky Me! is an instant noodle brand categorized by many articles as 'not healthy'.
• According to NDTV Food, since instant noodles are highly processed to bear a longer shelf life, they contain low nutritive content and are high on fat, calories, and sodium. They are also laced with artificial colors, preservatives, additives, and flavorings.
• According to a South Korean study conducted on the effects of instant noodles on human health, there could be an increased risk of metabolic syndrome due to the food's high sodium, unhealthy saturated fat, and glycemic loads.
• As per a study conducted by Dr. Braden Kuo, Gastroenterologist, Massachusetts General Hospital, instant noodles did not break up, were intact, and undigested in the stomach even hours after consumption compared to homemade ramen noodles which got instantly digested in 1-2 hours.

Annual Revenue

•  $1,369.06 million  

Cities/States/Countries

• Hawaii, Canada, the United States, Grenada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, Greece, Finland, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Taiwan, Philippines, Brunei, Guam, Saipan, New Guinea, Australia, Kiribati Islands, and New Zealand.

CAMPBELL’S

Competitive Advantage

• Campbell's has an advantage in terms of its packaging. The company uses the usual variety of materials in its packaging, including plastic, glass, metal, and paper — whatever makes the most sense.
• Campbell's also use PET containers as a substitute for glass to allow shipment beyond traditional channels.
• Campbell's is investing in technologies that enable flexibility and speed of response.
• Campbell's is considered to be the 4th top snacks player in the United States and became an even bigger player after last year's $6 billion acquisition of Snyder's-Lance.
• Campbell's knows and understands the business within snacks industry and utilizes it to take advantage of consumers’ penchant for convenient, healthy fare.

Strength

• Campbell's is known for one of the most iconic packages in the whole world — the metal soup can.
• Campbell’s brand extends beyond soup to sauces and foods such as Pepperidge Farm breads, cookies, Goldfish crackers, Royal Dansk and Kjeldsens cookies, V8 beverages, Plum Organics baby food, Swanson broths, Prego pasta sauces, and Pace sauces.
• Campbell's has been in business for 150 years, providing food and drinks that are good, honest, authentic and flavorful — made from ingredients that are grown, prepared, cooked or baked with care.
• Statistics shows that 95.8% of U.S. households own a Campbell's product.
• The company has low production cost due to the large size of the company and it ensures that the price is 20% to 25% higher than generic brands while maintaining a high level of quality.
• Campbell's is one of the leading consumer goods companies in the world, based on sales amounting to about USD 8 billion.
• Campbell's is a big player in the condensed wet soup segment and reached USD 1.29 billion sales during 2017.

Weaknesses

• The company lost focus strategically and came up with too many initiatives that made the company unnecessarily complex.
• The company aggressively pursued the important consumer mega-trend of health and well-being without having clarity on the source of uniqueness or whether they have brought a competitive advantage to the space, and depended too much on M&A to shape the business strategy.
• The company is short of a concrete plan to show how it can stoke growth in its flagship soup business, especially in a competitive marketplace where upstart brands are increasingly leveling the playing field against major giants due to direct-to-consumer online sales.
• Excluding sales from the newly acquired Pacific Foods, Campbell's' sales had declined by 14%, reflecting declines in condensed, ready-to-serve soup and broth categories.
• For 52 weeks which ended on July 29, Campbell’s share in the “wet soup” category declined by 2.4%.
• Campbell's brand sales in the U.S. packaged food business declined an annual average of 1.4% between 2012 and 2017, lowering its market share position from 8th to 14th.

Annual Revenue

•  $8.11 billion

Cities/States/Countries

• Campbell’s products are sold in 120 countries around the globe such as Australia, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Singapore