At Consolidated Concepts, we pride ourselves on offering our clients much more than just rebates and buying power. We recently had the opportunity to foster a collaborative session between one of our most exciting clients, Pincho, with one of our most innovative and interesting manufacturer partners, Unilever.
As a concept that relies heavily on bold flavors to wow their guests, Pincho focuses on providing exceptional sauces and marinades to make their dishes stand out. The south Florida concept has grown rapidly to include 10 locations serving Latin-inspired burgers and kebabs such as the standout Toston Burger, served with 2 fried plantains as the ‘buns’ and their marinated chicken pincho, served with chimichurri dipping sauce.
Top Pincho executives, including their CEO, CMO and Culinary Director joined their Consolidated Concepts client managers for a day of culinary innovation and experimentation at Unilever’s US Headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. As one of Consolidated Concepts’ top direct-contract manufacturers, Unilever, producer of kitchen staples like Hellmann’s/Best Mayonnaise, Knorr Sauces and Bases, Le Gout bases and Lipton and PureLeaf teas, regularly invites clients to work alongside their chefs to develop new ways to delight guests and scale profitability.
In preparation for Pincho’s visit, Unilever’s corporate chef, Chef JC Lopategui of Miami visited several of Pincho’s south Florida locations to taste their menu, explore their kitchens and work alongside Chef Adrian Sanchez. Chef JC then utilized that knowledge to collaborate closely with Unilever’s Chef Rob Wallauer of New Jersey to demonstrate how Unilever’s high-quality products and ingredients may fall in line with Pincho’s overall culinary offering.
The menu that Unilever developed for Pincho speaks for itself, complete with flavorful staples (Fried Chicken Sandwich with Pincho sauce, Smoked Shrimp Salad with Hatch Chili Dressing) to inventive takes on Latin classics (Lomo Saltado Poutine, Ahi Tuna Tostone, Intense Citrus Flan). The collaborative spirit in the kitchen was palpable, as the three chefs combined their talents to create inspired sauces and dishes that were heavy on flavor, spice and ingenuity.
The ultimate goal of such collaborative events is to help Consolidated Concepts’ clients see how manufacturer-partners’ products can fit into their culinary mix and business strategy. “Most of the time a spec sheet and price just isn’t going to be enough to make an operator understand the real value of a product,” said Mark Cimino, Consolidated Concepts’ VP of Client Relations. “This is the second client that we’ve brought to Unilever,” he said. “They both left with a sense of the amazing potential that Unilever’s products offer in terms of being customizable, scalable, and
If your operation has any plans that involve menu changes, menu expansion, regional expansion, Limited Time Offers (LTOs), allergen considerations, acquisition or other growth – a custom culinary innovation session may be right for you. Get in touch with your client manager or account executive to learn more about what opportunities Consolidated Concepts may be able to arrange.
