Baconnaise facts for kids
Plastic jar of Baconnaise
|
|
| Nutritional value per 13 g | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 80 kcal (330 kJ) |
|
1 g
|
|
| Sugars | 0 g |
| Dietary fiber | 0 g |
|
9 g
|
|
| Saturated | 1.5 g |
| Trans | 0 g |
|
Protein
|
0 g
|
| Minerals | Quantity
%DV†
|
| Sodium |
6%
85 mg |
| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults. Source: Baconnaise on company website |
|
Baconnaise is a special food spread that tastes like bacon but doesn't actually have any bacon in it! It's made mostly from mayonnaise. This means it's safe for people who eat an ovo vegetarian diet (they eat eggs but not meat) and those who eat kosher food.
Two friends, Justin Esch and Dave Lefkow, created Baconnaise in November 2008. They are the founders of a company called J&D's Foods. In just six months, they sold 40,000 jars! They first tested the product in Grand Forks, North Dakota, to see if people would like it. After Baconnaise was shown on famous TV shows like The Daily Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show, sales went way up. More than a million jars were sold!
Contents
How Baconnaise Started
Justin Esch and Dave Lefkow got the idea for bacon-flavored products while joking around at a diner. Their first invention was Bacon Salt. The money to start their company came from $5,000 that Dave Lefkow won on America's Funniest Home Videos.
The idea for a spreadable bacon product came from a customer. To get people excited about their products, Justin and Dave went to many sporting events. They even dressed up in bacon costumes! They also used social media websites to tell more people about their company.
Becoming Famous on TV
Baconnaise became quite famous after being featured on TV.
The Daily Show
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart mentioned Baconnaise several times as a running joke. In 2009, Jon Stewart used it in a funny skit. He joked that Baconnaise was "for people who want to get heart disease but, you know, too lazy to actually make bacon."
In 2010, Jon Stewart made fun of Baconnaise again with a fake billboard clip in Times Square. J&D's Foods actually planned to put up a real billboard ad, but Comedy Central said no. In a later episode, Stewart used Baconnaise as a prop and called it "capitalism's greatest triumph."
The Oprah Winfrey Show
Baconnaise was also talked about on The Oprah Winfrey Show on April 24, 2009. Justin Esch and Dave Lefkow were interviewed by Oprah using Skype. After she and her guests tried sandwiches with Baconnaise, Oprah said, "Vegetarian and kosher! Thanks Justin and Dave! Get your own Baconnaise!"
After Oprah's strong support, so many people visited the company's website and called their phones that their systems crashed! Dave Lefkow said that a year after the show, over a million jars of Baconnaise had been sold.
How Baconnaise is Made
Justin Esch and Dave Lefkow started by mixing mayonnaise with real bacon. They worked with chefs to figure out how to make mayonnaise taste like bacon without actually using bacon as an ingredient. Dave Lefkow said that to get the taste just right, he ate "nothing but bacon and mayonnaise for breakfast for the next six months." He kept comparing the real bacon taste to their new product.
Baconnaise does not contain real bacon. It also doesn't have artificial flavors or MSG. The exact way it's made and its ingredients are a trade secret. However, the list of ingredients includes: soybean oil, water, egg yolk, gluconic acid, yeast extract, and different stabilizers like microcrystalline cellulose and xanthan gum. It also has salt, sugar, dehydrated garlic, paprika, dehydrated onion, spice, natural smoke flavor, natural flavors, tocopherols, calcium disodium EDTA, and autolyzed yeast extract.
J&D's Foods also created a lighter version called Baconnaise Lite. It has fewer calories and less fat than the original. Baconnaise is sold in 15-ounce (443-ml) plastic jars. In 2018, the packaging changed to a squeeze bottle. The J&D's brand is now owned by L and L Specialty Foods.
First Release
The product was first tested for sale at Pike Place Market in Seattle. There, they sold up to 120 jars each week. Baconnaise officially came out in October 2008. This happened at a wrestling event in Seattle, where a person dressed as mayonnaise fought a person dressed as a slab of bacon!
