ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. and BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Minor League Baseball™ (MiLB™) today announced that Applegate Farms, LLC, the nation's leading natural and organic meat company, will become the "Official Natural and Organic Meat of MiLB," the first-ever partnership in the category for Minor League Baseball.
By partnering with Minor League Baseball, Applegate will give fans cleaner, more natural choices of traditional ballpark staples — including "The Cleaner Wiener™" — Applegate's 100 percent grass-fed beef hot dogs. Made with only simple ingredients (100 percent grass-fed beef, water, salt and spices) and never any chemical nitrites or nitrates added, fans can spend more time thinking about how to top their hot dog versus what's inside.
The Applegate "cleaner, crave-able food for everyone" mantra will carry over to concessions options at select Minor League Baseball ballparks, with teams offering "The Cleaner Wiener" and a variety of cleaner meats from the Applegate product lineup on their menus, giving fans a more natural meat option.
"Minor League Baseball is built on pure, authentic and fun experiences in our ballparks and making connections with fans," said David Wright, chief marketing and commercial officer at Minor League Baseball. "Applegate employs the same principles to produce and promote clean and natural products, making this relationship an ideal pairing."
"Partnering with Minor League Baseball was a no-brainer for Applegate. Not only do both brands have similar values, but you can't argue with the iconic pairing of hot dogs and baseball," said Nicole Glenn, vice president of marketing at Applegate. "We are very excited for the opportunity to serve our products across the country, especially hot dogs at concessions stands, at select Minor League Baseball ballparks and hope attendees will choose Applegate during their next grocery store visit."
As a part of an integrated media plan, Applegate will have dominant positioning throughout the MiLB digital network where fans can engage with unique and custom content. Additionally, using ISM Connect technology, Applegate's simple and humorous messaging will be featured in ballparks across what will be the largest in-venue digital engagement network in sport and entertainment.
About Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, is the governing body for all professional baseball teams in the United States, Canada and the Dominican Republic that are affiliated with Major League Baseball® clubs through their farm systems. Fans are coming out in unprecedented numbers to this one-of-a-kind experience that can only be found at Minor League Baseball ballparks. In 2017, Minor League Baseball attracted 41.8 million fans to its ballparks to see the future stars of the sport hone their skills. From the electricity in the stands to the excitement on the field, Minor League Baseball has provided affordable family-friendly entertainment to people of all ages since its founding in 1901. For more information visit MiLB.com.
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About Applegate
Founded in 1987, Applegate Farms, LLC produces high-quality natural and organic hot dogs, bacon, sausages, deli meats, cheese and frozen products. Our products are made without GMO ingredients, and we source from farms where animals are treated with care and respect and are allowed to grow at their natural rate, all part of our mission – Changing The Meat We Eat®. Natural can mean many things, but to Applegate natural means our food is:
• From animals raised humanely without antibiotics, hormones or growth promotants
• From animals fed a vegetarian or pasture-centered diet (our beef is 100 percent grass-fed)
• Free of added chemical nitrites, nitrates or phosphates
• Free of artificial ingredients or preservatives
Applegate became a stand-alone subsidiary of Hormel Foods in July 2015. For more information about our products, visit www.applegate.com or talk with us on www.facebook.com/applegate or twitter.com/Applegate.
Source: Minor League Baseball
