(FAIRFIELD, CA) – True Story Foods’ new line of Kurobuta pork products, which includes fresh pork cuts, bacon and sausage, provides an unparalleled eating experience for consumers seeking premium meats raised with high animal welfare standards. Known by chefs as the “wagyu of pork,” Kurobuta (also known as Berkshire) is renowned for its flavorful, slightly sweet taste, rosy color, and abundant marbling.
The new line features Applewood-smoked Heritage Bacon that is made with only Kurobuta pork, helping meet growing consumer demand for all-natural, artisanal bacons with unique premium attributes. Other products include four sausages in innovative flavors—Chili Relleno; Sherry & Shallot; Five Pepper; and Parmesan, Shiitake & Truffle—as well as fully cooked Pulled Pork.
“We’re proud to launch products that meet customers’ desire for convenience in the most premium foods,” says True Story CEO Phil Gatto. “During the pandemic, we’ve all found ourselves cooking more at home. Our Kurobuta sausages are the perfect way to get dinner on the table in minutes, relieve ‘cooking fatigue’ and still enjoy exciting flavor and superior quality.”
With all-natural ingredient lists including fresh habanero and jalapeno peppers, cotija cheese and white truffle oil, the sausages are juicy and flavorful. Made with simple ingredients like pork and seasonings and naturally smoked, True Story’s Pulled Pork is fully cooked and needs only to be heated, giving customers the option of enjoying premium Kurobuta pork in under a minute. The products contain no nitrites or nitrates.
Kurobuta hogs have a centuries-long history of heritage breeding. “This breed is unique for its hardiness,” explains Russ Kremer, a partner at True Story and fifth-generation hog farmer who oversees the Kurobuta program. “These hogs thrive outdoors. They don’t need antibiotics to stay healthy.”
True Story Foods was a pioneer of “No Antibiotics Ever” pork and outdoor raising without crates, cages or stalls. “Our co-op model guarantees us oversight into the work of our family farmers, and gives our customers great confidence in the integrity of the product and its origins,” says Kremer.
In addition to the packaged products, True Story is expanding its distribution of fresh Kurobuta pork this year. Superior in both flavor and fatty acid profile to conventional pork, Kurobuta’s intramuscular fat content and higher pH content keep it succulent and flavorful during cooking. True Story’s Kurobuta pork also contains higher concentrations of the heart healthy monounsaturated oleic acid as compared to conventional pork.
“A Kurobuta chop provides an eating experience comparable to steak. All you need is salt and pepper for a truly extraordinary center-of-the-plate protein,” says Gatto.
The new line of products launched in select Whole Foods stores in the Western region in February 2021. Other products are available to consumers via Crowd Cow and the True Story website.
With more brands than ever competing for shelf space, the company believes that the retail launches speak to both the quality of the products and the consumer demand for premium meats. “Whole Foods being the first retail banner in which we’re selling these products is a huge vote of confidence in our new line,” Gatto says, adding, “We think this is just the beginning of the Kurobuta pork wave.”
