Support of Cougs propels sales and fun

 
 
 
SEATTLE – Rows and rows of small brown boxes sit on the shelves in a warehouse near Boeing Field in Seattle. Inside the boxes are lip balm, salt and popcorn. The unique thing is, virtually all the products taste like bacon.
 
The small warehouse is home to J&D’s Foods, which boasts the philosophy: “Everything should taste like bacon.”
 
J&D’s Foods was created in 2007 by Dave Lefkow and Justin Esch, an ’02 WSU history alumnus.
 
Esch admits that the idea of a history major launching a dry foods business is  unusual, but he quickly adds that most of his friends and family were supportive.
 
 
Promoting nationwide
Over the last three years, Esch and Lefkow have traveled across the country, appearing on talk shows, promoting their products and expanding the reach of bacon-flavored items.
 
But what’s helped propel company sales the most, Esch said, is the support and encouragement of fellow Cougar alumni.
 
“WSU grads are good at helping other WSU grads and making sure they land on their feet – getting a good job, getting an interview, getting in front as many people as possible.”
 
That help has come in different forms, from graphic design and sales, to making the first product itself. It started with BaconSalt, which led to products like Baconnaise, BaconPOP and Bacon Ranch.
 
“I think the first time I really saw the Coug mentality was three years ago when we went to the Puyallup (county) fair,” Lefkow said. Anyone spotted wearing a Coug sweatshirt or logo was immediately informed: “The item was was invented by a Coug.” 
 
Invariably, “people would say ‘Ok, I’ll buy it’ and they’d stick out their money before they even knew what is was,” Lefkow said. “They are loyal to each other, beyond what I’ve seen from most other colleges.”
 
 
Baconized pop culture
“What we really do now,” Esch said, is present “a baconized version of pop culture … It’s a representation of different elements of what makes America funny and (people’s) fascination with interesting foods.”
An interesting segment of the business, Esch said, is seeing where products are shipped, and receiving photos of enthusiastic customers, most whom they don’t know.
 
“We receive pictures from all over the world. Some of the best and funniest ones are definitely from the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. Photos include: tatoos saying “I love BaconSalt,” mountain climbers at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, military parachuters. “There are a lot of countries in which bacon is not really readily available.”
 
Lefkow and Esch agreed working with bacon and having fun doing it makes coming to work enjoyable every day. 
 
For more information about BaconSalt and J&D’s Foods, go to jdfoods.net.
 
See earlier WSU Today article and ABC News video about the business here
 
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For additional alumni feature stories, go to 
Washington State Magazine’s
Class Notes/MyStory website
 where you’ll find stories about Cougs searchable by decade back to the 1930s.