Algonquin man builds recognition one box at a time

The Super Bowl is the busy season for Patrick Pfeifer and his 2-year-old business, That's Pat's Italian Beef.

Pfeifer's products, Italian beef kits and giardiniera, sport his name and picture. The Algonquin resident sells the ingredients to make Italian beef sandwiches at more than 20 grocery store chains including Woodman's Food Market and Garden Fresh Market.

Pfeifer believes that if shoppers try his frozen product, there's no going back to their old brand. In order to make this happen, Pfeifer handed out samples at store demonstrations during the infancy stages of his business. As the company grew, he hired another ten people to hand out samples.

"I have to get it in the people's mouths," he said.

He jokes that he doesn't have the recognition like Paul Newman, who has his own salad dressing line, so he has to work harder to get his name out there.

"I started selling box by box and then case by case and now pallet by pallet," Pfeifer said. In the early days, he was selling a pallet, or 240 boxes, of his Italian beef every two weeks. He's now selling between 15 and 16 pallets a week.

Josh Bohling, meat manager at Woodman's in Carpentersville, said That's Pat's has been a hit at his store. People are finding they get more for their money and a better product than the other brands out there, Bohling said. "He's been doing really well in this store," he said.

Pfeifer, who spent his career in the food industry, said he had a good Italian beef recipe and wanted to go up against the big brands including Vienna and Papa Charlie.

Utilizing his contacts in the packaging and meat industry, he launched his product two years ago. He hooked up with Bari Beef Products in South Elgin where the product is produced. "It's a nice lean beef," he said.

An important aspect that differentiates his product is they way the beef is packaged. Pfeifer separates the beef from the gravy in the box. This results in sandwiches that are more tender.

"The beef is already cooked. You heat the au jus first and then add the beef briefly at the end so that it's not dry and tough," he said.

Pfeifer, 39, added that most of the flavor is in the au jus. "That's what sets us apart," he said. The entrepreneur said he doesn't use a soup-base filled with salt.

"My secret ingredient is in the au jus," he said.

The product started in a six-pound kit featuring two, one-pound packages of beef and two, two-pound packages of gravy. It sells for $10.99 at Woodman's and $12.99 to $13.99 at other grocery stores. Pfeifer then started making a three-pound kit as well.

To add flavor to the sandwich, he started making giardiniera that's often displayed near his beef. The mild and hot versions are made at Il Primo in St. Charles. It's going over well. "I can't keep up with it," he said.

Pfeifer, who grew up in Buffalo Grove and graduated from St. Viator High School, is raising two children, Benjamin, 10, and Sophia, 6. His wife, DeAnna, assists with the business.

Prior to launching the business, Pfeifer, a talkative person with a fun sense of humor, worked for Cisco for nearly seven years before his position was eliminated. He then worked for Randolph Packing, a sausage company in Streamwood. Two months ago he left his position at Randolph to pursue his own business full-time.

When developing the product, he said he wanted something with his picture on it. He had a caricature made. "It adds to the label and puts a name with a face," said Pfeifer.

Those who work in the grocery stores like what they see. Pfeifer's marketing background mixed with experience in the food industry has been a good fit. "He knows what he's talking about," Bohling said.

That's Pat's can also be found at Butera Market, Pick n Save, Sentry Foods, Joe Caputo & Sons in Algonquin and Palatine and Food 4 Less.

He said he has stayed away from Jewel and Dominick's because of the fees they would charge him to get into the store.

For more information, check out www.thatspats.com.