How to Launch a Private Label Deli Line, Step by Step

Before you start: what is the line for?

Every good private label program starts with a plain answer to one question: what should this line do for your store? The answer shapes every decision after it.

• Stand out. You want a deli case shoppers can't find anywhere else, with items that carry your name and taste like it matters.
• Improve margin. You want more control over cost and price on your highest-volume items. Our guide to private label deli margins shows how to measure it.
• Trade customers up. You want a clear good, better and best ladder so a value shopper and a premium shopper both find "your" product.

Most stores want some of all three. Write down which one matters most, because it decides which items you start with and how you price them.

Step 1: Pick your first items

Start where the volume is. For most delis that is a short list:

• Turkey: an oven-browned or oven-roasted breast, and perhaps a maple, smoked or peppered turkey for variety. See our turkey and chicken range.
• Ham: a baked or Virginia ham, plus a premium option such as off-the-bone or Black Forest.
• Roast beef: an oven-roasted beef, with corned beef and pastrami if you sell sandwiches.
• Cheese: American, Swiss and provolone cover most orders.

Look at your own sales before you decide. If a slower item is something customers ask for by name, it can be worth carrying under your label too, but most stores do best adding those in a second wave.

Step 2: Taste, compare and set the spec

This is the step that makes or breaks a private label line. A private label product is made to the specification of the company selling it, which means you get a say in what you are putting your name on.

1. Taste side by side. Put samples next to what you sell now. Include the people who slice and serve, not only the buyer.
2. Decide what matters. Flavor, texture, how it slices, salt level, whether it is pumped or not, piece size and shape.
3. Write it down. A short spec sheet for each item avoids surprises later: the product name, the style, piece size and packaging.
4. Check the slicing yield. How much of each piece do you actually sell? A product that slices cleanly with fewer ends can be worth more than one with a lower invoice price.

Step 3: Design the label

Your label is where your name goes, so it should look like your store at its best. It also has a job to do, because meat and poultry labels have required information. Under federal rules, the principal display panel of a meat label generally has to show:

• the product name;
• an ingredients list, when there is more than one ingredient;
• the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor; when it is your store's name, it usually appears with a phrase such as "Prepared for";
• the net quantity;
• the official inspection legend and establishment number.

Handling statements, nutrition labeling and, for some products, safe handling instructions may also apply. Our guide to deli meat label requirements explains each one in plain terms. Your designer controls the look; the required information has to be there and readable.

Step 4: Confirm approvals and food safety with your supplier

For meat and poultry, labels are tied to the federally inspected establishment that makes the product. Many labels that carry only the required information fall under what the rules call generic approval. Labels with special statements or claims, such as "natural", health claims, claims about how animals were raised, or organic claims on the whole product, have to be submitted for approval before use.

That has a practical effect on your launch: plain, accurate labels move faster than labels with extra claims. If a claim matters to your customers, raise it early so there is time to do it properly.

This is also the time to ask about food safety. Longview's products are produced in HACCP-certified processing facilities; our guide on what HACCP means for deli buyers explains what that covers and the questions worth asking any supplier.

Confirm requirements for your products with your supplier and regulators. This guide explains the general rules; it isn't legal advice.

Step 5: Set prices and plan the case

• Build a ladder. Give each tier a clear name and a clear reason to cost more.
• Decide what stays. Some stores keep one national brand as a familiar anchor. Others convert the whole case. There is no single right answer; our private label vs. national brands guide covers the trade-offs.
• Plan the ends. Decide in advance how ends and trim will be used, in salads, sandwiches or platters, so they earn money instead of costing it.
• Right-size the order. Match piece sizes to how fast each item sells so product doesn't age in the case.

Step 6: Launch so people notice

A new label that nobody notices is just a new label. A few simple moves make the difference:

• Sample at the counter for the first few weeks. A taste sells deli meat better than any sign.
• Brief the staff. Everyone behind the counter should know what is new, what makes it better and what to suggest.
• Use the case. Clear signage with your name and the product's best point: "No pump", "Off the bone", "Baked and glazed".
• Feature it. Put the new line in your circular, on social media and on your sandwich menu.
• Watch the numbers. Track sales, yield and margin by item for the first couple of months, then adjust the line.

A launch checklist

Step	Done when	Who
Goal for the line	Written down in one sentence	Owner or buyer
First items	Short list based on your sales	Buyer and deli manager
Samples and specs	Tasted side by side, spec sheet approved	Buyer, deli team, supplier
Label artwork	Design approved, required information checked	Your designer and supplier
Label approval and food safety	Confirmed with your supplier	Supplier
Pricing and case plan	Price ladder and ends plan set	Owner or buyer
Launch	Staff briefed, sampling and signage ready	Deli manager
Review	Sales, yield and margin checked by item	Owner or buyer

How Longview helps

Longview Trading has built custom private label deli programs for more than 25 years, for retailers ranging from high-end stores with as few as two locations to some of the nation's largest chains. We can customize a single product or a full line of deli meats, cheeses and salads. See how a program works, or ask for a quote and tell us about your store. We will confirm minimums, timing and pricing for your program when we talk.