Uncrustables Goes Refrigerated as Brand Passes $1 Billion in Sales

J.M. Smucker is betting a fridge-friendly reformulation can push its $1 billion Uncrustables brand into households that never bought the frozen PB&J sandwich.

Earlier this year, the company released an updated Uncrustables that consumers can store in the refrigerator for up to five days. Smucker expects the change to deepen interest among existing shoppers and pull in new customers.

Why the freezer was a growth ceiling

Uncrustables debuted at retail in 2000, and it has always lived in the freezer. That extended shelf life but created a friction point: the sandwich takes about 30 minutes to thaw. Hurried consumers had to wait.

They improvised. Rebecca Scheidler, Smucker's senior vice president and general manager of frozen handheld and spreads, said some consumers have warmed the circular sandwiches on their car dashboard — or sat on them. Many contacted Smucker directly and asked for a fix.

"They were missing out on what they really wanted, which is wanting to grab it and eat it when they wanted it," Scheidler said in an interview. "We said, okay, if that's the desire, what is it going to take for us to be able to deliver that immediate consumption need that they wanted, but without sacrificing the quality and the experience?"

What did the reformulation require?

To make a refrigerated version last and match the frozen sandwich's eating experience, Smucker made "some modifications" to the recipe, Scheidler said. The hardest part was keeping the bread soft and pillowy without letting it go stale or soggy in the fridge. The team also had to keep the peanut butter and jelly from seeping out, so consumers still get the "burst of flavor" when they bite in.

The payoff could be large. Scheidler called the fridge format a "very sizeable opportunity" for attracting new consumers and pushing existing buyers to purchase more often.

Smucker has data behind that claim:

• Around half of consumers have never tried Uncrustables.
• 50% of those non-buyers said they would be more likely to purchase the sandwich if they didn't have to wait for it to thaw.
• 72% of existing users said they would eat the product more often with a refrigerated option.

"As much beloved as the brand is, we still have half of people who still haven't even tried the brand," Scheidler said.

A brand with rivals circling

The sandwich traces back to 1995, when David Geske, who ran a packaged ice business, hosted his friend Len Kretchman and his family for dinner. The kids asked for PB&Js with the crusts trimmed off. The men's spouses, Kristen Geske and Emily Kretchman, suggested mass-producing the product. The Crustless Wonder launched a year later. Smucker bought the brand in 1999 and renamed it Uncrustables.

That success has drawn copycats. Last year, Smucker sued Trader Joe's, alleging the grocer's crustless PB&J is an "obvious copycat" of Uncrustables.

"Competition is welcomed because it helps grow the category," Scheidler said. "But we still have this obsession with continuing to bring what's next, and I think that's really what's going to help us to stand apart from just the industry in general because we're going to continue to push ourselves to disrupt."

What does this change for marketers? A product reformulation that removes a 30-minute wait — not a new flavor or a limited drop — is now the lever Smucker expects to convert half the market that has never tried the brand.