When it comes to grab-and-go sandwiches, AdvancePierre Foods provides convenience stores with a host of options for consumers with BIG AZ appetites.

For more than two decades, the Blue Ash, Ohio-based company has been cooking up cheeseburgers, breakfast sandwiches, mini sliders, new pretzel flatbread sandwiches and other hand-held meals that can be microwaved from the cooler or placed in a warmer to provide c-stores with easy food service solutions, said Nancy Todys, vice-president, marketing convenience. The sandwiches are sold under more than a half dozen different brands, including BIG AZ, Pierre, Hot ‘n’ Ready, PB Jamwiches, Steak EZE and more.

Unlike most other frozen sandwich producers, AdvancePierre makes 95% of its own buns, rolls and biscuits on its automated hearth and biscuit lines. The company relies on proprietary formulas that ensure the breadstuffs remain soft, even after microwaving or sitting in a warmer for up to four hours, Ms. Todys said during the recent National Association of Convenience Store (NACS) show in Las Vegas. In addition to c-stores, AdvancePierre supplies schools, retail freezer case and food service operators with a wide array of frozen meal options.