I Am Your (Bacon Jam) Champion!

“I am your champion! Look no further!”

That was the title of John McGraw’s email. No boring, boilerplate “John McGraw’s Resume.” Note to everyone out there: This is how you grab the attention of a prospective employer. Our interest was piqued before even seeing what John had to say, and the contents of the email proved we had found the perfect man for the job. He even included a GIF of a dancing strip of bacon at the end!

 We posted an ad on Craigslist in December for a West Coast sales and business development representative. The Winter Fancy Foods Show in San Francisco was set for the second weekend in January, and that is where we wanted to vet candidates in person. We said we were “looking for champions.” Plenty of people responded to the ad, but no one came in guns blazing like John did, boasting the combination of experience, confidence and aggressiveness necessary to attack the intimidating yet bountiful West Coast market.

“When we met John (at Winter Fancy Foods Show), we knew immediately,” Executive Boar Mike O. said. “He picked up it so easily, he was a natural. Within seconds, he was pitching and selling to everyone who passed by the booth. He knew everything about the product. We’d look down and then look back up seconds later and John had roped in another person or group of people. It was like he’d been selling The Bacon Jams his whole life. We’re feeling really confident about him.”

A Bay Area native and successful entrepreneur in the foodservice industry, McGraw co-founded and managed a chain of creperies in the San Francisco Financial District. He then moved to Costa Rica, where he opened and operated an all-in-one hotel, bar and restaurant. Upon returning to the States, he helped launch a specialty wine company dedicated to supporting charities. John then came full circle, moving back to the foodservice industry and serving as a cook at a local San Francisco restaurant. But now, with 2015 underway, he’s ready for his next endeavor: Spreading The Bacon Jams throughout California!

“The Bacon Jams is a great substitute for bacon,” McGraw said. “Ease of use is what jumps out to me most. I come from big foodservice stuff, and bacon is very expensive. There's labor costs, there's cooking, there's storage, keeping it fresh. This is a great alternative. It doesn't completely replace bacon, but I would say it replaces 50 percent of uses. It’s cheaper, which is obviously huge, and has all kinds of uses for food production that goes beyond regular bacon.”

If you see a hot pink The Bacon Jams tent or banner, that’s John McGraw. If someone is coming into your store to sell you The Bacon Jams, you’re gonna be talking to John McGraw. If someone is calling your restaurant about adding The Bacon Jams to your menu, it’s John McGraw. He crushed his first ever event last weekend, SF Craft Beer Festival in San Francisco. Next up: Bacon and Beer Classic in San Jose on Saturday, March 21.

John McGraw is an All-American man, with an All-American name, representing the All-American spread, and he won’t stop until the whole state of California is bacon jam-ized.

"I've been putting The Bacon Jams on all my sandwiches, and I love it with brie cheese," McGraw said. "It's a great item for events, social gatherings, in the kitchen and applicable everywhere. It's fun, people get excited about bacon. Being in California and having a chance to introduce The Bacon Jams here, there’s huge market potential that really appeals to me and offers a large opportunity. This is what I do. I’m excited.”