In the News

October 2007

The following article can be viewed in its entirety at: http://www.preparedfoods.com/CDA/Articles/Feature_Article/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000183558 Article: A Helping Innovation: SOI Retail Awards -- October 2007 by William A. Roberts, Jr. October 1, 2007 Stax Time Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but many consumers simply refuse to take the time to eat in the morning, due in large part to other responsibilities occupying their attention. Cathead Foods sought to make breakfast much more convenient with Go Stax. The line features an individual serving of buttermilk pancakes made with wheat flour and including buttermilk, real butter and pure maple syrup. Key to the creation of the frozen line is the patented combination of items in the butter/syrup patties in each box. Butter and syrup have been formed into two pats of topping that melt over the pancakes during the one-minute microwave cooking time. Developers Tom and Julie Johnson “wanted alternatives to cold cereal, cardboard ‘breakfast’ bars or fast foods, yet which still met the need for speed in the mornings, when life is a little hectic,” Tom recalls. Another goal was for a “good meal starting the day that actually tasted good and was also nutritious.” The pancakes boast 4g of fiber and 4g of protein in each serving, as well as only 0.5g of trans fat. In fact, the developers note they are still tinkering with the formula to remove trans fat completely. Realizing the value and innovation inherent in that butter-syrup-pancake-packaging combination, Cathead has gone on to patent the entire product. The effort was not without its challenges, the Johnsons recall. “Taste-testing several different formulae for butters, syrups, pancakes and packaging, trials and failures for the melting process led to the product which now achieves a natural maple sweetness.” In all, the company performed more than 2,600 taste tests before launch. Beyond the formulation, the package proved a key component. “It had to be able to withstand microwaving without leaking any of the contents, yet still be strong enough to allow the consumer to eat it right from the box. As Cathead is a small company, developers also sought a hand-erected package, thereby negating the need for an expensive industrial case erector. Commenting upon the unique nature of the product, Tom explains, “Go Stax are the only single-serve, self-contained, on-the-go breakfast item like it on the market, and…it continues to grow in both the retail and vending arenas.” The growth is having quite an impact on the small company; it has led Cathead to plan a packaging revision that will take advantage of automation in assembly.

Click here to view Egg Solutions E-News, July 2007

Click here to view the News Herald May 23, 2007, "GoStax is retailing in three states"

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Click here to view the Charlotte Observer May 20, 2007, "It's Sweet in the Pancake Business"

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GoStax™ -- the newest breakfast staple – now available in four varieties in three southeastern states

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 9, 2007

Contact: Tom Johnson
Cathead Foods, LLC President
828-403-1611 or tom@catheadfoods.com

Click here to visit the John Boy and Billy Big Show Web Site

Morganton, NC (May 9, 2007) –American families are always on the go and there just isn’t time for a hot breakfast. Grab a bowl of cold cereal or out the door with a snack bar. Not anymore, thanks to Burke County’s own Cathead Foods, LLC and their newest product line, GoStax ™ Heat-and-Eat Pancakes.

These eat-in-the-box, ready in only one minute, pancakes are the creation of Tom Johnson, founder of Cathead Foods. Johnson made a special guest appearance on the “John Boy and Billy Big Show” morning radio show, Thursday, May 10.

During the interview, which was broadcast on affiliate stations in nearly 20 states throughout the eastern United States, John Boy and Billy sampled GoStax pancakes. “Man, these are awesome pancakes,” John Boy said. “Some of best I’ve ever had, really. And in a little box you just microwave and they’re ready to go.”

“A lot of that frozen stuff you pop in the microwave, it sounds good but it doesn’t actually deliver.”  Billy said during the interview. “These are actually really good.”

Created, marketed and produced in their Burke County processing facility, Cathead Foods’ Go Stax™ were first introduced through wholesale distributors and convenience stores. Growing to vendors in 19 southeastern states within their first year, GoStax™ debuted in the retail market last fall at Compare Foods in Morganton.

GoStax™ are quickly becoming a breakfast staple. From one local grocery to approximately 100 Food City stores in three states at the end of first quarter, GoStax™ will be available in South Carolina Piggly Wiggly stores in June. 

GoStax™ blends 80% real maple syrup and 100% real butter into pats that melt over the pancakes as they heat in the microwave. In only a minute, piping hot, great tasting pancakes are ready. No peeling butter pats or struggling with tiny containers of syrup. Go Stax ™ are ready to eat right from the container. GoStax ™ are available in buttermilk, blueberry, mini and, most recently, buttermilk with North Carolina sausage.

Cathead Foods, LLC is located off I-40 at exit 107 in Morganton. Currently the company has eight employees baking about 10,000 pancakes a week. Over the next several months Johnson anticipates growing to 15 to 20 full-time workers to meet retail demand. GoStax ™ are still available in vending machines and convenience stores as well as Cathead Foods’ great-tasting sandwiches, snack foods and desserts.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Cathead Foods’ products goes to support the work of “Hands of God,” which is a medical mission dedicated to helping children and communities in need. Support ranges from AIDS treatment, OB care, orphanages to water systems. Contact Tom with any questions about the organization.