A Sausage Saved the Summer for Minnesota

Last season, Cloverdale Foods partnered with Twins infielder Kyle Farmer for a promotional deal. While they may not be the household name Sheboygan has become (thanks to renditions of their jingle by Trevor Plouffe and Byron Buxton) or a synergistic partner on par with the in-stadium Kramarczuk’s, the Mandan, North Dakota company has had a sizable presence for years.

It wasn’t until catcher Ryan Jeffers decided that an Original Tangy Summer Sausage was going to be part of a Twins run-scoring celebration, though, that the company found themselves taking a whole new part of the limelight. Riding baseball’s best winning streak (one the organization hasn’t seen since a World Series-winning 1991), the Twins made summer sausage cool again.

The perspectives of players in the dugout and manager Rocco Baldelli have already been dissected. How do the folks at Cloverdale feel about all of this newfound attention, though? Vice president of marketing Leigh Milander was ready to unwrap those questions.

Twins Daily: How did the partnership with Kyle Farmer come about last season?

Leigh Milander: As a part of our partnership with the Twins organization and their account teams, we worked with Kyle Farmer last year to create a Cloverdale Bacon Breakfast Sandwich featuring his sweet family. As a fourth-generation, family-run company, one of our core values is “Family”. Earlier this year, we sent Kyle a little Cloverdale bacon bits onesie to celebrate the birth of his second son. The year prior, we were honored to work with Hall of Famer Tony Oliva for a Cloverdale Bacon BLT. He was incredible to work with, and a true bacon lover.

Stay tuned to see whom we work with later this year to bring our Twins partnership to life!

TD: What has Cloverdale’s connection to the Twins been like in previous years?

LM: Cloverdale is proud to be the Official Bacon of the Minnesota Twins and Target Field.

TD: How has the home run sausage and the winning streak invigorated the brand and its recognition?

LM: We are shocked and thrilled that our Tangy summer sausage somehow accidentally made it into the clubhouse, the dugout, around the bases, and even on road trips and beyond. As huge baseball fans ourselves, we truly understand and respect the elements of superstition and luck. The belief that this stick of sausage is somehow magically influencing hits is a huge honor.

TD: With Twins Territory going crazy over a piece of meat for the first time since Brian Dozier left town, what has the uptick in interest, purchasing, and connectivity looked like?

LM: It’s been overwhelming, in the best possible way. As a 100-year-old family-run company, we have never seen anything like this, and are humbled and grateful to be a part of it.

TD: The Twins are rocking with the tangy summer sausage, but what other offerings should fans be aware of, in case they're slightly averse to tang?

LM: We make incredible bacon. [Cloverdale is proud to be the Official Bacon of the Minnesota Twins and Target Field.] But we’re well-known throughout the Midwest for our Tangy summer sausage and other traditional favorites. In fact, our Tangy is so popular that we recently launched Tangy Snackers® meat sticks so that folks can bring our summer sausage on the go.

TD: Lastly, images of the summer sausage have been present in multiple dugout angles. Is there a point in which the team should switch out the original sausage? How about someone taking a bite when this is all said and done?

LM: No comment. 😉

Don’t fear either, the Twins are keeping the original meat masterpiece around as well.

Lean into the meat sensation and grab yourself some Cloverdale products this summer. Maybe it'll be the catalyst for the Twins winning ways continuing.