Have Willow Tree, Will Travel

As many of you know, Willow Tree chicken salad is a New England favorite. For many families it’s a year-round staple. Not only is it popular as an everyday lunch or snack, but it seems that every year fans are coming up with more and more ways to enjoy Willow Tree chicken salad a variety of ways, for a variety of occasions.

If you’d like to bring Willow Tree Chicken Salad when visiting friends or family, we’ve compiled a few tips for bringing it along.

Here are some important details to keep in mind when traveling with Willow Tree chicken salad:

Our chicken salad must be held at a temperature between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. While ice is melting it maintains a constant 32 degrees, so a cooler packed with ice would hold our salad at the proper temperature.  As long as there is still even a small amount of ice in your cooler when you arrive at your destination the salad should still be between 32 and 40 degrees.  You may want to pack a probe style food grade thermometer (available at any grocery store) so you can check the temperature of the product at your final destination just to be safe.

A properly packed cooler with the adequate amount of ice should be fine for a very long time, but there are a lot of factors to consider, for example, total travel time, method of travel, outside air temperature, etc.

We hope you’ve found this information helpful in spreading Willow Tree’s tasty goodness nationwide. We will keep you posted when our product becomes available in states outside of New England.  For example, here is the latest on our expansion into the metro New York area.

And for new ideas of how to serve Willow Tree chicken salad, click here!

New England’s favorite chicken pie now available in NY, NJ and CT

FOR WILLOW TREE, FAMILY IS KEY INGREDIENT IN RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

‘Pie A Day Giveaway’ helps launch product in Tri-State Area

MARCH 2, 2012— In the mid 1900’s, a small poultry farm was founded in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Taking its name from the trees that dotted its landscape, Willow Tree Farm rapidly became a mainstay of the local economy, producing fresh poultry and eggs for those who farmed it as well as for local merchants.

Over time, the business grew. Willow Tree became a thriving egg and broiler-producing farm, complete with a neighborhood retail outlet and door-to-door egg business. Then, one day, owner Chet Cekala uttered the words that would change the company’s history…“Chicken Pie.”

Customers knew a good thing when they tasted it. Practically overnight, Willow Tree’s chicken-pie business grew to all of Massachusetts and then to the entire New England area.

Today, Chet’s son, Walter “Wally” Cekala, is running the family business with his sons Alex and Chris and Willow Tree is expanding its reach beyond New England for the first time. Starting this month, New England’s top-selling premium chicken pies are now available in 233 supermarket locations in the Tri-state area.

Shoppers can now find Willow Tree premium chicken pies in the frozen foods section of nearly 200 Stop & Shop stores in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, 20 Grand Union Family Markets in New York and Connecticut, and 13 Best Yet Markets in the Metro New York and Long Island areas.

“We’ve come a long way since the days when my Dad was delivering eggs door to door,” said Wally Cekala, President, Willow Tree. “The company is growing into new markets and expanding its product lines but we’re still very much a family business. Our chicken pies are prepared fresh and packed with wholesome white meat chicken, home-style gravy, and topped by a delicious flaky crust made from scratch. We make them by hand with only the highest quality ingredients, like you would at home only in a much bigger kitchen.”

A New England original since 1954, Willow Tree Premium Chicken Pies are available in three varieties: the Original Premium Chicken Pie, Premium Chicken Pie with Classic Vegetables and Premium Chicken Pie with Red Bliss Potatoes, Supermarkets in the Tri-state area will stock the three serving, 26 ounce size. In addition, Best Yet Markets will also carry the single serving, 8 ounce size.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing Willow Tree Premium Chicken Pies to consumers in the Tri-state area through Stop & Shop, Grand Union and Best Yet Markets, said Walter Cekala, President, Willow Tree. “For more than 40 years, Willow Tree has come to symbolize comfort, quality and value for tens of thousands of families throughout New England. Now, we hope to gain the same loyal following in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.”

To help introduce its pies to new consumers in the Tri-state area, Willow Tree is giving away a “Pie-A-Day” on its Facebook page. Consumers can also download product coupons and qualify for additional giveaways by answering quick survey questions such as “Who Do You Love to Cook For?” and “What’s Your Pie-Q?”.

For additional company and product information, visit www.willowtreefarm.com.

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About Willow Tree

Willow Tree is New England’s leading provider of prepared fresh/sold frozen poultry pies and fresh deli and sandwich salads. For nearly 60 years, Willow Tree has provided the finest premium poultry products for families, offering delicious, wholesome comfort foods that have satisfied appetites for generations. The company’s growing line of products are still prepared by hand and sold in supermarkets, delis, sports and entertainment venues and restaurants throughout New England, online and at the Willow Tree retail store in Attleboro, Massachusetts. http://www.willowtreefarm.com