Over the last half-century, the poultry market has had significant ups and downs. To Cagle's, it became clear that the best protection against price fluctuations was to create a product that couldn't easily be copied- to get away from poultry as a commodity, and more toward poultry that had added value.
The company began a move toward a value-added or "further processed" product. It was a way of meeting the developing trends in chicken consumption. Housewives, often coming home from a full-time job to prepare dinner, wanted chicken that was not only already cut up, but sold in individually frozen pieces, ready to thaw and cook. Cagle's met the demand by introducing packages of Cagle's Pride IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) chicken. Then Cagle's took it one step further, marinating and breading the chicken parts, so they'd be ready for consumption.
The trend toward further processed chicken was also growing in the fast food business. Fast food marketers needed a product that could be prepared consistently on site by youthful employees with little training. Cagle's responded by meeting specifications for further processed chicken parts, perfectly pre-seasoned and ready to cook at the fast food unit.
It was a long way from the simple, processed chicken of George Cagle's original chicken shop.
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