Wild Birds Unlimited’s New Hot Pepper Product Line Successfully Deters Critters

Wild Birds Unlimited has taken a huge step in its mission to provide customers with an entirely new bird feeding experience thanks to the expansion of its hot pepper product line. These spicy products can be used year-round to deter squirrels, raccoons, and other critters from raiding bird feeders so that birds can have easy access to high-nutrition foods without other animals consuming it first.

“The main purpose of our new hot pepper products is to dissuade squirrels and other critters from eating everything in sight during the day and to solve raccoon problems at night,” said John Schaust, Wild Birds Unlimited’s Chief Naturalist. “Mitigating rodent issues gives bird feeding hobbyists the chance to feed from anywhere in their yard, whereas before,  special feeders, cages or some sort of hanging system were necessary,” he said.

Several of Wild Birds Unlimited’s new hot pepper products come with a safe and convenient pour spout so customers don't have to touch the hot pepper food. Wild Birds Unlimited’s specialized formulas are more effective at deterring critters than any competing seed blends on the market, meaning these new product offerings can be used in places where feeders could never have been placed before. New products include Fiery Feast™ no-mess loose seed hot pepper blend, spicy sunflower chips called SunFire™ Chips and an all-new Jim’s Birdacious® Hot Pepper Bark Butter®, a spicy take on a classic product known for attracting more than 145 bird species.

Hot Pepper Bark Butter opens the door to attracting an entirely new set of ground-feeding birds to customers’ yards, including robins, thrushes, thrashers, catbirds, towhees, juncos and sparrows. “You can put this on a log on the ground and birds that typically don't get up to an elevated feeder now have access to it,” Schaust said. “- Placing it at ground-level without the concern of critters opens the door for new species to partake in these highly attractive foods,” Schaust added. Andrea McNeely, product development manager for Wild Birds Unlimited, described the Hot Pepper Bark Butter as a “game-changer.”

“Though all of our new products are great, we've seen incredible results with the Hot Pepper Bark Butter. If you're someone who has been feeding birds, then you know that attracting new birds to your feeders is really exciting,” McNeely said.

The hot pepper product line brings added versatility and convenience to Wild Birds Unlimited customers, Schaust explained. “Our innovative packaging makes the feeding process less labor intensive, keeping everything simpler, cleaner and easier.” McNeely agreed, noting Wild Birds Unlimited’s goal is to create the best products not only for birds, but for the brand’s customers.

“The high-quality nature of our food keeps the birds coming back and provides customers with a great experience,” McNeely said. “We want to problem solve for our customers, and incorporating hot pepper into this product line is a perfect example of us utilizing our expertise to improve their bird feeding experience,” she added.

“In all of our product innovations, everything was driven by the birds,” Schaust said. “We really stay true to making sure these are the best nutritional products out there and that they’re easy to use. It’s been a really great process and we’re excited for our customers to try them out.”

With more than 300 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, Wild Birds Unlimited is the original and largest franchise system of backyard bird feeding and nature specialty stores. Recently ranked No. 2 overall and No. 1 in the Retail category on Franchise Business Review’s prestigious 2018 Franchisee Satisfaction Awards, there's no better time to join the Wild Birds Unlimited team. Click here to learn more.