1851

Nearly 20 years ago, Jim Carpenter, the founder of <a href="http://franchise.wbu.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=wild-birds-unlimited-creates-brand-distinction-with-proprietary-products-5445" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">Wild Birds Unlimited</a>, was in his kitchen tweaking a homemade recipe. His goal was to create a special type of bird food&mdash;a spreadable suet&mdash;that would attract Brown Creepers into his own backyard. Today, that final recipe is known as Jim&rsquo;s Birdacious&reg; Bark Butter&reg; and it&rsquo;s sold exclusively throughout the <a href="https://wildbirdsunlimited.1851franchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=wild-birds-unlimited-creates-brand-distinction-with-proprietary-products-5445" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wild Birds Unlimited</a> system. But instead of attracting just Brown Creepers as originally intended, Bark Butter has attracted 139 different bird species (and counting) across North America.

Bark Butter is just one of several hundred proprietary and private-label products that people can&rsquo;t find anywhere else&mdash;and that&rsquo;s because they&rsquo;re made exclusively for Wild Birds Unlimited. This includes the brand&rsquo;s exclusively-formulated blends of bird seed, suet and other specialty foods that take into account regional differences and seasonal needs of birds throughout the United States and Canada. Wild Birds Unlimited brand bird food products contain preferred ingredients which are typically high in fat and protein, providing a real energy boost for birds. Cheap fillers like milo are often included in competitors&rsquo; bird food products to lower the price, but since these generally go uneaten by most birds they are not included in Wild Birds Unlimited brand bird food. These and other exclusive private-label products have created a big differentiation between Wild Birds Unlimited and other big box retailers. But according to Jim Lesch, Wild Birds Unlimited&rsquo;s director of merchandising, it&rsquo;s about more than just differentiating your brand&mdash;it&rsquo;s about creating distinction.

&ldquo;For Wild Birds Unlimited, it&rsquo;s not just about offering private label products that you can&rsquo;t get anywhere else&mdash;it&rsquo;s also about our products being better&ndash;for the birds, our customers and our franchise store owners. We work closely with key manufacturing partners to design and develop exclusive private label products. And our store owners help field-test new products to ensure they appeal not only to customers but to a variety of birds in different regions of North America. These are products that you can&rsquo;t find in any other store. With that lack of direct comparison to other stores, we add value,&rdquo; Lesch said. &ldquo;Customers will go out of their way to come to our stores looking for our unique industry-leading products. This strengthens customer loyalty to our brand, helps maintain competitive margins and creates an unparalleled shopping experience.&rdquo;

Wild Birds Unlimited has a dedicated team focused on new product development that includes their chief naturalist, John Schaust. The team&rsquo;s goal is simple&mdash;create products that perform better than anything else on the market in attracting and caring for backyard birds. This starts with bird food and extends to a wide variety of exclusive feeders, houses, mounting and hanging hardware and other accessories. Innovations include their exclusive classic hopper feeder designed by Carpenter and protected by a 3-D trademark, Ecoclean&reg; feeders and accessories offering exclusive anti-microbial product protection and the patented Advanced Pole System&reg; providing customized mounting and hanging solutions for every backyard situation. The team has also developed a variety of exclusive seed characters for use on cylinder feeders including an owl, a raccoon, a squirrel as well as festive holiday designs such as a snowman, penguin and gingerbread man.

Another way that Wild Birds Unlimited creates distinction with its private-label products is through their satisfaction guarantees. Many of the Wild Birds Unlimited brand products come with a life-time guarantee since they are so well-designed and made of very durable materials including their exclusive EcoTough&reg; recycled plastic. This means that when there&rsquo;s an issue with a bird feeder, for example, it can be repaired locally, making it easier and more convenient for the customer.

Paul Pickett, Wild Birds Unlimited&rsquo;s chief development officer believes that offering proprietary and private-label products in-store creates greater appeal for prospective franchisees, too.

&ldquo;By focusing our energy on these special products, we&rsquo;re helping to protect our franchisees&rsquo; top and bottom lines while driving brand loyalty,&rdquo; Pickett said. In our development process we put a big emphasis on validation. Our franchisees love that we offer proprietary products, and that ultimately helps to create an unrivaled franchising opportunity.&rdquo;

1851 Franchise

Wild Birds Unlimited offers hundreds of proprietary and private-label products that people can't find anywhere else. 


This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

Wild Birds Unlimited Creates Brand Distinction with Proprietary Products 

wild-birds-unlimited-creates-brand-distinction-with-proprietary-products

Comfort Keepers

Comfort Keepers - Midyear Press Release 2025 - 1851 Franchise

Comfort Keepers® Hits Mid-Year Stride With Strong Franchise Growth and Rising Demand for In-Home Care

comfort-keepers-franchise-midyear-momentum-2025

petbar

petbar - Garrett Dewan - Why I'm Investing - 1851 Franchise

Why Garrett Dewan Is Choosing To Reinvest in petbar

petbar-franchise-austin-garrett-dewan-multi-unit

Paris Baguette

NJBIZ: Paris Baguette Ramps Up Expansion With New Franchises, Facility and 2030 Growth Target

njbiz-paris-baguette-ramps-up-expansion-with-new-franchises-facility-and-2030-growth-target

Busy Bee Jumpers

Top 10 Reasons To Buy a Busy Bee Jumpers Franchise in 2025

top-10-reasons-to-buy-a-busy-bee-jumpers-franchise-in-2025

Home Halo

home-halo-former-athletes-frachisees-image

Why Former College Athletes Can Make Winning Home Halo Franchise Owners

former-college-athletes-home-halo-franchise

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Wendy's CEO Kirk Tanner Steps Down - Breaking News - 1851 Franchise

Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner Steps Down Amid Challenges, Leaving Franchisees Facing Uncertainty

wendys-ceo-transition-kirk-tanner-franchisee-uncertainty

"Come in, We're OPEN" sign against abstract background

Small Business Optimism Dips, Raising Concerns for Franchise Owners

small-business-optimism-dips-raising-concerns-for-franchise-owners

Photo of Roof Scientist truck and trailer

Roof Scientist Expands Into Northern Indianapolis as Entrepreneur Dale Speckman Launches New Business in Fishers

roof-scientist-expands-into-northern-indianapolis

Image of Donald Trump pointing with red stripes in the background

August 1 Tariff Deadline Is Said to Have ‘No Extensions’: What This Could Mean for Franchises

august-1-tariff-deadline-franchise-impact

What June’s Jobs Report Means for the Franchise Industry

what-junes-jobs-report-means-for-the-franchise-industry

Unlocking Superpowers: How KidStrong Is Building the Next Generation of Confident Kids — and Thriving Franchise Owners

kidstrong-franchise-confident-kids

Image of a kid growing up, developing with kidstrong, high fiving and smiling. 

How KidStrong has Become the Franchise Disrupting Child Development by Partnering with Purpose-Driven Franchise Owners 

kidstrong-franchise-opportunity-child-development

Picture of kids for franchise business Kidstrong which focuses on child development and fitness

KidStrong Is Pediatrician-Recommended for Raising Confident, Capable Kids and Families Can't Get Enough

kidstrong-child-development-program

Bringing Robots to Main Street: How Elad Inbar’s RobotLAB Franchise Is Powering the Local AI Revolution

bringing-robots-to-main-street-how-elad-inbars-robotlab-franchise-is-powering-the-local-ai-revolution

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How To Create a Strong Incentive

how-to-build-strong-incentives-to-attract-prospective-franchisees

Kansas Couple Revitalizes Local Childcare With Children’s Lighthouse

From Corporate Careers to Community Roots: Kansas Couple Revitalizes Local Childcare With Children’s Lighthouse

kansas-couple-opens-childrens-lighthouse-gardner-olathe

From Prescriptions to Pastries: Kari Khandelwal Creates a Comforting Community Bakery 

From Prescriptions to Pastries: Kari Khandelwal Creates a Comforting Community Bakery in Overland Park, Kansas

paris-baguette-franchise-overland-park-khandelwal

Hooters Leans Into Franchising With Closure of 30 Company-Owned Stores - Agg - 1851 Franchise

Wild Birds Unlimited Creates Brand Distinction with Proprietary Products

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS