Summit Hill Foods is expanding its Better Than Bouillon® brand into high-growth global flavor categories, launching four concentrated paste bases — Chicken Ramen, Tonkotsu Ramen, Pho, and Birria — now on shelf at Walmart, Albertsons, and additional retailers nationwide. The additions extend the brand's Culinary Collection line and mark its first entry into the fast-growing ramen broth segment.
The Product Line
Each SKU is formulated as a concentrated paste designed to replicate broth profiles that traditionally require hours of preparation. The Chicken Ramen and Tonkotsu Ramen bases are positioned as the first concentrated ramen broth starter pastes in their category, built around real chicken or pork, authentic shoyu sauce, and no added MSG. The Pho Base uses real beef stock, ginger, soy sauce, and aromatics to approximate the layered flavor of a six-to-twelve-hour simmer. The Birria Base — inspired by the Jalisco original — combines beef stock, chili peppers, onion, paprika, and garlic to deliver consommé-style depth for tacos, quesabirria, rice bowls, and soups.
Why It Matters
The launch reflects accelerating retail demand for globally inspired meal-starter products as consumers increasingly attempt restaurant-style dishes at home. Ramen, pho, and birria have each crossed from niche ethnic-restaurant menus into mainstream foodservice and grocery — a transition that typically creates durable retail pull for pantry analogs. Concentrated paste formats hold a structural advantage over liquid broths in this context: they offer longer shelf life, lower freight cost per serving, and the customization flexibility that more experienced home cooks seek. Better Than Bouillon's existing brand equity in the paste bouillon segment gives Summit Hill Foods a credible on-ramp into these sub-categories without building a new brand from scratch.
"As consumers continue to explore global cuisines at home, they're looking for convenient ways to recreate the authentic flavors they love," said Kyle Peterson, Chief Marketing Officer at Summit Hill Foods. "Our new Culinary Collection of global flavor bases deliver the restaurant-quality taste of ramen, pho, and birria with the trusted quality of Better Than Bouillon, making it easy to prepare authentic, flavorful meals in minutes instead of hours."
Retail Distribution
The four SKUs are available now at Walmart and Albertsons, with broader retail rollout underway; selection varies by retailer and location. The Culinary Collection positioning keeps the new items distinct from Better Than Bouillon's core chicken, beef, and vegetable base lineup, which has long held premium placement in the soup-and-broth aisle. The move also signals Summit Hill Foods' intent to use its retail distribution infrastructure — built across Better Than Bouillon, Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce, and related brands — to capture incremental shelf space in the growing global-flavors segment. For operators and grocery buyers tracking consumer trends in packaged broths and flavor bases, the addition of birria in particular reflects how regional Mexican foodservice trends continue to migrate into retail at an accelerating pace. Brands that can credibly bridge the gap between authentic preparation and everyday convenience are increasingly well-positioned in the $2-plus billion U.S. broth and bouillon category. Coverage of related product launches and retail shelf strategy from F&B Industry News tracks how manufacturers are capitalizing on these shifts.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
