Sometimes the next innovation idea could be right in front of your face—and literally on your breakfast plate.

Marketing, R&D and culinary teams at Cuisine Solutions Inc., Alexandria, Va., discovered just that during an ideation session back in January 2023. This sous vide specialist—known for supplying both the foodservice and retail channels—was studying the breakfast segment for white space opportunities. What if it could make a grab-and-go, sous vide product from perhaps the messiest of breakfast classics: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy?

Challenge accepted. And a product development process that started a year later (January 2024) ultimately resulted in a new refrigerated offering at Costco last October. A 30oz box contains eight individually packaged 3.75oz biscuits. Consumers can either use an air fryer (recommended) or toaster oven for heating in just minutes.

Peter McCall is Cuisine Solutions’ US director of Research and Development.

“We were eyeing a protein-packed, delicious breakfast that evokes memories of classic American diners, country restaurants, and weekend breakfasts with friends and family,” he says. “Traditionally this very messy dish would never lend itself to on-the-go consumption, so we knew we needed to find the right level of creaminess—while still being able to hold together as a handheld item.”

“Getting the texture right was the first challenge,” McCall says. “We needed to make sure the product held together—but still had that creaminess and satisfying, peppery bite that a consumer expects from the classic version.”

The product’s ingredient label lists its basics—including a buttermilk biscuit, free range whole eggs, cottage cheese, pork sausage and Monterey jack and gruyere cheeses.

Without disclosing proprietary details, McCall says Cuisine Solutions’ food scientists experimented with the precise ration of egg to gravy. It was critical to create and balance just the right creamy yet firm topping texture for each biscuit.

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He says another critical hurdle—involving food science, operations and packaging—was to keep the biscuit from becoming too soggy in its sous vide pouch.

“We worked closely with our bakery to create a biscuit sturdy enough to hold up to the cooking process—yet still keep a light and fluffy texture,” he says.

The three departments worked together during scale-up. In fact, early product iterations utilized 3D printing technology to rapidly prototype different versions of the pouch shape.

“Ultimately, our talented production and packaging teams helped us bring our vision to life,” says McCall. “We’re extraordinarily proud to have managed a product that heats up nice and crispy when heated in an air fryer or oven. Meanwhile, it also delivers the perfect blend of creamy gravy and crispy buttermilk biscuit right from the first bite.”