HORMEL FOODS - THE MAKERS OF HORMEL® BLACK LABEL® BACON - CREATE FIRST-EVER SMOKED BACON USING ELITE MAPLE WOOD FROM COLLEGE BASKETBALL'S TOURNAMENT COURTS

Fans Can Enter to Win Limited Run of Hardcourt Smoked HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® Bacon 
Championship Strips

AUSTIN, Minn., March 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This March, basketball and bacon fans unite for the first time as the makers of HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® Bacon will give some of college basketball's most diehard fans the chance to taste the most elite smoked meat ever. Introducing Hardcourt Smoked HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® Bacon, a first-of-its-kind bacon smoked with the actual northern cherry maple wood that is used to make the final floors of the 2023 college basketball tournament.  

From Monday, March 13 through Monday, March 20, fans can take a shot at the ultimate taste of victory by registering for a chance to win one of 68 commemorative packages of Hardcourt Smoked HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® Bacon at www.Hardcourt.BlackLabelBacon.com. Each commemorative pack includes a stack of Hardcourt Smoked HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® Bacon, a certificate of authenticity, collectible maple wood chips and coupons for more HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® Bacon products. To see more about the making of Hardcourt Smoked HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® Bacon, click here.

The makers of HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® Bacon teamed up with Connor^® Sports, the official court supplier of March's annual tournament, to make this dream a reality. Connor^® Sports trimmed the ends of the actual wood used to make this year's courts to create the hardwood maple chips used by the smoked meat experts at Hormel Foods. Smoked low and slow over the northern maple wood chips, Hardcourt Smoked HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® Bacon infuses the savory strips fans love with the rarified smoke of real March hoops hardwood.

"For the first time, college hoops superfans won't just live and breathe the game this March, but they'll have a chance to eat it, too," said Nick Schweitzer, senior brand manager for HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® Bacon. "Even if your bracket is busted early, you can still get the taste of sweet victory with our limited-edition bacon."

For more information about HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® Bacon, including products, recipes and a store locator, visit BlackLabelBacon.com and follow the HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® Bacon brand on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

About Hormel Foods ? Inspired People. Inspired Food.tm 
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters^®, SKIPPY^®, SPAM^®, Hormel^® Natural Choice^®, Applegate^®, Justin's^®, WHOLLY^®, Hormel^® Black Label^®, Columbus^®, Jennie-O^® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement ? Inspired People. Inspired Food.tm ? to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation