Jewel-Osco, Dietz & Watson Help Needy Families

Jewel-Osco stores are partnering with premium deli purveyor Dietz & Watson to help feed needy families.

Now carried by the Chicago-area chain, Dietz & Watson aims to introduce itself to the market by teaming up on this initiative to benefit the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Through Sept. 13, when customers buy 1 pound of  D&W deli meats or cheeses at Jewel Osco stores, a half-pound will be donated to the food bank, toward a goal of 20,000 pounds donated.

“We believe in good food and good people,” said Ruth "Momma Dietz" Eni, company chairman. “We’re not a faceless corporation writing a check and walking away. We’re a family company. We believe in deeper bonds.”

Jewel-Osco supermarkets will offer a new selection of premium roast beef, turkey breast, chicken breast, Italian and other traditional deli meats adorning the deli case. A four-generation family-owned and -operated company, Dietz & Watson boasts remaining true to an "unwavering dedication to using only the best ingredients."

“I learned a lot from my father, but one thing always stood out,” Eni said. “He always said, ‘If it’s not good enough for my family, it’s not good enough for anyone,’ so we have always run the business with that philosophy. The food has to be amazingly delicious and healthy.”

What started as a small neighborhood company now manufactures more than 450 items in its Philadephia headquarters, employing more than 1,000 people. Dietz & Watson is one of the best-selling hot dog brands on the East Coast, preparing traditional skinless franks, New York Style natural casing franks and dozens of others. D&W products are sold in all 50 states, in delis, restaurants and supermarkets.

Established in 1899, Jewel-Osco, owned by New Albertsons Inc., operates 176 stores in Illinois, Indiana and Iowa.