Chicken is one of the most popular meats consumed around the world. From fried chicken to chicken breasts, wings, thighs and more, chicken dishes are beloved for their versatility and flavor. One particularly popular brand of chicken products is Big C. But who is behind this ubiquitous grocery store staple? Let’s take a closer look at the origins and operations of Big C chicken.
The History of Big C Chicken
Big C Supercenter is the hypermarket arm of the Thailand-based company Central Group. Founded in 1947 as a family shop in Bangkok by Tiang Chirathivat, Central Group has grown over the decades into a massive retail conglomerate encompassing department stores, shopping malls, specialty stores, restaurants, and more.
In 1993, Central Group opened its first Big C hypermarket in Bangna, Thailand. The large-format Big C stores offered everything from groceries to clothing to electronics under one roof. Food and grocery sales became a major part of Big C’s business model, including fresh produce, packaged goods, and ready-to-eat items like rotisserie chicken. Over the next two decades, Big C expanded rapidly throughout Thailand and into neighboring countries like Vietnam and Laos.
In 2016, Big C’s Vietnam operations were acquired by Central Group’s competitor, Berli Jucker Public Company Limited (BJC). However, Central Group maintained ownership of Big C stores in Thailand and Laos. As of 2022, there were 143 Big C stores located across Thailand.
Big C Chicken Products
From the beginning, Big C stores put a major emphasis on fresh, prepared foods like baked goods, ready meals, and rotisserie chicken. Big C rotisserie chicken quickly became one of the chain’s most popular items, appealing to shoppers as an affordable and tasty meal solution.
Today, Big C produces a wide range of chicken products for retail sale in its supermarkets and hypermarkets:
- Whole rotisserie chickens
- Rotisserie chicken parts – breast, leg, thigh, wing, drumstick
- Marinated raw chicken – herb, lemon pepper, barbecue
- Frozen raw chicken parts – breast, leg, thigh, wing
- Frozen chicken nuggets and patties
- Frozen prepared chicken meals
Big C chicken products are marketed under the house brand “Big C” along with sub-brands like “Big C Chef’s Selection.” Products emphasize quality and convenience at affordable price points to appeal to the chain’s core middle-class customer base.
Big C Chicken Production
As a large retailer producing huge volumes of chicken for hundreds of stores, Big C must run its own high-capacity poultry production and processing operation.
Several integrated chicken processing plants supply poultry products to Big C stores across Thailand. One major facility is located in Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeastern Thailand. The plant processes around 300,000 birds per day, with the capacity to produce 36,000 rotisserie chickens and over 1 million pounds of other chicken products per day.
Within the processing plants, chickens sourced from contracted farms are humanely slaughtered, then plucked, gutted, and cleaned automatically by machines. Conveyor belts move the carcasses through stations where they are inspected, chilled, packaged, or sent for further processing into value-added products like rotisserie chickens, chicken parts, nuggets, or sausages. Food safety and sanitation protocols govern each step of the operation.
For rotisserie chickens, the fresh chicken carcasses are seasoned, skewered onto racks, and loaded into rotisserie ovens to slowly cook while rotating. Once golden brown, they’re removed from the racks, packaged, and quickly shipped to Big C stores where they can be sold hot and fresh.
Big C also operates further processing facilities to produce other chicken items like raw marinated chicken, chicken sausages, nuggets, patties, and ready meals. These products are made by mixing ground chicken with spices and other ingredients, forming into desired shapes, battering or breading, and flash freezing. Combining efficient Thai poultry production with advanced processing technology allows Big C to offer chicken items matched to consumer demand.
Food Safety and Quality Control
As a major grocery retailer, Big C must meet stringent safety and quality standards for its private label chicken. Its processing facilities comply with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) food safety management programs. These protocols minimize the risk of biological, chemical, and physical hazards within the manufacturing process.
Big C’s quality control testing starts on the farms where chickens are raised. The company monitors and controls the birds’ feed, medication, living conditions, and overall health. At the processing plants, daily quality checks are performed at multiple production stages:
- Incoming live chickens are examined for signs of disease and a sample is tested for any microbial contamination.
- Carcasses are visually evaluated and monitored for proper temperature and pH levels.
- Finished products are randomly sampled to verify nutritional content, weight, and lack of defects.
- Microbiological tests check for pathogens like salmonella and E. coli.
By closely overseeing its vertically integrated poultry supply chain, Big C delivers chicken to its stores and customers with both quality and safety firmly under control.
The Market for Big C Chicken
Big C enjoys a dominant position in Thailand’s grocery sector, with its 143 hypermarkets providing one-stop shopping for millions of customers across the country. For middle and working class Thai families, Big C stores are the preferred place to buy everything from fresh produce to household essentials.
Part of Big C’s appeal is the availability of good quality prepared foods at reasonable prices. For time-strapped households, picking up a tasty roasted chicken on the way home from work provides an easy dinner. Parents can grab a package of chicken nuggets to feed the kids. Big C chicken offers a fast, budget-friendly source of protein to feed families.
Beyond households, Big C chicken is also popular with small restaurants, food stalls, and street vendors. Buying bulk bags of frozen chicken parts or nuggets allows small food businesses to incorporate chicken into dishes without the hassle of butchering whole birds themselves. Big C provides the convenience of ready-to-use chicken at wholesale rates.
Within Big C stores, the deli section with fresh rotisserie chicken is a big draw to get customers in the door. The appetizing smell of roasted chicken wafting through the aisles stimulates shoppers’ appetites and entices additional purchases. Prepared foods like rotisserie chicken are an important component of the modern supermarket experience.
Big C Rotisserie Chicken Sales Data
| Year | Number of Rotisserie Chickens Sold |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 89 million |
| 2018 | 103 million |
| 2019 | 121 million |
| 2020 | 113 million |
| 2021 | 127 million |
As shown in the table above, Big C has experienced steady growth in rotisserie chicken sales over the past 5 years, with over 100 million chickens sold annually across their stores. This demonstrates the continued popularity and demand for this flagship product. Even the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 only caused a minor dip in volumes. Overall, rotisserie chicken remains a staple purchase for Big C shoppers.
Future Outlook
Looking ahead, Big C remains well-positioned to keep growing its chicken business in Thailand and neighboring countries. As a trusted local brand, Big C chicken offers the right combination of convenience, quality, and value to align with Southeast Asian consumer habits. Processing technology improvements will allow the company to increase volumes while upholding strict standards.
However, Big C faces challenges from changing lifestyles, demographics, and shopping behaviors. Younger and more urbanized consumers are shifting towards online grocery shopping, prepared meal delivery services, and niche products from specialty food startups. Big C will need to cater to these evolving preferences with more flexible retail concepts and digital initiatives.
Internationally, Big C is streamlining operations by divesting overseas businesses to focus exclusively on its core Thailand market. This geographic consolidation will allow management to concentrate resources on strengthening the Big C brand and retail model domestically. Chicken and other affordable fresh foods will continue anchoring in-store offerings.
While traditional hypermarkets may decline in relevance, Big C’s poultry supply chain and production capabilities position it well to serve Thai shoppers via multiple channels in the future. As long as consumers retain their taste for chicken, Big C will adapt its business to keep giving them convenient, quality chicken options for their everyday needs.
Conclusion
For over 25 years, Big C has been Thailand’s leading provider of rotisserie chicken and poultry products. Vertically integrated growing, processing and distribution capabilities allow Big C to bring fresh chicken to millions of customers every day. Affordability, taste and nutrition make Big C chicken a family food staple. As habits evolve, Big C is poised to keep its dominant market position by meeting consumers’ desire for delicious chicken in whatever form or retail format they prefer.