Mark Bianchetti, president of the People’s Choice Beef Jerky has seen the California-based business and the area around it change throughout his life. Nestled in the heart of downtown Los Angeles’ fashion district, People’s Choice has been a player in the specialty meat snacks industry for nearly a century. Continually expanding its presence, not only on the west coast but beyond, the company continues to work on growth and change in the snack space. In this episode of the...

Over the last few years, Chomps has grown into a steady player in the meat snack space. One of the critical components of the brand’s success is the attention to detail in operations and finding the right partners to produce a quality product. For this episode of the MEAT+POULTRY podcast, we talk with Rashid Ali, co-chief executive officer and Zach Meyer, senior director of operations. During this discussion, Ali describes what it’s been like to watch Chomps grow and succeed with his...

Mike Drury remains focused and prepared to guide Greater Omaha Packing into its next chapters of meat processing. The president of Greater Omaha Packing Co. recently discussed with the MEAT+POULTRY podcast how the company would use a $20 million USDA grant through the Meat and Poultry Expansion Program (MPPEP). Drury stated how important the company’s location in Omaha, Neb., is for the success of its business as it fulfills orders for customers in the United States and around the world....

Sterling “Big Poppa” Ball always wants to push the level of barbecue flavors and tastes for people. The hall-of-fame pitmaster, who runs Big Poppa Smokers in California, recently chatted with MEAT+POULTRY to discuss what he’s seen on the barbecue landscape over the last few years and how his company teaches and promotes the art of low and slow cooking. The conversation starts with Ball explaining how his first business, Ernie Ball, a well-known guitar and strings company, helped inform...

In early 2022, MEAT+POULTRY published a story about three entrepreneurs who seized the opportunity to capitalize on America’s love for bacon. Elisa Lewis, her husband Camilo Velasquez and the couple’s friend and business partner, Dana Young, had a great run as co-owners of The Baconer, an Emeryville, Calif.-based premium bacon company. After its founding in 2016, the entrepreneurs saw exponential growth, thanks to the development of a high-quality product line, partnerships with key...

Mike Sloan, owner of Fulton and Herman Wurst Haus wants to give people hands-on experiences in the meat industry. He continues to develop sausage-making classes at his Hermann location and a new location in Fulton, Mo. That’s one of the reasons Sloan was the subject of this episode of the MEAT+POULTRY podcast.   Sloan describes what it’s been like taking on a second location and why he felt like it was the right time. During the interview, he discusses how he will bring on an...

MEAT+POULTRYcaught up with Jeff Tripician, chief executive officer of Grass Fed Foods while attending the Annual Meat Conference held in Dallas, Texas, in March. The newly formed company was featured in the January issue of MEAT+POULTRY magazine. During this discussion, Tripician describes the first few months of Grass Fed Foods and how the company has responded to the growing grass-fed market. He shared some new programs Grass Fed Foods plans to roll out, including Teton Taste Buds and a...

The Irish Food Board, Bord Bia, recently kicked off its new campaign to bring more European beef and lamb into the United States. As promotional events and campaigns recently began in New York City, MEAT+POULTRY caught up with Henry Horkan, Bord Bia’s director of North America. Horkan shares the history of Irish cattle and how it’s grown into an important industry for Ireland. He then details the significance of the American market in this push to give consumers an international...

Earlier in 2022, Wholesome Foods Inc., in Shenandoah County, Va., was among the small to medium meat distributors who announced expansions to their slaughter facility and capacity. After hearing the news of the $1.2 million investment to upgrade operations, MEAT+POULTRY reached out to Wholesome for some insights on the new venture. For this podcast episode, MEAT+POULTRY talked about the expanded company portfolio with Wes Pence, president of Wholesome Foods. Pence describes what it took to...

An Iowa-based startup is providing a different outlet for farmers and producers in Iowa and the rest of the country. Chop Local strives to be the online marketplace to connect small businesses with customers providing high quality meat. This episode of the MEAT+POULTRY podcast focuses on the Iowa-based company’s business strategy from the point of view of Mark Putney, director of business development. Putney explains the benefits of the platform for producers and how it can be a year-round...

As IPPE gears up for another full event in 2023, Nath Morris, executive vice president of the show for USPOULTRY, shared plans for the industry’s annual gathering in Atlanta. During this episode of the MEAT+POULTRY podcast, Morris explains the essential planning and topics that USPOULTRY has been getting ready over the past few months. He also highlighted the importance of exhibitor participation and educational programs at the show including TECHTalks. Morris mentioned that international...

After decades of being in the business of providing seafood to Denver and the Rocky Mountains, Seattle Fish Co. recently took on a new project to broaden its meat portfolio. In November 2022, the company acquired specialty meat producer Lombardi Brothers Meats. Lombardi also operates a retail meat shop called The Ranch which started in 2020. For this episode of the MEAT+POULTRY podcast, Derek Figueroa, chief executive officer of Seattle Fish Co., dives into a discussion about the...

Keeping a core idea in the message of Farmer Focus is the goal for Mark Saylor. The company’s senior brand manager shared how the poultry producer continues to work through the challenges of meat sales around the holiday season in 2022, especially after Thanksgiving. During this episode of the MEAT+POULTRY podcast, Saylor describes the variety of cuts and products that Farmer Focus has used to try to appeal to consumers as they figure out how to celebrate the holidays during...

Volpi Foods is celebrating its 120th anniversary in 2022. This specialty meat processor is a longtime staple of the Hill neighborhood in St. Louis, but it has grown immensely in the last few decades. The company operates five production facilities to manufacture its Italian cured meats using time, experience and technology. In this episode of the MEAT+POULTRY podcast, Lorenza Pasetti, the third-generation chief executive officer of Volpi, shared how the company continues to stick to its...

Cattaneo Bros., in San Luis Obispo, Calif., continues to push forward as a small business as it celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2022. The meat processor is a lean operation specializing in jerky, beef sticks, and handmade European-style sausages. In this episode of the MEAT+POULTRYpodcast, Katelyn Kaney, chief executive officer of Cattaneo, shared some of her thoughts on the meat snack business and how the family-owned company has established itself as a brand. Kaney reflects on taking...

In September, the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) sent a delegation to Tokyo, Japan, to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the inaugural USMEF office opened in the city in 1977. Japan remains crucial to the US export market, and the association felt like it was an appropriate time to celebrate the long-standing relationship. So, for this episode of the MEAT+POULTRY podcast, we talked with Dan Halstrom, president and chief executive officer for USMEF on what this mission meant for his...

Although poultry is the dominant protein industry Arkansas, beef is a vital part of the state’s agricultural economy. That’s why professors and researchers at the University of Arkansas are promoting initiatives that can impact farmers and producers of beef. For this episode of the MEAT+POULTRYpodcast, Kelly Vierck, assistant professor of animal science, and Derico Setyabrata, assistant professor of meat science and muscle biology, discussed what their efforts to develop the beef industry...

Sanderson Farms, now a part of Wayne-Sanderson Farms, continues to tout its employee investment as the main reason the poultry processor remains successful. One of the ways the company believes it’s been effective is by implementing formal mentoring programs in recent years. Romika Wells, director of organization development and training at Sanderson Farms, is one of the key people behind executing this strategy for executives and others. She discussed the program in this week’s...

True Story Foods in Northern California is all about taking their experience in the meat industry and applying it to the next generation of small American family farms. Phil Gatto, co-founder and chief executive officer of True Story, recently joined the MEAT+POULTRY podcast to share some of his company's history, including his family’s background and how they broke into the organic meat industry. Gatto discussed some of True Story Foods products and how it competes in the organic meat...

Smaller meat processors are always looking for essential resources to improve their practices to provide a quality product to their community. That’s where the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN) comes into play. Rebecca Thistlethwaite, director of the program, recently launched the Meat Processor Academy. This is a self-paced course designed to provide content on topics related to business, finances and operational aspects of meat processing to smaller businesses. During this...

With highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cases coming down in the last few months in the United States, it was important to take an overall look at what happened with the virus at the beginning of 2022. The HPAI discussion for this episode of the MEAT+POULTRY podcast was with Matthew Koci, a professor in NC State University’s Prestage Department of Poultry Science who studies virology and immunology. Koci details the impact wild birds had on many of the HPAI cases this year and how...

Lance Zimmerman, the senior beef analyst at Rabo AgriFinance, wants to share his experience studying the cattle industry with the entire beef supply chain. During the conversation for the MEAT+POULTRY podcast, Zimmerman describes why the move to Rabo AgriFinance was the right one for his career. Previously, Zimmerman worked for nearly 12 years at CattleFax as a market analyst. Zimmerman starts off discussing his background of being a Kansas rancher and how it helps him during his analysis...

The meat snack industry is not showing any signs of slowing down. The same can be said for Western’s Smokehouse Partners. In June 2022, the company announced an addition to its headquarters in Greentop, Mo., and will soon begin renovating a 100,000-square-foot facility in Burlington, Iowa, scheduled for completion by May 2023. In this episode of the MEAT+POULTRYpodcast, Matt Bormann, chief executive officer of Western’s, talked about the company’s expansion. Bormann discussed the demand...

As summer heats up, commercial meat buyers are figuring out their inventory while filling orders for customers. With ongoing supply chain difficulties, labor shortages and various other factors along with inflation, people like Kevin Lindgren, the director of merchandising at the Bronx, NY-based Baldor Specialty Foods, are navigating the world of meat on a day-to-day basis. For this episode of the MEAT+POULTRY podcast, Lindgren detailed how meat distributors and buyers are handling market...