Articles by Andy Hanacek

Jack Daniel's is more than 150 years old, and like any world-renowned mega-brand, it has lent its name to a wide variety of products over the decades. In 2007, Vernon, Ca.-based processor Golden West Food Group (GWFG) earned the licensing agreement, and the Jack Daniel’s Meats brand was launched.

When one asks Bruce Simon and Todd Simon, fifth-generation owner/operators of Omaha Steaks, how growth has come for the 102-year-old, Omaha, Neb.-based, direct-to-consumer marketer of steaks and gourmet foods, the answer appears contradictory at first.

Enter Fredericksburg, Pa., chicken processor Bell & Evans. The 125-year-old company, led today by Scott Sechler Sr. and his two children, Scott Jr. "Buddy" and Margo, has been a top-shelf trailblazer in the industry for decades.

In 2016, FoodMaven was founded in Colorado Springs, Colo., to help eliminate the large amount of wasted food found throughout the supply chain, brought about by products deemed out of specification or over-produced.

In Spring 2019, a partnership between two well-known brands — Coleman Natural Foods and Budweiser, "The King of Beers" — materialized to create a line of cooked sausage and barbecue products aimed at the upcoming summer grilling season and beyond.

On the consumer side of the equation, Millennials create a new type of puzzle for processors to solve. They demand quick-and-easy convenience, social responsibility and sustainability, all wrapped in a culinary experience.

As Homewood, Ill.-based Carl Buddig and Company celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2018, there was much abuzz about the company, both internally and around the meat and poultry industry.

David Van Eekeren, president and CEO of Land O'Frost, explains that Wellshire provides the opportunity for Land O'Frost to capitalize on a completely new set of consumers while meeting the need to fit into the Land O'Frost family from a corporate culture perspective.

In December 2016, Smithfield Foods — the world's largest pork processor and hog producer — made known to the world its plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25 percent across its entire supply chain by the year 2025.

What follows is a portion of Andy Hanacek's one-on-one interview with president & CEO Brock Furlong, who walked Hanacek through the acquisition of the plant, how the renovation proceeded and what the new facility means for Stampede Meat's future.