Articles by Andy Hanacek

Tyson Fresh Meats Logansport, Ind., Plant Staff
Cover Story | Tyson Fresh Meats

Prime-time pork: Tyson Chairman's Reserve Prime Pork features "best of the best"

Tyson Fresh Meats saw growing demand for higher-quality pork eating experiences and began to feature its "best of the best" products through its newest brand — Chairman's Reserve Prime Pork.
Andy Hanacek
December 27, 2018
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Seeing the increasing consumer demand for high-quality eating experiences, Tyson Fresh Meats, a division of Tyson Foods, shuffled its Chairman's Reserve Premium Pork brand to highlight the best products in the line and launch a new brand: Chairman's Reserve Prime Pork.
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Hormel Foods' Deli Solutions Group
Cover Story | Hormel Foods

Hormel Foods' deli driver

Hormel Foods has supercharged its newest growth engine — the Deli Solutions group — and looks to outpace the competition to the winner's circle in the deli marketplace.
Andy Hanacek
November 29, 2018
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In February 2018, Hormel Foods began a major modification to its own symbolic vehicle, when chairman of the board, president and CEO Jim Snee announced the formation of a new business group — today named the Deli Solutions group — and stated, unequivocally, that the supermarket deli business would be a powerful growth engine for the company moving forward.
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Steve Swan and Craig Leviner on the HPP Line at Butterball's Mount Olive Facility
Cover Story

Butterball LLC: High-pressure positioning

In the wake of a tough year, Butterball has invested in automation, sustainability and operational efficiency to position itself for its next big run.
Andy Hanacek
August 21, 2018
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When industry history books look back on the year 2017 for Butterball LLC, there's little doubt they will consider it one of the more challenging years on record for the Garner, N.C.-based turkey processor.
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Ray Rastelli Jr., Ray Rastelli III and Brittany Rastelli
Processor of the Year

2018 Processor of the Year: Rastelli Foods Group

Rastelli Foods Group has transformed itself as the go-to protein processor in the e-commerce (and home-shopping) segment, all while building its retail brand and growing its legacy retail, foodservice and export businesses.
Andy Hanacek
June 21, 2018
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Based on the success Rastelli Foods Group has experienced in the last year, the protein processor has been named The National Provisioner's 2018 Processor of the Year.


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Mike Hageman, CEO, and Chuck Weum, President, of J&B Group
Cover Story

J&B Group: A one-stop shop, one step ahead

J&B Group has followed its core principles for nearly 40 years and today reaps the benefits of expanding to meet customer demands.
Andy Hanacek
May 21, 2018
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Many processors strive to diversify their business plans, but in fact, few achieve as much success as J&B Group has, having evolved into a "manufacturing distribution logistics organization," in the words of company president Chuck Weum.
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Nicole Johnson-Hoffman, president, Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef
Cover Story

Nicole Johnson-Hoffman: Sustainable Beef's global guide

Nicole Johnson-Hoffman begins her first term as president of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, placing an emphasis on inclusion of many diverse voices focused on continuous improvement of the global beef value chain.
Andy Hanacek
March 13, 2018
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Andy Hanacek, editor-in-chief of The National Provisioner, sat down with Nicole Johnson-Hoffman to discuss the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) and its mission, as well as her goals for the group and its members moving forward.


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Troy Link, President and CEO of Jack Link's Protein Snacks, and Sasquatch
Cover Story

Jack Link's: Messin' with snacks

Jack Link's Protein Snacks believes meat to be seriously underappreciated by consumers as a healthy option for protein and performance, and it plans to shake up the snack category with a major increase in household penetration for meat snacks.
Andy Hanacek
February 20, 2018
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Minong, Wis.- based Jack Link’s Protein Snacks has been no stranger to success. Having spent the last several decades building what some would consider the quintessential meat snacks brand (complete with Sasquatch spokesbeast) in Jack Link’s, the team has not become less aggressive.
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Blake Evans and Gerald Lessard of Crystal Lake Farms
Cover Story

Crystal Lake Farms' mission: crystal clear

Crystal Lake Farms may produce slow-growth chickens, but it has experienced fast-growing success; its acquisition by West Liberty Foods provides the stimulus to advance its "Better Bird" mission further and even faster.
Andy Hanacek
January 19, 2018
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Crystal Lake Farms already had put together an impressive run of success as retailers and foodservice operators committed to offering slow-growth chicken products — and West Liberty Foods saw an opportunity to add to its portfolio a premium offering, as well as its first retail brand.
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The management team at CS Beef Packers’ Kuna, Idaho, plant
Cover Story

CS Beef Packers: A new hope

For more than a decade, southern Idaho’s cattle industry has been in need of a local processing solution, and CS Beef Packers — a joint venture between Simplot and Caviness Beef — plans to capitalize on that demand with efficiency, quality and right-sized growth.
Andy Hanacek
November 17, 2017
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The CS Beef plant was built on the beef industry experience of the Caviness team and the business will be supported by that expertise and the worldwide reach and acumen that Simplot brings to the table.
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David Bulgarelli, Dave Piotrowski, James Jendruczek and Michael Lookingland, of Rantoul Foods
Cover Story

Rantoul Foods: Built for tomorrow

Pork processor Rantoul Foods has grown quickly and somewhat quietly in six years, by setting high standards for its process and building with the future in mind.
Andy Hanacek
September 13, 2017
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When James Jendruczek and Alan Bressler, owners of Trim-Rite Inc., envisioned the growth of their company, never did they believe they’d need to get into the slaughter business.


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