SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Prairie Fresh Way means delivering a wide spectrum of premium pork products for export, processor, retail and foodservice markets.

“The Prairie Fresh Way really is all about the entire connected food system, and that connected system includes Seaboard Foods, Triumph Foods, Seaboard Triumph Foods and the owners of Triumph Foods,” said Frank Koekkoek, Seaboard Triumph Foods vice president and general manager. “We all have one common goal, and that’s doing pork the right way.”

That connected food system starts at hog production sites nears Sioux City. All aspects of production – from raising the animals through processing, packaging and shipping – is monitored and measured, with an eye toward continuous improvement of processes -- and ultimately the product. About 2 million hogs are supplied by Seaboard and another 2 million from Triumph Foods, with the balance coming from the open market.

Seaboard Foods markets pork products the Sioux City plant produces under the Prairie Fresh brand. Products made at the Sioux City facility go to export markets in 26 countries, said Deanna Wiedner, vice president of human resources for Seaboard Triumph Foods. Export demand is seasonal, accounting for 20% to 30% of the facility’s production, with hams being a top item for Latin American customers, boneless pork loins and bellies for the Japanese market and butts in South Korea. The facility also supplies raw bacon for STF’s sister company Daily’s brand bacon, as well as products such as hams that are sold to further processors.

“About 25 million pounds of pork are processed a week,” she said.

The 7-year-old Sioux City facility processes 22,000 hogs a day, shipping out 120 truckloads of pork products daily, Wiedner said. Since the operation’s launch in 2017, it has grown to encompass 1 million square feet with around 2,800 employees.

The staff is diverse, with about half of them speaking English and the other half speaking some 30 different languages (with Spanish being the most common language spoken by the staff’s non-English speakers), Wiedner said.

“From a diversity perspective, we have a lot of initiatives,” she said, adding that 88% of the facility’s leadership are minorities and 41% are female.  

Augmenting the emphasis on high-touch workforce solutions, Seaboard Triumph Foods’ Sioux City operation also employs high-tech solutions to maximize processing efficiency.  

An example of the efficiencies automation has made possible at Seaboard Triumph Foods’ Sioux City plant is a waterjet system used to slice pork bellies to an exact spec rather than using metal blades. The process employs six different water jets moving in different directions to ensure a consistent trim, Koekkoek said. Automating the process freed up 13 positions. Automation plans include exploring opportunities to maximize efficiencies through automating palletizing and stacking.

“The objective for automation and robotics is you’re not necessarily displacing labor. You’re taking key members and transitioning them into a new location to perform higher value tasks,” he said.

Adding value

Responding to market trends favoring innovative and convenient solutions, adding value – for both consumers and retailers is a key aspect of The Prairie Fresh Way.

For retail, that includes incorporating labor-saving case-ready retail packaging, said Ozlem Worpel, vice president of marketing, innovation, communications and sustainability for Seaboard Foods. “We’re adding value to the retailer by them not having to use any of their staff for that.”

For consumers, adding value means not just the convenience of ready-to-cook or ready-to-eat products but also high quality and innovative flavors -- more so than price for many consumers, Worpel said.

“We’re always looking for what is that next flavor, and if you look at the flavors it usually starts with the restaurants – what are they doing, what are they including on their menus,” she said. “What we try to do is keep a balance on our portfolio: some things that people know and are familiar with and they are going to come back and buy over and over, and then you bring in a more acceptable new flavor. Because they know your brand and trust your product, they are more willing to try that new flavor.”

Prairie Fresh helps meet consumers’ desire for flavor and convenience with products such as whole pork roast with seasoning that consumers can simply remove from the bag, put in the crockpot with some vegetables in the morning, and by the time they get home from work it’s ready to enjoy for carnitas or tacos.

Prairie Fresh USA Prime-branded products from the facility are another value-added offering, with the premium, highly marbled cuts targeted at a more upscale market.

‘We’re targeting high-end retailers with that product, foodservice, and there’s a pretty big international demand for some of that product too,” said David Eaheart, senior director of communications and brand marketing for Seaboard Foods.

Product testing of Prairie Fresh USA Prime-branded products conducted with Kansas City-area barbecue restaurants Slap’s and Joe’s Kansas City BBQ suggests the premium line offers advantages for operators in addition to a premium eating experience for patrons..

“We know that the yields are higher. We know that the cook times are actually less,” Eaheart said.

For Prairie Fresh USDA Prime at retail, it’s all about targeting the right grocery channel, Worpel said.

“It’s really targeting the right customers who have a consumer base that understand the value of the product and the price that is attached to it,” she said.

Prairie Fresh collaborates with “Netflix Barbecue Showdown” star and seven-time World Barbecue champion Melissa Cookston, owner of Memphis BBQ Co., on menu development innovations, including appetizers such as Cured Peppered Pork Tenderloin with Cheeses, Asian-influenced Pork Belly Bites, and skinless pork belly with togarashi and ponzu-hoisin glaze.

Main course concepts include Mosaic Pork -- pork tenderloin strips seasoned with Melissa’s Coal Play BBQ rub and then wrapped in bacon, served with orange chipotle glaze – and Memphis-style Babyback Ribs marinated overnight in seasonings then slow smoked and served "Muddy" style.