Standard Meat Co., a fourth-generation, family-owned protein processing and packaging company, is celebrating 90 years in business. Founded in 1935, with roots going back even further to a family meat stall in Fort Worth’s historic public market, the company has evolved into a global supplier for the foodservice and retail industries, partnering with forward-thinking brands in the space.

The company is celebrating this milestone with the upcoming opening of its fifth production facility, located near the SMC headquarters at the Fort Worth Stockyards.

The new Stockyards plant joins current plants in Dallas, Irving, Saginaw and Ponder, Texas, and is Standard Meat’s most technologically advanced to date. Designed with flexibility in mind, the new facility allows SMC to scale existing technologies like sous vide and searing, while staying nimble to integrate new capabilities as customer needs evolve and innovations arise.

For co-presidents and fourth-generation leaders Ben Rosenthal and Ashli Rosenthal Blumenfeld, the plant is both an extension of the family legacy and a symbol of what the organization has become under their leadership: agile, people-focused and prepared to help customers thrive in a complex, ever-changing market.

“Our grandfather Manny helped transform the meat business with Cryovac packaging in the ’60s,” said Rosenthal. “Our dad Billy pioneered automated steak portioning techniques. Today, we’re putting our own stamp on that legacy with cutting-edge work in sous vide, cast-iron searing, portioning, meal-kit packaging, and sustainable, energy-efficient ice manufacturing.”

Since taking the reins in 2019, Rosenthal and Blumenfeld have led SMC through a period of ambitious growth—expanding from two to five facilities, rolling out next-generation capabilities and building long-term, collaborative partnerships with clients in both established industries and new market spaces. Their entrepreneurial drive has received recognition throughout the industry and beyond, with the brother-and-sister duo recently named EY Entrepreneur of the Year national award winners.

“Ninety years in, the SMC family has weathered countless challenges and helped guide our customers through them,” said Blumenfeld. “We understand how to navigate uncertainty because we’ve done it before. When the world gets complicated, we get scrappy and creative. That’s the mindset we bring to our partners every day.”

Founded in 1935 at the height of the Dust Bowl, the company has weathered war, recessions, market volatility and supply chain disruption, emerging each time with stronger capabilities and deeper partnerships. 

From the beginning, the company’s internal culture has been key to its success. Today, during an era of rapid technological growth, maintaining that culture has taken on special importance. In honor of the 90th anniversary, Rosenthal and Blumenfeld have launched a new Culture & Strategy Department that will work to embed the company’s recently renewed purpose statement across every level of the organization. That purpose—to inspire the connections and breakthroughs that ultimately feed life—will serve as a guiding principle for leadership development, decision making and alignment for every one of the company’s 1,100 employees.

“We are building this program to cascade through the entire company,” said Blumenfed. “It’s an investment in everyone who works here—and by extension, all of our customer relationships. If we’re inspiring and building the right connections here at home, we can create those breakthroughs for our partners as well.”

Throughout 2025, SMC will celebrate its 90th anniversary with a series of announcements, events and historical timeline reflections, culminating in a ribbon cutting in the fall at the new Fort Worth facility, which is currently in soft-opening production and scheduled for a Grand Opening on Sept. 17, 2025.

“Ashli and I often talk about Standard Meat as a 90-year-old startup,” said Rosenthal. “We inherited a deep entrepreneurial legacy, and we‘re proud to lead with that same mindset — always looking for the next opportunity to evolve. Our company looks very different today than it did six years ago, and I can’t wait to see where our team takes it in this next chapter.”

Source: Standard Meat Co.