USDA-certified meat processing facility Three Rivers Meat Co., located in Smithville, Okla., is expanding its line of processed meats and value-added products. Since its opening in 2024, Three Rivers Meat Co. has crafted a variety of specialty offerings — including smoked meats, hot links and beef jerky — that have earned multiple industry awards and become popular among customers.

“The popularity and demand for our processed meat products are allowing us to shift our business model to meet the demand. We currently offer meat sticks and beef jerky at the Choctaw Tribal Plazas and Roots Cafe and are exploring additional commercial avenues for these shelf-stable products,” said Evan Whitley, Ph.D., chief operating executive of Three Rivers Meat Co. and executive director of Agriculture and Natural Resources for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

The demand for Three Rivers' high-quality, locally smoked meats, including turkey, bone-in ham, chicken fried steak, bologna and summer sausage, has also increased. Three Rivers will convert a portion of its butchering space for processed meats and will no longer provide outside beef butchering service.

Three Rivers meat processing products have won numerous awards since their inception in 2024, including 11 gold medals from the German Butchers Association (DFV, short for Deutschmark Fleischer-Verband) and the American Association of Meat Processors competition at Iowa State University. The competition is held every three years, and the gold medal is the most difficult and coveted award in processed meat competitions worldwide.  

Most recently, Three Rivers competed against more than 194 meat processors for the 2025 Oklahoma/Texas Association of Meat Processors Awards, bringing home three awards, including Champion – Bone-in Hams, Champion – Smoked Turkey and Grand Champion – Smoked Hot Links.

Source: American Association of Meat Processors