Meat + Poultry - April 2006 - 30

POULTRY'S
NORTHEASTERN NICHE
By Bernard Shire
meat&poultry@sosland.com

Fredericksburg, Pa., stands
out as the center of a growing
trend in the poultry industry

n northwestern Pennsylvania is a
town with approximately 1,100 residents, but millions of chickens. In
fact, Fredericksburg, Pa., has become
the headquarters of the rapidly growing natural and organic chicken industry. That's because several major companies in the industry, including BC
Natural Chicken and Hain Pure Protein
Corp., are headquartered there.
Interestingly, the natural chicken
processors developed their businesses
in Fredericksburg by taking over traditional regional "commodity" chicken
processors that existed in the town for
many years. Hain Pure Protein Corp.,
a division of Hain Celestial Group,
Melville, N.Y., bought out the former
College Hill Poultry Co., which began
operations back in 1929. BC Natural
Chicken acquired the chicken processing operations of Pennfield, an East

MEAT&POULTRY

I April 2006

Coast processor.
But now, the interest voiced by consumers in eating healthier food both
at home and in restaurants has opened
a growing, highly profitable niche in
what used to be the "sell-at-any-price"
commodity chicken market.
Back in 1999, Joseph DePippo, now
president of Hain Pure Protein Corp.,
was working as a consultant helping
College Hill transition from a commodity chicken processing company to
a natural and organic chicken processor. Last July, Hain finalized its acquisition of the company and created an
operation processing "natural" chicken. The plant employs 200 workers. It
produces antibiotic-free chickens and
chicken products. "We're never, ever
when it comes to antibiotics," DePippo
says. "There are never, ever any antibiotics. It's not that we're removing the

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antibiotics; there are none in the chickens to begin with."
In addition, the chickens are fed vegetarian feed, containing no animal or
protein material. His company, as well
as nearby BC Natural Chicken, produce organic chicken products as well.
Natural vs. organic
Natural chickens contain no antibiotics, are minimally processed, and
contain no stimulants, artificial coloring, flavor or preservatives. They also
are fed vegetarian feed, containing no
meat or protein. Organic chicken must
conform to U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
organic regulations and be "certified."
While no antibiotics are used in their
production, the major difference from
"natural processing" is their feed is organically grown.
Tom O'Connor, regional vice president of sales and marketing for Golden,
Colo.-based Coleman Natural Foods,
which owns BC Natural Chicken, says
the natural and organic chicken market
is an opportunity for smaller players to
compete. "We don't have the revenue,
the size, the names like Tyson or Gold
Kist," he says. "This is an opportunity
to take a small category of products

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Meat + Poultry - April 2006

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