Meat + Poultry - July 2010 - 62

NAHUNTA PORK CENTER

IT ALL
STACKS UP

Billboards are everywhere touting the place where "Pork is King." Larry estimates the
firm spends about $150,000 a year on billboard advertising.

REDUCE LABOR
INCREASE THROUGHPUT
EASY KEYPAD SELECTION
MULTI-LANE STACKER
INDEPENDENT LANE COUNT

PAPER
INTERLEAVING
HAMBURGER * SAUSAGE
CHICKEN* FISH PATTIES, ETC.

952-882-6211
www.forpak.com
A Division of MultiSource Manufacturing

state - are there to see pork's version
of a factory outlet. And, they are not
disappointed when they feast their eyes
on the more than 200 feet of fresh,
cured, ready-to-eat and frozen pork
items in the 10,000-sq.-ft. retail area.
"We have a Nahunta Pork Center Outlet in Raleigh that operates at
the North Carolina Farmers Market
Wednesday through Saturday," Larry
explains. "We load up the reefer trailer
from our main plant and sell pre-packaged items. While Raleigh is about 50
miles away, it's a more urban area and
the average sale might be in the $10
to $20 range," while spending at the
more secluded store is as much as 10
times as much per customer.
Nahunta employs 60 people and
seasonally another 10 high schoolage workers as baggers or extra
help. Twenty-five counter clerks and
wrappers serve the crowd. The three
cashiers even have plenty of insulated boxes and bags handy for those
customers who are looking for a few
more items after they get to checkout.
Customers visiting Nahunta
aren't there only for the pork, they
also like to see the live hogs across
the street, take their pictures in
front of the friendly billboard that
says "we appreciate you," and walk
around to discover how much fun a
basic commodity can be. Nahunta
is the type of venture Walt Disney

62 * Meat&Poultry * July 2010 * www.MeatPoultry.com

would have emulated if he knew anything about pork.

Staying unique
The philosophy at Nahunta is to give
customers the best product at a value
price and demonstrate appreciation
for their patronage. Their meat cutters soon learn that Nahunta differs
from large packing houses that want
every animal within a 20-lb. weight
range or they reject it.
"We make our cuts a little differently than the supermarkets and other
retailers," Larry explains. "Many of the
others want a 12- to 15-lb. loin and we
prefer ours in the 8- to 9-lb. range. We
deal with slightly smaller animals and
the nearly dozen hog producers that
supply us know we will pay a premium
price for what we want and that the animals they bring us will have a market.
We also buy from livestock auctions
but because of our variety of finished
products, we can use any size hog. We
do everything but raise the animals."
Nahunta, which is an Indian word
for "black water," refers to the Nahunta Swamp that lies about the
community, but it is not an incorporated town. And while fi nding it
might be a little challenging, Larry
contends the pork retail operation's
rural location suits it well.
He says other localities have offered to build the fi rm a similar
http://www.forpak.com http://www.MeatPoultry.com
Meat + Poultry - July 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat + Poultry - July 2010
