Meat+Poultry - June 2018 - 62

EXECUTIVE SERIES

Staying
connected
Seaboard Foods' new leader is no stranger to the pork industry
and is ready for the challenges and opportunities in the future
BY J O E L C R E WS | j c r e w s @ s o s l a n d.c o m

T

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target US pork imports. Meanwhile,
labor shortages and ramping up
several new US pork plants have
many processors seeing green while
exercising caution. Sand recently
answered questions about taking over
the leadership of Seaboard Foods,
market headwinds and tailwinds
influencing the pork industry and the
challenges and opportunities he faces.
MEAT+POULTRY: Seaboard
Foods and its partners are obviously
experiencing a lot of growth as of
late, including the new STF plant (and
adding a second shift), a newer Daily's
plant coming online recently, expansion
at the Triumph facility, etc. What are
some of the factors fueling the growth
for Seaboard and the pork industry as
a whole?
Duke Sand: A few things are fueling
our growth. Global demand for pork
continues to grow and the United
States is the competitive leader in
producing cost-effective, high-quality
pork. The competitive spirit of

MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.18 | www.meatpoultry.com

American producers to always do more
with less while improving productivity,
which in turn increased the need for
more processing capacity. This played
a key role in our decision to build
another state-of-the-art processing
plant to be sure there was a reliable
outlet for this expansion. Lastly, global
consumer demand for affordable
high-quality, safe pork produced in
a sustainable manner has driven the
expansion. The connected food system
we've created with our strategic
partners positions us to be the leader in
meeting this demand for the long term.
M+P: There is an ongoing battle for
center of plate among species, what
are some of the protein trends you've
recognized more recently and what is
Seaboard's strategy looking forward
in order to be in the best position to
compete in the space, which now
includes plant-based and cultured
proteins?
Sand: Consumer demand is shifting
toward smaller portion-controlled

Photos: Seaboard Foods

his past March, Darwin "Duke"
Sand was promoted to CEO of
Merriam, Kansas-based Seaboard
Foods LLC. He succeeded Terry Holton,
who recently announced his retirement
from the leadership position he held
since 2011. Having worked in the pork
industry for approximately 30 years,
Sand spent the past 22 years with
Seaboard, most recently as senior vice
president of sales with responsibilities
for all sales and marketing, a
position he held since 2011. He also
led Seaboard Foods' pork export
business, working as vice president
of international sales. After receiving
his bachelor's degree in business
administration from Iowa State Univ.,
Sand's career in the industry began in
1987 at IBP Inc., where he worked in
sales and leadership until 1996.
Sand takes over the company at a
time when the pork industry is facing
global uncertainty with major export
markets like China responding to US
tariffs on some Chinese imported
products with tariffs of their own that
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