Case ready meat is a rapidly growing segment of the meat industry as a whole and Tyson Fresh Meats specifically. Case ready has lots of advantages for retailers, including offering packaging that helps alleviate common retailer pain points such as skilled labor shortages, merchandising meat online and fresh meat shrink. But shoppers also appreciate that case ready means less people are handling their meat.
To help meet the demand for case ready beef and pork products, Tyson Fresh Meats invested $300 million in a case ready facility in Eagle Mountain, Utah. Now complete, it is the largest case ready facility in North America and will increase Tyson Fresh Meats’ total case ready capacity by nearly 24%.
The Eagle Mountain plant will be Tyson Fresh Meats’ fifth case ready location, adding to their current facilities in Sherman, Texas; Council Bluffs, Iowa; Columbia, SC; and Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
The new plant furthers Tyson Fresh Meats’ growth strategy on two fronts: expanding their value added business and meeting growing demand for fresh, high-quality case ready beef and pork in the Western U.S.
Prepackaged Meat
So, what exactly is a case ready plant and what does it do? The new Eagle Mountain plant will be a meat-cutting and packaging operation that takes large cuts of beef and pork and converts them into steaks, chops, roasts and ground meat. They are then packaged, weighed and labeled on retail trays that are shipped and sold in grocery stores and other retail outlets. This particular plant will service customers in the Western part of the country, increasing the overall capacity of Tyson Fresh Meats to serve customers nationwide as plants redistribute production.
The case ready products produced at Eagle Mountain are a perfect fit for the rise of e-commerce. Online grocery shopping was already growing quickly, but the pandemic sent it into hyperdrive. The fact that case ready beef and pork is pre-packaged and comes in consistent sizes, cuts and weights makes it ideal for click and collect grocery shopping. And West Coast shoppers are leading the way for shopping online.
In fact, 71% of West Coast consumers purchase meat online for pickup or delivery. This number is expected to grow.1
The new facility also offers strategic positioning from a geographic standpoint, with its proximity to all West Coast markets. It is equipped to meet the specific demands of West Coast consumers and retailers with packaging and products that appeal.
Nathan Hodne, senior vice president of Portioned Protein Innovations, Tyson Foods explains, “This facility puts us within one day’s drive of any place on the West Coast. So, when we receive a customer order, we will be able to get it cut, get it on the road and get it to our customer sooner, so that consumers can have a full meat case to choose from when they walk into their local store.”
New Technology in Meat Production
Eagle Mountain’s state-of-the-art facility boasts the newest technology, automation and space for innovation.
Hodne adds, “Technology is always changing. We made this facility very flexible to accommodate for changing consumer preferences and trends. This plant allows us to ’plug and play’ to make sure we are providing what our customers need in terms of packaging and products.”
Jason Nichol, chief customer officer, Tyson Foods said, “The great thing about our Eagle Mountain facility is that it’s new equipment, the latest technology in terms of sustainability, and located in a great state, to help our customers grow into the future.”
Case ready products offer countless benefits to retailers, but they also offer advantages to consumers. Fresher products, more variety and lower prices are just three of the benefits shoppers will find in the meat case.
Investing in the future with time, money and effort is just one of the many ways that Tyson Fresh Meats continues to earn the title of the Beef & Pork Experts™.
Download the infographic to learn more about the Eagle Mountain Case Ready Facility
Start the conversation with Tyson Fresh Meats about carrying case ready beef and pork products now.
To help meet the demand for case ready beef and pork products, Tyson Fresh Meats invested $300 million in a case ready facility in Eagle Mountain, Utah. Now complete, it is the largest case ready facility in North America and will increase Tyson Fresh Meats’ total case ready capacity by nearly 24%.
The Eagle Mountain plant will be Tyson Fresh Meats’ fifth case ready location, adding to their current facilities in Sherman, Texas; Council Bluffs, Iowa; Columbia, SC; and Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
The new plant furthers Tyson Fresh Meats’ growth strategy on two fronts: expanding their value added business and meeting growing demand for fresh, high-quality case ready beef and pork in the Western U.S.
Prepackaged Meat
So, what exactly is a case ready plant and what does it do? The new Eagle Mountain plant will be a meat-cutting and packaging operation that takes large cuts of beef and pork and converts them into steaks, chops, roasts and ground meat. They are then packaged, weighed and labeled on retail trays that are shipped and sold in grocery stores and other retail outlets. This particular plant will service customers in the Western part of the country, increasing the overall capacity of Tyson Fresh Meats to serve customers nationwide as plants redistribute production.
The case ready products produced at Eagle Mountain are a perfect fit for the rise of e-commerce. Online grocery shopping was already growing quickly, but the pandemic sent it into hyperdrive. The fact that case ready beef and pork is pre-packaged and comes in consistent sizes, cuts and weights makes it ideal for click and collect grocery shopping. And West Coast shoppers are leading the way for shopping online.
Nathan Hodne, senior vice president of Portioned Protein Innovations, Tyson Foods explains, “This facility puts us within one day’s drive of any place on the West Coast. So, when we receive a customer order, we will be able to get it cut, get it on the road and get it to our customer sooner, so that consumers can have a full meat case to choose from when they walk into their local store.”
New Technology in Meat Production
Eagle Mountain’s state-of-the-art facility boasts the newest technology, automation and space for innovation.
Hodne adds, “Technology is always changing. We made this facility very flexible to accommodate for changing consumer preferences and trends. This plant allows us to ’plug and play’ to make sure we are providing what our customers need in terms of packaging and products.”
Jason Nichol, chief customer officer, Tyson Foods said, “The great thing about our Eagle Mountain facility is that it’s new equipment, the latest technology in terms of sustainability, and located in a great state, to help our customers grow into the future.”
Case ready products offer countless benefits to retailers, but they also offer advantages to consumers. Fresher products, more variety and lower prices are just three of the benefits shoppers will find in the meat case.
Investing in the future with time, money and effort is just one of the many ways that Tyson Fresh Meats continues to earn the title of the Beef & Pork Experts™.
