Organic poultry producer, Farmer Focus, reported a successful Q4 after expanding its product line to 750 Publix and Safeway stores, resulting in 52% overall growth compared to a year ago.
The only 100% USDA organic and Humane Certified chicken company is now available at 3,100 stores across the Midwest, the East Coast and the Mid-Atlantic region making it this year’s fastest-growing organic chicken brand in grocery stores.
“I am excited to lead our team as we service new and existing customers with the additional capacity from our 2022 plant expansion. Our continued growth is creating a positive impact for our retailer partners, our independent family farmers and our planet,” said President and COO Stephen J. Shepard. “For that, I am incredibly proud.”
How to protect generational family farmers
According to Farmer Focus, its mission is to promote and protect generational family farms and, in 2022, it expanded its family farms by 20% -- with 78 farms in total and an additional 130 on a waiting list.
One way Farmer Focus protects its farmers is by going to Washington D.C. In January of this year, founder and CEO Corwin Heatwole spoke with President Joe Biden at a roundtable discussing competition in the meat industry.
New executive positions announced
As the new president and COO, Shepard plans to focus on employee safety, increasing production capacity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Kathryn Tuttle, originally Farmer Focus’ chief marketing officer, will focus on sales, marketing and new product innovation as the new chief commercial officer.
“The promotion of Stephen and Kathryn furthers our mission to promote and protect generational farming while prioritizing animal welfare and growing the organic category as a whole,” said Heatwole. “We are excited to continue developing our team and leveraging their experience to grow our business and network of family farmers.”
