Boar's Head Provision Company Explained

Boar's Head Provision Company
Trading Name:Boar's Head Brand
Type:Private
Industry:Delicatessen meats and cheeses
Foundation:, in Brooklyn, New York
Founder:Frank Brunckhorst
Location City:Sarasota, Florida
Location Country:United States
Area Served:United States, Dominican Republic, Panama, Mexico
Products:Franks, deli meat, cheeses, hummus, condiments, soups, pickles
Revenue:$3 billion

Boar's Head Provision Co., Inc. (also Boar's Head Brand, or Frank Brunckhorst Co., LLC) is a supplier of delicatessen meats, cheeses and condiments. The company was founded in 1905 in Brooklyn, New York, and now distributes its products throughout the United States. It has been based in Sarasota, Florida, since 2001.[1]

The company is not publicly traded. Shares are closely held by the founder's descendants.

History

Frank Brunckhorst began distributing cold cuts and hot dogs under the Boar's Head name in 1905. By 1933, distribution of Boar's Head products had grown, and Brunckhorst and his partners, Bruno Bischoff and Theodore Weiler,[2] decided to open a manufacturing plant. The first plant was started in a small building in Brooklyn with three employees.

Brunckhorst's son (also Frank Brunckhorst) took over the business; Frank Brunckhorst II died in 1972 at age 65.[3] During the 1990s, the expanding company added processing plants in Virginia, Arkansas, and Michigan,[4] and it began to shift its strategy toward its current business model that stresses exclusive relationships with supermarket chains.[5] [6] In 2001, the company moved its headquarters from Brooklyn to Sarasota, Florida, in part because of a close three decade-long partnership with Publix, which is based in nearby Lakeland.[5] [7]

For many years, the voice-over in Boar's Head commercials was supplied by the voice performer Joseph Sirola.[8] In 2008, the company opened an "experimental" retail outlet in Brooklyn,[9] [10] which closed the following year.[11]

Fatalities linked to products

See main article: 2024 United States listeriosis outbreak. With an initial reported case of illness on May 29, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined a listeriosis outbreak traced to Boar's Heads products, linked to 10 deaths and 59 hospitalizations as of September 25, 2024.[12] Unreported illnesses may have accounted for higher actual incidents of illness. This represented the largest listeriosis outbreak on record since 2011.[13] The company immediately recalled a large selection of products.[14] In July 2024, the company issued a recall on over 7 million pounds of its products produced at a plant in Greensville County, Virginia, near the town of Jarratt.[15] On September 13, 2024, Boar's Head announced that the Jarratt plant would close indefinitely and sales of liverwurst would be permanently discontinued.[16]

Ongoing monthly inspections from August 2023 through July 2024 at the Jarratt plant reported black mold, surfaces contaminated with "meat over-spray", and an unknown substance dripping from the ceiling. The Food Safety Inspection Service had observed multiple noncompliance findings every month from August 2023 through July 2024 in a 44-page report. Noncompliance was found in operations, labeling, and sanitation performance standards.[17] [18]

Multiple lawsuits were filed against Boar's Head following the listeria outbreak alleging a wide range of complaints from false advertising to wrongful death.[19]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Curtis. Bryan. Meat of the People. Slate. January 31, 2012. June 4, 2014. June 16, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140616014517/http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_middlebrow/2012/01/boar_s_head_a_search_for_the_soul_of_the_deli_meat_purveyor_.html. live.
  2. News: Theodore R. Weiler (obituary)]. The New York Times. November 2, 1987. February 6, 2017. September 14, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170914035502/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/02/obituaries/theodore-r-weiler.html. live.
  3. News: Frank Brunckhorst (obituary)]. The New York Times. November 11, 1972. August 10, 2020. August 25, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210825015212/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/11/11/archives/frank-brunckhorst.html. live.
  4. News: Growth of Boar's Head. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. July 29, 2002. October 29, 2015. May 9, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160509090624/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4eIeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5n8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=1905,5439805. live.
  5. News: Hielscher, John. Boar's Head Moving to Sarasota. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. April 24, 2001. October 29, 2015. April 29, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160429003557/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Y1UhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8IQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3588,5732815. live.
  6. News: Armstrong, Mike. Dietz & Watson takes issue with Boar's Head business tactics. The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 30, 2009. October 29, 2015. September 24, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924133154/http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillyinc/Dietz__Watson_takes_issue_with_Boars_Head_business_tactics.html. live.
  7. News: Metro Business Briefing; Boar's Head Moving. The New York Times. April 24, 2001. February 6, 2017. July 2, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160702202059/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/24/nyregion/metro-business-briefing-boar-s-head-moving.html. live.
  8. News: Haun, Harry . Joseph Sirola: A Late-Life Broadway Producer Hits It Big . . August 21, 2014 . October 29, 2015 . August 5, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150805011504/http://observer.com/2014/08/joseph-sirola-a-late-life-broadway-producer-hits-it-big/ . live .
  9. News: Rubenstein, Dana . Boar's Head Experimental Storefront Opening in Brooklyn . . September 11, 2008 . October 29, 2015 . September 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160920144103/http://observer.com/2008/09/boars-head-experimental-storefront-opening-in-brooklyn/ . live .
  10. News: Gregerson, John. Brooklyn Deli Shrouded in Mystery: Boar's Head Meats new R&D kitchen masquerades as a neighborhood deli. QSR Magazine. October 29, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20111224025109/http://www2.qsrmagazine.com/articles/exclusives/1008/f_martinella-1.phtml. December 24, 2011. dead.
  11. News: Voris, Robert . Boar stiff! F. Martinella Deli closes on Court Street . . July 30, 2009 . October 29, 2015 . September 28, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150928180015/http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/30/32_30_rv_f_martinella_closes.html . live .
  12. News: 10th listeria death tied to Boar's Head deli meat . Washington Post . 29 September 2024.
  13. Web site: August 28, 2024 . Investigation Update: Listeria Outbreak, Meats Sliced at Delis . September 1, 2024 . U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention . September 1, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240901020953/https://www.cdc.gov/listeria/outbreaks/details-delimeats-7-24.html . live.
  14. Web site: July 26, 2024 . Boar's Head Provisions Co. Recalls Ready-To-Eat Liverwurst And Other Deli Meat Products Due to Possible Listeria Contamination . September 1, 2024 . Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture . September 1, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240901100535/https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/boars-head-provisions-co--recalls-ready-eat-liverwurst-and-other-deli-meat-products . live.
  15. News: Boar's Head Recalls 7 Million More Pounds of Meat Amid Listeria Outbreak . July 31, 2024. .
  16. Web site: Everything To Know About The Listeria Outbreaks—As Boar's Head Plant Closes Indefinitely. Mary. Whitfill Roeloffs. September 13, 2024 . Forbes. September 14, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240914070007/https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2024/09/13/everything-to-know-about-the-listeria-outbreaks-as-boars-head-plant-closes-indefinitely/. September 14, 2024.
  17. Web site: August 2, 2024 . USDA FSIS Public Health Information System, Noncompliance Report, Establishment Number(s): M12612 + P12612 from 08/01/2023 to 08/02/2024. September 1, 2024. Food Safety Inspection Services, United States Department of Agriculture. September 1, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240901021001/https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/documents/Non-Compliance_Reports-812023-To-822024.pdf. live.
  18. News: August 29, 2024. Boar's Head plant linked to deadly outbreak broke food safety rules dozens of times, records show. September 1, 2024. AP News. September 1, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240901015208/https://apnews.com/article/boars-head-listeria-recall-fcde06b66dca38d53361c92495a7cfed. live.
  19. News: September 6, 2024. Boar's Head faces multiple lawsuits after its deli meat is linked to deadly listeria outbreak. https://web.archive.org/web/20240909022819/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/boars-head-recall-listeria-deli-meat-lawsuits/. September 9, 2024. Sarah. Metz. September 9, 2024. CBS News. live.

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