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No rhyme, no reason… just high-quality pork
Successful niche marketing through trust and cooperation
by Mark Meurer
The butcher, the baker and candlestick maker probably had issues. After all, they were confined to a tiny tub and subjected to the phrase “rub-a-dub-dub” over and over again.
Near Peoria, Ill., the pork producer, the packing-plant president, the chef and the grocery-store owners have issues too.
No worries about the living arrangements in a one-room tub or the total lack of privacy in a floating half-barrel; these men take issue with producing and marketing consistent, mouth-watering pork.
The origin of this flavorful pork is traced to the farm of Curt and Dean Zehr of Washington, Ill. With a herd of healthy, meat quality-tested Durocs and Duroc-crosses, this farming family is at the forefront of high-end pork production.
Curt says that Carroll Wetterauer, president of Raber Packing in Peoria, approached him two and a half years ago with a marketing opportunity for his hogs.
“Carroll was not finding enough quality hogs at the local stockyards,” Curt explains. “Since we had been health checking our hogs for twenty years at Raber’s, Carroll had first-hand knowledge that our pigs could bring quality and consistency to his retail meat counter and roasting business.
“Besides, it made sense for us to merchandise our barrows and gilts into a value-added program while continuing to sell our boars to our commercial customers,” he adds.
With the opportunity on their plate, the Zehr family and Wetterauer entered into a buying agreement in the fall of 2001.
Wetterauer says that he saw an immediate difference when a high percentage of Zehr hogs filled their meat case.
“The marbling and color got better, and the bellies looked great, too,” he says. “However, the most important part of our agreement has been the Zehrs’ cooperation in bringing us the right hogs for the right markets. Sometimes we need light roaster pigs, and other times we need heavier hogs. No matter what size, we take great pride in selling quality pork.”
In Zehr’s opinion, his pork has been a favorite at the meat
counter because of the emphasis placed on producing a fast-growing hog with exceptional meat quality.
“We believe hogs that grow fast and go to market quickly have a youthful quality about their meat,” Zehr explains. “Hogs that grow slow seem to get stale.
“We focus on keeping our genetics in the ‘middle of the road’ because consumers do not want over-aged, tough pork that results from slow growth and extreme leanness,” he adds.
Because of the cooperative and successful partnership with Raber Packing, Curt approached Wetterauer with an idea in September of 2002. Would it be possible to sell more hogs by marketing pork directly to a local grocery store?
“Why not?” was the answer the Zehrs received from Wetterauer and Raber Packing.
With Raber’s support, Curt’s wife, Sue, approached Lindy’s Downtown Market, a local grocery store owned by Jim and Bob Linsley of Washington, Ill.
Because Lindy’s hometown atmosphere included locally grown, high-quality products and an impressive meat case, Sue felt Lindy’s Market was a natural fit for the Zehr family’s pork.
“I simply asked the Linsleys if they would be interested in featuring our pork in their meat case,” Sue says. “After all, I felt our pork meshed nicely with their philosophy of quality and service. They agreed to speak with Curt, and the rest just fell into place.”
After meeting with the Linsley brothers, both parties agreed that Zehr pork would have a home in the Linsleys’ meat case. The challenge then became developing a name for the product and beginning to build image and brand recognition with the consumer.
In November 2002, Zehr Farms Premium Pork was born, and the first labels were placed on the hams, loin roasts, ribs and bone-in pork chops featured at Lindy’s Downtown Market.
“If you want a new perspective on the hog business, put your name on your pork and start to sell it,” Curt says. “Seeing your name on a label really makes you pay attention to meat quality, nutrition and health. Literally, your name is on the line when someone relates their eating experience with your label.”
To increase visibility at Lindy’s and develop consumer confidence, the Zehr family decided to hand out samples of their product during the Christmas season to draw buyers to the meat case. Their idea worked.
“Mom, Sue and myself handed out pork samples and talked with shoppers,” Curt recalls. “People went directly from eating our samples to purchasing our product in the meat case.
“We quickly realized that people like knowing where their meat comes from.”
Since that successful start, the Zehr family and the Linsley brothers have continued to work together in marketing quality pork.
Bob Linsley, meat case manager, says that Zehr Farms Premium Pork sells because not everyone wants meals in a box.
“Some people want old-fashioned products that specialize in taste and quality,” Linsley says. “Zehr Farms’ pork offers them a superior product that is fresh and flavorful. People really do taste the difference.”
With hogs now feeding into Raber Packing and Lindy’s Downtown Market, a third opportunity arose for Zehr Farms Premium Pork.
A local restaurant and catering business, Katie’s Café and Carryout, was purchasing their pork from the Linsley brothers.
After realizing this, Curt asked the owner of Katie’s if he would be interested in featuring locally grown, high-quality pork on his menu.
The answer?
“The Zehr logo is featured in our menu. That should tell you what we think of this pork,” says Jerry Hamilton, owner and head chef at Katie’s.
In fact, Hamilton comments that the Zehr pork is one of the best products he has ever worked with.
“The consistency, texture and minimal moisture loss has made this product a favorite,” he says. “Our patrons knew the difference when we switched to Zehr pork. As our business grows and we move into higher-ticket items, we need a higher-quality product. Curt’s pork allows us to tap this market.”
With a growing niche market, the Zehr family appears to have a future in supplying consistent, high-quality pork.
However, Curt says his family’s success is truly the result of a cooperative effort between several key individuals.
“At Zehr Farms, we concentrate on meat quality, efficiency and growth rate,” he says.
“In reality, Rabers’, Lindy’s and Katie’s make the program what it is by doing an excellent job of marketing our product. Honestly, Zehr Farms Premium Pork would not exist without their cooperation. This is definitely a team effort built on trust.”
As the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker sail aimlessly through their “rub-a-dub-dub,” nursery-rhyme world, the pork producer, the packing-plant president, the grocery-store owners and the chef continue to chart their course with high-end, high-quality pork.
Together, this team sees a future from the farm to the meat case to the plate.
