Empire Kosher
Encyclopedia
Empire Kosher Poultry, Inc. is the largest producer of kosher
poultry
in the United States
. The company's headquarters, hatchery and processing facility are located in Mifflintown
, Pennsylvania
.
-Jewish
immigrant to the United States
. The Katz family, including Joseph's son Murray, owned and ran the business for the first five decades of operation.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the Katz family recruited the rabbis
required for the kosher production process from Israel
as well as Jewish communities in Europe
, and the company initially operated out of a garage in Liberty, New York. (The company's name comes from the nickname for New York State.) In the 1950s, Empire became known as an innovator in kosher food production.
, where it is still headquartered today. Katz purchased a processing plant in Mifflintown, and expanded production in order to meet the demand provided by the growing Jewish middle class. Empire became the first kosher food company to move into mainstream supermarket
distribution.
(which has since ceased operations following immigration and labor raids and the conviction of its owner and CEO Sholom Rubashkin
on felony financial fraud charges). In 1992, Empire was sold to private equity
firm Apollo Management, and several years later sold to another private equity firm, J.W. Childs Associates
, and the company carried a high debt burden.
. The company modernized and expanded its plant and production line, more than doubling production capacity by 2009. Empire currently processes 240,000 chickens and 27,000 turkeys per week, with annual revenue over $100 million, making it the largest U.S. producer of kosher poultry.
Empire's workforce is unionized
, and are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers
Local 1776
. Under its current ownership, Empire has donated kosher food to community food pantries. In 2011, the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty
granted Empire's CEO its Humanitarian Award. In addition, Empire has received positive press coverage regarding its animal welfare and environmental standards.
Empire claims that its quality control inspectors are "five times stricter than USDA
inspectors", and says that its poultry also adheres to the following standards:
In addition, Empire offers a line of Organic products. The company recently launched a "Green Kosher" marketing campaign.
. Empire poultry is raised, slaughtered and processed in accordance with the rules of kashrut, and is certified by the Orthodox Union
, K'hal Adath Jeshurun (KAJ)
and the Star-K
.
As part of the kosher production process, salt is used to ritually cleanse the animal. A result of this is that kosher poultry is preferred by some non-kosher consumers for the alleged "juiciness" provided by this brining. Cook's Illustrated
regularly recommends Empire Kosher chickens and turkeys in part due to this distinctive taste.
, Shaw's, Star Market, Safeway, and Giant. Empire is also available at many Costco
stores, and through a number of online grocer
s.
In 2010, Empire acquired the Kosher Valley brand from natural and organic foods producer Hain Celestial Group
. Currently, Whole Foods Market
stores carry Empire chickens and turkeys under the Kosher Valley brand.
Kashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The company's headquarters, hatchery and processing facility are located in Mifflintown
Mifflintown, Pennsylvania
Mifflintown is a borough in and the county seat of Juniata County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 861 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mifflintown is located at ....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Early years
Empire Kosher was founded in 1938 in Liberty, New York by Joseph N. Katz, an AustrianAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
-Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
immigrant to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Katz family, including Joseph's son Murray, owned and ran the business for the first five decades of operation.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the Katz family recruited the rabbis
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
required for the kosher production process from Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
as well as Jewish communities in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and the company initially operated out of a garage in Liberty, New York. (The company's name comes from the nickname for New York State.) In the 1950s, Empire became known as an innovator in kosher food production.
Relocation and expansion
Early in the 1960s, while still owned by the Katz family, the company relocated to Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, approximately 40 miles outside of Harrisburg, PennsylvaniaHarrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, where it is still headquartered today. Katz purchased a processing plant in Mifflintown, and expanded production in order to meet the demand provided by the growing Jewish middle class. Empire became the first kosher food company to move into mainstream supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
distribution.
Competition and debt
In 1986, a fire destroyed the production line at the Mifflintown plant, and the Katz family invested nearly $20 million to rebuild and modernize the plant. Empire began to face increasing pressure from other kosher poultry processors, notably AgriprocessorsAgriprocessors
Agriprocessors was the corporate identity of a slaughterhouse and meat-packaging factory based in Postville, Iowa, best known as a facility for the glatt kosher processing of cattle, as well as chicken, turkey, duck, and lamb. Agriprocessors' meat and poultry products were marketed under the brand...
(which has since ceased operations following immigration and labor raids and the conviction of its owner and CEO Sholom Rubashkin
Sholom Rubashkin
Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin , an ultra-Orthodox Jew of the Lubavitcher Hasidic movement, is a former executive officer and vice president of Agriprocessors, a now-bankrupt slaughterhouse and meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa formerly owned by his father, Aaron Rubashkin...
on felony financial fraud charges). In 1992, Empire was sold to private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
firm Apollo Management, and several years later sold to another private equity firm, J.W. Childs Associates
J.W. Childs Associates
J.W. Childs Associates is a private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout and recapitalization transactions for middle-market growth companies. JWC places particular emphasis on consumer products, healthcare and specialty retail companies....
, and the company carried a high debt burden.
Investment and growth
In 2003, Empire was purchased by a consortium of private investors led by current CEO Greg RosenbaumGreg Rosenbaum
Greg Rosenbaum is an American merchant banker based in Bethesda, Maryland. He is currently the CEO of Empire Kosher Poultry, Inc., the largest producer of kosher poultry in the United States.-Education:...
. The company modernized and expanded its plant and production line, more than doubling production capacity by 2009. Empire currently processes 240,000 chickens and 27,000 turkeys per week, with annual revenue over $100 million, making it the largest U.S. producer of kosher poultry.
Empire's workforce is unionized
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, and are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers
United Food and Commercial Workers
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is a labor union representing approximately 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada in many industries, including agriculture, health care, meatpacking, poultry and food processing, manufacturing, textile, G4S Security, chemical...
Local 1776
UFCW Local 1776
Local 1776 represents workers in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs for the United Food and Commercial Workers. The larger majority of their members work in grocery stores...
. Under its current ownership, Empire has donated kosher food to community food pantries. In 2011, the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty
Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty
The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty is a New York-based non-profit social services organization. It offers services to help needy New Yorkers.-History:...
granted Empire's CEO its Humanitarian Award. In addition, Empire has received positive press coverage regarding its animal welfare and environmental standards.
Hatching and growing
Empire states that it hatches its own poultry eggs at an on-site hatchery in Mifflintown, and that all of its chickens and turkeys are grown on small family farms within a 90-mile radius of the Mifflintown plant.Empire claims that its quality control inspectors are "five times stricter than USDA
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
inspectors", and says that its poultry also adheres to the following standards:
- Animal feedFodderFodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
is all vegetarian. - No antibiotics.
- No growth hormonesHormoneA hormone is a chemical released by a cell or a gland in one part of the body that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. In essence, it is a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one...
. - Animals must be traceable to the farm where they were raised.
- Animals are cage-free and free-roaming.
- Empire passes regular third party animal welfare audits, including those conducted by customers such as Whole FoodsWhole Foods MarketWhole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S...
and CostcoCostcoCostco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
.
In addition, Empire offers a line of Organic products. The company recently launched a "Green Kosher" marketing campaign.
Kashrut and processing
A team of 65 rabbis oversee the kosher slaughter process in Mifflintown. The rabbis live in on-site dormitories during the week, and the plant has its own mikvah and shulSynagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
. Empire poultry is raised, slaughtered and processed in accordance with the rules of kashrut, and is certified by the Orthodox Union
Orthodox Union
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America , more popularly known as the Orthodox Union , is one of the oldest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. It is best known for its kosher food preparation supervision service...
, K'hal Adath Jeshurun (KAJ)
Khal Adath Jeshurun
Khal Adath Jeshurun is an Orthodox German Jewish Ashkenazi congregation in the Washington Heights neighborhood, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It has established an offshoot in the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Monsey, New York.-History:...
and the Star-K
Star-K
Star-K Kosher Certification, also known as the Vaad Hakashrus of Baltimore, is a kashrus certifying agency based in Baltimore, Maryland under the administration of Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, with the involvement of many other rabbis . It is one of the largest kashrus certification agencies in North...
.
As part of the kosher production process, salt is used to ritually cleanse the animal. A result of this is that kosher poultry is preferred by some non-kosher consumers for the alleged "juiciness" provided by this brining. Cook's Illustrated
Cook's Illustrated
Cook's Illustrated is an American cooking magazine published by America's Test Kitchen in Brookline, Massachusetts, every two months. It accepts no advertising and is characterized by extensive recipe testing and detailed instructions; the magazine also conducts thorough evaluations of kitchen...
regularly recommends Empire Kosher chickens and turkeys in part due to this distinctive taste.
Distribution
Empire products are available in national and regional supermarket chains including Trader Joe'sTrader Joe's
Trader Joe's is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. , Trader Joe's had a total of 365 stores. Approximately half of its stores are in California, with the heaviest concentration in Southern California, but the company also has locations in 30...
, Shaw's, Star Market, Safeway, and Giant. Empire is also available at many Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
stores, and through a number of online grocer
Online grocer
Online Grocer refers to a grocery store that allows private individuals and businesses to purchase groceries and grocery products online. There is usually a delivery charge for this service...
s.
In 2010, Empire acquired the Kosher Valley brand from natural and organic foods producer Hain Celestial Group
Hain Celestial Group
The Hain Celestial Group is a food company whose main focus is natural and organic foods and personal care products. Their products range from herbal teas, offered through their Celestial Seasonings brand to organic free range chickens from the FreeBird brand...
. Currently, Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S...
stores carry Empire chickens and turkeys under the Kosher Valley brand.