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Wednesday, April 08, 2009 |
David Eaheart, APR
david_eaheart@seaboardfoods.com
913-261-2621 |
Seaboard Foods receives 2009 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Exporting |
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Seaboard Foods received the 2009 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Exporting at the 26th Annual Oklahoma World Trade Conference. |
Midwest City, Okla. (April 8, 2009) — Seaboard Foods received the 2009 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Exporting today at the 26th Annual Oklahoma World Trade Conference.
The Honorable Natalie Shirley, Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism, presented the award to Duke Sand, Seaboard Foods vice president of international sales.
“The company that we honor today serves as an example of the global business savvy qualities that all Oklahoma businesses should embrace in order to prosper in today’s new economy. Our future economic success lies in delivering cutting edge innovation, value-added business solutions, world-class professional services and technological advancement to the global marketplace. Through its international business achievement, Seaboard Foods represents all of these qualities and I wish them every success in continually expanding Oklahoma’s entrepreneurial and creative business spirit worldwide,” said Secretary Shirley.
Since its inception in the early 1990s, Seaboard Foods, an integrated food company, has focused on exporting pork products throughout the world. In 2008, Seaboard Foods exported pork to 17 countries and has increased pork export volumes more than 20 percent annually since 2005. Based on volume, the top five countries Seaboard Foods exported to in 2008 were Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, Russia and Korea, respectively.
As an integrated food system, Seaboard Foods controls the entire pork production process from genetics to animal nutrition to animal care to processing and produces pork products tailored to the quality standards of specific export markets. Seaboard Foods’ pork plant in Guymon processes approximately 5.1 million head annually. Company-owned farms in Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Texas produce most of the hogs processed at the plant.
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“From the beginning, our goal has been to find export markets where we can add value to our existing pork products and to develop new products which can add incremental value vs. our domestic sales alternatives” says Rod Brenneman, Seaboard Foods president and CEO. “Our strategy in accomplishing this goal has been to provide export customers products they want, the way they want them and at prices that are of mutual value.”
Brenneman adds, “Our ability to succeed with this strategy necessitates we are willing and able to listen, respond and interact with our potential foreign buyers. We realize that communication and two-way exchange of information and ideas are essential; therefore, we focus on developing long-term relationships with our foreign customers and do not look for just opportunistic one-time sales.”
He continues, “Our integrated system and our commitment to high-quality enables us to achieve premiums for our export products in markets like Japan compared to our U.S. competitors.”
Seaboard Foods exports a full range of fresh and frozen pork products, including high-end bone-in and boneless pork loins, tenderloins, shoulder butts, shoulder picnics, ribs, hams and pork bellies. Variety meats, such as pigs feet, skins, tongues, trimmings, bones, ears and fat, and, offals, such as hearts, livers, glands, and intestines, are also large volume export products.
“Basically, any product that can be harvested from a hog has been exported to some export market in one form or another by Seaboard Foods,” says Brenneman.
“We have achieved export success by sticking to our goal of creating additional value and always analyzing if our export activities meet these criteria,” Brenneman says. “Seaboard Foods is honored to receive this award for excellence in exporting.”
Seaboard Foods, with headquarters in Shawnee Mission, Kan., is a leading integrated food company and a top exporter of pork to Japan and Mexico. Pork products sold internationally bear the Seaboard Farms® brand. In the United States, Seaboard Foods markets fresh products under the PrairieFresh® Premium Pork brand and processed meats under the Daily’s® Premium Meats brand. As part of the company’s sustainability commitment, Seaboard Foods formed High Plains Bioenergy, a subsidiary committed to creating sustainable energy solutions from the Seaboard Foods integrated system. Seaboard Foods has been recognized for its aggressive research and development, and proactive environmental standards, including receiving the 2007 Pork Industry Environmental Steward Award. For more information, visit www.SeaboardFoods.com.
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