Meat+Poultry - August 2019 - 73

more competitive in the marketplace," Gerber
says. Included in the upgrades were the latest
tools in food safety microbiological processes;
a focus that continues today.
Unfortunately, with the timing of the fire,
the company missed the opportunity to take
advantage of the most profitable time in the
poultry industry - in the late 1990s. By 2000,
Gerber's redefined its sales program and
focused on marketing its brand. The emphasis
was on the antibiotic-free aspect of the
chicken, some 10 years before "antibiotic free"
became a popular marketing tool. Promoting
the fact that most of Gerber's chicken is raised
on Amish family farms was also a prominent
theme. Demand increased for Gerber's Amish
Farm Chicken and the company continued to
experience annual growth in production.
"It took a lot of hard work, a lot of faith and
a lot of trust," Gerber explains, "and we had
a good team of people to help get us through.
Everyone is family here - even if their last
name isn't Gerber."
Today, the third generation of Gerbers, and
one fourth generation member, are starting
to take the reins. Three of Mike Gerber's
daughters, one son-in-law and a granddaughter
work at the company.

FROM EGG TO DRUMSTICK
The addition of the hatchery almost 30 years
ago allowed Gerber's to become a partially
integrated poultry operation. The company
oversees the process from hatchery to farm
to slaughter to processing - all of which is
humane certified.
Seventeen employees at the Orrville Chick
Hatchery manage the hatching of more than
130,000 chicks, four days a week. The day-old
chicks are delivered to a network of 150-plus
grower farms in Ohio's Amish farm country,
all within a 50-mile radius. The chicks are fed
a vegetable-based, custom feed formulated by
the company nutritionist. After the birds reach
their targeted grow-out time and 5.1 lbs. weight
they are transferred to the plant for processing.
The birds are slaughtered within 6 hours of
the catch.
Gerber currently uses humane certified
electrical stunning in its slaughter process. It
is following the data related to the research
and development of controlled atmosphere
stunning systems.

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Meat+Poultry - August 2019

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