MEAT+POULTRY - January 2025 - 62

SMALL BUSINESS MATTERS
The " meat plank " format
distinguishes Zimmerman's
One Chop product from
the myriad of competitors
in the meat snack space.
" A key part of
our future in
meat snack
foods is to
always be able
to prove to
the customer
that we have
a clean label
and that they
know the
ingredients
and the
source. "
- ISAAC KEENE
further processing opportunities they've seen
steadily growing stronger. It began just over a
year ago with the launch of a new ready-to-eat
brand, called One Chop, with its own website.
The first One Chop product was a ground and
formed " meat plank: " the planks measure 4½ by
1 inch, and are packaged two per pack. Keene
said they selected this format in part because
it could easily be differentiated by customers
amid an increasingly competitive array of
other jerky snacks and brands. The next One
Chop product will be traditional snack sticks
in individual packaging, with other products
to follow.
" Some brands aim for a premium price
point, and stack claims on their labels in an
effort to justify that position; at the other end
of the spectrum are brands that follow a model
of commodity pricing and quality, " Keene said.
" In contrast to these extremes, Zimmerman
Meats is working to provide reliable mainstream
products with down-to-earth formulations
and outstanding flavor. It is a very competitive
market. Our future in further processing
depends on building sustained credibility with
our customers - both the retail consumer and
the co-packing client. "
And there's another group of retail and
co-packing customers who are also looking to
Zimmerman Meats for value-added solutions:
pet owners and brands.
" We began co-packing a cooked humangrade
pet treat for a company with national
62 MEAT+POULTRY | 01.25 | www.meatpoultry.com
distribution in 2022, " Keene said. " While
working on that project, we also developed
some in-house pet products we can produce in
compliance with FDA without compromising
our USDA food safety. Bones and other
slaughter and processing by-products can be
put to good use when they are unwanted by
livestock producers. "
Zimmerman Meats' raw pet blends are
marketed under the label Lions Prime, which
includes varieties with beef, pork, and chicken.
While co-packing is an option for both human
foods and pet products, Keene notes that the
manufacture and sale of pet products have some
additional state-level reporting requirements
that can be burdensome to producers who want
to have their harvest made into pet products.
IN THE WILD
Zimmerman's also has a booming custom game
processing business that handles 2,000 to 3,000
wild animals a year, everything from deer, wild
hogs and even bear. During the respective
seasons, they accept whole carcasses and
quartered or boneless meats and offer finished
products ranging from breakfast sausage and
bacon to summer sausage, bratwurst and three
styles of snack sticks, in addition to their whole
muscle jerky. All of the company's product
details are available on the company's websites:
www.zimmermanmeats.com and www.
onechopmeatshop.com. It's a nod to the days
when craftsmanship and quality mattered.
http://www.zimmermanmeats.com http://www.onechopmeatshop.com http://www.meatpoultry.com
MEAT+POULTRY - January 2025

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