Back in October, my wife Monica and I journeyed to Cologne.  Every other year the largest food show in the world is held there.  I’ve been there many times over the years.  It’s a great place to meet people and share ideas.  I like to pick up on things before they get to our shores.  I was very impressed with how far the organic programs have come in Europe and the support they receive from the governments.  The meats on the menus on the German railroad were all organic.

After walking the show for two days and picking up a lot of new ideas, we headed for Vienna Austria. Every store or restaurant we visited in Austria had organic poultry available.  There is no doubt in my mind that they take organic production very seriously in Europe.  This trip definitely lifted my spirit in moving our organic program forward.

Before leaving Austria, I had to stop in Ebbs to visit the world headquarters of the Halfinger Horse.  I have 11 of these great horses on our farm.  They give me a break from the chickens.  Europe was a great inspiration for me.  Now I am home with my healthy, happy chickens.

My next blog entry will visit the movie Food Inc.

I’ve been traveling a lot the last three months accumulating a lot of good stuff to write about.

Back in the end of September my wife and I were invited to spend a weekend with the owners of Dekalb Farmer’s Market, which is located about 15 miles east of Atlanta Georgia on Ponce De Leon.

The owners Robert and Barbara Blazer were very gracious hosts.  The Blazer’s are very committed to supporting and marketing products produced by family owned businesses.

Our mission was to educate the entire leadership staff about the production of Bell & Evans chicken and how it is different from commodity produced chicken.

I was given the opportunity to spend time in front of the poultry area of the market and introduce myself to customers.  I asked them if they had any questions about the products.  The number one group of questions was concerning the movie Food Inc.  I had not seen the movie, so I did the best I could dealing with their concerns.  Animal compassion, the environment and what the chickens are fed seem to be at the top of the list.

Dekalb Farmer’s Market is a must to see if you are in the Atlanta area.  In my mind Dekalb Farmer’s Market is one of the great wonders of North America in the food business.

Bell & Evans has proudly supplied the market for over 20 years.  Thank you Robert and Barbara Blazer for your commitment.

In the upcoming January 2010 issue of Consumer Reports Bell & Evans is highlighted as on the cleanest producers of broiler chickens in the industry.  Eight of our chickens were tested for salmonella and campylobacter- and all eight were tested free of both bacteria.

We here at Bell & Evans have been doing the same procedure for years- we care about every step of the process from the farm to your table.  Like we have discussed in previous blog entries- every aspect of the process is crucial.  We do things our way because it’s the right thing to do.

Our all vegetable feed consists of corn, extruded and expeller pressed soybeans, vitamins and minerals.  We never use animal or other by-products.

Our chicken houses are cleaned out in between every flock- not like other poultry producers who just lay down a new layer of litter.  We also let the house remain empty in order to break any virus cycles.  The concrete floors of the houses also make it easier to clean and sanitize.

Our award winning 2005 Plant of the Year (by Food Engineering Magazine) is another aspect of the process of producing clean and great tasting chicken.  We have a high standard of efficiency and cleanliness throughout the plant.  We inspect all birds during evisceration before entering into our air chill facility. Unlike other air chill facilities- our bird travel on one level in order to prevent cross contamination from other birds on higher racks dripping onto those underneath.  The air chill process does not dilute the natural flavor of our chicken and means that our customers do not have to pay for water that would normally leak out of the chicken when it is water chilled.

Our one of a kind packaging is helping our chicken have an even longer shelf life and reduces our impact on the environment.  After the chicken is sealed into this package it is not touch again by human hands until it opened by a customer at home.  Since the new packaging can go directly into the freezer, it also reduces further risk of cross contamination.

All of these components add to the final product, that is why all of the steps are important to making a great tasting chicken.  We wouldn’t change any aspect of our process because then it wouldn’t be Bell & Evan’s way of raising the excellent chicken.

On August 27, 2009, I spent a day in New York demoing at the new Whole Foods Store at 97th and Columbus.

Once again we clogged the aisles with people waiting for a sample of our famous Chicken Nuggets. 

For me, store demoing our products is energizing and builds my enthusiasm for the business.
 

The reception I received from customers was incredible.  One customer wanted to buy my Bell & Evans cap. He recommended we sell them on the website and make sure I sign them.  He said don’t be surprised, they are going to sell. 

Another customer insisted on having her picture taken with me. 

A friendly man asked me to bring back the boneless whole chicken roast.  He said if you do I will help you promote them.

 One lady said you can have your brochure back; I have been buying your chicken all my life and I do not have any intention to change.

I had a customer that was complaining that a store in her neighborhood tells people the chicken they sell is Bell & Evans, but she does not think it is and asked me if I would check it out.

It’s been a challenge over the years to police restaurant and retailers and make sure the products they were selling as Bell & Evans really is Bell & Evans.  Deception in marketing on menus and at the retail case has never been worse. Selling commodity chicken for Bell & Evans or alleging it is just as good as is a crime.

There was a lady that bought chicken that was being promoted “from Pennsylvania” and assumed it was Bell & Evans only to learn it was not.  She was not a happy customer about that.  We do have some new competition using a Pennsylvania address that is producing commodity chicken and is marketing it as an equal to Bell & Evans. 

On my ride home on the Bieber Bus back to Pennsylvania I began to think about how big our brand really is in N.Y. and how loyal the customers are to our brand.  After almost 100 years of our product being in N.Y., we are still going strong. Consistently producing superior product really did pay off for us. 

I hope to see you at our next product demo.

Ways to ensure you are buying Bell & Evans:
1. Look for our logo.
2. If the package has a retained water statement with a number other than 0% or “no retained water”- it probably isn’t Bell & Evans.
3. If you still are unsure, give us a call at 1-800-786-1235 and ask for customer service.