May 3 2011

Gold'n Plump Poultry turns into a GNP Company

Gold'n Plump Poultry, the Minnesota-based, family-owned poultry company has formally declared its new GNP Company name, and values structure, as well as recent milestones, which will enable it to move towards a more sustainable future.

In 2008, Gold'n Plump Poultry began its transformation from a company selling a single brand with the same name as its company to a multi-brand company with the launch of a new, more sustainably minded premium brand of chicken called Just BARE. Then, in 2010, the company added a value brand to its portfolio called Sunny Roost.

Michael Helgeson, the company's CEO, said "Our purpose in doing so was to serve the needs of a more diverse base of customers and consumers by offering three brands of chicken with distinct attributes. However, consumers will see no change to the logo on the packages of Gold'n Plump-branded products."

All the while, the company was advancing its understanding of socially responsible and sustainable practices by holding true to its past position as a forward-thinking innovator in the poultry industry. Though the company had always been about being operationally excellent, the social and sustainable insight brought a new perspective and revealed the need for a new way to demonstrate and communicate its value.

Helgeson added, "Our value has gone from being about one brand promise to three which made a new company name a necessity. It also changed from being efficient to survive to being efficient to thrive. And that means balancing the needs of economic progress with those of our people, poultry and planet. Having a dedication to these key areas ensures that we can focus on improvements for the journey beyond now."

Three recent milestones for the company are forging a path for a more sustainable future such as offering the first US poultry brand to be Carbon Trust certified; completion of a multi-year, US$110 million expansion of its fully integrated operation in Arcadia, Wisconsin; and achievement of Safe Quality Foods 2000 Level 2 certification at all three of its processing plants.