GNP Company™ Wins Meatingplace’s 2011 Jesse Jewell Award

ST. CLOUD, Minn., Oct. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Growing to the point that it changed its name from Gold’n Plump Poultry to GNP Company was just one of the reasons cited for GNP Company, the Midwest’s largest chicken producer, to win the prestigious Jesse Jewell Award. Named after the legendary poultry industry pioneer, Jesse Jewell, the award was given by major industry publication, Meatingplace, now in its 10th year of recognizing industry innovators.

Meatingplace’s managing editor, Tom Johnston, described GNP Company’s key areas of innovation and positive impact in the poultry industry when he said, “We felt that GNP rose to the top due to its performance in a tough year with new product introductions; its award-winning plant operations; the innovation of a carbon footprint label that shows a dedication to sustainability; and the rare expansion of jobs.”

Each year, the Jesse Jewell Award is given to “a poultry processor whose products, processes or overall approach to marketing or management have improved not only its own bottom line, but raised the standard of excellence for the entire poultry industry, just as Jesse Jewell did.” Past winners of the Jesse Jewell Award include: College Hill Poultry, Jennie-O Turkey Store, Murray’s Chickens, Wayne Farms, LLC, Coleman Natural Foods, Inc., Tyson Foods, Inc., Sanderson Farms, Inc., Perdue Farms, Inc. and O.K. Foods.

“We feel honored to have received this award, but it’s really our team members and growers who deserve the credit. They’re always committed to doing better—our people are our greatest assets,” said Mike Helgeson, third-generation and CEO of GNP Company. “It’s also been a tough year for the industry because of record-high feed costs, so we feel fortunate to have made progress and continually improved in some very key areas,” he added.

Mike Helgeson and his father, Don Helgeson (second-generation and chairman of the board) accepted the award on behalf of GNP Company at the 2011 Annual National Chicken Council Meeting in October. According to Mike Helgeson, it was fitting for his father to attend because both Don and his brother, Jerry, made the decision in the 1950’s to move the business from hatching to include all aspects of a chicken operation, including milling its own feed, partnering with area family farm partners to raise broiler chickens and processing its own chickens for market. This business model of “vertical integration,” was the same model the award’s namesake, Jesse Jewell, has been credited with pioneering.

A full copy of the Meatingplace article can be found on GNP Company’s website at gnpcompany.com.

About GNP Company™

The Gold’n Plump brand is distributed by GNP Company (formerly known as Gold’n Plump Poultry), based in St. Cloud, Minn. since 1926. GNP Company was founded in 1926 by E.M. Helgeson and is still owned and managed by the same family, today. GNP Company is provider of premium chicken products to retail, deli and foodservice customers throughout the Midwest and in other parts of the country under both the Gold’n Plump® and Just BARE® brands. The company employs about 1,600 people and partners with nearly 350 family farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin to produce wholesome, high-quality chicken. For more information on its full line of poultry products, as well as innovative recipes, general cooking and safe handling tips and nutrition information, visit goldnplump.com and justbarechicken.com. Company information, including its annual Farm to Fork Report, can be found at gnpcompany.com.

SOURCE GNP Company