Maple Leaf Farms Celebrates Its 50-Year Recipe For Success
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
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"We are very excited to be celebrating our 50th anniversary with our customers, employees, associates and neighbors," said Scott Tucker, Maple Leaf Farms co-president. "We realize that our success is due in large part to the support of these individuals."
Maple Leaf Farms was founded by Donald Wentzel. As a national sales manager for a Chicago-based feed company, Wentzel became familiar with the Long Island duck industry. He saw some inherent business challenges for duck production in that region, namely the high cost of shipping in grain to feed the ducks and the cost associated with shipping product to markets outside of the Northeast.
It made much more sense to him to raise ducks in the Midwest where feedstuffs were readily available and markets across the country could easily be serviced.
As a result, he decided to try his hand at raising ducks in northern Indiana.
"I started working for my father-in-law before he officially started Maple Leaf Farms," said Terry Tucker, Maple Leaf Farms' chief executive officer. "At the time, he and some friends were raising ducks on their farms and then processing them at a plant in Michigan. When the plant he used closed, he decided to purchase a small poultry farm and processing plant located just south of Milford. With this move, Maple Leaf Farms was born."
Over the years, the Tucker family established Maple Leaf Farms as an industry leader. In the late 1970s, it became one of the first companies to produce fully cooked poultry products that would be easier for restaurant operators and consumers to prepare. In fact, its fully cooked roast half duck, which can be prepared in less than 30 minutes, became a flagship product and is very popular among chefs and consumers across North America.
In the years that followed, Maple Leaf Farms made several moves to grow and integrate its business by expanding its operations to include company-owned hatcheries, feed mills and feather-processing facilities. It also extended its product line to include other poultry products.
Most notably, Maple Leaf Farms purchased C & D Foods of Wisconsin, the nation's largest duck producer at the time, in 1981. In 1997, it expanded its operations by purchasing Woodland Farms, a California-based company serving Asian markets across the west coast. These moves solidified Maple Leaf's position as North America's leading duck producer
"I am very proud of our third-generation family business. My grandfather founded this business with the vision of producing the finest quality duck in the world," said John Tucker, co-president of Maple Leaf Farms. "We have gone a long way in realizing his goal and despite our tremendous growth, our company remains committed to our core values of family, friendship, fun and fulfillment."
Maple Leaf Farms' commitment to quality and service has earned it many awards over the years. Recent Awards include the 2001 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award; the 2003 Blue Chip Business Award; the 2003 American Business Ethics Award; and the 2004 Michiana Family Business of the Year Award.
Today, as Maple Leaf Farms celebrates its 50th anniversary, it stands as the leading producer of quality duck products in North America, producing approximately 15 million ducks each year with the help of 1,200 employees and 140 partner farms. Its products are sold in both foodservice and retail markets in all 50 states and more than 40 export markets.
"Many things have changed since Maple Leaf Farms was founded 50 years ago. The technological advancements we have made in how we care for and market our ducks are tremendous," said CEO Terry Tucker. "What has not changed is our recipe for success. Throughout our 50-year history, our company and our family have been focused on quality."
For more information, visit www.mapleleaffarms.com[[In-content Ad]]
"We are very excited to be celebrating our 50th anniversary with our customers, employees, associates and neighbors," said Scott Tucker, Maple Leaf Farms co-president. "We realize that our success is due in large part to the support of these individuals."
Maple Leaf Farms was founded by Donald Wentzel. As a national sales manager for a Chicago-based feed company, Wentzel became familiar with the Long Island duck industry. He saw some inherent business challenges for duck production in that region, namely the high cost of shipping in grain to feed the ducks and the cost associated with shipping product to markets outside of the Northeast.
It made much more sense to him to raise ducks in the Midwest where feedstuffs were readily available and markets across the country could easily be serviced.
As a result, he decided to try his hand at raising ducks in northern Indiana.
"I started working for my father-in-law before he officially started Maple Leaf Farms," said Terry Tucker, Maple Leaf Farms' chief executive officer. "At the time, he and some friends were raising ducks on their farms and then processing them at a plant in Michigan. When the plant he used closed, he decided to purchase a small poultry farm and processing plant located just south of Milford. With this move, Maple Leaf Farms was born."
Over the years, the Tucker family established Maple Leaf Farms as an industry leader. In the late 1970s, it became one of the first companies to produce fully cooked poultry products that would be easier for restaurant operators and consumers to prepare. In fact, its fully cooked roast half duck, which can be prepared in less than 30 minutes, became a flagship product and is very popular among chefs and consumers across North America.
In the years that followed, Maple Leaf Farms made several moves to grow and integrate its business by expanding its operations to include company-owned hatcheries, feed mills and feather-processing facilities. It also extended its product line to include other poultry products.
Most notably, Maple Leaf Farms purchased C & D Foods of Wisconsin, the nation's largest duck producer at the time, in 1981. In 1997, it expanded its operations by purchasing Woodland Farms, a California-based company serving Asian markets across the west coast. These moves solidified Maple Leaf's position as North America's leading duck producer
"I am very proud of our third-generation family business. My grandfather founded this business with the vision of producing the finest quality duck in the world," said John Tucker, co-president of Maple Leaf Farms. "We have gone a long way in realizing his goal and despite our tremendous growth, our company remains committed to our core values of family, friendship, fun and fulfillment."
Maple Leaf Farms' commitment to quality and service has earned it many awards over the years. Recent Awards include the 2001 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award; the 2003 Blue Chip Business Award; the 2003 American Business Ethics Award; and the 2004 Michiana Family Business of the Year Award.
Today, as Maple Leaf Farms celebrates its 50th anniversary, it stands as the leading producer of quality duck products in North America, producing approximately 15 million ducks each year with the help of 1,200 employees and 140 partner farms. Its products are sold in both foodservice and retail markets in all 50 states and more than 40 export markets.
"Many things have changed since Maple Leaf Farms was founded 50 years ago. The technological advancements we have made in how we care for and market our ducks are tremendous," said CEO Terry Tucker. "What has not changed is our recipe for success. Throughout our 50-year history, our company and our family have been focused on quality."
For more information, visit www.mapleleaffarms.com[[In-content Ad]]
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