Boar's Head Provision Co., Inc. (also Boar's Head Brand, or Frank Brunckhorst Co., LLC) is a supplier of delicatessen meats, cheeses and condiments. The company was founded in 1905 in Brooklyn, New York, and now distributes its products throughout the United States. It has been based in Sarasota, Florida, since 2001.[1]
 | |
| Boar's Head Brand | |
| Industry | Delicatessen meats and cheeses |
| Founded | 1905, in Brooklyn, New York |
| Founder | Frank Brunckhorst |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | United States, Dominican Republic, Panama, Mexico |
| Products | Franks, deli meat, cheeses, hummus, condiments, soups, pickles |
| Website | www |
History
edit
Frank Brunckhorst began distributing cold cuts and hot dogs under the Boar's Head name in 1905. By 1933, distribution of Boar's Head products had grown, and Brunckhorst and his partners, Bruno Bischoff and Theodore Weiler,[2] decided to open a manufacturing plant. The first plant was started in a small building in Brooklyn with three employees.
Brunckhorst's son (also Frank Brunckhorst) took over the business; Frank Brunckhorst II died in 1972 at age 65.[3] During the 1990s, the expanding company added processing plants in Virginia, Arkansas, and Michigan,[4] and it began to shift its strategy toward its current business model that stresses exclusive relationships with supermarket chains.[5][6] In 2001, the company moved its headquarters from Brooklyn to Sarasota, Florida, in part because of a close three decade-long partnership with Publix, which is based in nearby Lakeland.[5][7]
For many years, the voice-over in Boar's Head commercials was supplied by the voice performer Joseph Sirola.[8] In 2008, the company opened an "experimental" retail outlet in Brooklyn,[9][10] which closed the following year.[11]
In July 2024, the company issued a recall on over 7 million pounds of its products due to an outbreak of Listeria contamination.[12] As of August 29, the outbreak has been linked to nine deaths and 57 hospitalizations.[13]
Products
editBoar's Head sells cheeses and many common meats, such as black forest ham, roast beef, and salami. The company also sells a line of condiments, including barbecue sauce, horseradish, and mustard. A small line of pickles is also part of the Boar's Head product line, and one was rated the best overall in a 2017 America's Test Kitchen episode.[citation needed] More recently, they have created their own line of hummus and Greek-yogurt based dips.
Legacy
editBarbara Brunckhorst, the daughter of Boar's Head founder Frank Brunckhorst,[14] passed away from brain cancer on November 18, 2020 and was one of the founders and trustees of the Barbara Brunckhorst Foundation.[15] The foundation has spent millions on a variety of charities, including nature conservation and others.[16] In early 2022, the foundation donated $104 million to create the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health at VCU.[17]
Deaths linked to products
editWith an initial reported case of illness on May 29, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) determined a listeria outbreak in Boar's Heads products, linked to nine deaths and 57 hospitalizations as of August 27, 2024. Unreported illnesses may have accounted for higher actual incidents of illness. This represented the largest listeriosis outbreak on record since 2011.[18] The company immediately recalled a large selection of products. [19]
Ongoing monthly inspections from August 2023 through July 2024 at the offending production plant in Jarratt, Virginia reported black mold, surfaces contaminated with "meat over-spray", and an unknown substance dripping from the ceiling. The United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service had observed multiple noncompliance findings every month from August 2023 through July 2024 in a 44-page report. Noncompliance was found in operations, labeling, and sanitation performance standards. [20] [21]
References
edit- ^ Curtis, Bryan (January 31, 2012). "Meat of the People". Slate. Archived from the original on June 16, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ "Theodore R. Weiler (obituary)]". The New York Times. November 2, 1987. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
- ^ "Frank Brunckhorst (obituary)]". The New York Times. November 11, 1972. Archived from the original on August 25, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
- ^ "Growth of Boar's Head". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. July 29, 2002. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ a b Hielscher, John (April 24, 2001). "Boar's Head Moving to Sarasota". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ Armstrong, Mike (July 30, 2009). "Dietz & Watson takes issue with Boar's Head business tactics". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ "Metro Business Briefing; Boar's Head Moving". The New York Times. April 24, 2001. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
- ^ Haun, Harry (August 21, 2014). "Joseph Sirola: A Late-Life Broadway Producer Hits It Big". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on August 5, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ Rubenstein, Dana (September 11, 2008). "Boar's Head Experimental Storefront Opening in Brooklyn". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on September 20, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ Gregerson, John. "Brooklyn Deli Shrouded in Mystery: Boar's Head Meats new R&D kitchen masquerades as a neighborhood deli". QSR Magazine. Archived from the original on December 24, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ Voris, Robert (July 30, 2009). "Boar stiff! F. Martinella Deli closes on Court Street". The Brooklyn Paper. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ "Boar's Head Recalls 7 Million More Pounds of Meat Amid Listeria Outbreak". The New York Times. July 31, 2024.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ ALECCIA, JONEL (August 28, 2024). "Death toll is now 9 in listeria outbreak tied to Boar's Head deli meat, CDC says". AP. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ "Boar's Head earns $1B annually. There's a feud between the families in control | Hiswai". Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ Roberts, Ken Schwencke, Mike Tigas, Sisi Wei, Alec Glassford, Andrea Suozzo, Brandon (May 9, 2013). "Brunckhorst Foundation - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "BRUNCKHORST FOUNDATION". Grantmakers.io. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ Powell, Brelyn. "The donor behind the gift that will transform liver care at VCU". VCU News. Archived from the original on February 15, 2022. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
- ^ "Investigation Update: Listeria Outbreak, Meats Sliced at Delis". U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. August 28, 2024. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ "Boar's Head Provisions Co. Recalls Ready-To-Eat Liverwurst And Other Deli Meat Products Due to Possible Listeria Contamination". Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. July 26, 2024. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ "USDA FSIS Public Health Information System, Noncompliance Report, Establishment Number(s): M12612 + P12612 from 08/01/2023 to 08/02/2024" (PDF). Food Safety Inspection Services, United States Department of Agriculture. August 2, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ "Boar's Head plant linked to deadly outbreak broke food safety rules dozens of times, records show". AP News. August 29, 2024. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
External links
edit- Boar's Head corporate web page at boarshead.com
- Boar's Head Atlanta Distributor at boarsheadatl.com