Empirical

What Empirical does

Empirical Foods is a family-owned U.S. beef processing company founded in 1981 by Eldon and Regina Roth, now led by second-generation executives Nick Roth, Craig Letch, and Jennifer Letch. The company specializes in lean ground beef production, operating two state-of-the-art facilities in South Sioux City, Nebraska (290,000 sq ft) and Garden City, Kansas (280,000 sq ft, opened December 2025) that together employ more than 1,400 people. Its core innovation is the proprietary Smart Process Suite — including Smart Lean (which produces 95% lean ground beef from 30% lean trimmings), Smart Air, Smart Drain, and patented Blink Pasteurization — combined with vertical integration through an in-house machine shop that designs and manufactures its own processing equipment.

The company monetizes its processing capability through a multi-brand portfolio: Noble Valley (95% lean ground beef, 100% beef with no additives), Two Rivers Meat Co (boxed beef and pork processed with beef tallow for foodservice and export), Dos Rios (fully cooked taco meat), and Jen's Family Table (Beef Bolognese and Sloppy Joe). It sells B2B through an enterprise field-sales motion to major retailers, QSR chains, national restaurant chains, cruise lines, casinos, broadline distributors, and international export markets. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and the company operates as a private, family-owned business with no disclosed funding rounds or institutional investors.

Name

Empirical

Legal name

empirical technology

Website

https://empiricalfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Family-owned U.S. beef processor specializing in lean ground beef production using proprietary Smart Lean and patented Blink Pasteurization technologies, serving major retailers, foodservice operators, QSR chains, and international markets through its Noble Valley, Two Rivers, Dos Rios, and Jen's Family Table brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Meat Processing and Beef Products

NAICS

Meat Processed from Carcasses (311612), Animal Slaughtering and Processing (31161), Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing (311613)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Meat Packing Plants (2011), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Ground & Formed Meat Products Manufacturing (Burgers, Sausages, Meatballs) (AFAKALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beef Value-Added Prepared Meals (RTE/RTH Entrées, Meal Kits) (AFANAAAF), Formed & Restructured Meats (Nuggets, Patties, Logs, Portion-Control) (AFANAEAI)

Keywords

• Ground beef processing
• Boxed beef products
• Fully cooked meats
• Beef tallow production
• Food processing innovation

Headquarters

HQ city

Dakota

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Lean Ground Beef: 95% lean ground beef produced from domestic beef trimmings using proprietary Smart Lean process. Sold to brands, retailers, and foodservice operators nationwide. No additives, no fillers - 100% pure beef.
2. Boxed Beef & Pork: All-natural beef processed using beef tallow, salt, and water to boost marbling, tenderness, and flavor. Sold to cruise lines, casinos, national restaurant chains, broadline distributors, and international exports.
3. Fully Cooked & Seasoned Products: Dos Rios taco meat and Jen's Family Table products (Beef Bolognese and Sloppy Joe) - fully cooked seasoned ground beef products for foodservice and retail customers.
4. Beef Tallow: Highly purified beef tallow produced as a byproduct, used in cooking oils, cosmetics, renewable fuels, and consumer products. Becoming one of America's largest producers of tallow.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Empirical Foods manufactures and distributes lean ground beef (95% lean from 30% lean trimmings), boxed beef and pork, fully cooked seasoned beef products, and beef tallow to B2B customers nationwide. The company operates proprietary Smart Process Suite technologies (Smart Air, Smart Drain, Smart Lean, and Blink Pasteurization) developed in-house, producing under brands Noble Valley, Two Rivers Meat Co, Dos Rios, and Jen's Family Table.

Product overview

Empirical is a family-owned food manufacturing company that has spent over 45 years redefining the meat industry through innovation. The company operates a multi-brand portfolio centered on lean ground beef production and processed beef products. The core products include Noble Valley Ground Beef (95% lean), Two Rivers Meat Co (boxed beef and pork), Dos Rios (seasoned taco meat), and Jen's Family Table (fully cooked beef meals). These products are produced using Empirical's proprietary Smart Process Suite of innovations—including Smart Air, Smart Drain, Smart Lean, and Blink Pasteurization technologies—which collectively enhance food safety, sustainability, and beef supply efficiency. The company operates two state-of-the-art production facilities in South Sioux City, Nebraska (290,000 sq ft) and Garden City, Kansas (280,000 sq ft), employing over 1,400 people.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Noble Valley: 95% lean ground beef brand - no additives, no fillers, 100% beef. Products for brands, retailers, and foodservice operators nationwide.
• Two Rivers Meat Co
• Dos Rios
• Jen's Family Table

Products and services

• Noble Valley Ground Beef 95% lean ground beef with no additives or fillers, produced from domestic USDA-inspected all grain-fed beef trimmings using proprietary Smart Process technology. Sold to brands, retailers, and foodservice operators nationwide.
• Two Rivers Meat Co Boxed Beef and Pork All-natural boxed beef and pork processed using beef tallow, salt, and water to enhance marbling, tenderness, and flavor. Sold to cruise lines, casinos, national restaurant chains, broadline distributors, and international export markets.
• Dos Rios Taco Meat Fully cooked and seasoned ground beef taco meat made with Noble Valley Ground Beef and custom seasoning blends, designed for quick preparation of tacos, nachos, and quesadillas. Sold to foodservice and retail customers.
• Jen's Family Table Fully Cooked Beef Products Fully cooked beef products including Beef Bolognese and Sloppy Joe crafted with lean ground beef, herbs, and spices. Sold to foodservice and retail customers for convenient family meals.
• Beef Tallow Highly purified beef tallow produced as a byproduct of the lean beef extraction process. Used in cooking oils, cosmetics, renewable fuels, and consumer products. Becoming one of America's largest producers of tallow.

Quantifiable outcome

• 21 additional pounds of available beef per head of cattle
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Garden City Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for workforce training and education supporting the 250+ new jobs created at the Garden City facility. The technical team provides support and the partnership helps train skilled workers for the facility.
• Major U.S. Beef PackerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with major U.S. packers and ground beef producers to source fresh USDA-inspected, all grain-fed beef trimmings (30% lean) for processing into 95% lean ground beef. Working closely with packers to maximize yield from every head of cattle.
• Ground Beef ProducerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with ground beef producers who blend Empirical's 95% lean ground beef to meet desired lean points for brands, retailers, and foodservice operators nationwide.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tyson Foods: Largest U.S. meat processor producing ground beef, boxed beef, and fully cooked proteins across retail and foodservice. Directly comparable customer base and channel mix, but vastly larger scale and broader portfolio (chicken, pork, prepared foods).
• JBS USA: U.S. subsidiary of JBS S.A., one of the world's largest beef packers and a major supplier of boxed beef and ground beef to retailers and foodservice. Overlaps directly with Empirical in beef trim sourcing and 95/85 lean ground beef production, at substantially greater scale.
• Cargill Meat Solutions: North American beef and protein business of Cargill, supplying ground beef and case-ready beef to major retailers and QSR chains. Comparable customer set and product mix to Empirical, embedded within Cargill's much larger agricultural commodity platform.
• Smithfield Foods: Largest U.S. pork processor and integrated meat producer, with significant prepared and packaged meats exposure. Comparable as a U.S. meat manufacturer serving retail and foodservice, though pork-focused rather than beef-focused like Empirical.
• Hormel Foods: Diversified branded food manufacturer with a substantial foodservice and retail protein business (including Jennie-O turkey, Skippy, and value-added meats). Comparable channel mix and fully cooked product orientation, though broader category footprint than Empirical.

Direct peers

• National Beef Packing Company: U.S. beef processor producing boxed beef, ground beef, and case-ready products for retail and foodservice. Closely comparable scale and customer focus to Empirical, including supplying lean trim inputs to ground beef producers.
• American Foods Group: U.S. beef processor specializing in ground beef, boxed beef, and value-added beef products for retail and foodservice customers. Highly comparable product mix and customer orientation to Empirical's Noble Valley and Two Rivers brands.
• Greater Omaha Packing Co. Mid-size U.S. beef packer producing boxed beef, subprimals, and ground beef for foodservice and retail. Comparable to Empirical in size band, customer type, and beef-processing focus, serving as a useful scale and channel benchmark.

Regional players

• Perdue Farms: Major U.S. poultry processor with a growing prepared/foodservice business and branded retail products. Relevant comparator for Empirical's fully cooked product lines (Dos Rios, Jen's Family Table) and foodservice orientation, though protein category differs.

Others

• Sysco: Largest U.S. broadline foodservice distributor and a key Empirical customer channel. Not a direct competitor but a critical downstream channel; useful comparator for understanding Empirical's foodservice end-market dynamics and customer concentration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EmpiricalFoods
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empirical-foods
• Instagraminstagram.com/empiricalfoods
• Xx.com/empiricalfoods

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Empirical