Empire Packing

What Empire Packing does

Empire Packing is a U.S.-based meat processing and packaging company founded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1987 and acquired by JBS USA in 2020. The company specializes in retail case-ready meat production, manufacturing case-ready beef, chicken, grinds, and pork packaged for direct retail sale, alongside proprietary Ledbetter branded retail products and custom food processing and packaging services tailored to grocery retail specifications. Smoked offals are produced as a specialty line at the Memphis facility.

The company operates four strategically located processing facilities across the United States in Mason, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; Memphis, Tennessee; and Olympia, Washington. A 1,250-person workforce produces approximately 6 million pounds of case-ready product per week for distribution to top U.S. grocers. Its technology base centers on industrial-scale meat processing and packaging lines with no disclosed AI, software, or proprietary digital systems; product differentiation is operational (scale, multi-region distribution, custom processing) and brand-based (Ledbetter).

Empire Packing operates as a B2B supplier with a sales-led go-to-market motion targeting enterprise and mid-market grocery chains through direct buyer relationships. Revenue is generated through product sales of case-ready meats and Ledbetter branded items, supplemented by custom processing and packaging services. Pricing is negotiated privately and not publicly disclosed. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of JBS USA, Empire Packing's strategic direction is set within the parent group's protein production portfolio, and JBS announced in June 2026 the closure of the Memphis plant as part of broader restructuring.

Name

Empire Packing

Legal name

Empire Packing

Website

https://empirepk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Empire Packing is a U.S. B2B meat processor producing 6 million pounds weekly of case-ready beef, chicken, grinds, and pork from four facilities for top grocery retailers, operating as a JBS USA subsidiary since 2020.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Meat Processing

NAICS

Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116)

SIC

Meat Packing Plants (2011)

akta.pro primary industry

Portioning & Case-Ready Meat Packaging (AFAKALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Case-Ready Pork Packaging (MAP, Tray-Pack, Vacuum Skin) (AFANABAC), Ground & Formed Meat Products Manufacturing (Burgers, Sausages, Meatballs) (AFAKALAE)

Keywords

• Meat processing services
• Case-ready meats
• Food packaging services
• Branded meat products
• Protein manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Case-Ready Meat Products: Production and sale of retail case-ready beef, chicken, grinds and pork to grocery retailers. The company produces 6 million pounds per week of case-ready products sold to top grocers in the United States.
2. Ledbetter Branded Products: Sale of proprietary Ledbetter branded retail meat products.
3. Custom Food Processing Services: Custom food processing and packaging services provided to retail partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Empire Packing produces retail case-ready meat products, including beef, chicken, grinds, and pork, for major U.S. grocery retailers. The company produces 6 million pounds of case-ready products per week across four U.S. processing facilities, and also offers the proprietary Ledbetter brand of retail meat products, custom food processing and packaging services, and smoked offals.

Product overview

Empire Packing is a meat processing company that operates as a single unified business offering retail case-ready meat products. The company produces 6 million pounds weekly of case-ready beef, chicken, grinds, and pork under its proprietary Ledbetter brand, alongside custom food processing and packaging services. The portfolio is unified around meat production and processing, with smoked offals as a specialty line produced at the Memphis facility. The four processing facilities in Mason, Ohio; Denver, Colorado; Memphis, Tennessee; and Olympia, Washington serve major grocery retailers across the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ledbetter: Ledbetter branded retail products including case-ready beef, chicken, grinds and pork.

Products and services

• Retail Case-Ready Meats

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 million pounds of case-ready beef, chicken, grinds and pork produced per week

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Smithfield Foods: Largest US pork processor producing case-ready pork and processed pork products for grocery retailers. Closely comparable to Empire Packing's case-ready pork line and grocers supply relationships.
• Wolverine Packing Company: Detroit-based meat processor producing case-ready ground beef and case-ready meat products for grocery retailers. Direct competitor with similar product specialization in case-ready grinds and beef.
• Perdue Farms: Major US poultry processor producing case-ready chicken for grocery retail. Comparable to Empire Packing's case-ready chicken line and its retailer-supply operating model.
• Greater Omaha Packing: Mid-sized US beef packer producing case-ready and portion-controlled beef for retail and foodservice. Comparable in product mix and customer profile to Empire Packing's case-ready beef operations.
• Clemens Food Group: Vertically integrated pork processor producing case-ready pork and prepared pork products for US grocery retailers. Direct peer on case-ready pork processing and grocery channel supply.
• Tyson Foods: Largest US protein company producing case-ready beef, pork, and chicken for grocery retailers. Directly comparable to Empire Packing in product mix, B2B grocery channel, and case-ready processing capabilities, but at materially greater scale and brand breadth.
• Cargill Meat Solutions: Operates large-scale case-ready beef and case-ready meat programs for major US grocers. Direct competitor in the same retail case-ready meat category with overlapping customer base and similar processing and packaging model.
• National Beef Packing Company: Major US beef packer supplying case-ready and boxed beef to grocery and foodservice customers. Overlaps with Empire Packing on case-ready beef production and retail meat department supply.

Broad incumbents

• Kraft Heinz (Oscar Mayer): Branded prepared and packaged meats producer selling through grocery retailers. Adjacent incumbent with overlapping retail customers and processed-meat capabilities, though focused on branded prepared products rather than fresh case-ready meat.
• JBS USA: Parent company of Empire Packing and a top-tier US beef, pork, and poultry processor. Relevant as the broader incumbent against which Empire Packing's specialty case-ready positioning must compete for internal capital and external retailer share.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/empirepkz
• Facebookfacebook.com/EmpirePacking
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empire-packing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Empire Packing