Significations et usages de butterball

Butterball LLC

Type	Private
Industry	Poultry
Founded	2006
Headquarters	Garner, North Carolina, U.S.
Key people	B. Keith Shoemaker, President
Products	Turkey
Revenue	$1,406.5M (2008)
Employees	5500[1]
Website	Butterball

Butterball is a brand of turkey and other poultry products produced by Butterball LLC. The company manufactures food products in the United States and internationally — specializing in turkey, cured deli meats, raw roasts and specialty products such as soups and salads, sandwiches, and entrées.

Butterball LLC was a joint venture of Smithfield Foods and Maxwell Farms Inc.,^[2] an affiliate of the Goldsboro Milling Co.^[3] Seaboard Corporation bought Smithfield's stake in Butterball in 2010. The company sells over one billion pounds of turkey a year^{[citation needed]}. Though the Butterball brand has been formally recognized since 1940, Butterball LLC was formed in 2006.

In Canada, the rights to Butterball is owned by P&H Foods.

  Products

According to Butterball^{[citation needed]}, the following products are sold under the Butterball name:^[4]

whole turkeys turkey cuts cold cuts sausage bacon

turkey medallions, strips, chicken strips turkey franks ground turkey frozen turkey burgers, mignons, meatballs

A package of Butterball turkey bacon

Among numerous other brands, English-bred Butterball turkeys are sold in the United Kingdom during Christmas time for the Christmas feast.

  History

  The Butterball plant in downtown Longmont, Colorado

The name Butterball was originally registered as trademark #378,438 on June 11, 1940, by Ada Walker of Wyoming, Ohio. Leo Peters purchased the trademark in February 1951. Leo Peters licensed the name to Swift and Co. for 10 years before selling it in the 60's. Peters sold the name "Butterball" to Swift, which was acquired by ConAgra in 1990.

Leo Peters retained rights to use the name Butterball Farms for his butter products^[5] and the company operates today as Butterball Farms, Inc., producing and marketing shaped butter products.^[6]

In October 2006, ConAgra's Butterball branded turkey business was sold to North Carolina based Carolina Turkeys, — making Carolina Turkey the largest turkey producer in the United States.^[7] The company, located southeast of Raleigh, NC in Mount Olive, North Carolina on the Wayne and Duplin county line, subsequently renamed itself Butterball LLC.^[8]

In 2008, the company moved its headquarters to a new $12 million building in Greenfield North off Interstate 40 in Garner, North Carolina. The headquarters has a "customer experience center" with a special kitchen for promotional demonstrations.^[9]

Smithfield offered $200 million to Maxwell Farms for the portion of Butterball that Smithfield did not own. Chief executive C. Larry Pope said at that time that he hoped Maxwell Farms would spend more on the company's facilities and marketing. A decision had to be made whether to buy Maxwell's share or sell Smithfield's. On September 10, 2010, Smithfield announced the sale of its 49 percent share of Butterball for an estimated $175 million. Maxwell Farms will sell 50 percent of Butterball to Seaboard Corp.^[1]

  Corporate

Walter “Gator” Pelletier, past chairman of the National Turkey Federation, is Butterball LLC's corporate secretary — managing all operating activities from turkey production and directing Maxwell Farms, the managing partner of Butterball. Pelletier is also president of Maxwell Farms, Inc., vice president of Goldsboro Milling Company, and secretary-treasurer of Maxwell Foods, Inc. Pelletier had joined Goldsboro Milling Company in 1981.^[9]

  Turkey Talk-Line

Beginning in late 1981, Butterball has maintained a toll-free telephone line called the Turkey Talk-Line to help customers with cooking and preparation questions. Eleven thousand people called in 1981, and in recent years the number has grown to over 200,000 each holiday season. Each of the operators holds a degree in either dietetics or home economics, roughly half of which are Masters-level.^{[citation needed]} The most frequent question asked is how long a turkey takes to defrost.

In The West Wing episode "The Indians in the Lobby", President Josiah Bartlet calls the number (referred to as the "Butterball Hotline" in the script) to discuss stuffing and cooking his Thanksgiving turkey.

  Criticism

Animal welfare activists such as Mercy for Animals, the Humane Society of the United States and PETA have accused Butterball of animal cruelty.^[10][11][12] These organizations cite intentional cruelty inflicted on the birds, as well as the incidental cruelty inherent in the slaughter methods used, and the breeding practices which produce animals too large to reproduce without human intervention.

In December, 2011, North Carolina officials raided a Butterball turkey facility following the release of undercover video from a Mercy for Animals investigation that alleged felony animal cruelty.^[13] The video showed workers kicking and stomping on live turkeys and dragging them by their wings and necks, and injured birds with open wounds.

  See also

• Taylor, Rod - "Backward Glance: Talking Turkey", PROMO Magazine, November 2004

  References

  External links

• Butterball, LLC - Turkey Purveyor
• Butterball Farms, Inc. - Butter Purveyor