Empire Kosher Poultry, founded in 1938 by Joseph Katz, is set to enter the kosher meat market, sources told KosherToday. The beef will not be sold under the Empire brand, due to trademark restrictions, but will be certified by the Star-K Kosher Certification and Khal Adas Jeshurun.
Sources say that Neil Rosenbaum, the company CEO, has worked out a deal with the AD Rosenblatt brand to use the small slaughterhouse in Wichita, Kansas that Rosenblatt uses. AD Rosenblatt was launched two years ago by Rabbi Yaakov Rosenblatt, a Brooklyn transplant, who currently resides in Dallas, Texas.
Kosher industry sources say that at this point, the Empire move is no more than a “foray,” but that Empire, once the dominant kosher poultry producer in the U.S., was looking to take advantage of changes in the marketplace, including the ongoing problems at Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa. One source said, “Empire watched helplessly as Agriprocessors and Alle Processing ate away at their market share in poultry and it was only a matter of time that Empire would venture into their territory.”
For the Star-K, headed by Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, the new brand is the second kosher meat to be certified by the agency. The Star-K certifies the J.W. Treuth company in Baltimore. For KAJ, which already certifies Empire Poultry along with the Orthodox Union (OU), the new brand provides them with a source of beef, which they lost when they ended their relationship with Agriprocessors in April.
Despite the new Rosenblatt and Empire products, kosher sources are still concerned over a shortage of kosher beef in many parts of the country due to the cutbacks in production at Agriprocessors.
(KosherToday)
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27 Responses
Baruch HaShem!!!
I am starting to wonder if Agriprocessors would have been better off sticking with KAJ. I distinctly remember they didn’t have all of the legal and P.R. problems like they have now. I am also wondering if the other Yeshiva World bloggers feel the same way. Just sharing a thought with everyone…..
This is great news!
Free markets. Capitalism. The invisible hand.
It actually works if you let it, much better than arguing which agency or party or faction should control what and letting politicians, rather than businessmen and consumers, decide.
I have gained weight just by reading this article.
di aibeshter fir di velt… not Agriprocessors or the KAJ
#2, what are you saying? are you saying that the KAJ is behind all the legal and PR problems because of the loss of the contract with agri? you lost me completely, but, I certainly hope that is not what you are saying.
this what you call brilliant marketing !!!
except ALLLE owns EMPIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Forgive me, but I am kind of on the outside looking on on this – Ive been out of the Kosher meat Hock for awhile. Can someone explain to me what the big deal is?
kolyisroel, you have no clue what you are talking about. Alle USED TO get their chickens by making their own run at Empire. Now they don’t even do that. Their chickens are now from elsewhere. They don’t even buy from them now at all.
Alle DOES NOT own Empire and never did.
Alle buys some of their chicken from Empire.
This is welcome news. I always like Empire brand; very clean and fresh, always.
-akuperma- What kind of overgeneralization of a statement is that? Of course capitalism can work, but does it work well in all cases? Are there no politicians that have served to our benefit? Are all businessmen acting for the good of society? And what exactly do consumers decide upon solely that has tremendous impact, “if we let it?” When do we NOT let capitalism work, in your opinion? Is it when things go in a way that you don’t agree?
In many ways capitalism is not working and the bottom line, profit margin is showing the beast is eating it’s own tail. How can we “let it work” when it comes to the gov’t buy out of Freddie Mac and Fannie May?
Sorry, I dont mean to pick on you but that statement of your must have been written quickly on your way out to daven Maariv.
I really feel bad for Agri and Alle. They’re really going to get hit.
To #2 Flatbush Bubby,
I feel just the same way. All of Agri’s problems descended upon them just after they got rid of KAJ. Not Stam.
#12 (re: capitalism)
When the “powers that be” attempt to legislate (such as by creating a favored businesses such as Fannie Mae, or by having an single “official” brand as the Israeli government rabbinate wants to be) you rarely get good results. Here, Agriprocessor manages to make a mess (being dan le-kaf zechus, the only problem is improper managment and supervision of employees). One could appoint a committee or make a takana – but look how much simpler the “free market” solution is: some other business comes along and offers to compete in the marketplace, and if their product is better and/or cheaper and/or has a higher reputation for quality and kashrus, it will prevail.
Will the meat be glatt kosher? There have been problems with the star-k in the past cerfiying meat, such as at PM Holdings company when they let a goy be in charge of labels and who tried pressuring them into declaring meat as glatt, etc.
BS”D
Note that Empire is a UNION shop. Are Agri and Alle being brought down in favor of Empire by the corrupt unions?
I for one would not eat so much as a gram of Empire meat under the circumstances. This is a firm from mechutz lamachane taking advantage of the downfall of two community businesses.
Seems to me that if you don’t want to use Agri or Alle and/or they are not available, then the alternative is International or a smaller firm, not Empire.
Itzik_s,
Alle (i.e. Meal Mart) is doing quite fine. You can purchase their products.
#16, yes, if a product is better and/or cheaper and/or has a higher reputation for quality and kashrus, it will prevail. But that has little to do with the larger context you stated, which seems to be overgeneralization.
A flip of the coin (your statement) can prove that if businessmen make all the decisions and there is no gov’t regulation, you have monopolies, and that is not good for the consumer.
Also, how far should free market extend itself? Globally? What if businessmen felt it was better to make products overseas, cheaply, and sell them here, cheaper, without trade regulation, is THAT good for the economy?
Capitalism, not in balance, is a hungry dragon that will eat it’s tail.
BS”D
Joseph, that may be true today, but did you see that Alle are the latest to fall under the treyfe knife of the unions/Forward crowd?
Wasn’t Empire kosher until now?
Itzik_s,
Yes, but B’Chasedei Hashem they will defeat those Reshoyim.
Itzik_s – So when Agri began to sell chicken and turkey, how was that not “mechutz lamachane”?
Agri was in the beef business and went to directly compete with Empire and Alle.
I’d say that Empire waited long enough before firing back.
Flatbush Bubby(#2) and The Queen of Persia (#14),
Agri didn’t drop KAJ. KAJ dropped Agri.
After KAJ gave written notice to Agri that their supervision will cease as of a certain date, Agri’s PR people tried to spin it to make it look like they had decided to drop KAJ.
Hungry Husband (#22),
yes but they only produced poultry till now, not beef.
#17- star-k has never given a hechsher on anything not glatt.
#18, please note that Empire was working with KAJ on producing meat way before the “downfall of two community businesses.”