Packerland Buys
Sun Land Beef Co.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packerland Packing Company has acquired Sun Land Beef Company in a shareholder buyout. Sun Land, of Tolleson, Arizona, will continue to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Packerland.

Packerland, headquartered in Green Bay, is the sixth largest beef packer in the U.S. and the largest east of the Mississippi River, with annual sales of $700 million. Packerland also operates facilities in Hospers, Iowa, and Gering, Nebraska. Sun Land is the eighth largest packer in the U.S. with annual sales of $400 million.

"Packerland and Sun Land are a very good fit," said Rich Vesta, CEO of Packerland. "The synergy between the two companies will help us both expand the capabilities we offer our customers. We are very impressed with the management, employees and facilities at Sun Land and expect this will be a positive move for the customers and employees of both companies.

"Both companies pride themselves on being big enough to support strong programs for big customers, while retaining a service oriented attitude that allows us to serve the more specialized niche markets," Vesta emphasized.

"It will be business as usual for our employees," said Harvey Dietrich, president of Sun Land, who will remain as president under the new agreement with Packerland. "Our customers can expect the usual high level of efficiency and quality from Sun Land," assured Dietrich.

The strategic move to purchase Sun Land allows Packerland to strengthen its marketing efforts in the western states, said Vesta. "Sun Land has done a magnificent job of developing the first true strategic alliance in the industry involving the cattle feeder, packer and retailer.

"Packerland will continue to support these efforts and use the program as a model marketing approach in other markets across the country. This is good news for cattle producers from the Midwest and the West, because Packerland and Sun Land will continue to provide new marketing opportunities for those producers," he added.

Packerland and Sun Land will continually look for new and inventive ways to supply value-added products to the retail beef industry, food service and export markets. "Packerland has had great success with our Showcase Supreme brand beef program and our Supreme Valu brand boxed beef program," said Vesta. Customer demand for value-added products and programs will continue to grow and we are positioned to provide those types of services."