Smithfield Packing Company

Smithfield Packing Company is a meat-processing business based in Smithfield, Virginia, United States. Its principal products include ham, ground pork, pork chops, bacon, and lunch meats. The company serves the domestic market and sells products internationally through the broader Smithfield Foods organization. Smithfield Packing is part of Smithfield Foods, which is ultimately owned by WH Group. The business was established on September 16, 1936, by experienced meatpackers Joe Luter and his son, Joe Luter II. It originally operated as the Luter Packing Company. The company's origins are closely connected with Smithfield, Virginia's long-standing reputation for pork processing. Smithfield and the surrounding Isle of Wight area had developed a regional identity around bacon and cured ham well before the company was founded. A Virginia law enacted in 1926 restricted use of the term "Smithfield ham" to pork processed within the town's boundaries, reinforcing the geographic significance of the Smithfield name. In its early years, the Luters cured Smithfield hams and sold them to nearby small retailers. Over time, the enterprise expanded from a local curing operation into a large-scale processor with a broader portfolio of fresh and prepared pork products. The Smithfield Packing name became associated with industrial meat production as well as the traditional ham business. A major expansion came in 1992, when the company opened a large processing facility in Tar Heel, North Carolina. The plant became a significant employer in Bladen County and offered hourly wages reported as substantially above the federal minimum wage at the time described in the reference material. By 2018, the Tar Heel facility covered approximately 973,000 square feet. The company also reported more than $130 million in investments in Bladen County by early 2020, illustrating the importance of the site to its operating network. Smithfield Packing's later history included consolidation and modernization of its manufacturing footprint. In 2012, the company began planning the closure of a Portsmouth, Virginia, plant that produced hot dogs and deli meats, with production intended to move to Kinston, North Carolina. The Portsmouth facility had been designed in the 1970s and was described as difficult to adapt to the requirements of modern meat processing. The change affected approximately 425 workers; the company offered transfers to some employees, negotiated with the plant's union, and provided notice and assistance under applicable worker-adjustment procedures. In March 2013, Smithfield Packing announced the closure of a bone-in ham facility in Landover, Maryland. The company said it would seek opportunities for affected employees at other locations. These changes reflected the continuing shift from a network of older specialized plants toward larger and more adaptable processing facilities. The company is associated with several generations of the Luter family. Founder Joe Luter's grandson, Joe Luter III, later led the business. Smithfield Packing's corporate identity is now closely integrated with Smithfield Foods rather than operating as an entirely independent public company. Its significance lies in its role as a historic Virginia pork processor, a large-scale employer, and a manufacturing component of the wider Smithfield Foods and WH Group structure.

Smithfield Packing Company was founded on September 16, 1936, in Smithfield, Virginia, by Joe Luter and his son, Joe Luter II. The company was initially known as the Luter Packing Company. Both founders had experience in meatpacking, and their business emerged from a local pork-processing tradition that long predated the company. Smithfield and nearby Isle of Wight had been known for bacon and cured ham since at least the eighteenth century. The geographic identity of Smithfield ham was reinforced by Virginia legislation passed in 1926. The law prohibited pork processed outside Smithfield's boundaries from being marketed as Smithfield ham. Against this background, the Luters began curing hams and selling them to small nearby stores. The business gradually expanded beyond local ham production into a broader meat-processing operation. The company later developed a large manufacturing presence outside Virginia. In 1992, it opened a major facility in Tar Heel, North Carolina. The plant became an important source of employment in Bladen County, an economically challenged area, and was reported to offer hourly wages well above the federal minimum wage in the period covered by the reference material. By 2018, the site had approximately 973,000 square feet of floor space. Smithfield Packing also reported more than $130 million of investment in Bladen County by early 2020. The Luter family remained important in the company's history. Joe Luter's grandson, Joe Luter III, later led the company. Smithfield Packing became part of the broader Smithfield Foods organization and is ultimately within WH Group's corporate structure. During the 2010s, the company adjusted its plant network. In November 2012, it began the process of shutting down a Portsmouth, Virginia, facility that made hot dogs and deli meats, while transferring the relevant production to Kinston, North Carolina. The Portsmouth plant had been built in the 1970s and was considered unsuitable for adaptation to the requirements of modern meat processing. The closure affected roughly 425 employees. Smithfield Packing offered transfers to some workers, engaged with the plant union, complied with required worker-adjustment notice procedures, and referred affected employees to state assistance agencies. In March 2013, Smithfield Packing announced the closure of its bone-in ham plant in Landover, Maryland. The company said it would seek jobs for affected workers at other facilities. The Portsmouth and Landover changes illustrate the company's transition away from some older, specialized sites and toward larger or more modernized production locations. Smithfield Packing's present identity is best understood as a historic operating company and meat-processing brand within Smithfield Foods, rather than as an independent listed corporation. Its business remains connected to pork products including ham, ground pork, pork chops, bacon, and lunch meats, with distribution extending beyond the United States through the wider corporate group.

• 2013

  Landover ham plant closure announced

  [1]Smithfield Packing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Smithfield Packing announced the closure of its bone-in ham facility in Landover, Maryland.

• 2012

  Portsmouth production relocation announced

  [1]Smithfield Packing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The company began planning the closure of its Portsmouth plant and relocation of hot-dog and deli-meat production to Kinston, North Carolina.

• 1992

  Tar Heel facility opens

  [1]Smithfield Packing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Smithfield Packing opened a large processing facility in Tar Heel, North Carolina, establishing a major operating and employment presence in Bladen County.

• 1936

  Luter Packing Company founded

  [1]Smithfield Packing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Joe Luter and Joe Luter II founded the business in Smithfield, Virginia, initially under the Luter Packing Company name.

• 1926

  Virginia restricts the Smithfield ham designation

  [1]Smithfield Packing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Virginia legislation established a geographic restriction on using the Smithfield ham name for pork not processed within Smithfield's boundaries.

A large-scale pork processor combining Smithfield, Virginia's historic cured-ham heritage with national and international meat manufacturing and distribution.

• Cured and processed pork · 1936

  Ham

  Ham is central to the company's heritage and identity. The business began by curing Smithfield hams for nearby retailers, building on the town's established reputation for pork processing and the legally protected geographic meaning of Smithfield ham. Its product portfolio has also included bone-in ham produced at dedicated facilities.

• Fresh pork

  Ground pork

  Ground pork is one of the fresh and prepared pork categories associated with Smithfield Packing. It extends the business beyond whole cured hams into everyday retail and food-service formats intended for cooking and incorporation into a range of recipes.

• Fresh pork

  Pork chops

  Pork chops represent the company's portioned fresh-pork offering. They sit alongside ground pork and other cuts in the broader Smithfield Packing assortment, linking the company's traditional processing expertise with mainstream retail meat categories.

• Cured pork

  Bacon

  Bacon is part of the company's cured-pork range and reflects the regional food tradition associated with Smithfield and Isle of Wight. The product broadens the portfolio from ham into a high-volume breakfast and prepared-food category.

• Prepared meat

  Lunch meats and deli meats

  Smithfield Packing produces lunch and deli meats as prepared pork products for retail and food-service use. The category was manufactured at the Portsmouth facility before the company announced plans to move that production to Kinston, North Carolina.

• Processed meat

  Hot dogs

  Hot dogs were among the processed products made at the Portsmouth, Virginia, plant. In 2012, Smithfield Packing announced that production would be relocated to Kinston as part of a broader manufacturing-footprint change.

• 2013

  Closure of the Landover bone-in ham plantStrategy

  Background

  Smithfield Packing reviewed its network of specialized processing facilities and announced the closure of its bone-in ham plant in Landover, Maryland.

  Action taken

  The company announced the plant closure and said it would attempt to find employment for affected workers at other sites.

  Aftermath

  The decision further consolidated Smithfield Packing's manufacturing footprint, although the available reference does not specify the final employee-placement results.

  Source

• 2012

  Consolidation of Portsmouth production in KinstonStrategy

  Background

  The Portsmouth, Virginia, plant dated from the 1970s and was described as difficult to adapt to modern meat-processing requirements. The proposed change affected approximately 425 employees.

  Action taken

  Smithfield Packing began the process of closing the Portsmouth facility and moving hot-dog and deli-meat production to Kinston, North Carolina. The company offered some transfers, negotiated with the union, issued required worker-adjustment notices, and referred workers to state assistance agencies.

  Aftermath

  The decision reduced the company's reliance on the older Portsmouth site and concentrated the relevant production in another North Carolina facility.

  Source

1. 1Smithfield Packing Companyen.wikipedia.org