Boar's Head Provision Co., Inc. (also Boar's Head Brand, or Frank Brunckhorst Co., LLC) is a supplier of

delicatessen A delicatessen or deli is a grocery that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessens originated in Germany (contemporary spelling: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the mid-19th centur ...

meats, cheeses and condiments. The company was founded in 1905 in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, and now distributes its products throughout the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It has been based in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

, since 2001. The company is not publicly traded. Shares are closely held by the founder's descendants.

History

Frank Brunckhorst began distributing cold cuts and

hot dogs A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...

under the Boar's Head name in 1905. By 1933, distribution of Boar's Head products had grown, and Brunckhorst and his partners, Bruno Bischoff and Theodore Weiler, decided to open a manufacturing plant. The first plant was started in a small building in

with three employees. Brunckhorst's son (also Frank Brunckhorst) took over the business; Frank Brunckhorst II died in 1972 at age 65. During the 1990s, the expanding company added processing plants in Virginia, Arkansas, and Michigan, and it began to shift its strategy toward its current business model that stresses exclusive relationships with supermarket chains. In 2001, the company moved its headquarters from Brooklyn to

, in part because of a close three decade-long partnership with

Publix Publix Super Markets, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Publix, is an employee ownership, employee-owned American supermarket Chain store, chain headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, Publix is a Privately h ...

, which is based in nearby Lakeland. For many years, the voice-over in Boar's Head commercials was supplied by the voice performer

Joseph Sirola Joseph Anthony Sirola (October 7, 1929 – February 10, 2019) was an American commercial, film, television, theatre actor and theatre producer. Life and career Sirola was born in Carteret, New Jersey to Croatian parents Anton, a carpenter ...

. In 2008, the company opened an "experimental" retail outlet in Brooklyn, which closed the following year.

Fatalities linked to products

With an initial reported case of illness on May 29, 2024, the U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the National public health institutes, national public health agency of the United States. It is a Federal agencies of the United States, United States federal agency under the United S ...

(CDC) determined a ''

listeriosis Listeriosis is a bacterial infection most commonly caused by '' Listeria monocytogenes'', although '' L. ivanovii'' and '' L. grayi'' have been reported in certain cases. Listeriosis can cause severe illness, including severe sepsis, me ...

'' outbreak traced to Boar's Heads products, linked to 10 deaths and 59 hospitalizations as of September 25, 2024. Unreported illnesses may have accounted for higher actual incidents of illness. This represented the largest listeriosis outbreak on record since 2011. The company immediately recalled a large selection of products. In July 2024, the company issued a recall on over 7 million pounds of its products produced at a plant in

Greensville County, Virginia Greensville County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,391. Its county seat is Emporia. History Greensville County was established in 1781 from Brunswick County. The county is ...

, near the town of Jarratt. On September 13, 2024, Boar's Head announced that the Jarratt plant would close indefinitely and sales of liverwurst would be permanently discontinued. Ongoing monthly inspections from August 2023 through July 2024 at the Jarratt plant reported black mold, surfaces contaminated with "meat over-spray", and an unknown substance dripping from the ceiling. The

Food Safety Inspection Service The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is the public health regulatory agency responsible for ensuring that United States' commercial supply of meat, poultry, and egg prod ...

had observed multiple noncompliance findings every month from August 2023 through July 2024 in a 44-page report. Noncompliance was found in operations, labeling, and sanitation performance standards. Multiple lawsuits were filed against Boar's Head following the

listeria ''Listeria'' is a genus of bacteria that acts as an intracellular parasite in mammals. As of 2024, 28 species have been identified. The genus is named in honour of the British pioneer of sterile surgery Joseph Lister. ''Listeria'' species ...

outbreak alleging a wide range of complaints from false advertising to wrongful death.

References

External links

Boar's Head corporate web page
at boarshead.com
Boar's Head Atlanta Distributor
at boarsheadatl.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Boar's Head Brand name meats Food manufacturers of the United States Companies based in Sarasota, Florida Ham producers Condiment companies of the United States