Pack is back

The meatpacking industry is returning to Hartley.

Hartley Cold Services, LLC, has taken ownership of the building formerly owned by Beef Specialists of Iowa on Second Street Southeast. The facility most recently housed American Natural Soy, and was officially sold as of July 26.

Hartley Cold Services will specialize in a variety of services that large-scale packing plants can't, or won't, do.

"Even the big guys can't do everything," said plant manager Jeff Knowles. "They are very, very good at doing the 98 percent they do. The 2 percent is where we survive."

Knowles explained the business will specialize in making overrun from larger packing plants consumer-ready as well as custom cold storage and defrosting. Additionally, the plant will be making pork pellets out of ham skins, which eventually become pork rinds.

"All of the larger packs are short of help," Knowles said. "Maybe they want a product packed a special way, which is too much of a hassle for large packs. That's where we as a specialty pack come in."

The company will primarily handle pork products. Hartley is strategically located between eight larger packs, which made the facility here an enticing acquisition for owner Stephane Comtois, who lives in Florida. Knowles said real estate down south is at a premium and the financial logistics of opening a plant there are next to impossible.

"There truly are so many pork plants within a short distance of here when you start counting them up," he said. "There's a whole bunch of 'em sitting right here. They are prevalent in this area."

Getting the facility operational will be a large task. All new Freon-cooled refrigeration equipment must be installed and wiring updates are also on the docket. Additionally, the floors must be re-epoxied to meet USDA standards.

Hiring of staff will take place gradually over the coming months. Tentatively, a crew of 25 employees will run the plant, which is hoped to be operational by Jan. 1, 2023 if everything goes according to plan.

"Without good help, it's nothing. You have a building and that's it," Knowles said. "Everything will be phased in as we go, and services will be added when we're ready to add them."

Knowles and Comtois have more than 75 years of combined experience in the food industry. Though Hartley Cold Services is a ways off from cutting the ribbon, Knowles was confident the business plan would result in a profitable venture that benefits the local economy.

"We have to be very efficient. We have to make our money in the little holes and gaps that the big guys aren't in," he said. "We're the niche."