Duane L. Koch

Koch's Turkey Farms, based in Pennsylvania Dutch Country in Tamaqua, recently introduced Lil' Gobblers Turkey Bites, all-natural, breaded turkey white-meat chunks that take just 10 minutes to prepare.The 12-ounce product is just one of several Koch's sells in numerous mid-Atlantic states and online.

"As any parent will tell you, getting children to eat something healthy can be a challenge," Duane Koch, president of Koch's, says in a news release."With our all-natural Lil' Gobblers Turkey Bites, parents know their kids are getting a healthy meal that tastes great."

Koch's also sells a line of seasoned turkey fillets including Korean sesame, honey ginger, ginger teriyaki and lemon pepper.A third-generation, family-run business since 1953, Koch's is getting a great reaction to its ready-made products, says Barb Koch, Duane's sister and the company's sales manager.

Koch's Turkey Farms, based in Pennsylvania Dutch Country in Tamaqua, recently introduced Lil' Gobblers Turkey Bites, all-natural, breaded turkey white-meat chunks that take just 10 minutes to prepare.The 12-ounce product is just one of several Koch's sells in numerous mid-Atlantic states and online.

"As any parent will tell you, getting children to eat something healthy can be a challenge," Duane Koch, president of Koch's, says in a news release."With our all-natural Lil' Gobblers Turkey Bites, parents know their kids are getting a healthy meal that tastes great."

Koch's also sells a line of seasoned turkey fillets including Korean sesame, honey ginger, ginger teriyaki and lemon pepper.A third-generation, family-run business since 1953, Koch's is getting a great reaction to its ready-made products, says Barb Koch, Duane's sister and the company's sales manager.

With organic poultry sales continuing to grow at staggering rates, Koch's Turkey Farm anticipates another record holiday season this year.

"Since we started selling all-natural turkeys 10 years ago, sales have increased considerably," said Duane L. Koch, president of Koch's Turkey Farm."More and more people recognize the importance of eating right, even during the holiday season."According to the Organic Trade Association, organic poultry sales including turkey were $209.3 million last year compared to only $161 million in 2005 - a 30 percent increase.In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Services notes annual sales could reach almost $600 million by 2010.This year alone, Koch's will raise over 650,000 all-natural and organic turkeys.Sold nationally at Whole Foods and other fine natural foods stores, Koch's turkeys grow naturally without the use of hormones, stimulants or antibiotics.Each turkey is fed a special all-natural vegetarian diet and allowed free-range access, weather permitting.All turkeys are raised humanely with Koch's receiving a near perfect score on the 2005 Turkey Welfare and Humane Practices independent audit conducted by Steritech, one of the premier providers of food safety and quality assurance services in North America.In addition to all natural and organic whole turkeys, Koch's Turkey Farm also features a full line of all-natural turkey products including marinated turkey fillets, smoked turkey breasts, fresh ground turkey and turkey deli meats.Founded by Lowell Koch in 1953, the Koch's Turkey Farm tradition continues today with second-generation family members Barbara Koch, Duane L. Koch, Beth Koch Argall and Pamela Koch Williams.

The operation also includes a turkey breeding flock comprised of three strains of broad-breasted turkeys personally selected by Lowell and Duane Koch to perpetuate and improve the Koch breed.
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Koch's is a true farm, where turkeys are bred, hatched, raised and processed.

The second generation of the Koch family all work in the business.Duane Koch is general manager, Beth Koch Argall handles finances, Pamela Koch Williams is the advertising and public relations manager and Barbara Koch Hill is responsible for sales and transportation.
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Koch's Turkey Farm randomly samples the turkeys and feed for herbicides and pesticides.The Koch family is committed to producing top quality, legitimate, all-natural turkeys.

Tamaqua, Pa.-based Koch's Turkey Farm, whose free-range birds are sold nationally at Whole Foods and other natural food stores, is just one of many small and midsize poultry companies around the country that are experiencing brisk business with their all-natural product lines.

'Accidently' all natural

Late last year the all-natural vegetarian-fed, antibiotic- and preservative-free poultry producer Koch's launched a brand identity campaign featuring a new logo designed to emphasize the company's 50-year reputation for quality.Supporting the branding will be a new Web site, product packaging, in-store collateral, promotions, signage, and electronic newsletters.

Reflecting on his family company's "accidental" entry into all-natural free-range and organic poultry, company president Duane Koch says his initial skepticism about the segment's potential has since been put to rest."We got into this by accident about nine years ago, when the mad cow issue began heating up heavily in Europe," he recalls.Around the same time, one of Koch's key customers -- Applegate Farms, a Bridgewater, N.J. company that produces antibiotic-free deli products -- made a request for the company to switch its production methods.Koch's decided to take the leap and begin raising a more natural product, which Koch now credits with saving his family farm.

The next stage came in 2003, when Koch's switched its turkeys to an all-vegetarian diet shortly after Canada's mad cow disease discovery prompted the U.S. government to ban the feeding of animal byproducts to farm animals.

"We were getting a lot of phone calls from customers asking if we used animal byproducts in our feed," says Koch."As the calls continued to increase, we started looking into the feasibility of using all-vegetarian formulas with no antibiotics or growth hormones.Even though it took us four years to break even, we were small and really struggling, yet we were also looking for a niche.We went from 90 percent frozen products to 90 percent fresh."

Koch says he hasn't looked back since.His company was recently awarded Pennsylvania Preferred status by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, a designation that means at least 60 percent of its raw materials were grown and harvested in Pennsylvania, or that 100 percent of the final manufacture processing and packaging was done in the state.

Since 2003, Koch's Turkey Farm near Tamaqua has been raising and selling organic turkey, certified by Pennsylvania Certified Organic following U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines.

The turkeys are raised without the use of hormones, stimulants or antibiotics on an all-natural vegetarian diet with free-range access.
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"Since we started selling all-natural turkeys 10 years ago, sales have increased considerably," says Duane L. Koch, president of Koch's Turkey Farm.

According to the Organic Trade Association, organic poultry sales including turkey are expected to increase annually by 33 percent through 2008.Koch's raised 650,000 all-natural and organic turkeys this year , three times as many as last year , but expects to sell out quickly.Koch's also supplies all natural whole turkeys, nitrite-free smoked turkey breasts, ground turkey, turkey sausage and marinated turkey fillets.More info: http://www.kochsturkey.com .

Duane L. Koch, vice president and general manager of Koch's Turkey Farm, expects to increase the number of turkeys being raised without synthetic pesticides next year to meet a growing demand.

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"One hundred percent of our birds are all natural," Koch said.
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Koch credits his switch to a more natural product with saving his family farm.

Without gradual changes that have increasingly allowed him to sell more of his birds in a more selective and more lucrative market, he said, "we'd be done."

The transition, however, was not an easy one, and looking back, Koch said he had many misgivings along the way.

About eight years ago, Koch's Turkey Farm abandoned the use of antibiotics to protect its turkeys from infection, opting instead to treat only sick fowl after the fact so that the remaining turkeys could be sold as antibiotic free.

The change over was the result of a request by a customer, Applegate Farms, a Branchburg, N.J., company that produces antibiotic-free lunch meat and offered to pay more for the specially raised birds.

"I was against it.Now, I'm a believer," Koch said.

At first, Koch's concerns seemed well-grounded, and in experiments, the farm lost two flocks to disease.Today, however, he says he can see the decrease in use of preventative antibiotics has produced stronger, healthier birds.

When media reports of concern over mad cow disease in Canada caused the U.S. government to ban the feeding of animal byproducts to all ruminids (animals that chew the cud), Koch himself ended use of any byproducts in feed on the farm, switching his turkeys to a vegetarian diet.

Next, Whole Foods Market, a company based in Austin, Texas, operating a chain of natural and organic food markets, asked Koch to grow free-range turkeys for its stores, especially during the holiday season.

Free-ranging fowl are allowed to roam and forage on grass and insects in open-air pens instead of being confined inside indoor enclosures.The movement toward free range is another effort to develop a more natural bird.

Again, Koch was skeptical although he maintained an open mind.

"(With) free-ranging, I was concerned about disease from wild birds and animals," he said.However, he said he has seen no indications of trouble.

Standing near a pen of free-range turkeys all gobbling happily, Koch said he now could see a clear difference between the 60,000 to 70,000 birds the farm now raises in open-air pens and the rest of the 400,000 turkeys the farm produces annually.

Koch says the free-range birds are cleaner, have better color and a better disposition than those raised without as much exposure to the outdoors.

Koch's first experiment with organic turkeys last year required an even bigger transition.Not only did the farm need to switch to a new organic feed at more than twice the price, but only organically certified disinfectant can be used on the birds and only organic cleaners can now be used in the plant, Koch said.
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Koch said he is currently graded on the number of broken wings and even bruises found on his birds and that inspectors also test his stunning equipment to ensure birds are unconscious when killed.

Duane L. Koch, vice president and general manager of Koch's Turkey Farm, expects to increase the number of turkeys being raised without synthetic pesticides next year to meet a growing demand.

"One hundred percent of our birds are all natural," Koch said.
...
Koch credits his switch to a more natural product with saving his family farm.

Without gradual changes that have increasingly allowed him to sell more of his birds in a more selective and more lucrative market, he said, "we'd be done."

The transition, however, was not an easy one, and looking back, Koch said he had many misgivings along the way.

About eight years ago, Koch's Turkey Farm abandoned the use of antibiotics to protect its turkeys from infection, opting instead to treat only sick fowl after the fact so that the remaining turkeys could be sold as antibiotic free.

The change over was the result of a request by a customer, Applegate Farms, a Branchburg, N.J., company that produces antibiotic-free lunch meat and offered to pay more for the specially raised birds.

"I was against it.Now, I'm a believer," Koch said.

At first, Koch's concerns seemed well-grounded, and in experiments, the farm lost two flocks to disease.Today, however, he says he can see the decrease in use of preventative antibiotics has produced stronger, healthier birds.

When media reports of concern over mad cow disease in Canada caused the U.S. government to ban the feeding of animal byproducts to all ruminids (animals that chew the cud), Koch himself ended use of any byproducts in feed on the farm, switching his turkeys to a vegetarian diet.

Next, Whole Foods Market, a company based in Austin, Texas, operating a chain of natural and organic food markets, asked Koch to grow free-range turkeys for its stores, especially during the holiday season.

Free-ranging fowl are allowed to roam and forage on grass and insects in open-air pens instead of being confined inside indoor enclosures.The movement toward free range is another effort to develop a more natural bird.

Again, Koch was skeptical although he maintained an open mind.

"(With) free-ranging, I was concerned about disease from wild birds and animals," he said.However, he said he has seen no indications of trouble.

Standing near a pen of free-range turkeys all gobbling happily, Koch said he now could see a clear difference between the 60,000 to 70,000 birds the farm now raises in open-air pens and the rest of the 400,000 turkeys the farm produces annually.

Koch says the free-range birds are cleaner, have better color and a better disposition than those raised without as much exposure to the outdoors.

Koch's first experiment with organic turkeys last year required an even bigger transition.Not only did the farm need to switch to a new organic feed at more than twice the price, but only organically certified disinfectant can be used on the birds and only organic cleaners can now be used in the plant, Koch said.
...
Koch said he is currently graded on the number of broken wings and even bruises found on his birds and that inspectors also test his stunning equipment to ensure birds are unconscious when killed.

As mainstream supermarkets offer fresh turkeys, the gourmet stores are moving up the purity scale and adding more varieties of organic and all-natural turkeys."Our organic sales are doubling every year, and that just blows my mind," said Duane Koch, the vice president and general manager of Koch Turkey Farms in Tamaqua, Pa., which sells birds to local Whole Foods stores.