Schefter Poultry: Providing Quality Through Teamwork

Located in Gorrie Ontario and serving the north eastern corner of Huron County, Schefter Poultry was originally opened in 1977 by Jim and Marion Schefter. After 20 years of growing the business, market conditions caused them to close its doors in 1997. Over the next 9 years, demand for poultry began to steadily increase, and with a lack of processors in the area, Dale Schefter decided (after much research and consideration) to reopen the doors, and on July 13, 2006 the plant became fully operational once again.

Initially the processing consisted of whole dressed birds in polybags, and over the last 14 years has evolved to offer several services including custom cutting with vacuum packaging, multi-species specialization, and organically certified processing with full traceability. But the one thing that stands out is Schefter Poultry’s attention to detail with custom poultry processing and providing their customers with exceptional quality with each and every cut. “I want my customers to be able to sell a quality product they can be proud of and run successful businesses because of our partnership.” says owner, Dale Schefter. Dale takes a team approach to running the business and credits the majority of the businesses success to his 35 employees, whom even through the uncertainties that have arisen during the pandemic, have banded together as a team to rapidly adapt to the changes required to keep the plant safe and operational. Protecting his team has been a top priority for Dale, and like many MPO members, Schefter Poultry has faced various challenges over the past few months and had to work quickly to introduce social distancing within the plant, purchase hand washing stations and implement new procedures for employees and customers entering the facility. And his staff have taken it all in stride, leaving Dale very proud of the team that he has built, recognizing the important role that they play as essential food workers.

“So what’s your specialty?” I asked Dale. He was quick to respond; “Pretty much anything with feathers and white meat, we can turn into a high-quality product for our customers.” Schefter Poultry takes great pride in their attention to detail from the time the birds arrive on their property, all the way to the type of packaging that is chosen for delivery to the customer. Dale’s philosophy is “treating the customer how I would want to be treated” and delivering a clean, ready to use product in premium packaging that will help extend shelf life.

What’s the best way to eat a bird in Dales world – well, there are plenty of options, but his ultimate favorite is his spouse Jessica’s sheet pan ground turkey nachos smothered in avocado, olives, sour cream and salsa. Dale also enjoys bringing his family and friends together to cook on the outdoor rotisserie. Being able to watch food cook and make an event of it really brings people together, and that’s what food is all about.

When discussing the future of the industry, there are a lot of variables required to succeed in the meat and poultry sector. Dale believes if you can set yourself apart and attract a clientele that appreciates what you have to offer, at a scale that can keep you operational is key. But that cannot be done without the right team. Working in abattoirs is a very physically demanding job but can be very rewarding with the right support from the management and the rest of the team. The well being of employees should always be considered first - your employees happiness equates to happy customers.

Schefter Poultry made the decision to become a member of Meat & Poultry Ontario in 2014, as Dale believes it’s important to have a unified voice for the sector to bridge the gap and build positive relationships between processors and regulators. He also feels that MPO plays and important role in consumer and government advocacy on the issues that matter most to our industry.

Schefter Poultry Processing Ltd 44783 Harriston Road

RR 1 Gorrie, ON N0G 1X0 (519) 335-6791 dschefter@wightman.ca