Harris Ranch: details of the sale of the beef company are still unknown

The sale of Harris Ranch Beef Co., a well-known brand in the San Joaquin Valley business and agriculture sector, built over the decades, to the Hanford-based Central Valley Meat Co., appears to have surprised many observers.

Some key issues regarding the agreement remain unanswered. Both companies declined to disclose the price and terms of the sale in their April 9 announcement. And there is no reason why John Harris, whose parents, Jack and Teresa Harris, created Harris Ranch in 1937, sells beef production, including a slaughterhouse and processing plant near Selma and feedlot of Harris Feeding Co. near Coalinga.

The Harris Ranch Beef website indicates that the company has annual sales of more than $ 400 million; He also notes that the nearly 800-acre fattening farm along Interstate 5, in western Fresno County, can accommodate up to 250,000 cattle.

The sale does not include other Harris Farms businesses: the Harris Ranch Inn and Restaurant near Interstate 5 near Coalinga; The Equestrian Division of Harris Farms with ranches in Coalinga and Sanger; and agricultural operations for a range of crops, including nuts, vegetables, citrus fruits and grapes.

Harris, 75, has so far refused to comment on his decision to sell or have put the company up for sale before negotiating the deal with Central Valley Meat. Dave Wood, president of Harris Cattle Operations who will remain with Harris Farms as president, could not be reached. An appeal to Brian Coelho, chairman of Central Valley Meat Holding Co. in Hanford, was answered by an email from the public relations firm that announced the sale.

Protect long-term interests

In last week's written statement, Harris said the deal "cemented the future of two family beef farms that will continue to prosper. … Brian has a proven track record of growing businesses and, under his leadership, Harris Ranch Beef can continue his long and rich legacy. "

At the end of last week, a senior official told a source close to the two companies: "John Harris is interested in protecting the long-term interests and well-being of his employees as well as the iconic brand that we have." he has developed all his life. Together, Harris Ranch Beef and the Central Valley Meat Company allowed him to do so. "

According to the statement, Harris saw Coelho as "a respect for the value of the Harris Ranch Beef brand, a shared vision of what it means to run a family-owned business and the same commitment to maintaining a strong and sustainable livestock industry. California. . "

Harris Ranch Beef and Central Valley Meat will operate independently under the common ownership of Central Valley Meat Holding Co.

History of the meat of the central valley

According to the Central Valley Meat Co. website, Coelho's father founded the Coelho Meat Company in 1981. The Central Valley Meat Co. was established in 1993. Its brands include products for retailers and food service companies in the United States. the setting of the Western Premium Beef, the Blue Diamond Beef. and the Central Valley meat brands. CLW Foods Inc., another of its companies, markets ground beef under the Moran's brand. The parent company also includes Coelho Meat Co, a cattle buying and feeding company, and Triple C Trucking.

Hanford is a provider of the National School Meal Program. But the factory has been struggling over the past decade. In 2012, animal rights activists aired an undercover video taken inside the plant and showing animal cruelty cases that prompted the US Department of Agriculture to remove his meat inspectors from the factory for about a week. In 2013, the company recalled more than 29 tons of ground beef for school lunches, fearing that it would contain small pieces of plastic.

In 2014, the USDA briefly shut down the plant due to unclear unsanitary conditions. And in 2015, the USDA withdrew its inspectors after an employee allegedly hindered food safety inspections at the factory.