Jimmy Dean Meat Company, Part II
In 1969, when Jimmy Dean opened his sausage plant in Plainview, Texas, little did he know he would be manufacturing America’s most famous sausage. Built on a reputation of quality, the Jimmy Dean Meat Company quickly became a nationwide producer of premium quality pork sausage. In 1972, Jimmy Dean moved his processing plant to Osceola while keeping the administrative activities in Texas.
The Osceola plant featured state of the art production and became recognized as one of the most efficient meat processing facilities in the country. Jimmy Dean production patents included procedures to square the sausage patty and a hog hide puller. Over 43 million dollars was spent yearly for hog procurement in a five state area. Jimmy Dean products were distributed nationally by 50 tractor trailers.
Jimmy Dean sausage was available in links or square patties, in regular, hot, and extra mild flavors. The product line included Special Recipe Sausage with sage, Heat’em Up Sausage and Biscuits, Seasonal Taco Filling, Jimmy Dean Hickory Smoked Sausage, Polska-Kulbasa, and skinless varieties.
The growth years for the Jimmy Dean Meat Company coincided with Keith DeBerg’s management at the Osceola plant. Keith was born and raised at Bristow, Iowa. His career included associations with Rath Packing in Waterloo, IBP in Dakota City, Neb., Armour & Co. in Sioux City, American Beef Packing in Omaha, Neb., and Armour & Co. in Hereford, Texas. DeBerg came to Osceola as Plant Manager in 1976 and became Corporate Operations and Hog Procurement Manager for Plainview and Osceola in 1979.
DeBerg’s management staff included: Frank Howell, plant mgr; Loren Helton, production mgr.; Calvin Held, office mgr.; Kurt Heinkding, engineer; Rodney Clark, purchasing and receiving; Ola Archer, quality control; Ed Cambell, plant superintendent; Richard Williams and John Wilson, transportation; Larry Christenson and Dan Goering, hog buyers.
The supervisory staff included, Bob Thaden, kill floor; Dave Sams, boning; Gene Cook, sausage kitchen; Jeanie Short and Dennis Doven, biscuit room; Larry Geary, cook room; John Beasley, sanitation; Elmer Cameron, maintenance; and Allen Mathias, load out – pack off mgr.. Peak employment reached 640 workers.
Jimmy Dean made many visits to Osceola. On one occasion he performed at a community benefit show at the Clarke Middle School gymnasium. Osceola native Rex Young and his band provided the music. It is remembered that Jimmy Dean was very exacting in the preparation for the program.
In 1984, Sara Lee Corporation, one of America’s Fortune 100 companies, acquired the Jimmy Dean Meat Company. In 1989, Keith DeBerg became plant manager for a new Sara Lee hog processing plant in Newbern, Tenn. Ginny DeBerg, closed her local Skirt and Shirt ladies’ fashion store in Osceola and accompanied her husband to Tennessee. Frank Howell became manager of the Osceola plant.
Osceola received a gigantic jolt in August 1992 when Sara Lee announced the closing of the Osceola and Plainview plants. Production of all Jimmy Dean products was moved to the Sara Lee facilities at Newbern, Tenn. With hundreds of people out of work, the local economy was severely hurt.
The Osceola plant remained vacant for three or four years. Keith DeBerg returned to Osceola in 1994 to assist the Sara Lee Corporation in disposing of their Osceola plant. In 1995, Hormel Inc. bought the former Jimmy Dean sausage plant and quadrupled the size of the facility, now known as Osceola Foods. It has become the nationwide distributor of Hormel products. Over 150 trucks arrive and depart daily from the Osceola distribution facility.
Keith DeBerg retired in 1996. He and his wife, Ginny DeBerg, live in Osceola. They have two daughters, Debra DeBerg of Aredale, Iowa, and Lisa Allyn of Santa Cruz, California. Jimmy Dean lives on or near his yacht at the Potomac River in Virginia near the Atlantic Ocean.