GARNER, N.C., Jan. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Butterball, LLC today announced that it has acquired Gusto Packing Co., located in Montgomery, Ill.  Gusto Packing Co. is a family owned and operated business that offers six basic product lines; Hickory & Apple Wood Smoked Bacon, Bone-In Smoked Pork & Turkey Products, Smoked Boneless Hams, Cooked Hams, Pork & Turkey Deli Meats and Spiral Sliced Hams.

"We are pleased to welcome the Gusto team to the Butterball family and look forward to working closely together," said Rod Brenneman, chief executive officer of Butterball, LLC. "With Gusto's 260,000-square-foot facility, we are adding approximately 325 million pounds of further processed capacity to our operations. This additional capacity allows us to support Butterball branded geographic expansion and achieve greater account penetration within current markets. It also affords us the ability to develop and manufacture innovative products for the Butterball brand."

Brenneman continued, "The Butterball brand remains intensely focused on its core product offering, which is turkey. The acquisition provides Gusto with the opportunity to benefit from a national logistics and distribution network and further enhance quality and food safety initiatives."

Going forward, the Gusto Packing Co. leadership team as well as approximately 500 employees are expected to remain in their current positions.

About Butterball

Butterball offers consumers opportunities to celebrate traditional holidays and everyday meal occasions with the Butterball branded line of products. As the most recognized name in turkey, the brand represents more than 50 years of cherished memories with consumers by providing quality, great tasting products that make meals something to celebrate every day.

As an industry leader in quality and food safety, the company employs numerous processes to ensure the health of flocks and implements recognized prevention measures to exceed food safety standards in its five plants, located in North Carolina, Arkansas and Missouri. In addition, Butterball has surpassed important workplace safety and health benchmarks set forth by OSHA's Voluntary Production Program.

Headquartered in Garner, N.C., Butterball is the largest producer of turkey products in the U.S. – producing more than 1 billion pounds of turkey each year. The company's retail and foodservice products are distributed throughout the U.S. and in more than 33 countries.

For more information about Butterball, visit Butterball.com, or call 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372) for answers to your turkey preparation questions.

Media Contact:
Stephanie Llorente
sllorente@butterball.com
919-255-7944

SOURCE Butterball, LLC