Case studies of direct marketing value-added pork products in a commodity market

Differentiation and branding of fresh pork products have created interest in the potential for swine producers to invest further up the pork supply chain to capture a greater share of the consumer's dollar. However, the ultimate success of producer-owned ventures will depend on their ability to identify market opportunities and execute merchandising strategies to maintain sales of a perishable and seasonally variable pork product in a commodity market environment. To better understand the competitive issues in pork marketing on a small scale, three firms already engaged in direct marketing of fresh pork products are examined and reported as case studies.