About Us
WHAT WE DO
Valley Meat Company is a mid-sized meat processor and packer located in Central California. We specialize in selling to three major segments in the food industry; Retail, Food Service and Military. We produce hundreds of products under the Valley Meat Co. brand and through Co-packaging agreements with private labels. Combine over 50 years experience in processing meat with a specialty in high Quality packaging and you have Valley Meat Co. Imagine the possibilities of a truly flexible meat company located strategically on the west coast.
HISTORY
Valley Meat Company began in the late 1940s when Virgil Heffner began processing meat for customers throughout California’s central valley. The early business initially consisted of traveling to farms and ranches to process small quantities of beef, pork and lamb.
By 1959, the enterprise had grown enough that Virgil and his wife, Dolores, set up shop in a small facility on the corner of 10th and E streets in downtown Modesto. Their early clientele mostly consisted of Modesto restaurants and iconic hamburger joints, including Smokey’s Bar & Grill, Webb’s, and Scenic Drive-In. The main staple of the business, ground beef, was established in those days and Valley meat Company still produces the same old fashioned ground beef today, as part of its product line. Virgil was the driving force in the early days and 50 years later, Virgil’s old fashioned values of hard work and determination remain the spirit of Valley Meat Company. Virgil’s three children worked alongside their father in those days. Russell, his youngest son, has maintained the traditions and work ethic instilled by his father and owns and manages the operation today. Russell is known for his hands on approach to business, and can often be found on the production floor refining processes and pushing production.
In 1995, the business had outgrown its humble beginnings in downtown Modesto and expanded into a larger facility on Enterprise Way in Modesto. Over the next ten years Valley Meat Co. used its new facility to increase production capabilities by purchasing innovative equipment and refining its processes. As Valley Meat Co. grew so did its customer base until in the summer of 2005 when it moved into its current 156,000 square-foot facility located on Daly Road.
Today, Valley Meat Co. is a full service meat company that produces Beef, Pork and Poultry for customers in the retail, food service and prime vendor markets.
FAMILY
Valley Meat Company prides itself in the fact that it is family owned and operated. Russell Heffner, owner and CEO, has worked for Valley Meat Company since he was twelve years old, and has been an integral part in the growth of the company for the last thirty years. Russell’s years of experience contribute to every aspect of the business today. In an effort to instill the same values of hard work and determination that his father instilled in him, Russell’s five children were taught about the business from an early age as well. Two of his children, Megan and Adam, still work at Valley Meat Company today. Megan works as a receptionist, and Adam handles the company’s marketing while working on his degree in business management.