Reinecker Committed to Quality Service
Located
two and a half hours from Philadelphia and an hour and a half north of the
nation’s capital, David Reinecker has been producing various forms of niche
pork on his family farm for three decades and his reason for doing so is
simple.
“You have to give the customer what they want, when and how they want
it,” Reinecker said. “And they will pay you well for it.”
Reinecker gained inspiration from a motivational speaker while serving as a
delegate for the National Pork Producers’ Council (NPPC) in the late 80s and
has carried that philosophy with him as he runs his business. “He kept
saying ‘give the customer what they want, when and how they want it and they
will throw money at you, throw money at you, throw money at you,’”
Reinecker said. “I really took that to heart.”
Reinecker started his business when he graduated from college at Western
Maryland and came home to farm with his father. He began raising white guilts
for a small family meat business to sell at a local farmer’s market which he
continued to do until the late 80s before he started providing meat for other
farmer’s markets.
“I always knew I wanted to go into the hog business,” Reinecker
said. “I didn’t really seek out the niche market, it just kind of
happened. Today it feels like they sought me out.
“I pride myself on raising a good, quality pig that has consistent,
quality carcass traits and that’s what keeps customers coming back,”
Reinecker added. “We’ve been complimented on carcass quality numerous
times. We try not to get an overly lean product and that really delights our
customers.”
Today, Reinecker and his son Andrew raise 1,800 hogs per year and provide pork
to a variety of niches. They continue to provide weekly fresh carcasses for
four local farmer’s markets and have gotten involved with supplying animals for
biomedical and research needs. They send 30 percent of their pigs to the
Hispanic market and raise 50 to 100 project pigs per year for 4-H and FFA
members.
Andrew is following in his father’s footsteps when it comes to involvement with
the Pork Checkoff and its various programs. He is a member of the Pork
Leadership Academy and became Pork Quality Assurance Plus™ (PQA Plus ™)
certified.
“We use many of the Pork Checkoff’s signage materials for meatcases and
give recipes to customers,” Reinecker said. “We depend on materials
and programs the Checkoff creates like PQA Plus. They are our main
resource.”
Reinecker says they face some challenges when it comes to their style of
production. Having enough hours in the day seems to be a constant problem while
marketing their product takes time and a 52-week per year plan.
He also adds that word of mouth is the biggest and best form of advertising they
get. People who are looking for a high quality, consistent pork product often
learn about it from his customers who continue to come back.
“We provide more than pork, we provide service,” Reinecker said.
“We have some customers that have been with us the whole 30 years. That’s
what is rewarding about this business – the repeat, loyal customers and
watching our farm grow.”
To learn more about the Reinecker Family Farm, go to
www.reineckerag.com or contact them by email at
reineckerag@embarqmail.com.
Sign up
If you are a niche pork producer and would like to have your contact information
listed on the Niche Pork Web site, call the Checkoff’s Producer Service Center
at 1-800-456-PORK.
