Blumenort is now home to the Canada’s first federally inspected pre-rigor sow-processing plant.
Pre-rigor processing refers to harvesting and processing the animals without an extended hanging time in coolers.
Jowett Farms harvested a total of 15 sows at its state-of-the-art facility and owner Robert Jowett says they’re able to produce sausage within an hour of slaughtering the animal.
Such products are rare but they’re said to be superior because the muscle tissue doesn’t begin breaking down before processing as it does when stored for prolonged periods in a cooler.
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The meat also has improved shelf life, with a lot of natural binding agents remaining in the product, Jowett said.
He also said the company is moving into the market because, after extensive research, they found the market largely untapped in Canada.
“We found that a lot of processors in Canada have not had access to this product before,” he said. “It’s all gone down to the U.S. We decided to do it and we’re getting a lot of interest from all over, but mainly Canada at the moment.”
Jowett expects the new facility will create more than 100 full-time jobs once the plant is up and running at full capacity.
