Risser's Poultry, Inc. was founded in Lititz,
Pennsylvania by Carl B. Risser in 1928. He started
the business by visiting local farms to purchase
small lots of poultry which he then brought back to
his own farm. The family helped care for the birds
until Carl had a full truck load, which he would take
to live bird markets in Washington, D.C., Baltimore
and Philadelphia. A forward-thinking businessman,
Carl invented and patented a cart system for loading hens. This system proved extremely efficient
and allowed him to haul more chickens per day,
growing the business further.
The business continued to grow and eventually Carl
retired while company operations were taken over
by his son Bill Risser and son-in-law Mel Herr. In the
early 1990's, Carl's grandsons, Jeff Risser and Mike
Herr, took over management responsibility of the
company and continue to run the business today.
Throughout the years, the company has diversified
and expanded to encompass other related areas of
the poultry industry. The trucking side of the operation has grown tremendously and continues to be
the mainstay of the business. The production of
broilers is now a large part of the business. Risser's
Poultry, Inc. produces approximately 60,000 birds
per week to be sold at the New York Live Bird
Market system. Organic and cage-free egg production is also a large part of the company's business.
The company contracts with local farmers to produce the eggs while still maintaining ownership of
the birds. Currently, the company has 100,000
birds in production. The service end of the business has also grown, providing comprehensive pro-
duction oversight for independent producers.
Today, while still being very much the same operation started by Carl Risser, Risser's Poultry, Inc. has
developed into a full-service company within the
poultry industry. Our goal is to serve the needs of
our customers in the most effective way possible.
We are constantly looking to the future to be proactive in meeting those needs.
After 82 years, Risser's Poultry, Inc. continues to be progressive in
the poultry industry, continually evolving to meet
each customer's needs.
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Risser's Poultry, Inc. truck circa 1930
Carl B. Risser in 1965 with his
patented cart system for loading birds
Co-owners Mike Herr (l) and Jeff Risser (r)
One of the Risser's Poultry, Inc. trucks
The Risser's Poultry, Inc. Office
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