The Smithfield Packing Company sells meat products such as ham, ground pork, pork chops, bacon, and lunch meat. It sells its products worldwide. The company was founded in 1936. It is based in Smithfield, Virginia. It is part of Smithfield Foods which is in turn a subsidiary of WH Group.
History
The firm was founded on September 16, 1936, in Smithfield, Virginia and was originally known as the Luter Packing Company. Joe Luter and his son Joe Luter II, both experienced meatpackers, founded the firm together. The senior Luter was born in Ivor town in Southampton County, Virginia in 1879. Joe Luter's grandson, Joe Luter III, would go on to lead the company decades later.
As of 2012, Smithfield Packing employed about 12,500 people and had sales of about $4 billion.
In November 2012, Smithfield Packing began the process of shutting down a plant in Portsmouth, Virginia that made hot dogs and deli meats and moving it to Kinston, North Carolina.
In March 2013, Smithfield Packing announced the closure of a bone-in ham plant located in Landover, Maryland. The company said it would attempt to employ the affected workers at other sites.