Swanson Meat Co.

Swanson Meat Co. operates at 2700 26th Ave. South in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, under establishment numbers M5697, P5697, and V5697. The federal record lists the plant as doing business under several names, including Christofersen Meats Co., Christofersen Meats, Inc., Swanson Meats, Inc., and Swanson Natural Foods LLC. FSIS records the establishment as small size class with a grant of inspection date of March 23, 2022, and lists activities of meat processing, poultry processing, voluntary processing of meat, and voluntary slaughter of meat. Species detail is not reported to FSIS, and no custom-exempt activity is reported.

The company website describes Swanson Meats as a Minnesota retail and foodservice meat purveyor operating since 1962. According to the site, the business opened as a small retail butcher shop on Lake Street in Minneapolis in the early 1960s under Axel Swanson and was purchased by the Mann family in the early 1970s. Growth in the late 1980s led to construction of the current plant at 26th Avenue South and Minnehaha Avenue. The site states the company is family owned and locally operated, uses the phrase Proud to be Farmer Owned, and describes itself as the largest family-owned meat purveyor in Minnesota. Management listed on the site includes Mark Mann as CEO and President and Mark Mann Jr. as general manager and procurement officer, along with an SQF practitioner on staff.

Contact information differs between records. The FSIS directory lists a phone number of (262) 312-8917, while the website lists (612) 721-4411, a fax number of (612) 721-7967, and the email info@swansonmeats.com. Buyers should confirm current details directly with the plant.

The federal record reports no custom-exempt activity at this establishment, so processing of an individual owner's animals for the owner's own use is not documented here. FSIS does list voluntary slaughter of meat and voluntary processing of meat in addition to meat and poultry processing, but species detail is not reported. The website describes co-packing, custom processing, and private label capabilities for producers and brands that want products manufactured to their specifications, and states the company sources many of its products from local family farms. Booking procedures, scheduling lead times, minimum volumes, kill fees, and cut and wrap charges are not stated in the sources on file.

Swanson Meat Co. operates under a federal grant of inspection, so product from this plant can be sold anywhere in the United States, which matters if you sell online or across a state line. FSIS does not list a custom-exempt activity for this plant.

Swanson Meats presents itself as a retail and foodservice purveyor rather than a retail storefront, with sales representatives assigned to retail and foodservice accounts and ordering handled through contact with a representative. The website lists will call hours of Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a Saturday window from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. for emergency will call orders only, with those orders placed by 8 a.m. Saturday. Product lines named include beef, pork, poultry, lamb, veal, wild game, seafood, dairy, sausages, soups, and deli items. Halves and quarters, freezer bundles, home delivery, shipping, and online ordering are not described in the sources on file.

If you are buying a half or quarter animal, the plant is where the animal is processed; the farm sells you the animal. Read how to buy a half cow for the sequence and the math.