991129 Conagra’s Swift & Ellison Sign Japan Pork DealNovember 9, 1999Chicago - Ellison Meat Co. of Minnesota and partner Swift and Co, a Conagra Inc unit, signed a contract to export about 100 tonnes of pork loins a month to Japan, Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura said. Ventura, who is in Japan on a 10-day trade mission, said in a statement issued by his office that the agreement signed on Thursday with Nichimen Corp covers about 40,000 pounds of premium pork center loins and other processed pork. “It shows that Japanese food distributors and consumers have strong confidence in Minnesota products and suppliers,” Ventura said. Ellison Meat Company is owned by a group of nearly 80 southwest Minnesota pork producers. Their hogs are processed at Swift's Worthington, Minn., plant under a contract with the farmers and then further processed by Ellison at its Pipestone, Minnesota, plant. Ellison's system allows farmer members to jointly own and operate breeding and farrowing facilities but raise the hog to market weight at their own farms. Agriculture Commissioner Hugoson said Ellison is a good example of what farmers can accomplish by working together and extending their reach in the food chain. Nichimen is a diversified trading company with a meat import group that distributes pork to restaurants and retailers throughout Japan. In addition to Nichimen, Ellison also exports its pork and beef products to other Japanese companies including Starzen Corp and Nichirei Corp.
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