The Elite of the Elite
Folks have been asking: what's so great about your new Big Valley line of meats? And, what's the difference between your regular products and Big Valley? What does "Founder's Reserve" mean anyway?
The answer is in the details. At Stoltzfus Meats, we pride ourselves in the "premium quality, superior taste" of ALL of our products. And with Big Valley we've taken that philosophy a step further, resulting in a new line of elite products.
Heritage Breed Pork
While we source our pork bellies for bacon from quality, trusted farmers, for our new Big Valley Bacon we have partnered with local farm families that raise Premium Duroc Heritage Hogs. This breed is known around the world for its superior genetics. The hogs are fed a special all-grain diet and are never given any hormones or antibiotics. You will notice ruby red pork with the highest level of marbling, juiciness, and tenderness. That is the "Duroc Difference."
Extra Smoke, Extra Flavor
All three of our Big Valley Products (Beef Sticks, Bacon, and Beef Bologna) spend extra time in our smokehouses. It is standard practice with all of our products to smoke them long and slow with hickory wood for optimal smoky flavor. Our Big Valley Products use a special blend of hickory and applewood for an extra sweet and smoky flavor. To top things off, we smoke our Big Valley products at an even slower pace, imparting the fragrant and sweet aromas of the smoke to the product. While this adds to the production time of these products, it also takes the flavor up a notch.
Naturally Shelf-Stable
Both our Big Valley Bologna and Big Valley Snack Sticks are shelf-stable, meaning that they do not require refrigeration until after the package is opened. We achieve this naturally through the right combination of lactic and citric acid (lemon juice), two natural preservatives used since time immemorial. No artificial preservatives or flavorings tarnish the quality of our products.
"Founder's Reserve"
The reason our Big Valley product line is designated "Founder's Reserve" has to do with the history of Stoltzfus Meats. Stoltzfus Meats grew out of the family tradition of a butchering day held each year on the Stoltzfus farm. The Stoltzfus family, who were Amish at the time, would slaughter several hogs and stock up the larder with hams, scrapple, bacon, and bologna for the winter. Some of these products would be sold to other local farmers. Our founder, Amos Stoltzfus, would always set aside some of the most prized products as his own personal reserve.
The "Big Valley" Name
Amos' father-in-law Isaac Huyard would also butcher hogs on his Lancaster County farm. While courting the woman who would become his wife, Isaac would take the train from Lancaster up to Big Valley, a section of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Central Pennsylvania with a sizable Amish community. He would often pack some shelf-stable meats for the journey. The "Big Valley" name pays homage to the family legacy of butchering on both sides of the Stoltzfus Family. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.