Meat/Seafood

Many Independent Retailers have built their stores' identities around the exceptional quality and variety of our meat program. The AG New England Meat Department provides an excellent selection of the highest-quality products with over 4,000 SKUs inventoried or cross-docked. Competitive pricing is achieved through participation in a group-buying consortium. The Shurfine Central Buy Program combines the buying clout of 300 million pounds of beef a year and commands the recognition and consideration of the nation's leading packers and brands.

Quality starts with buying the right product from the right packers at the right price. The Distribution Center receives, stores and ships product under ideal, temperature-controlled conditions to assure the best quality at the store level. Upfront, published product-dating guidelines and additional assurances of freshness are ever present. The Meat Department's comprehensive support services include opportunities for training store personnel through participation in seminars conducted by the Meat Department. Training sessions take place at the Distribution Center test kitchens.

A dedicated team of professionals aligns products, pricing and programs with highly effective, store-level merchandising support. It all adds up to working hand-in-hand with retailers to maximize store sales and profits while building customer loyalty. Proven promotional opportunities, such as the highly successful Truckload Meat Sales, Special Pricing Programs, and programs that include our Friday Frenzy sales blitz, all add up to a real bonus for participating stores. Meanwhile, the Meat Express Program offers retailers 50% off case pricing on some new product introductions. And our general policy is to immediately roll back prices when market conditions allow.

BEEF
AG New England's Meat offerings include a full variety of USDA Choice and USDA Select beef. Many easy–to–manage, super trim-type cuts are available from major U.S. packers such as IBP, Swift^® and others.

Certified Angus Beef^® and Certified Angus Beef^® Natural

The Certified Angus Beef Program^® allows retailers to significantly strengthen the identity of their own stores by offering exceptional quality and highly recognized meats. This is the same grade of select beef that for years was available only at the world's finest restaurants. Certified Angus Beef^® and Certified Angus Beef^® Natural requirements include beef that is bred on an all-vegetarian diet free of any and all animal by-products... no antibiotics, added hormones, artificial flavoring, coloring or preservatives are allowed, ever. Each and every steer is identified by serial number and can be traced back to its birth. Less than 8% of all beef in America meets these strict criteria. Customers can really see and taste the difference. Stores report exceptional customer satisfaction... and that builds customer loyalty.

PORK
A full line of high-quality
fresh pork products are
available from the Meat
Department here at AG New England.
That includes seasoned and
marinated tenderloins and roasts,
all from major packers such as IBP,
Indiana Packers, and
Hatfield & Excel.

POULTRY
AG New England has a comprehensive Poultry Program to meet every retailer's needs. The highlight of the program is our selectoin of prepackaged items. These products are a win/win for retailers and consumers alike. Retailers realize savings on payroll dollars while consumers enjoy good-looking, great-tasting poultry values. Meanwhile, retailers with an eye for maximizing margin will find CVP Mountaire bulk chicken to be the ideal offering.

Smart Chicken^® is a premium-quality product line that has crafted an identity around the entire growth of the bird from breeding to feeding to processing. Smart Chicken^® is hormone-free, organic, and processed utilizing a highly stringent procedure that emphasizes individually air-chilling each chicken. This specialized handling eliminates the traditional fears of cross-contamination and bloating, as Smart Chicken^® does not float in massive, water-chilled vats during finishing. The end result is a much higher-quality chicken that is more eye-appealing in the store and much tastier when cooked. There is no water to cook out of the chicken, so it doesn't shrink. It is also a far healthier product and clearly appeals to consumers who are health- and quality-conscious. Once customers learn the Smart Chicken^® story and sample the quality for themselves, your store will have a competitive advantage.

SEAFOOD
Matlaw's, Schooner, and Bon Cuisine are just a few of the quality frozen seafood products available from the AG New England Seafood Department. We carry Shurfine shrimp and Shurfine battered filets, crab, lobster meat and a great selection of quality, value-added items for any size in-store seafood department. AG New England offers an excellent variety of the freshest seafood available.

Ipswich Shellfish Cross Dock Program

Our partnership gives you access to top-quality seafood products, both fresh and value-added, all on one truck... all at the best price.

The AG New England Cross Dock Advantage

• Full-line fresh and value-added seafood direct from New England's leading seafood supplier.
• Seafood buyers search the world for the finest and freshest seafood items daily.
• Tuna, swordfish, haddock, and salmon to live lobster, sea urchins, whelk and more.
• Salt and fresh water, wild–caught and farm–raised. Crab meat, shrimp, scallops, calamari, value-added.
• "Cross Dock" program gets your complete order on the same truck.
• Over 300 Ipswich team members fully focused to provide the very best quality, service and expertise.
• Dedicated Ipswich sales advisor to help you meet your seafood goals.

The Ipswich Advantage

Family-owned and operated Ipswich Shellfish Group was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in Ipswich, Massachusetts, with modern seafood processing/distribution facilities located in Ellsworth and Kennebunkport, Maine; Branford, Connecticut; Grasonville, Maryland; and Charleston, South Carolina.

SHURFINE
Stores successfully differentiate themselves from their competition while creating customer loyalty with packaged, Shurfine private label bacon, franks, and beef patties. These items are carefully selected for quality, yet are still a good value for the consumer.

The quality, variety and flexibility of AG New England's Meat/Poultry/Seafood Program is highly valued by retailers of every store size and format. The goals of increasing retail sales, store profitability, and customer satisfaction are met by category managers and product specialists focused on making every store's Meat Department the best that it can be.