Meet Bell & Evans—a family business doing the right thing.
Bell & Evans farm in Fredericksburg, PA.
Scott Sechler’s earliest memories were working with his dad on the family chicken farm—that’s natural when your family has been in the business for over a century. At age seven, he was raising his own flocks, by high school, he was running the family poultry business, and at 26, he purchased Bell & Evans. Scott developed some strong beliefs about how to raise chickens properly and questioned the status quo every step of the way.
“My father told me I would go broke the way I was taking care of my chickens—that kind of obsessive care wasn’t economical,” Scott recalls.
“I told him if I couldn’t raise them the way I wanted, then I wouldn’t raise them at all. I always thought someday… someday I’m going to make it different.”
Lucky for us, he didn’t leave the poultry business or lower his quality standards. The chickens he supplies to us from Fredericksburg, PA are fresh, flavorful, and juicy, thanks to the way they’re raised and handled. “It’s fun for me as a family business to do things differently,” says Scott. “I like to eat what we make. And if I don’t like to eat it, we won’t make it.”
Health Fact: Chicken is an incredibly versatile, naturally lean source of protein.
Scott Jr. and Margo share their father Scott Sechler’s pride in raising the finest chickens.
Scott has been recognized as an industry leader for humane animal treatment for over 40 years. “We’re the only hatchery in the world where chickens have water and organic feed waiting for them as soon as they chip out of the shell,” he says. Bell & Evans chicken houses have cement floors for thorough cleanout and are disinfected between flocks. Their healthy chickens feed only on a 100% vegetarian diet of U.S.-grown corn and soybeans. Scott was the first in the industry to raise chickens without antibiotics, decades before the industry caught up.
From hatch to harvest, Bell & Evans invests in superior care and animal welfare, and their commitment to excellence doesn’t end there.
To meet USDA food-safe standards, meat must be cooled to a certain degree. Industry standard is to chill chicken by immersing it in vats of cold water to bring it to the proper temperature, but Bell & Evans insists on 100% air-chilling the meat. The chicken is cooled by passing through three chambers of cold, purified air, so there’s no added or retained water to dilute the flavor or compromise the naturally juicy, tender texture.
This kind of care is why we believe Scott’s chicken is the best-tasting you’ll ever enjoy—and we’re not the only ones. Bell & Evans chicken consistently wins awards for its distinctively fresh taste and juicy texture. “Most producers take the cheaper or easier path, but Bell & Evans uses common sense and does things the right way,” says Scott.
My Items
