In 1955 Gus Barber started out with one employee and little more than a sharp butcher knife and an old truck. From a meager 1,000 square foot facility Gus worked hard to deliver high quality boned beef to restaurants and markets in Portland Maine.

Responsiveness
A local grocer wants to sell cut-up chicken but faces labor shortages – Gus sees an opportunity. That’s when Barber Beef became the first company in the Northeast to sell cut-up chicken. This move proved to be so successful that Gus changed the company name to Barber Beef & Poultry.

Innovation
As the competition turns boned beef and cut chicken into commodity items, the Barber Team responds with innovative customer-pleasing products. In 1965 we introduced portion-controlled chicken breasts, chicken nuggets and became the first company to offer stuffed chicken entrees like Chicken Cordon Bleu and Chicken Kiev.

And Today
These days you’ll still find Barbers running the company. While Gus remains a vital part of the business, his children Steve, Julie and David handle its day-to-day operations. The new generation of Barbers – who are joined by more than 700 associates from 50 or so different nations – working in a state-of-the-art 150,000+ square foot production facility – are proud to develop and deliver great tasting products that are real people pleasers.