Niko & Company

NIKO & COMPANY Tennessee's First Small Farm Poultry Processing Facility by Mary Malamatos The dramatic expansion of industrial agriculture has made it increasingly difficult for small poultry producers in the United States to stay in business. The Malamatos family has raised poultry on a limited scale for the last five years. They know firsthand the difficulties encountered in trying to find a processor for their birds so they can sell them or donate them in the community where they live. It is illegal to sell processed poultry in Tennessee unless it has been processed at a USDA-certified facility. Until recently there was no USDA certified poultry processing facility in the state that would process birds for small farms. The large, corporately owned processing facilities only process "company" birds. The Malamatos family saw the need for an on-farm processor to serve small farms and cooperatives throughout Tennessee and the surrounding region. Niko and Company was born of that awareness. By supporting local businesses and farmers and by providing jobs and a much-needed service to the area, Niko & Company hopes to fulfill its mission, namely: to facilitate the success of small farmers and enable them to increase their business by providing a USDA-approved facility for processing their poultry. The small, family-operated facility is located in Walling, Tennessee, about 20 miles south of Cookeville, midway between Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. The primary products of Niko & Co are processed broiler chickens and turkeys. They anticipate employing 10 to 14 people eventually and hope to add rabbits to their products list if they can convince legislators to change the classification of rabbits from "exotic" to "livestock". The plant is operated by Steve and Mary Malamatos and daughter Kelly Tyler. After moving to Tennessee six years ago, Steve's respect for farming and concern for the loss of family farms spurred him to find a way to help keep farmers going. He researched the poultry industry and found just the niche to assist farmers. He is confident of the need for this on-farm poultry processor and is determined to make it succeed. The company is named after Steve and Mary's son, Nicholas "Niko" being a nickname for Nicholas in the Greek culture, Steve's birthright. Steve has 30 years of experience as a successful business owner and is able to manage their business, run day-to-day operations, and plan for future needs and changes. Mary is a registered nurse who oversees quality assurance, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance and employee training, and communicates with customers, employees, and regulatory agencies. Kelly manages the evisceration and packaging areas, inspecting each bird alongside the USDA inspector, and ensuring quality and cleanliness every step of the way. Niko & Company's goal is to provide consistent, high quality processing at an affordable price to help small poultry producers market and sell their products. Marketing for Niko & Company has been virtually effortless. Tennessee growers contacted them, eager to learn their start date well before they opened their doors for business in June 2013. Growers repeatedly voice their excitement about having a processor in Tennessee, saving them travel time and expenses. Cost to process a whole vacuum packed broiler is $3.00 for less than 6 pounds and $3.50 for birds over 6 pounds and roosters. Cut-ups are available for an extra charge, and giblets can also be harvested and packaged as well. Labels contain the USDA inspection stamp, safe handling instructions, the producer's farm name, weight of the bird, and price of the bird based on the producer's price per pound. Birds are processed and returned to the farmer on the same day. A minimum of three birds can be brought in and Niko can process several small orders in one day or orders as large as 200 broilers. Although our equipment can process 3000 birds per day, our staff of 3 (for now) can not! All orders are by appointment only and are booked one to two weeks in advance. We look forward to meeting new faces and friends of family farming!!