NORTH SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Walden Local Meat Co. today announced the sale of the Vermont Packing House (VPH) business to a new entity formed by Louis Helbling, a veteran food industry leader with decades of experience in premium meat sourcing and food distribution operations. Separately, building owner Mark Curran, of Curran-Birge, is selling the North Springfield property to the new ownership group led by Jack Feiter, formerly of Oxford Trading. All three executives will team to restore the iconic former Ben & Jerry’s plant.
Helbling and Feiter, plan to upgrade the 50,000-square-foot United States Department of Agriculture meat processing facility, while also looking to expand the footprint with needed cold storage capacity in the Northeast corridor. Working with Curran and partnering with Black River, a modernized Vermont Packinghouse is an exciting step forward with benefits for Vermont and our region’s farmers. Existing partner customers like Farmers and Cooks will now have the ability to expand to meet their growth needs.
Helbling was most recently the chief operating officer of Prime Source Foods in Londonderry, N.H., leading a team of more than 300 dedicated families. He also served as president of Performance Food Group’s Northeast Specialty Meat Group, as well as serving as executive vice president at Sysco. Helbling has numerous industry veterans on his team to help create a world-class operation in North Springfield, Vt.
“Louis brings exactly the right combination of expertise to this facility – premium meat industry knowledge and large-scale food operations experience,” said John Hommeyer, CEO of Walden Local Meat Co. “Vermont needs USDA processing capacity. This transition puts the facility in the hands of a leader and his team who understand the business and are committed to investing in it. His belief in partnering with local farms Sheperds Brook Farm, Champlain Valley Farm, and Spring Rock Farm made this transition possible.”
Mark Curran, who built the original processing facility in 2013 by converting the former Ben & Jerry’s plant, is selling the building as part of the transition. Curran cofounded Black River Produce and has spent more than 50 years building Vermont’s local food infrastructure. He continues to operate Vermont Family Farms and will be a processing customer at Helbling’s VPH. “Mark built this facility to solve a real problem for Vermont farmers,” said Hommeyer. “It’s fitting that its next chapter begins with new owners who share that commitment, in a building he made possible.”
Walden acquired the VPH business in 2023 and invested significantly in facility improvements and operations, but is choosing to focus on their core high-attribute, regeneratively farmed meat program and direct-to-consumer distribution. Walden’s core operations – deliveries to more than 23,000 member families across the Northeast – are unaffected. As part of this transition, Walden is filing Vermont WARN Act notice and providing severance to VPH’s approximately 53 employees to ensure they are supported with compensation and health insurance. Walden is coordinating with the Vermont Department of Labor’s rapid response team on job placement resources and is working with Helbling and Curran to ensure a smooth transition.