Osceola and Clarke County, Iowa manufacturer, Osceola Foods spent some time on the Des Moines Business Record’s Made in Iowa Podcast.
Podcast host Leisa Fox joins the Clarke County Development Corporation (CCDC) at the ORBIT Center to welcome John Kempen, Plant Manager at Hormel’s Osceola Foods. In this fun interview, Leisa admits to John her addition to all things bacon and John helps explain the operation’s success and how Hormel and Osceola Foods is meeting the demand for meat products across the globe through systems engineering and advanced, predictive A.I. operations.
John Kempen, Plant Manager at Hormel Foods’s Osceola Foods facility, brings serious scale to the conversation—over 135 million pounds of product shipped each year. And yes, they make bacon—arguably one of the greatest food inventions of all time. But in a twist that surprises just about everyone, Hormel still sells more Spam than bacon globally. John walks through the complexity behind that volume, explaining how tight operational discipline and standardized processes are essential to delivering the same high-quality product every single time. In food production, consistency isn’t a goal—it’s a requirement.
At the same time, Hormel isn’t standing still. John shares how the company has been strategically rolling out AI capabilities since 2009 to better predict demand and optimize production planning—ensuring the right products are made at the right time without waste. That forward-thinking approach extends to product innovation as well, from advancements in pasteurization techniques to consumer-friendly solutions like oven-ready bacon that goes straight from package to pan-free cooking. It’s a balance of precision and progress—where legacy brands stay relevant by continuously evolving how they operate and what they deliver.
For more about Osceola Foods’ operations here in Clarke County, you can visit their website at: https://www.hormelfoods.com/careers/career-center/our-locations/osceola-food/
For additional Made in Iowa Podcast episodes, be sure to check out the Des Moines Business Record’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Businessrecord
