Boar’s Head Faces Listeria Scandal Amidst Silence from Secretive Owners

Boar’s Head, a well-known name in the deli meat industry, has built a legacy over more than a century. Yet, as the company confronts a major public health crisis, its famously secretive owners remain out of sight, their silence louder than ever.

The Virginia plant that produced Boar’s Head liverwurst has been linked to a deadly listeria outbreak this summer, which has resulted in ten deaths and numerous hospitalizations.

Despite the gravity of the situation, no one from the Brunckhorst or Bischoff families, who control the company, has made a public statement.

Instead, the only acknowledgment from Boar’s Head has come in the form of an apology posted on its website, signed simply as “Boar’s Head.”

With lawsuits mounting and a U.S. Department of Agriculture investigation underway, the absence of leadership is becoming more apparent, even as employees and executives continue to operate behind a veil of secrecy.

Boar’s Head, which generates an estimated $3 billion in annual revenue, is not just another player in the food industry. The company’s success has made its owners fabulously wealthy.

However, the family members involved in the business, including Robert S. Martin, his son Robert A. Martin, and cousin Frank Brunckhorst III, have remained largely out of the public eye.

Their wealth, much like their operations, is kept tightly under wraps, with little information available even to senior employees.

While secrecy has long been a part of the Boar’s Head culture, the ongoing listeria crisis marks the biggest challenge the company has ever faced. Whether its guarded leadership will step forward remains to be seen.

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