LANCASTER, PA. — Air-chilled heritage chicken producer LaBelle Patrimoine announced an expansion into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. The company’s products — which include whole chickens, split whole and half, spatchcock, boneless breasts, bone-in breasts, wings, drumsticks and thighs — are now available for foodservice operators in those regions.
“The right combination of heritage breeds and animal welfare are what truly makes a better chicken, and we are proud to expand our poultry offerings to chefs who are seeking the highest quality for their patrons,” said Mike Charles, chief executive officer and founder of LaBelle Patrimoine. “As a sixth-generation poultry farmer, I can say with confidence that our chickens truly are better birds, thanks to the care in each step of the process, the commitment to their living environments, and the special breed we offer.”
To commemorate the company’s expansion, LaBelle Patrimoine and Messina are teaming up to host a multicourse, family-style dinner at LOLA in Great Neck, NY, on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.
LaBelle Patrimoine’s heritage chicken breed descends from France’s popular chicken breed, the LaBelle Rouge. It is a slow-growing breed that takes two times longer to mature than most modern commercialized birds, the company said.
To demonstrate to consumers its efforts to meet rising expectations for animal welfare, sustainability and food quality, LaBelle Patrimoine recently signed the Better Chicken Commitment.
LaBelle Patrimoine said its chickens were the first to be sold at Whole Foods Market raised through the Global Animal Partnership’s Better Chicken Project, which is an effort to establish a research-based framework for reinventing the modern-day broiler chicken. The retailer named LaBelle Patrimoine “supplier of the year for quality and innovation” in its first year as a supplier.