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The Coast Packing Company Story

Coast doesn’t make the food that millions of consumers eat – it makes that food taste better.

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The Coast Packing Company Story

Coast doesn’t make the food that millions of consumers eat – it makes that food taste better.

Learn More

With a legacy some 100+ years in the making, Coast Packing Company’s ties with its customers, partners and suppliers are both broad and deep. Coast Packing was founded as a Southern California livestock and meat‐packing business in 1922 and expanded over the years into a regional food‐industry powerhouse.

The three founding partners set out to build a livestock and abattoir business, and retained that focus for more than 40 years, slaughtering hogs brought by railroad from the Midwest and processing meat into various cuts to supply Southern California butcher shops. During those four decades, Coast Packing produced a full line of pork and beef processed and smoked products, including its popular 1950s favorite brand, Ol’ Smokey.

In the early 1960s, after assessing the company’s profitability and competitive position, management decided that the business did not meet expected returns. While change was in the wind, the consensus was to remain in some facet of the food manufacturing industry, which was growing in tandem with Southern California itself. Given the company’s extensive ties to the meat industry, the processing of animal and animal‐vegetable shortening products became a natural choice.

By specializing in a broad selection of animal and animal‐vegetable shortenings and related products, Coast expanded along with the region’s burgeoning restaurant, baking and food industries. Coast Packing’s recipe for success was basic and unwavering: create the highest quality shortening products at the most reasonable prices ‐‐ and include unstinting customer service with every offering.

Coast Packing’s customer base is diverse, extending to jobbers, distributors and commercial operations throughout the industry, and with suppliers across the nation. Treating each customer as valued ‐‐ with an identical level of care, respect and appreciation, regardless of size ‐‐ has become a Coast Packing tradition. The company is old school, in the very best sense. The company’s growth has not fundamentally changed its status as a family business that continues to live by the handshake.

At a time when customers frequently find themselves dancing to the supplier’s tune, Coast is committed to providing product when and where customers want it—no waiting. Depending on the time of year and raw material constraints, it’s not uncommon for a Coast Packing customer to call and pick up a truckload the same day.

Coast Packing’s longevity is a reflection of its culture, which places equal value on product quality and respect for customers. At Coast, past truly is prologue.

A History of Quality and Service

With a legacy some 100+ years in the making, Coast Packing Company’s ties with its customers, partners and suppliers are both broad and deep. Coast Packing was founded as a Southern California livestock and meat-packing business in 1922 and expanded over the years into a regional food-industry powerhouse.

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1930s
Coast Packing’s Vernon, Calif. Plant in 1932, near downtown Los Angeles.
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1930s
Coast Packing Company After Third Floor Addition
History hogs arriving by rail
1930s
Hogs Arriving by Rail
History loading
1930s
Fresh Product Delivery Before Refrigerated Trucks
History early bacon slicing production
1940s
Early Bacon Slicing Production
DOC031722
1950s
New Label for Flagship Product
History ol smokey brand coast
1956
Old Smokey Bacon
The Torrance Herald (2.11.1960)
1960
An ad for Coast Packing Company’s Ol’ Smokey Brand Ham
Coast Packing 4
1962
Restructured the Company’s Operations
History quality assurance checking for oil stability
1970s
Quality Assurance Checking for Oil Stability
History edible rendering system
1970s
Edible Rendering System
History edible refining system
1970s
Edible Refining System
History quality assurance checking for peroxide and free fatty acids
1970s
Quality Assurance Checking for Peroxide and Free Fatty Acids
History warehouse employee filling customer orders
1980s
Warehouse Employee Filling Customer Orders
History shipping and loading dock
1980s
Shipping and Loading Dock
History liquid storage and loading facility
1980s
Liquid Storage and Loading Facility
Eric – casual – Copy
2010
Eric Gustafson Named as CEO
Gustafson 3 640×426
2013
Eric Gustafson’s ’69 Camaro SS taken at Coast
Ron – Copy
2020
Ron Gustafson, Late President & Chairman of Coast Packing, Named Citizen of the Year by Vernon Chamber of Commerce
100 Years
2022
Coast Packing Celebrates 100 Years!

More and more consumers are seeking out food

that is made with integrity and respect for culinary traditions. Trans-fat free animal fats are a big part of authenticity in cooking.

Eric R. Gustafson

Meet The Team

The people behind Coast Packing Company

Ron Gustafson
In Memory Of
Ron Gustafson
Ronald “Ron” Rieder Gustafson, President of Coast Packing Company (Coast) and third-generation patriarch of the business his family founded in 1922, died peacefully surrounded by his …
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Eric R. Gustafson
CEO
Eric R. Gustafson
Eric R. Gustafson is Chairman and CEO of Coast Packing Company (Coast), number one supplier of animal fat shortenings in the Western United States. He is …
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Chavis Ferguson
Vice President of Operations
Chavis Ferguson
Chavis Ferguson, Vice President of Operations, has overall responsibility for production, quality assurance, maintenance, engineering, logistics and customer service.  Ferguson began his professional career as a …
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Greg Hozinsky
Corporate Chef
Greg Hozinsky
Corporate Chef Corporate Chef Greg Hozinsky joined Coast Packing on the heels of his 14-year tenure at Zislis Group, a restaurant and hotel concern where he …
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Lisa Lathus
Regional Sales Director
Lisa Lathus
Lisa Lathus, Regional Sales Director for Coast Packing, is responsible for sales and new business development for the full line of Coast’s lard, tallow and blended …
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Martin Salinas
Director of Finance
Martin Salinas
Martin L. Salinas serves as Director of Finance for Coast Packing, having joined the company in 2019 after more than 20 years with a diverse array …
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Ready to join the Coast Packing team?

With a legacy a century in the making, Coast Packing maintains ties with its customers, partners and suppliers that are broad, deep, and go back decades. The company was founded in 1922 as a livestock and meat‐packing business and expanded over the years into a regional food‐industry powerhouse.

Coast’s legacy as a family business with a remarkable culture extends to its employees. Coast’s culture, indeed, starts with its people. The company’s longevity is a reflection of that commitment, in the areas of professional training, compensation and benefits, opportunities for growth, and a personal touch that only a family owned and operated business can deliver.

Ready to join team