OUR HERITAGE
A HISTORY OF QUALITY AND SERVICE
Tip Top Poultry was founded in 1947 and acquired by Al Burruss in 1954. He soon thereafter invited Chet Austin, his life-long best friend, to join him in the business. Al served as President until his death in 1986 and Chet remained with Tip Top until he retired in 1999.
“For more than 67 years, the people of Tip Top have worked hard to provide “Tip Top” quality service and products to our customers.”
In 1970, Al’s son Robin began working for the company. He became General Manager in 1984, President of the company in 1986, and serves as Chairman currently. Robin’s son-in-law, Brad Respess, joined the company in 2001, purchased the company in 2018 and is currently President and CEO.
Originally, Tip Top was a very small broiler processor. In the 1960’s, feeling the pressure created by large, fully integrated broiler processors, Tip Top began to diversify by processing mature hens and roosters. That transition was completed in 1976 when Tip Top ceased broiler processing and specialized in the processing of heavy breeder hens and roosters, the parent stock of broilers.
Today, Tip Top continues to be a dominant player in the poultry industry as a major processor and marketer of cooked and raw poultry products.
Tip Top is the largest baking and stewing hen marketer in the United States. We service most of the national grocery stores with either Tip Top brands or private label product. We also de-bone fowl and sell raw, boneless products to large and small prepared food manufacturers.
Additionally, we are a significant supplier of cooked, pulled and diced chicken meat to the food service and industrial market sectors. Our cooked products find their way to the consumer through local and national restaurants or through many prepared food products. Tip Top’s cooked products are used as ingredients in soups, salads, meat pies, baby food and many ethnic dishes.