Managing the pork supply chain through a cooperative: the case of Jinzhong Food Co. Ltd.

Food security and supply continuity have become main concerns of food companies and societies nowadays. To address these concerns, Jinzhong Food Co. Ltd. (hereafter abbreviated to Jinzhong) was one of the first Chinese meat companies to establish and integrate a pig production cooperative in 2005. Over the last decade or so, Jinzhong has successfully developed the cooperative to stabilize and improve the quality of pig supply, by building relationships with pig producers (farmers) and achieving an exceptional financial performance in the process. The company-led cooperative represents an innovative supply chain governance mechanism in a Chinese context. However, the pork industry has evolved significantly and the time has come for the senior management team at Jinzhong to decide whether or not to keep the cooperative. This case study is aimed at senior undergraduate students and postgraduate students specializing in agricultural economics/ agribusiness and can also be used for executive training for the management of food companies