Farmer Focus, the Harrisonburg, Va.-based humane and traceable chicken brand built on a farmer-ownership model, has added Bill Schellpeper to its board of directors, effective August 2026. Schellpeper spent more than 17 years in premium poultry, most recently as president of Smart Chicken, where he scaled a regional brand into a nationally recognized premium label operating as an independently managed business within Tyson Foods.
The Hire's Strategic Weight
Schellpeper's appointment is notable not simply for his résumé but for what it signals about Farmer Focus's growth ambitions. As Smart Chicken president, he directed operations, sales, marketing, and long-term growth strategy while sitting on Tyson Foods' Poultry Leadership Team and Senior Leadership Team — giving him direct visibility into how a differentiated poultry brand competes for premium retail shelf space and foodservice distribution at scale.
"For over a decade, Bill Schellpeper was one of the fiercest competitors we faced," said Stephen Shepard, CEO of Farmer Focus. "Today, the game changed completely."
Schellpeper currently also serves on the board of Friesen's Inc., a Midwest Growth Partners portfolio company that designs and manufactures automation and processing systems for food manufacturers. He served as Friesen's interim CEO from March to June 2026, steering the company through a leadership transition and operational restructuring. He is additionally co-founder of Dot Provisions LLC.
Scaling Without Compromising the Model
Farmer Focus operates with more than 120 independent growers, each of whom retains ownership of their flocks — a structural departure from the traditional contract-poultry model that dominates U.S. chicken supply chains. That farmer-first framework has differentiated the brand in premium retail and in specialty foodservice channels, where traceability, humane certification, and supply chain transparency increasingly influence purchasing decisions.
The challenge for brands in that position is growth without dilution. As premium poultry demand has broadened — driven by foodservice operators seeking on-menu storytelling, regional sourcing credentials, and clean-label protein — independent brands have faced pressure to scale their grower networks and processing infrastructure without sacrificing the standards that justify a price premium. Schellpeper's background managing a premium brand inside a large integrated poultry company speaks directly to that tension.
For commercial foodservice buyers and distributors, the board addition suggests Farmer Focus is building the executive infrastructure to pursue broader national distribution agreements and larger foodservice accounts. The brand's traceable, farmer-owned positioning maps well to the farm-to-table and transparent sourcing narratives gaining traction across fast-casual and full-service segments alike.
The premium poultry segment has seen sustained category momentum, as operators from fast-casual to fine dining have moved away from commodity chicken specs toward branded, welfare-certified supply. That trend has also attracted increased attention from distributors and group purchasing organizations evaluating differentiated protein programs. Farmer Focus, with its existing retail footprint and grower network, is positioned to press that advantage — and Schellpeper's commercial-scale experience adds credibility to that push.
For a deeper look at how premium protein sourcing is reshaping operator supply decisions, see our coverage of sustainable protein trends in commercial foodservice.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
