SMITHFIELD—Cured country ham is a time-honored tradition in Virginia, and producers are filling orders to meet customer demand.
With hogs ranking 16th among Virginia’s top agricultural commodities and accounting for nearly $40 million in cash receipts in 2024, the commonwealth has a robust pork sector. But there’s one iconic product that’s been a Southeast Virginia staple for generations —salt-cured country ham.
In Isle of Wight County, Darden Hams is heading into its busiest season of the year as customers begin planning their holiday menus.
“It’s when we really start slicing ham for the holidays,” said Thomas Darden Jr., who operates the third-generation family business. “I’ve been cooking hams every day for the past month.”
Business has always been steady, Darden said, but demand increased after Smithfield Foods discontinued its Genuine Smithfield Ham line a few years ago. He cures 1,200 hams a year and sells them at their two retail locations, and said, “We can’t meet our demand right now—we don’t have enough capacity.”
Filling the void, Darden Hams recently announced plans to invest $1.2 million to construct a 7,200-square-foot facility in the county. The project will help bring large-scale country ham production back to the area known as the “Ham Capital of the World.”
“We’re going to start with a couple thousand,” Darden said, noting production will increase as they raise capital and increase efficiency. They also plan to purchase over $305,000 in Virginia-grown agricultural products.
Although they can’t use the iconic Smithfield label despite being just a few miles from town—a 1926 law requires hams be produced in Smithfield town limits—Darden still uses traditional curing methods. Hams are salted for 50 days, aged in the family’s smokehouse for six months, and then smoked with applewood and oak before being cooked and sold whole or sliced for holiday meals or gifting.
“Ham is such an integral part of Southeast Virginia,” Darden said. “It’s an honor to keep the legacy going, and we’re really excited about the future.”
Darden Hams isn’t the only local business meeting market demand. In Southampton County, R.M. Felts Packing Co. has been curing hams since 1958 and continues to sell locally, wholesale and internationally.
“It’s a big tradition to have a ham for the holidays, and it smells so good when you cook it,” said Robert Felts Jr., who operated the business before passing it onto his son. “The smell goes through the house—it’s an aroma you can’t beat.”
Like Darden, Felts’ hams are cured for months before reaching customers’ tables. It’s a lengthy, labor-intensive process, Felts said. That’s partly why other longtime ham producers have shifted from long-cure hams to products with a quicker return.
“With a country ham, your money is tied up for six months,” he noted.
And while some consumer diets have changed to embrace other country ham variations, demand for the long-cured country classic remains strong. Felts expects to sell out again this year.
“People will come in and get their ham,” he said. “They’ve asked us not to stop, not to close down—we’re blessed we’ve got a lot of repeat customers.”
Media: Contact Darden at 757-620-1746 or Felts at 757-647-8461.
