Summer 2027

Quality Assurance Research Intern

Summer 2027

Deadline 8/25/27
Empirical Foods

Empirical Foods

201-500 employees

Meat processing, lean ground beef producer

No salary listed

Dakota Dunes, SD, USA

In Person

Bachelor's

Category
Manufacturing Quality & Test
Required Skills
Microsoft Office
Word/Pages/Docs
Quality Assurance (QA)
Microbiology
Excel/Numbers/Sheets

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Requirements
  • Knowledge and understanding of meat, food, or animal science.
  • Experience working in teams to produce high-impact products, reports, and other deliverables.
  • General computer knowledge and proficiency.
  • Above-average working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills.
  • Heightened attention to detail.
  • Ability to view problems from multiple angles and apply a variety of solutions to solve them.
  • Ability to proactively participate in meetings and discussions.
  • Ability to synthesize information quickly and learn new skills.
  • Ability to communicate clearly and effectively to all levels of employees in verbal and written formats.
  • Must have regular and punctual attendance.
  • Ability to perform all essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation.
  • Currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in a related discipline.
Responsibilities
  • Participate in hands-on projects across meat science, animal science, and microbiology, gaining experience while contributing to ongoing research initiatives.
  • Perform all other duties as assigned.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience in meat, food, or animal science.

Empirical Foods processes beef to produce lean ground beef and other protein products for food service and retail. It uses an in-house proprietary process that warms beef trimmings, centrifuges fat, and treats the product to kill bacteria to yield about 95% lean ground beef. They also offer boxed beef and pork, portioned steaks and roasts, and fully cooked seasoned items under brands like Noble Valley, Two Rivers Meat Co, and Dos Rios Taco Meat. They differentiate themselves by owning the technology to turn by-products into high-value protein and serving large packers, ground beef producers, fast-food chains, and grocers, with capacity expansion including a new plant in Garden City, Kansas.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Dakota Dunes, South Dakota

Founded

N/A

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Garden City opened April 8, 2026, adding more than 250 jobs and new volume.
  • Record-high beef prices strengthen Empirical’s pitch for cheaper lean ground beef.
  • Phase II at Garden City targets 80 million pounds annually if demand supports it.

What critics are saying

  • USDA forecast tighter calf supplies in late 2026 squeeze Empirical’s input volumes.
  • Ground beef remains haunted by pink slime stigma, threatening restaurant and retail demand.
  • A major food-safety incident at Dakota Dunes or Garden City would devastate the brand.

What makes Empirical Foods unique

  • Garden City’s 280,000-square-foot plant doubled lean ground beef capacity in 2026.
  • Empirical’s proprietary centrifuge process extracts 95% lean beef from trimmings, not cattle expansion.
  • Forty-five years of technology claim 21 extra pounds of beef per head.

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Benefits

Flexible Work Hours