Neese’s Country Sausage is making comeback under a familiar new owner
After months of uncertainty, a North Carolina breakfast staple is set for a comeback.
Raleigh-based Jesse Jones — known for its famously bright red Martinsville Speedway Hot Dogs and for feeding fans at the NC State Fair — has announced its acquisition of Neese’s Country Sausage. Food distributor White Packing Company owns Jesse Jones.
A June 12 news release on the Jesse Jones website says: “After months of limited availability, Neese’s Country Sausage is pleased to announce that its beloved products will soon return to store shelves and restaurant kitchens across the region. The company extends its sincere appreciation for the outpouring of support, concern, and well wishes received from loyal customers, retailers, and industry partners.”
The release continued, “The White family has acquired the brand and is working diligently to restore production and distribution, while preserving the quality and heritage that generations of consumers have come to trust.”
It also notes “the original recipes that have defined the Neese’s brand for decades will remain unchanged.”
What happened at Neese’s
Neese’s products have been unavailable in grocery stores and restaurants for months, starting with the disappearance last fall of its livermush and liver pudding.
A federal Freedom of Information Act request filed by CharlotteFive found that Neese’s Country Sausage’s Greensboro facility received positive tests for listeria on Sept. 3, 2025, on a stainless steel table and areas described as the “bottom boot” and “pudding line floor under sink,” according to a USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service letter.
Listeria monocytogenes is a rare but serious foodborne bacteria. It’s a public health concern, especially for high-risk populations including pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
In the weeks and months that followed, a partial production shutdown eventually became a larger shutdown. Phones rang unanswered, and the plant is marked as “temporarily closed” on Google.
Moving ahead with new owners
Now, North Carolina customers hungry for the tastes they’ve grown up with won’t have to wait too much longer to get livermush and country sausage back on their breakfast tables at home and in restaurants.
“We believe the White family is the right fit to carry our family sausage business forward and build upon its legacy for generations to come,” Tommy Neese III said in the release on the Jesse Jones website.
Jesse Jones Co. President Karl White added, “We are deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to continue the legacy of the Neese’s brand. We look forward to bringing Neese’s products back to restaurants and retailers very soon.”
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