COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 311615

Poultry Processing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

19companies1869–1995founding years16still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedLDC
1869
FoundedHormel Foods Corporation
1891
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedSan Miguel Corporation
1913
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedKewpie Kabushiki Kaisha
1919
FoundedGold'n Plump Poultry
1926
FoundedMolinos Río de la Plata S.A.
1931
FoundedPerdigao SA
1934
FoundedTownsends, Inc.
1937
FoundedFoster Poultry Farms
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedTyson Foods, Inc.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedItoham Foods Inc.
1948
FoundedIndustrias Bachoco, S.A. de C.V.
1952
FoundedFoodarama Supermarkets, Inc.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedL.D.C. SA
1968
FoundedSadia S.A.
1971
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedRica Foods, Inc.
1986
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedColeman Natural Products, Inc.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedNutreco Holding N.V.
1994
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

LDC →
Active · founded 1869 · France
LDC is now Europe's leading poultry processor after edging out fellow French rival Doux Père Dodu in 2004.
Hormel Foods Corporation →
Active · founded 1891
Early 1940s:Jay and George Hormel found the Hormel Foundation, which would control the company through holdings of its…
San Miguel Corporation →
Active · founded 1913 · Philippines
Best known for its internationally distributed beer, San Miguel Corporation can only be described in superlatives.
Kewpie Kabushiki Kaisha →
Active · founded 1919 · Japan
Kewpie Kabushiki Kaisha (QP Corporation is its English equivalent name), one of Japan's leading food products…
Gold'n Plump Poultry →
Active · founded 1926
Gold'n Plump Poultry is the largest chicken producer in the upper midwestern United States.
Molinos Río de la Plata S.A. →
Active · founded 1931 · Argentina
Now a century old, Molinos Río de la Plata S.A.
Perdigao SA →
Renamed · founded 1934 · Brazil
Brazil's Perdigao SA is the second largest producer of pork and poultry products, behind Sadia, with vertical…
Townsends, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1937
Townsends, Inc., is a private, family-owned, Wilmington, Delaware-based poultry company that processes nearly 625…
Foster Poultry Farms →
Defunct · founded 1939
Long the leading poultry producer in California, Foster Poultry Farms has expanded its operations into Washington and…
Tyson Foods, Inc. →
Active · founded 1947
Founded in 1935, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods, Inc.
Itoham Foods Inc. →
Active · founded 1948 · Japan
Japanese company Itoham Foods Inc.
Industrias Bachoco, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1952 · Mexico
Industrias Bachoco, S.A.
Foodarama Supermarkets, Inc. →
Active · founded 1958
Foodarama Supermarkets, Inc.
L.D.C. SA →
Active · founded 1968 · France
L.D.C.
Sadia S.A. →
Active · founded 1971 · Brazil
Sadia S.A.
Rica Foods, Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
Rica Foods, Inc.
Coleman Natural Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
Coleman Natural Products, Inc., is the leading U.S.
Nutreco Holding N.V. →
Active · founded 1994 · The Netherlands
Netherlands-based Nutreco Holding N.V.
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. →
Active · founded 1995 · Canada
Maple Leaf Foods Inc.
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