Hormel Foods Corporation is a US packaged-foods company headquartered in Austin, Minnesota. In FY2025, Hormel reported $12.106 billion in net sales and $478.197 million in net earnings attributable to Hormel Foods. The company had about 20,000 active employees as of October 26, 2025. Its leadership also changed in 2025: John Ghingo became president and Jeffrey M. Ettinger became interim CEO after Jim Snee's retirement.
Hormel Foods: Key Facts
- Founded in 1891 by George A. Hormel in Austin, Minnesota.
- Reported $12.106 billion in FY2025 net sales.
- Reported $478.197 million in FY2025 net earnings attributable to Hormel Foods.
- Had about 20,000 active employees.
- Operates through Retail, Foodservice, and International segments.
- Owns brands including SPAM, Planters, Skippy, Jennie-O, Applegate, Columbus, and Hormel Black Label.
How Hormel Makes Money
Hormel earns revenue by selling branded packaged foods, refrigerated protein, snacks, peanut butter, turkey, bacon, deli meats, shelf-stable products, and foodservice items. Retail is the largest segment, with $7.455 billion in FY2025 sales. Foodservice generated $3.942 billion, and International generated $709 million.
The model is a mix of brand equity and protein operations. Brands such as SPAM, Planters, Skippy, and Applegate can create repeat purchases and pricing power. At the same time, Hormel still faces exposure to turkey cycles, pork costs, freight, labor, retailer pressure, and consumer trade-down.
Why Hormel Matters
Hormel is a useful example of how an old meatpacking company can become a branded-food platform. The company did not abandon protein; it turned protein into trademarks, recipes, foodservice relationships, shelf-stable products, and snack brands. That gives Hormel a broader base than a commodity processor, but not complete insulation from input costs.
Competitive Position
Hormel competes with Tyson Foods, Kraft Heinz, Conagra Brands, General Mills, Mondelez, Campbell's, PepsiCo, and private-label food manufacturers. Its advantage is brand recognition and category expertise in protein. Its risk is that inflation, weak retail volume, turkey disruption, or private-label competition can compress margins before brand investment has time to pay off.
