Kerry Group meats and meals business
2021
Why
Added U.K. and Irish brands such as Richmond and Fridge Raiders.
Impact
Became Pilgrim's Food Masters.
Outcome
Expanded branded prepared foods in Europe.
Pilgrim's Pride Corporation
Poultry and Prepared FoodsFounded 1946- HQ today: Greeley, Colorado
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026
Acquisitions
Pilgrim's Pride Acquisitions
6
Major Deals Covered
$2.0B
Disclosed Deal Value
What are Pilgrim's Pride's biggest acquisitions?
Pilgrim's Pride's largest disclosed acquisition here is Moy Park for $1.3B in 2017. This page covers 6 major deals from 2007 to 2021, each with its price where disclosed and the reason behind it.
- Major deals covered
- 6
- Largest deal
- Moy Park ($1.3B)
- First deal
- 2007
- Most recent
- 2021
| Company | Year | Price | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Kist | 2007 | Undisclosed | Expanded U.S. chicken processing scale through a takeover completed in January 2007. |
| Tyson de Mexico | 2015 | $400.0M | Bought Tyson Foods' Mexican chicken operations. |
| GNP Company | 2017 | $350.0M | Added the Just Bare and Gold'n Plump brands in the U.S. Upper Midwest. |
| Moy Park | 2017 | $1.3B | Bought Moy Park from JBS to build a European poultry and prepared foods business. |
| Tulip Ltd | 2019 | Undisclosed | Added U.K. pork and prepared foods capabilities from Danish Crown. |
| Kerry Group meats and meals business | 2021 | Undisclosed | Added U.K. and Irish brands such as Richmond and Fridge Raiders. |
- What companies has Pilgrim's Pride bought?
- Major acquisitions by Pilgrim's Pride documented here include Moy Park (2017), Tyson de Mexico (2015), GNP Company (2017), Kerry Group meats and meals business (2021) and Tulip Ltd (2019).
- What is Pilgrim's Pride's most recent acquisition?
- The most recent Pilgrim's Pride acquisition documented here is Kerry Group meats and meals business, in 2021.
Tulip Ltd
2019
Why
Added U.K. pork and prepared foods capabilities from Danish Crown.
Impact
Broadened the European mix beyond chicken.
Outcome
U.K. pork margins were pressured by European imports in 2026.
GNP Company
2017
$350M
Why
Added the Just Bare and Gold'n Plump brands in the U.S. Upper Midwest.
Impact
Gave Pilgrim's a premium retail brand.
Outcome
Just Bare retail sales grew more than 30% in Q2 2026.
Moy Park
2017
$1.3B
Why
Bought Moy Park from JBS to build a European poultry and prepared foods business.
Impact
Created Pilgrim's Europe segment.
Outcome
Moy Park anchors Pilgrim's U.K. and European operations.
Tyson de Mexico
2015
$400M
Why
Bought Tyson Foods' Mexican chicken operations.
Impact
Substantially enlarged the Mexico segment.
Outcome
Mexico remains one of Pilgrim's three reporting segments.
Gold Kist
2007
Why
Expanded U.S. chicken processing scale through a takeover completed in January 2007.
Impact
Made Pilgrim's the largest U.S. chicken producer at the time.
Outcome
The added debt contributed to the 2008 Chapter 11 filing.
Pilgrim's Pride Corporation's Growth & Acquisition Strategy
Pilgrim's growth plan centres on value-added and branded products and on capacity tied to large customers. Projects in 2026 include a new prepared foods plant in Walker County, Georgia, added deboning capacity in Ellijay, Georgia for the small-bird segment, and a live-operations ramp-up in Mexico's Southern Peninsula. In Europe it is pushing branded meals and snacks such as Rollover and Fridge Raiders.
How Pilgrim's Pride Corporation Makes Money
Pilgrim's Pride makes money by raising, processing and selling chicken and, in Europe, pork and prepared meals. It owns breeder flocks, hatcheries, feed mills and processing plants, and pays independent contract growers to raise birds in grower-owned houses. Products are sold to restaurant chains, retailers, foodservice distributors and export buyers, with a growing share coming from value-added and branded items such as Just Bare, Pilgrim's, Moy Park, Richmond and Fridge Raiders.
Pilgrim's Pride Acquisitions FAQ
When did JBS acquire Pilgrim's Pride?
In December 2009 JBS bought a 64% stake for $800 million as Pilgrim's exited Chapter 11. Its stake later rose to about 82%.
When did Pilgrim's buy Moy Park?
Pilgrim's acquired Moy Park from JBS in 2017 in a deal valued at about $1.3 billion, creating its European business.
What did Pilgrim's buy from Tyson Foods?
In 2015 Pilgrim's bought Tyson Foods' Mexican chicken operations for about $400 million.
When did Pilgrim's acquire Just Bare?
Pilgrim's bought GNP Company, owner of Just Bare and Gold'n Plump, in January 2017 for about $350 million.
What other acquisitions has Pilgrim's made?
Others include Gold Kist (2007), Tulip Ltd from Danish Crown (2019) and Kerry Group's meats and meals business (2021), which became Pilgrim's Food Masters.
Why was the $350 million acquisition of GNP Company in 2017 a pivotal retail shift?
In January 2017, Pilgrim's acquired Minnesota-based GNP Company for $350 million. The buyout gave Pilgrim's ownership of the premium "Just BARE" brand of certified organic, No-Antibiotics-Ever (NAE) chicken, enabling the company to capture premier club-store retail placement at Costco.
How did the acquisition of Tulip Ltd in 2019 expand Pilgrim's European footprint?
In October 2019, Pilgrim's acquired Danish Crown's UK subsidiary Tulip Ltd for £290 million ($354M). As the UK's largest pig farmer and bacon/sausage processor, Tulip broadened Pilgrim's beyond poultry into integrated pork and prepared foods.
What was the 2021 acquisition of Kerry Group's consumer meats and meals business?
In September 2021, Pilgrim's acquired Kerry Group's meats and meals business in the UK and Ireland for £680 million ($952M), adding market-leading packaged brands like Richmond sausages, Denny bacon, and Fridge Raiders snacking bites to Pilgrim's Europe.
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