Pilgrim's Pride Corporation
Company History
Pilgrim's Pride History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1946 in Pittsburg, Texas, United States
When was Pilgrim's Pride founded?
Pilgrim's Pride was founded in 1946 in Pittsburg, Texas, United States by Lonnie 'Bo' Pilgrim and Aubrey Pilgrim, making it 80 years old.
- Founded
- 1946
- Founding place
- Pittsburg, Texas, United States
- Founders
- Lonnie 'Bo' Pilgrim and Aubrey Pilgrim
- Headquarters today
- Greeley, Colorado
- Milestones documented
- 12 (1946–2026)
- Current CEO
- Fabio Sandri
- Acquisitions
- 6
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1946 | Pilgrim's Founded |
| 1966 | Bo Pilgrim Becomes CEO |
| 1986 | IPO |
| 2003 | ConAgra Chicken Division Acquired |
| 2007 | Gold Kist Acquisition |
| 2008 | Chapter 11 Filing |
| 2009 | JBS Investment |
| 2017 | Moy Park Acquisition |
| 2019 | Tulip Ltd Acquisition |
| 2021 | Price-Fixing Plea |
| 2025 | FY2025 Results |
| 2026 | Q2 2026 profit drop |
- Where was Pilgrim's Pride founded?
- Pilgrim's Pride was founded in Pittsburg, Texas, United States in 1946.
- Who founded Pilgrim's Pride?
- Pilgrim's Pride was founded by Lonnie 'Bo' Pilgrim and Aubrey Pilgrim.
- When did Pilgrim's Pride start?
- Pilgrim's Pride was founded in 1946.
- How old is Pilgrim's Pride?
- Pilgrim's Pride is 80 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
In 1946 Aubrey Pilgrim and his younger brother Lonnie 'Bo' Pilgrim bought a farm feed store in Pittsburg, Texas. To build demand for feed they supplied chicks to local farmers and bought back the grown birds, an early form of the vertical integration the company still uses. Aubrey died in 1966 and Bo led the company for decades, becoming known for TV ads in a pilgrim hat.
Founders
Lonnie 'Bo' Pilgrim
Lonnie 'Bo' Pilgrim (1928-2017) co-founded Pilgrim's Pride with his brother Aubrey in Pittsburg, Texas, and led it after Aubrey's death in 1966. He took the company public in 1986, became known nationally for TV ads in a pilgrim hat, and oversaw large acquisitions including Gold Kist before the 2008 bankruptcy and the 2009 JBS investment ended his family's control. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Aubrey Pilgrim
Aubrey Pilgrim co-founded the business in 1946 and led its early growth from feed sales into raising and selling chickens, the model that became Pilgrim's vertically integrated system. He died in 1966, after which Bo Pilgrim took over leadership. Aubrey Pilgrim was born in 1920.
Key Milestones
Pilgrim's Founded
Aubrey and Lonnie 'Bo' Pilgrim buy a feed store in Pittsburg, Texas, the start of what becomes Pilgrim's Pride.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBo Pilgrim Becomes CEO
Bo Pilgrim becomes CEO after his brother and co-founder Aubrey's death, leading the company's growth into a major national poultry processor.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgConAgra Chicken Division Acquired
Pilgrim's Pride bought the chicken division of ConAgra Foods in 2003.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgGold Kist Acquisition
Pilgrim's Pride acquires Gold Kist for about $1.3 billion, expanding US poultry-processing scale.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgChapter 11 Filing
The company files for bankruptcy protection during a severe poultry-industry downturn.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgJBS Investment
JBS buys a 64% stake for $800 million as Pilgrim's exits Chapter 11; its stake later rises to about 82%.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgMoy Park Acquisition
Pilgrim's expands its European platform by acquiring Moy Park, adding UK and continental European poultry operations.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgTulip Ltd Acquisition
Pilgrim's adds UK pork and prepared-foods capability through the Tulip Ltd acquisition, deepening its European protein platform.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgPrice-Fixing Plea
Pilgrim's Pride pleaded guilty in February 2021 to a US price-fixing charge and agreed to pay about $107.9 million.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgFY2025 Results
Pilgrim's Pride reports $18.50 billion of net sales and $1.08 billion of net income.
Source: sec.govQ2 2026 profit drop
Q2 2026 net sales were $4.63 billion and GAAP net income $13.2 million, down from $356.0 million, as U.S. jumbo cutout values fell more than 25%.
Source: nasdaq.comMajor Acquisitions
Gold Kist
2007Expanded U.S. chicken processing scale through a takeover completed in January 2007.
Tyson de Mexico
2015Bought Tyson Foods' Mexican chicken operations.
GNP Company
2017Added the Just Bare and Gold'n Plump brands in the U.S. Upper Midwest.
Moy Park
2017Bought Moy Park from JBS to build a European poultry and prepared foods business.
Tulip Ltd
2019Added U.K. pork and prepared foods capabilities from Danish Crown.
Kerry Group meats and meals business
2021Added U.K. and Irish brands such as Richmond and Fridge Raiders.
Keep researching Pilgrim's Pride
Pilgrim's Pride Company History FAQ
What are the major milestones in Pilgrim's Pride history?
Key milestones include the 1946 founding in Pittsburg, Texas; the 1986 NYSE listing; the Gold Kist takeover in 2007; the 2008 Chapter 11 filing; JBS's 2009 investment; the Tyson de Mexico purchase in 2015; GNP and Moy Park in 2017; Tulip in 2019; and Kerry's meats and meals business in 2021.
Why did Pilgrim's Pride go bankrupt in 2008?
Debt from the Gold Kist acquisition combined with a spike in corn and soybean meal costs and weak chicken prices. Pilgrim's filed for Chapter 11 in December 2008 and emerged in December 2009 after JBS bought a 64% stake for $800 million.
When did Pilgrim's Pride move to Greeley, Colorado?
After JBS took control, Pilgrim's moved its headquarters from Pittsburg, Texas to Greeley, Colorado, where JBS USA is based.
How did Pilgrim's expand outside the U.S.?
It expanded in Mexico through the 2015 purchase of Tyson de Mexico and in Europe through Moy Park (2017), Tulip (2019) and Kerry's meats and meals business (2021).
How did Aubrey and Bo Pilgrim expand from a small feed store into contract chicken farming?
In 1946, Aubrey and Bo Pilgrim noticed that local East Texas farmers struggled with the expense of raising chicks. The brothers began selling 100 baby chicks bundled with a bag of feed, eventually pioneering vertical integration by providing feed, chicks, and veterinary care to local contract farmers in exchange for finished broilers.
What was the landmark 2007 acquisition of Gold Kist by Pilgrim's Pride?
In January 2007, Pilgrim's Pride completed a $1.1 billion hostile takeover of farmer cooperative Gold Kist. The acquisition briefly created the world's largest chicken producer, but the heavy debt load combined with record corn feed prices pushed the company into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December 2008.
How did Brazilian protein titan JBS acquire majority ownership of Pilgrim's Pride in 2009?
In September 2009, JBS USA acquired a 64% controlling equity stake in Pilgrim's Pride for $800 million as part of the company's bankruptcy reorganization exit. Over subsequent years, JBS increased its controlling stake to over 80%, providing global protein distribution and balance sheet stability.
How did Pilgrim's Pride expand into the United Kingdom and Europe?
Between 2017 and 2021, Pilgrim's acquired Northern Ireland-based poultry processor Moy Park for $1.3 billion and acquired British pork and prepared food leader Tulip Ltd. (rebranded as Pilgrim's Europe), establishing multi-billion-dollar meat processing scale across the UK and Continental Europe.
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