Smithfield Foods Inc. marked its 90th year in business Sept. 16 with a celebration on the site where the company began in 1936, tracing an arc from a small ham-curing operation in its namesake Virginia town to a packaged meats and fresh pork leader that today serves 100 percent of the top 10 national grocery retailers.
That retail reach rests on considerable scale: the company employs 32,000 people in the U.S., operates 38 processing facilities and partners with 10,000 independent farms in 30 states, while also serving 70 percent of the top 50 national foodservice chains and all of the top U.S. foodservice distributors. Smithfield’s legacy began Sept. 16, 1936, when Joseph W. Luter Sr. and Joseph W. Luter Jr. founded the Smithfield Packing Company on Commerce Street in Smithfield, Virginia, where the headquarters remain today.
“As we stand here on the site where it all began 90 years ago, we honor Smithfield’s unique American heritage and the long-standing values that have guided us along the way,” said Shane Smith, president and CEO of Smithfield Foods. “With a strong cornerstone laid by our visionary founders, we are poised for continued leadership, innovation and profitable growth.”
From one brand to a portfolio
The company started with a single brand, Smithfield, and began acquiring others in the 1980s, starting with Gwaltney, the Smithfield company where its founders first worked. The family of brands grew to include Patrick Cudahy, Esskay, John Morrell, Curly’s, Kretschmar, Farmland Foods, Carando, Cook’s, Armour, Eckrich, Margherita and Farmer John, and in January the company agreed to acquire Nathan’s Famous, a brand it has produced under exclusive license since 2014.
A hometown celebration
The anniversary event at headquarters brought together employees, community partners, elected officials and guests, with Virginia state Sen. Emily Jordan and Delegate Otto Wachsmann presenting resolutions adopted by both chambers of the General Assembly commemorating the company’s 90 years in the commonwealth.
“We take pride as Smithfield residents knowing that the name Smithfield is on food packages globally,” said Smithfield Mayor Michael Smith. “Thank you for addressing food insecurity in local communities and recognizing the needs of others. The town celebrates this milestone and many more to come.”
The anniversary arrives with the company’s next chapter already under construction, including plans for a $1.3 billion packaged meats and fresh pork facility in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to replace a plant that has operated for more than a century. A four-part history of the company from 1936 to 2026 is available on Smithfield’s Doing Good website.
Smithfield Foods is an American food company with a leading position in packaged meats and fresh pork, responsibly meeting demand for quality protein worldwide.
Related: Smithfield Foods Plans $1.3B Processing Facility In Sioux Falls, SD