Jennie-O Turkey Store

Jennie-O Turkey Store, Inc., based in Willmar, Minnesota, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) and is one of the largest turkey processors and marketers in the world. They offer an array of high-quality fresh, frozen, refrigerated, and deli turkey products. Jennie-O Turkey Store produces more than 1,500 items, distributing their products throughout the United States and 26 countries. Jennie-O Turkey Store currently employs over 7,000 people throughout the United States.

In February 2001, Jennie-O Foods, Inc. and The Turkey Store Company merged to create a new, single company - Jennie-O Turkey Store, Inc.

History

Jennie-O Foods started in the 1940’s as a vision of the Minnesota-native entrepreneur and part-time turkey grower, Earl B. Olson, who purchased his first turkey processing plant in 1949 in Willmar, Minnesota. It was named after his daughter, Jennie Olson. Jennie-O Foods was acquired by Hormel Foods Corporation in December 1986. Since 1986, Jennie-O Foods grew from the sixth largest processor in the United States to the largest in 2000.

In 1922, Wallace Jerome, founder of The Turkey Store Company, started the business of raising turkeys when he was just 13 years old. He purchased a three-story barn in 1941 that was used for all stages of turkey production. Jerome began production of “New York dressed” turkeys in 1948, two years later he purchased and equipped a building into a turkey processing plant. By 1952, the company was the first federally inspected, oven-ready turkey processing plant in Wisconsin.

External links

[http://www.jennieo.com The official Jennie-O Turkey Store website]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BGTvuZaesQ "Turkey Dropping"]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkl75HPI968 "Feel the Heat"]