Hormel Foods Corp. today (Sept. 30) revealed an agreement to acquire Brakebush Brothers LLC, a value-added chicken company, from the Brakebush family for approximately $1.055 billion.

Why? Hormel was founded on animal protein, pork specifically, 135 years ago and like almost all processors these days is increasing its protein products.

“Chicken has been one of the most attractive growth categories in protein, and Brakebush has built an exceptional platform to serve that demand,” said John Ghingo, Hormel’s president and CEO-elect.

“Hormel Foods has built a strong foodservice business by helping operators succeed through innovation, service and value-added solutions," he continued. "We believe that Brakebush will bolster our capabilities, bringing additional scale, expertise and customer reach, in support of our long-term growth strategy.”

The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of Hormel Foods’ fiscal 2027, which ends approximately Jan. 26, 2027.

Brakebush was founded in 1925, headquartered in Westfield, Wis., and operates as a value-added but non-vertically integrated chicken processor. It makes mostly cooked products and mostly for the foodservice market. The company generated approximately $1.2 billion in sales over the past 12 months and operates five production facilities and two research and development labs.

“The acquisition advances Hormel Foods’ strategy of investing in growing protein categories, will meaningfully expand the company’s position in value-added chicken and is expected to strengthen its leading foodservice platform through enhanced operator relationships, category expertise and an expanded direct sales organization,” a company statement said.