Oscar-Mayer is a manufacturer of luncheon meats, hot dogs, bacon, pickles, and other packaged food products. The company claims to have the largest market share in all of the areas it competes in, from lunch meats and hot dogs to bacon and lunch combinations.
In the 1990s, Oscar-Mayer focused on creating innovative new products and new product categories. Like, as part of its Oscar-Mayer and Louis Rich lines, it was one of the first companies to make light and fat-free luncheon meats. Plus, Oscar-Mayer made a new type of food called “lunch combinations.” By the late 1990s, the company’s Lunchables brand was the leader in this market.
Oscar-Mayer, with headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin, operated 10 plants throughout the United States as of 1997. Oscar-Mayer, Lunchables Lunch Combinations, Carving Board Meats, Louis Rich, and Claus-sen pickles are some of the food brands that the company makes.
Oscar-Mayer said in 1996 that its sales were still growing strongly, up 4% from the previous year. Its cold cuts, hot dogs, bacon, and Claussen pickles were all gaining market share. The company also reported strong volume growth for its Oscar-Mayer Lunch-ables Lunch Combinations.
The business opened its first Hot Dog Construction Company restaurant in 1992. By 1994, it had 20 stores. The retail units were built by Oscar-Mayers Branded Restaurant Group subsidiary. Products included hot dogs and toppings, french fries, salads, pizza, and breakfast items. The outlets were located in transportation terminals, schools, companies, and recreation areas.
Oscar-Mayer is 1 of 4 brands of Kraft Foods that generate yearly sales of more than $1 billion. In fact, Oscar-Mayer’s sales went up 4 times as much when Robert Eckert was CEO from August 1993 to August 1996. 5 percent per year, roughly four times the industry average. The company made more than $2 billion a year in sales and profits that grew by an average of 26% a year.
Oscar F. In 1883, Mayer and his brother Gottfreid opened Oscar-Mayer as a meat market on the near north side of Chicago. On their first day in business the brothers had sales of $59. Over the years, the brothers developed their company into a strong regional, and eventually national, meat firm. In 1919 the corporate name was officially changed to Oscar-Mayer & Company. In 1936, the company released the Wienermobile, a hot dog-shaped car that were seen all over Chicago. It would become their most famous ad.
In 1948 Oscar-Mayer introduced the first self-service meat package, which was sold in supermarkets. In the same year, the business also came up with the “Slice Pak” method, which put cold cuts in clear bags with metal bases and sealed them. It was in 1957 that Oscar-Mayer moved its headquarters from Chicago to Madison, Wisconsin. By the early 1960s, the company was the biggest in the United States. S. manufacturer of processed meats. In the 1970s, Oscar-Mayer expanded into the pickle and turkey industries by acquiring C. F. Claussen and Sons in 1970, and the Louis Rich Company in 1979.
For nearly a century, Oscar-Mayer remained an independent company owned primarily by descendants of Oscar and Gottfried Mayer. In 1981, however, the company was acquired by General Foods. General Foods was then bought by Philip Morris Companies in 1985. Three years later, that company also bought Kraft USA. In 1989 Philip Morris merged the two divisions to form Kraft General Foods. The name was changed to Kraft Foods in 1995.
As with other Kraft Foods divisions, Oscar-Mayer’s main business goal in the late 1990s was to build the value of its brands through effective advertising and marketing and keep those brands strong. At the same time, Oscar-Mayer aggressively pursued opportunities to reduce costs and improve overall profitability. The goal was to manage all of its brands effectively so that they produced high profit margins. Products that could not produce were eliminated.
Another Oscar-Mayer business strategy was to capitalize on several major 1990s food trends. For example, its Lunchables Lunch Combinations were popular with parents who worked and didn’t have time to make lunches for their kids. In addition, Oscar-Mayer marketed fat-free meat products to people who wanted to eat less fat and calories overall.
The Oscar-Mayer division was part of a major change in sales strategy at Kraft Foods in the mid-1990s. Kraft unified its sales force into one unit, instead of having different sales forces for different divisions. This reportedly boosted volume of many Kraft brands, including Oscar-Mayer. Customers found doing business with the company simpler and more profitable, according to Kraft Foods.
Special promotions were also a key part of Oscar-Mayers marketing strategy. In January 1996, Oscar-Mayer sponsored the Super Bowl halftime show for $2. 5 million. Oscar-Mayer sponsored a second show at the Super Bowl in January 1997. It stopped funding a third show in January 1998 because it didn’t think the 1997 show was “family-oriented.” “.
Oscar-Mayer also formed partnerships to promote its products and increase its marketing presence. In 1998, Oscar-Mayer created a marketing campaign around the popular kids’ TV show Goose-bumps 2000 with the help of the Fox Kids Network and Parachute Consumer Products.
Oscar-Mayer leads the market segment in product and packaging innovations. In 1948 the company introduced the first shingled sliced bacon in a self-service meat package. The company came up with the “Slice pak” process in 1950 to package sliced cold cuts in clear plastic bags with metal bottoms. Oscar-Mayer kept coming up with new products to meet the needs of modern society. For example, Lunchables have become popular with busy people who are in a hurry to make lunch.
If you’ve ever cooked up a tasty BLT with crispy Oscar Mayer bacon you may have wondered – who exactly owns this iconic bacon brand? As it turns out Oscar Mayer has an interesting history, having been family-owned for nearly a century before becoming part of larger food corporations.
In this article, we’ll explore the ownership journey behind Oscar Mayer bacon over the years.
The Humble Origins of Oscar Mayer Bacon
Oscar Mayer was founded in 1883 in Chicago by Oscar F. Mayer and his brother Gottfried. German immigrants, the Mayer brothers started out selling bratwurst, wieners and other German-style meats in their small Chicago meat market.
In 1906, Oscar Mayer was one of the first companies to join the new federal meat inspection program. By 1919 they expanded into bacon production with the purchase of a processing plant in Madison, Wisconsin.
For decades to come, Oscar Mayer remained an independent company focused on quality meats The company was primarily owned by Mayer family descendants who carried on the family name and business
Kraft Foods Acquires Oscar Mayer in 1981
After nearly 100 years as a family-run company, Oscar Mayer shareholders elected to sell the company in 1981 The winning bid came from food giant General Foods, owned by Philip Morris at the time
So began Oscar Mayer’s ownership under the growing General Foods umbrella, which included brands like Jell-O, Maxwell House coffee and Cool Whip. Oscar Mayer’s bacon and other famous products joined this powerhouse food portfolio.
When Philip Morris acquired Kraft in 1988, Kraft and General Foods merged into Kraft General Foods. Oscar Mayer bacon was now under the same roof as household names like Kraft Cheese and Mac & Cheese.
The Evolution of Oscar Mayer’s Parent Companies
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Oscar Mayer changed corporate hands multiple times as their parent companies underwent various mergers and restructuring. Here’s a quick look at how the ownership evolved during those decades:
- 1989 – Philip Morris merges General Foods with recently acquired Kraft to form Kraft General Foods
- 1995 – Kraft General Foods rebrands as Kraft Foods Inc.
- 2000 – Philip Morris changes name to Altria Group
- 2007 – Altria Group spins off Kraft Foods Inc. into separate public company
- 2012 – Kraft Foods Inc. splits into two companies, Kraft Foods Group and Mondelēz International
So by 2012, Oscar Mayer was part of the newly formed Kraft Foods Group, focused on North American grocery products.
Oscar Mayer Today: Owned by Kraft Heinz
The transformation continued in 2015 when Kraft Foods merged with Heinz, creating food giant Kraft Heinz. Today, Oscar Mayer bacon is owned by Kraft Heinz, one of the largest food companies in the world.
While the ownership has changed over the decades, Oscar Mayer bacon has continued to be an iconic American brand found in millions of households. Fans still love sizzling up their favorite Oscar Mayer bacon strips for breakfast, BLTs and more.
What The Future Holds
Since 2015, Kraft Heinz has managed cost-cutting and restructuring efforts for Oscar Mayer amid shifting consumer trends. There has been some controversy around factory closures impacting jobs and communities.
However, Oscar Mayer remains dedicated to the quality and taste consumers expect from its bacon. As tastes and technology evolve, it will be interesting to see how Oscar Mayer bacon transforms under Kraft Heinz ownership.
One thing is certain – this household bacon brand has come a long way from its German immigrant founders. The story of Oscar Mayer illustrates the decades-long journey many companies take from family ownership to acquisition by giant corporations.
So next time you enjoy a delicious Oscar Mayer bacon sandwich, you’ll know the full story behind this famous bacon brand!
FAST FACTS: About Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
There are two companies that own Oscar-Mayer. The first, Kraft Foods Incorporated, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Philip Morris Companies.
Officers: John Bowlin, Pres.; Rick Searer, VP & Gen. Mgr.
Employees: 10,000
There are two main subsidiaries of Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation. They are Claussen Pickle Company Incorporated and Louis Rich Company.
Chief Competitors: Oscar-Mayer competes with other companies producing and selling processed meats and related products. Best Kosher Sausage Corporation, Bil Mar Foods, Carl Buddig, ConAgra, Eckrich, Hillshire Farms, Hormel Foods Corporation, Hygrade Food Products Corporation, Land O’Frost Incorporated, Vlasic Foods Incorporated, Vienna Beef, and WilsonFoods are some of the main competitors.
Back in the 1990s, Oscar-Mayer also worked hard to build its online presence. It created a great website with lots of fun activities for kids and useful nutrition information for parents, all presented in a bright and lively way.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) protested against Oscar-Mayer’s Wienermobile in 1997, which put the company in the middle of an animal rights debate. The 10 Wienermobiles made more than 400 stops nationwide in 1997, and PETA targeted 50 stops for protests. Kids who wanted to be in Oscar-Mayer commercials sang the famous “Oscar-Mayer Wiener Jingle” or the “Bologna Song” at the Wiener-mobile stops. After the kids started singing, the protesters chanted things like “We won’t stand for cruelty! Take the meat off the plate!” and “Oscar-Mayer is to blame! It’s wrong to abuse children!”
According to the Washington Post, parents at one such protest became very angry with the protestors. When three TV cameras arrived with PETA, they focused on the kids’ confused faces, which wasn’t what PETA had hoped for.
CHRONOLOGY: Key Dates for Oscar Mayer Foods Corporation
There are ads and slogans that come and go, but some are as classic and memorable as a Shakespearean sonnet or a Led Zeppelin guitar riff. One such jingle is the Oscar Mayer song, which celebrates a young boys love for his baloney. As people who know a lot about advertising might say, this jingle has “legs,” and it will always be a part of American culture. If youre a little fuzzy on the lyrics, here it is in its entirety:
- My bologna has a first name. Its O-S-C-A-R.
- My bologna has a second name. Its M-A-Y-E-R.
- Oh, I eat it every day, and if you ask me why, I’ll say it’s because Oscar Mayer knows how to make B-O-L-O-G-N-A.
Oscar-Mayer came out with Healthy Favorites Cold Cuts and Breakfast Meats in 1992. They also came out with Louis Rich Carving Board Sliced Meats in resealable packaging in 1993. In 1994 the company introduced its Oscar-Mayer Lunchables “Fun Pack” and Louis Rich Fat Free Turkey. They came out with four kinds of Oscar-Mayer Pizza Lunchables in 1995: Carving Board Chicken, Oscar-Mayer Fat Free Hot Dogs with Bologna, Chicken, and Ham, and Claus-sen Sandwich Slices Pickles. Also in 1995, Oscar-Mayer began offering adult-sized low-fat versions of its Lunchables products. Drinks, fat-free desserts, and healthy lunch foods like low-fat cheese and lean turkey breast were in the adult lunch kits.
Oscar-Mayer went back to its roots with an ad campaign put together by the J. Walter Thompson Company in 1998 to promote new products. Walter Thompson agency. In its first umbrella ad campaign in ten years, the company brought back the Wienermobile and the Wienerwhistle.
Oscar-Mayer and its parent company, Kraft Foods, gave most of their community service money to three areas that helped kids who were at risk: education, nutrition, and arts and culture. Between 1991 and 1996, Kraft gave more than $175 million to community groups across the country in the form of money and food. In addition, Kraft and Oscar-Mayer annually provided grants to local Madison, Wisconsin, programs and organizations.
The Untold Truth Of Oscar Mayer
FAQ
Who bought out Oscar Mayer?
Where is Oscar Mayer bacon produced?
Does Kraft Foods own Oscar Mayer?
Who created Oscar Mayer?
When did Oscar Mayer start making bacon?
In 1924, the company introduced packaged sliced bacon under the Oscar Mayer brand name. A Milwaukee branch was also opened that year. By 1928, the company had 25 different varieties of “Approved Brand” sausages on the market. That year, Oscar F. Mayer was elected to chair the board, and Oscar G. Mayer was named company president.
Who owns Oscar Mayer foods?
In 1981, Oscar Mayer was bought by General Foods Corporation, and its name was changed to Oscar Mayer Foods Corp. After Philip Morris Companies, Inc. acquired both General Foods in 1985 and Kraft Inc. in 1988, Oscar Mayer became part of Kraft General Foods, Inc., the subsidiary created by combining the two food giants.
Who owns Oscar Mayer?
For nearly a century, Oscar Mayer remained an independent company owned primarily by descendants of the Mayer brothers who started it. In 1981, Oscar Mayer stockholders elected to sell the company to General Foods.
Who makes Oscar Mayer sliced meat?
Company History: Oscar Mayer Foods Corp. is the maker of one of the most venerable and successful food brands currently available on supermarket shelves. The company’s sliced meats and other products are sold across North America and in parts of South America and Asia.