Oscar Mayer bacon holds an iconic place in American cuisine. Those plastic packages with the red and yellow label have graced refrigerators across the country for generations. Oscar Mayer is to bacon what Kleenex is to tissues – for many Americans, it is the default bacon brand. But where exactly is Oscar Mayer bacon made?
The history and production of Oscar Mayer bacon reveals how this brand came to dominate the market. While Oscar Mayer started out as a local Chicago meat company, it eventually grew into an international food conglomerate. Tracing the evolution of Oscar Mayer’s production facilities provides insight into the scale required to produce millions of bacon packages each year.
The Humble Origins of Oscar Mayer Bacon in Chicago
Oscar F. Mayer founded his namesake company in 1883 in Chicago. Mayer was a German immigrant who started his business with just $10,000 in capital. In the early years, Oscar Mayer focused on high-end, specialty meats like sausages and deli cuts.
Mayer’s business grew steadily, aided by the company’s focus on quality. At the time, shoddy sanitation plagued Chicago’s meatpacking industry. Mayer’s meticulous sanitation and quality control practices helped his company stand out. Oscar Mayer also innovated by being one of the first to brand and advertise their products directly to consumers.
By 1900 demand for Oscar Mayer’s products was soaring. The company expanded production at their Chicago plant and began selling cured meats like bacon alongside fresh sausages and deli meats. Oscar Mayer bacon was born during this time likely formulated from the company’s existing expertise with cured sausages.
Even with expanded facilities, Chicago struggled to meet Oscar Mayer’s growing production needs The company began looking elsewhere for larger facilities that could enable expansion.
How Madison, Wisconsin Became the Epicenter of Oscar Mayer Bacon
In 1917, Oscar Mayer purchased a packing plant in Madison, Wisconsin to supplement their overloaded Chicago operation. Madison offered ample space, proximity to livestock, and easy transportation access that facilitated growth
Over the next decade, Oscar Mayer rapidly expanded the Madison plant to absorb more production. By 1930, the Madison location was running at full capacity as Oscar Mayer’s most efficient and high-volume factory.
As Oscar Mayer continued growing into a national brand, Madison emerged as the engine of their bacon production:
-
1936 – Oscar Mayer opens new food processing facilities in Madison, creating a dedicated space for producing cured meats like bacon.
-
1945 – After WWII demand drives expansion, Oscar Mayer builds a massive cold storage facility in Madison to age bacon and other meats.
-
1958 – Madison gets a new state-of-the-art meat processing plant with enough capacity to supply Oscar Mayer’s national distribution.
By the 1960s, Madison was firmly established as Oscar Mayer’s bacon capital. Almost all Oscar Mayer bacon enjoyed by American households traced back to Madison. Even today, the Madison plant remains vital, producing millions of pounds of bacon each year.
Automation and Expansion – How Oscar Mayer Scaled Up Bacon Production
In the 1970s, Oscar Mayer leaned into automation and technology to ramp up capacity. Conveyor belts, computers, and automated slicing machines enabled their plants to double or triple output.
Oscar Mayer also expanded geographically to keep up with demand. By operating multiple plants in strategic locations nationally, they could save on shipping costs.
Some key expansions included:
-
1973 – New plant in Kirksville, Missouri to provide additional capacity.
-
1975 – Startup of the Davenport, Iowa plant, strategically located near ample corn and hog supplies.
-
1990s – Series of plant expansions and openings in key states like Nebraska, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
This multi-plant network allowed Oscar Mayer to supply their bacon nationwide. Each plant focuses on distribution to surrounding states. If one plant goes offline, the others provide redundancy.
Where Oscar Mayer Makes Bacon Today
Currently, Oscar Mayer’s parent company Kraft-Heinz owns and operates seven plants producing Oscar Mayer bacon in the United States:
- Madison, WI
- Kirksville, MO
- Davenport, IA
- Omaha, NE
- Perry, IA
- Clougherty Packing in Vernon, CA
- Swift’s JBS Plainwell, MI
The exact proportion of bacon output at each facility is proprietary information. But Madison remains vital as the historic and symbolic home base of Oscar Mayer bacon production.
Bacon cured in Madison gets sliced and packaged on-site before shipment to distributors. Automated lines churn out thousands of packages per minute with barely any human oversight. Oscar Mayer bacon is still predominantly made in the USA, though some foreign production occurs in places like Brazil to supply other markets.
Why Oscar Mayer Bacon Has Stayed on Top
Since those early days in Chicago, Oscar Mayer has faced many rivals in the bacon market. Brands like Hormel Black Label, Farmland, and Smithfield all competed for shelf space. But none have matched Oscar Mayer’s brand recognition and sales volumes over the long run.
Oscar Mayer’s market dominance stems from factors like:
-
Early market entry – As one of the first mass-market bacon brands, they cemented brand loyalty over decades.
-
Distribution scale – Their network of plants ensures distribution and production capacity other brands can’t match.
-
Advertising investment – Oscar Mayer spends heavily on memorable ads and sponsorships to stay top of mind. Their classic jingles alone boost brand recognition.
-
Product consistency – Their recipes, curing process, and quality control create a consistent taste consumers expect from Oscar Mayer bacon.
With these advantages hard for competitors to replicate, Oscar Mayer bacon continues holding the largest market share. The brand remains synonymous with American bacon overall.
The Future of Oscar Mayer Bacon
Oscar Mayer’s production capacity and distribution reach ensure they’ll likely remain the top bacon brand into the foreseeable future. But even giants can’t ignore shifting consumer preferences.
To stay ahead, Oscar Mayer bacon will need to keep innovating. That means responding to trends like:
- Demand for transparency about sourcing and ingredients
- Interest in artisanal and specialty bacon varieties
- Concerns about health effects of processed meats
By doubling down on quality, improving recipes, and capitalizing on their brand goodwill, Oscar Mayer can potentially maintain their supremacy for another 100+ years. But they’ll need to listen to consumers and evolve along with America’s changing tastes.
For more than a century, Oscar Mayer has loomed large in the bacon landscape. Their rise from a Chicago meat shop to a multi-plant national brand traces how industrialization and automation transformed food production. While the future is uncertain, Oscar Mayer’s place in history seems assured. The red and yellow label will likely continue gracing American breakfast tables, bringing a nostalgic whiff of sizzling bacon to mornings across the country.
BACON | How It’s Made
FAQ
Is Oscar Mayer made in USA?
Where is Oscar Mayer bacon produced?
Does China own Oscar Mayer?
Was there a recall on Oscar Mayer bacon?
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.
Where are Oscar Mayer sliced meats sold?
The company’s sliced meats and other products are sold across North America and in parts of South America and Asia. Oscar Mayer’s product line includes a wide range of popular meats, including hot dogs, bacon, and prepackaged lunch combinations.
Does Oscar Mayer make bacon crispy?
(That’s right, the pig gets no credit.) Oscar Mayer uses a fairly standard set of ingredients for industrial-cured bacon: water, salt, sugar, sodium phosphate, sodium ascorbate, and sodium nitrite. The verdict: We want crispy. We want crunchy. We do not want bacon that shatters into bits on the first bite, as Oscar Mayer’s did.
Does Oscar Mayer eat bacon?
Based in Chicago, Oscar Mayer is primarily known for making hot dogs (and for its infamous Wienermobile ), so we had high hopes for its bacon. Senior service editor Kelsey Jane Youngman found that a bite of bacon coated her mouth in grease, and associate cooking and SEO editor Zoe Denenberg said it “disintegrates.”