The End of an Era: What Happened to Plumrose Bacon?

For generations, Plumrose bacon was a staple breakfast food in households across America. The familiar red and white packaging featuring a plum rose logo was a common sight in the refrigerated meat section of grocery stores. However, over time, Plumrose bacon seemed to slowly fade away without much fanfare.

So what exactly happened to this once popular bacon brand? Let’s take a look back at the history and mysterious disappearance of Plumrose bacon.

A Brief History of Plumrose

The Plumrose brand was founded in 1926 by several Danish families who opened a creamery in Minnesota under the name Danish Creamery Association. They were one of the first companies to pre-slice bacon and package it for convenience.

In 1955, the company merged with Rose Valley Butter to form Plumrose Through acquisitions and mergers over the decades, Plumrose grew into one of the major processed meat companies in the US. by the 1990s. Their bacon, lunchmeats, and hotdogs could be found in most American supermarkets.

The Rise of Plumrose Bacon

Though Plumrose produced many pork products, their bacon became one of their signature items. It was sold in the basic thick-cut style but also offered different flavors like maple bacon.

Plumrose bacon was considered an affordable and tasty grocery store staple for decades. Many American families grew up eating Plumrose bacon weekly for breakfast. Its no-frills packaging and popularity made it seem like a classic bacon brand that would always be around.

Early Signs of Decline

In the early 2000s, there were small signs that Plumrose bacon was on the decline. As consumers became more interested in premium and artisanal bacon, Plumrose faded into the background as an unexciting basic brand.

Plumrose also struggled to shake some of the negative associations around processed meat and nitrates. As studies raised health concerns about these additives, mainstream brands like Plumrose suffered.

Additionally, as bacon surged in popularity, many new competitors entered the market. Plumrose found itself struggling to compete with trendy new bacon brands and flavors. Their sales slowly eroded year after year.

The End of the Road for Plumrose

In 2017, Plumrose was acquired by the Brazilian meat corporation JBS S.A. as part of a $970 million deal. This move signaled big changes ahead for the Plumrose brand and products.

Under the new ownership, it seems JBS made the decision to quietly retire the Plumrose logo and branding. In 2020, the company announced that Plumrose was rebranding under the new name Swift Prepared Foods.

This erased the 90+ year Plumrose legacy almost overnight, with the familiar logo disappearing from Bacon packages on store shelves. JBS cited a desire to unify and grow their prepared foods lines under one cohesive brand.

Why Did Plumrose Bacon Vanish?

It appears the age of the Plumrose brand and association with commodity processed meats led to its downfall. The new owners likely saw it as dated and wanted to reinvent their bacon and lunchmeat lines under the Swift name to compete better.

Plumrose bacon couldn’t keep up with the artisanal bacon boom or match the premium branding of many new competitors. So after years of declining relevance, JBS decided it wasn’t worth investing in the Plumrose brand anymore and quietly retired it.

For those who grew up eating Plumrose bacon, it was the rather uncelebrated end of an era. But the same basic bacon products live on, just without the familiar plum rose logo.

So next time you’re browsing the bacon section, keep an eye out for the Swift logo where Plumrose used to be. And if you have an unopened pack of Plumrose bacon in your freezer, hold onto it as a piece of breakfast history!