Crispy, smoky, delicious Jimmy Dean bacon has become a breakfast staple in many households. But just who is behind this popular pork product? Let’s unravel the history and operations of the Jimmy Dean brand to find out who really makes those familiar red and green bacon packages.
The Origins of Jimmy Dean Foods
The Jimmy Dean brand was founded in 1969 by the country music singer and actor Jimmy Dean. Though he was best known for chart-topping songs like “Big Bad John” and his 1961-1966 TV show, Dean also had an entrepreneurial streak.
In the late 1960s in Plainview, Texas, Dean launched a business selling smoked sausage out of a converted barn. He developed the secret smoked sausage recipe himself along with his brother Don.
The tasty sausage products were a hit locally and soon expanded through wider distribution. By 1971, the company opened a processing plant in Plainview to meet growing demand. Jimmy Dean sausages and other meats became a retail success nationwide during the 1970s.
Jimmy Dean Gets Acquired by Sara Lee
In 1984, the Consolidated Foods Corporation (later renamed Sara Lee) acquired the Jimmy Dean Meat Company. Sara Lee was looking to expand into meat as Americans gravitated toward convenient frozen and prepared foods.
Under Sara Lee’s ownership throughout the 1980s to 2000s, the Jimmy Dean brand expanded into bacon, breakfast sandwiches, fully-cooked entrees, and other product lines. Distribution reached over 90% of American grocery stores as Jimmy Dean grew into a leading meat brand.
Jimmy Dean himself stayed involved as a brand spokesman until his death in 2010. But the products were now fully owned and managed by Sara Lee.
Hillshire Brands Takes Over
In 2012, Sara Lee spun off its meat brands, including Jimmy Dean, into a new publicly-traded company called Hillshire Brands. This independent company quickly set out to revamp the Jimmy Dean brand.
Hillshire improved recipes, packaging, and marketing. They expanded product selections to serve new dayparts like breakfast and snacking. Distribution also grew through new retail channels like convenience and club stores.
Under Hillshire Brands, Jimmy Dean sales surged over 25% by 2014, reaching over $1 billion annually. The brand accounted for nearly half of Hillshire’s revenue.
Jimmy Dean Gets Gobbled Up by Tyson
In 2014, the food giant Tyson Foods won a bidding war to acquire Hillshire Brands for $8.6 billion.
For Tyson, buying Hillshire brought several benefits:
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Added well-known brands like Jimmy Dean to their portfolio
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Expanded Tyson into the high-growth breakfast segment
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Provided entry into wider retail and foodservice channels
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Diversified Tyson beyond just chicken into pork, turkey, and beef
Tyson Owns Jimmy Dean Today
Since 2014, Jimmy Dean has been a fully owned subsidiary of Tyson Foods, part of Tyson’s Prepared Foods division. Numerous Jimmy Dean products are co-packed and manufactured at Tyson plants and facilities.
So when you buy Jimmy Dean bacon, sausage, or breakfast sandwiches today, you’re purchasing foods produced and marketed by Tyson Foods.
However, Tyson has kept the Jimmy Dean brand identity intact, seeing value in its brand equity and reputation. They’ve continued to innovate with new product introductions while leveraging Tyson’s scale in distribution.
So while Jimmy Dean is now part of a large conglomerate, the brand keeps its independent spirit alive under Tyson’s ownership. Its founder Jimmy Dean and his original sausage recipes started it all.
Next time you enjoy a sizzling strip of Jimmy Dean bacon or a hearty breakfast sandwich, appreciate the brand’s winding road that all started from Dean’s converted Texas barn over 50 years ago!
The facility is scheduled to open in late 202
Tyson Foods is putting up a $355 million bacon plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The plant will mostly make Wright Brand and Jimmy Dean products for stores and restaurants. The 400,000-square-foot facility is expected to create 450 jobs with production beginning in late 2023.
The plant will have the newest robotics and automated technologies to make production more efficient and improve the safety of the workers. The facility will be located in the expanded Kentucky Transpark in Bowling Green.
Tyson wants to meet the growing demand for bacon products in stores and restaurants through this project. This is part of the company’s plan to speed up long-term growth that is in line with consumer trends.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says, “Today, I am proud to announce one of the largest investments in Warren County’s history. This is a community that has had no shortage of economic success in recent years.” “Tyson Foods has been in the commonwealth for a long time, and the company’s leaders have big plans for the future that will make it a great fit for Bowling Green and the surrounding area.” ”.
The company employs more than 3,900 people across Kentucky with an annual payroll of more than $168 million. In its 2020 fiscal year, Tyson Foods paid Kentucky growers and suppliers more than $35 million. The company thinks its total effect on the state will be $425 million. The company has prepared foods operations in Claryville and Poultry operations in Albany and Robards.
The company won’t be hiring anyone for a few months, but people who want to work for Tyson Foods should check the Tyson Foods Careers website often.
About Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods is one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under three generations of family leadership. The company has many products and brands, such as State Fair, Ball Park, Wright, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, and Tyson. Tyson Foods is always coming up with new ideas to make protein more sustainable, make food fit the places where it’s sold, and raise people’s standards for what good food can do. Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company has 139,000 team members. Tyson Foods’ Core Values tell it to be honest, make money for its shareholders, customers, communities, and employees, and take care of the animals, land, and environment that are entrusted to it.
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Jimmy Dean Bacon Review
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Where is Jimmy Dean bacon processed?
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Where are Jimmy Dean products made?
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Does Jimmy Dean offer fully cooked bacon?
Enroll now! Jimmy Dean® fully cooked bacon slices & pieces deliver the perfect savory solution for your patrons when you’re short on time.
Who owns Jimmy Dean?
It was purchased by Sara Lee, which then divested as part of a unit known as Hillshire Brands, which was later purchased by Tyson Foods. Jimmy Dean’s main products are chicken and sausage based breakfast items. The brand is known to have quick and simple meals that are easily cooked and microwavable.
What are Jimmy Dean products?
Jimmy Dean’s main products are chicken and sausage based breakfast items. The brand is known to have quick and simple meals that are easily cooked and microwavable. Jimmy Dean products can be sold raw, frozen, precooked, assembled, or individually wrapped.
Who owns Jimmy Dean & Tyson Foods?
The company was founded in 1969 by country singer and actor Jimmy Dean. It was purchased by Sara Lee, which then divested as part of a unit known as Hillshire Brands, which was later purchased by Tyson Foods. Jimmy Dean’s main products are chicken and sausage based breakfast items.