Overview
Tyson Foods, Inc. is a U.S.-based food company founded in 1935. Its business centers on protein, with four segments—Beef, Pork, Chicken and Prepared Foods—selling fresh and value-added meats as well as products such as bacon, sausage, sandwiches and prepared meals. The company states its purpose as “We Feed the World Like Family.” [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Most of Tyson’s operations are in the United States, although it sells products internationally. In fiscal 2025, it reported $54.4 billion in sales, employed approximately 133,000 people worldwide and sold products in approximately 140 countries and regions.[8][9][10][11] [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
Products & services
Tyson Foods’ beef and pork products include primal and sub-primal cuts and case-ready meat for retailers and foodservice customers. Its beef operations also sell hides, rendered products and variety meats. Its chicken range spans fresh and frozen poultry and value-added products such as breaded strips, nuggets, patties, and ready-to-prepare or fully cooked chicken parts. The beef, pork and chicken businesses also serve export markets and include supply-chain logistics activities.[3][4][5]
Prepared Foods manufactures frozen and refrigerated products including ready-to-cook or ready-to-eat sandwiches, bacon, breakfast sausage, lunchmeat, hot dogs, appetizers, snacks and prepared meals. Its brands include Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, Wright, State Fair, Aidells and Gallo Salame.[6] In fiscal 2025, sales to external customers from Beef, Pork, Chicken and Prepared Foods represented approximately 38.8%, 8.0%, 30.7% and 18.2% of consolidated sales, respectively; the remaining 4.2% was reported in International/Other.[12] [3][4][5][6][12][12][12][12][12][12]
Geographic presence
Tyson Foods is headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, and its business is concentrated in the United States. In fiscal 2025, sales to customers in foreign countries were $7.4 billion, approximately 13.6% of its $54.4 billion in consolidated sales. U.S. exports accounted for $4.8 billion of those foreign-country sales. Tyson sells products in approximately 140 countries and regions, including Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom and markets across Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.[7][10][13]
The company has a substantial U.S. production footprint and international operations that include poultry production and processing in Thailand, Malaysia and China, as well as operations or business interests in Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Mexico. Its European business sells across the United Kingdom and continental Europe. These forms of presence vary and include subsidiaries, joint ventures and minority interests.[14][15][16][17][18][19]
At the end of fiscal 2025, Tyson employed approximately 133,000 people worldwide: 116,000 in the United States and 17,000 elsewhere, primarily in Thailand and China.[9] [7][10][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][9]
Business segments
Tyson Foods reports four business segments: Beef, Pork, Chicken and Prepared Foods. Beef processes cattle into beef cuts and case-ready products and sells by-products such as hides and rendered products. Pork processes hogs into pork cuts and case-ready products and includes live-swine operations. Chicken raises and processes chickens for fresh, frozen and value-added products, including breaded and fully cooked items. Prepared Foods manufactures frozen and refrigerated products such as bacon, sausage, lunchmeat, hot dogs and prepared meals. Each segment also includes related supply-chain activities.[2][3][4][5][6]
In fiscal 2025, the approximate mix of sales across Tyson’s reported segments and International/Other, before eliminating sales between segments, was Beef 38%, Chicken 30%, Prepared Foods 18%, Pork 10% and International/Other 4%.[11] International/Other is not a reportable segment; it primarily comprises operations in China, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Thailand and Saudi Arabia, along with certain corporate and integration costs.[2] [2][3][4][5][6][11][11][11][11][11]
Company history
John W. Tyson founded the business in 1935 after beginning to haul chickens from Arkansas to markets in the Midwest. Tyson expanded into poultry processing in 1958 and became a publicly held company in 1963. Don Tyson took over leadership following his father’s death in 1967.[20][21][22][23]
Acquisitions broadened Tyson beyond chicken: it bought poultry producer Holly Farms in 1989 and beef and pork processor IBP in 2001. John H. Tyson, the founder’s grandson, became CEO in 2000. The company later acquired Hillshire Brands in 2014, adding a major portfolio of prepared-food brands.[23][24][25][26] [20][24][26][21][22][23][25]
Sources
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