Applegate is owned by Hormel Foods (the United States, NYSE: HRL), which acquired the brand on 13 July 2015.[1][2] Applegate was founded in 1987 in the United States and was independent until 2015.
Applegate sells meat raised without antibiotics and free from artificial ingredients, founded in 1987 well before those claims were common. Hormel acquired it in 2015 for $775 million, its entry into the natural and organic segment. It operates as a separate business within Hormel and continues to source from independent farms rather than the parent company's own supply chain.
Hormel acquired Applegate Farms for about $775 million. Applegate sells meat raised without antibiotics and free from artificial ingredients, claims it had built a business on well before they were common, and it continues to source from independent farms rather than from its parent's supply chain.