Perdue Farms Inc.

What does Perdue Farms own?

Perdue Farms owns the Perdue, Perdue Harvestland, Coleman Natural, and Niman Ranch brands, plus foodservice and private-label operations and the Perdue AgriBusiness grain and feed division.

Is Perdue Farms publicly traded?

No. It is a private company wholly owned by the Perdue family across four generations.

Who founded Perdue Farms?

Arthur and Pearl Perdue founded it in 1920 on a farm in Salisbury, Maryland. Frank Perdue built the national brand; Jim Perdue chairs the company today.

Who is the CEO of Perdue Farms?

Kevin McAdams has been CEO since 2021, the first non-family chief executive in company history, working alongside Chairman Jim Perdue.

Where is Perdue Farms headquartered?

Salisbury, Maryland, on the Delmarva Peninsula where the company was founded.

How big is Perdue Farms?

One of the top four US poultry producers, with about 20,000 employees and estimated annual revenue above $8 billion.

Arthur Perdue, a former railroad worker, and his wife Pearl founded the business on a Salisbury, Maryland farm in 1920, selling table eggs from carefully bred layer flocks. The company built its early reputation on breeding quality through the Depression and began raising meat birds in the 1950s as the broiler industry emerged on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Frank Perdue took over in the 1950s and drove two decades of vertical integration: feed mills, hatcheries, processing plants. In 1968 he made the decision that defined the company, selling chicken under the Perdue name directly to consumers. His personal television campaign, "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken," ran for decades and made him the most famous poultry executive in the country.

Jim Perdue became chairman in 1991. His tenure repositioned the company for the natural and premium era: the 2011 acquisitions of Coleman Natural and Niman Ranch, the 2016 commitment to no-antibiotics-ever chicken production, and expansion of value-added and foodservice lines. Frank Perdue died in 2005 at age 84.

The 2020s brought generational transition. Kevin McAdams, a veteran of the poultry industry, became CEO in 2021, the first non-family chief executive in company history. Fourth-generation family members Ryan and Chris Perdue took on senior operating roles. The company marked its centennial in 2020 while continuing to rank among the nation's largest broiler processors.

Perdue's animal welfare commitments are among the most developed in US poultry: the company adopted standards based on the "Five Freedoms" framework, was an early signatory to welfare commitments, and its Niman Ranch network operates under independently verified welfare protocols. The company committed to no-antibiotics-ever chicken in 2016. Environmental work centers on Chesapeake Bay watershed stewardship, relevant to its Delmarva footprint, including poultry litter management programs. Scope is company-disclosed plus the third-party Niman Ranch certifications.

Perdue operates in an industry with structural scrutiny: industry-wide antitrust litigation over broiler pricing has named major US producers including Perdue in civil suits that have seen settlements across the sector. Worker safety, grower contract practices, and Chesapeake Bay nutrient pollution are recurring regulatory and advocacy themes affecting all Delmarva poultry companies. Product recalls for foreign material and labeling have occurred under standard USDA FSIS processes. No single disqualifying controversy is on record, but the structural issues are shared with the industry.