Applegate
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersBridgewater, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Applegate does
Applegate Farms, LLC is a privately held natural and organic value-added prepared meats company operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corporation (NASDAQ: HRL). Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey, the company produces a diversified portfolio of meat products across eleven core categories including bacon, breaded chicken, breakfast sausage and sandwiches, burgers, deli meats, dinner sausage, frittata bites, hot dogs, meal-ready proteins, and traditional Italian cured meats, marketed under sub-brands such as Applegate Naturals, Applegate Organics, The Great Organic, and the Applegate Humanely Raised certification program.
Applegate's core proposition is built on three explicit standards: "No Antibiotics Ever," humanely raised animal practices, and simple clean-label ingredients without artificial additives. The company has built a category-defining regenerative agriculture sourcing program, achieving 100% regenerative beef sourcing for its Do Good Dog hot dog line in March 2025 (nine months ahead of schedule) and helping transition nearly 11 million acres to certified regenerative practices through international supply partnerships with Australian and Uruguayan beef suppliers. Products carry multiple third-party certifications including Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Gluten Free, Whole30 Approved, and Grass-Fed options.
The business model is a traditional consumer packaged goods (CPG) operation: Applegate generates revenue through retail grocery distribution across major national chains, a foodservice channel operated through the Hormel Foodservice division serving commercial operators, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce via its own website and an Instacart partnership. The company is also an active participant in industry advocacy coalitions defending state-level animal welfare laws such as California's Proposition 12 and Massachusetts's Question 3. As a subsidiary, Applegate benefits from Hormel's corporate infrastructure, shared supply chain, and distribution scale while operating with a lean brand-focused team of 51-100 employees.
Applegate firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Applegate
- Legal name
- Applegate Farms, LLC
- Website
- https://applegate.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Applegate industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Natural and Organic Meat Products
- NAICS
- Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116), Meat Processed from Carcasses (311612), Food Manufacturing (311)
- SIC
- Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Prepared Meat Meals (RTE/RTH) (AFANAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Deli Meats & Luncheon Meats (Sliced/Portioned Cold Cuts) (AFANAEAD), Shelf-Stable Processed Meats (Canned, Retort Pouches, Jerky/Meat Snacks) (AFANAEAJ), Cured Meats (Dry-Cured, Wet-Cured, Hams, Bacon) (AFANAEAA)
Keywords
Where Applegate is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bridgewater
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Applegate business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel
Revenue model
- Consumer Packaged Goods Sales: Applegate generates revenue through the sale of natural and organic meat products including bacon, breakfast sausage, hot dogs, deli meat, chicken products, and dinner sausages through retail grocery channels and foodservice operators.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Applegate product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Applegate produces and sells natural and organic value-added prepared meats — including bacon, hot dogs, breakfast sausage, deli meats, burgers, breaded chicken, dinner sausage, and Italian cured meats — under sub-brands Applegate Naturals and Applegate Organics. Products are distributed through grocery retailers, foodservice operators, and e-commerce channels, with a stated commitment to no antibiotics ever, humanely raised animals, and simple clean ingredients.
Product overview
Applegate is a natural and organic meat company offering a diverse portfolio of meat products organized into product categories. The core offerings include Bacon, Breaded Chicken (nuggets, patties, tenders, strips), Breakfast Sandwich, Breakfast Sausage, Burgers, Deli Meat (turkey, ham, chicken, roast beef), Dinner Sausage, Frittata Bites, Hot Dogs (beef, turkey, pork varieties), Meal-Ready Proteins (chicken strips, shredded chicken), and Traditional Italian meats (soppressata, salami, pepperoni, prosciutto). Products are sold under sub-brands including Applegate Naturals and Applegate Organics, with filtering options for Organic, Natural, Grass Fed, Non-GMO Project Verified, Gluten Free, No Sugar, and Whole30 Approved.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Applegate Naturals: Natural meat products line
- Applegate Organics
- The Great Organic
- Applegate Humanely Raised
Products and services
- Bacon
Quantifiable outcome
- Transitioned nearly 11 million acres to certified regenerative practices through international sourcing partnerships
Companies that use Applegate
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Applegate technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Applegate partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Perdue FoodsminorPerdue Foods joined Applegate and 17 other companies in reissuing an open letter to Congress urging rejection of the Food Security and Farm Protection Act, which would prohibit state and local governments from imposing standards on the pre-harvest production of agricultural products from other states. The coalition supports voter-approved animal welfare laws including California Proposition 12 and Massachusetts Question 3.
- True Story FoodsminorTrue Story Foods is part of the industry coalition led by ButcherBox and including Applegate to defend voter-approved animal welfare laws. The companies signed an open letter opposing federal legislation that would preempt state animal confinement standards.
- Niman RanchminorNiman Ranch joined the coalition of 19 companies including Applegate advocating for the preservation of state-level animal welfare laws, particularly California's Proposition 12 and Massachusetts Question 3.
- ButcherBoxminorButcherBox leads the industry coalition for animal welfare advocacy, reactivating its campaign to defend voter-approved state animal welfare laws with support from Applegate and other industry partners including Perdue Foods, True Story Foods, and Niman Ranch.
- Australian and Uruguayan Beef SupplierscoreApplegate expanded its regenerative beef sourcing internationally to Australia and Uruguay due to established grass-fed systems that could accommodate regenerative certification. This partnership enabled Applegate to achieve its goal of sourcing all beef hot dogs from regenerative operations nine months early, helping transition nearly 11 million acres to certified regenerative practices.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Applegate competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Niman Ranch: Premium natural and humanely raised pork, beef, and lamb brand sold through retail and foodservice. Directly comparable to Applegate as a heritage-driven, welfare-focused, antibiotic-free meat brand with overlapping channels and customer base.
- True Story Foods: Clean-ingredient, no-antibiotic-ever meat brand spanning sausage, deli, and hot dog categories. Operates in nearly identical product categories and retail channels as Applegate, with comparable clean-label positioning.
- ButcherBox: Subscription-based DTC delivery service for 100% grass-fed beef, organic chicken, and heritage pork. Comparable to Applegate in welfare and sourcing standards, with overlapping health-conscious consumer target.
- Vital Farms: Pasture-raised egg and now dairy/butter brand with a values-driven, premium-positioned, transparency-led consumer brand identity. Comparable to Applegate as a publicly-traded, premium, ethically-sourced food brand with strong consumer affinity.
- Coleman Natural Foods: Natural and organic protein producer of beef, pork, lamb, and deli products sold through retail and foodservice. Directly comparable product mix and channel footprint to Applegate's natural meats line.
Broad incumbents
- Perdue Foods: Major poultry producer with growing organic and antibiotic-free product lines including the Perdue Harvestland brand. Overlaps with Applegate on chicken, organic, and no-antibiotic positioning, but at much larger scale and across a broader portfolio.
- Tyson Foods: Largest US meat producer with rapidly expanding organic and antibiotic-free product lines including Tyson Naturals and Jimmy Dean. Comparable as a competitor encroaching on Apple's natural/organic premium positioning with greater scale and lower cost structure.
- JBS USA: Global meat giant whose Pilgrim's Pride and Swift subsidiaries are expanding no-antibiotic and organic lines. A scale-driven competitor whose pricing power could pressure Apple's premium positioning across deli and sausage categories.
- Cargill: Diversified global food and protein company with growing antibiotic-free and sustainable meat offerings supplied to retailers and foodservice. Comparable as a large-scale incumbent building competing natural and regenerative protein programs.
Regional players
- Organic Valley: Farmer-owned organic cooperative best known for dairy but with growing organic meat program. Comparable to Applegate on organic certification, regenerative practices, and values-driven consumer base.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Applegate social profiles
Digital presenceApplegate financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Applegate leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Applegate funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Applegate M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Applegate
What does Applegate do?
Applegate produces and sells natural and organic value-added prepared meats — including bacon, hot dogs, breakfast sausage, deli meats, burgers, breaded chicken, dinner sausage, and Italian cured meats — under sub-brands Applegate Naturals and Applegate Organics. Products are distributed through grocery retailers, foodservice operators, and e-commerce channels, with a stated commitment to no antibiotics ever, humanely raised animals, and simple clean ingredients.
Is Applegate a public or private company?
Applegate is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Applegate founded?
Applegate was founded in 1987. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Applegate based?
Applegate is headquartered in Bridgewater, United States, in the North America region.
How does Applegate make money?
One revenue line is on record: consumer Packaged Goods Sales.
Who are Applegate's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Niman Ranch, True Story Foods, ButcherBox, Vital Farms and Coleman Natural Foods. Broad incumbents are Perdue Foods, Tyson Foods, JBS USA and Cargill. Organic Valley is listed as a regional player.
Does Applegate have an API?
No public API is recorded for Applegate.
What industry is Applegate in?
Applegate's product category is Natural and Organic Meat Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFANAFAA, Prepared Meat Meals (RTE/RTH), with a secondary code of AFANAEAD, Deli Meats & Luncheon Meats (Sliced/Portioned Cold Cuts). Its NAICS code is 3116 and its SIC code is 2013.