John Soules Foods

What John Soules Foods does

John Soules Foods, doing business as Soules Kitchen, is a U.S. food producer headquartered in Tyler, Texas, founded in 1975 and operating with 1,001–5,000 employees. The company produces all-natural chicken and beef protein products and has historically supplied core chicken and beef SKUs to regional grocery channels. Its operating geographies are domestic, with primary retail relationships across Kroger, Costco, and Food Lion, and a nationwide Walmart rollout beginning April 18, 2026.

The company's revenue model is anchored in one-time sales of branded protein products through major retail grocery chains, targeting busy families seeking convenient, quick home-cooked meal solutions. Its go-to-market is product-led, with recent offensive moves centered on entering the refrigerated entrées category through two new product lines: Protein & Sauce Meal Entrées and Street Eats. Both lines pair all-natural chicken and beef proteins with chef-inspired sauces, including a licensed Mike's Hot Honey BBQ variety, providing a differentiated premium-sauce positioning versus commodity frozen or takeout alternatives.

Operationally, John Soules Foods leverages scaled protein processing capabilities (evidenced by its workforce size) to meet national retail volume requirements. The company is privately held, with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or public ticker. Leadership includes founder and co-CEO John Soules and CFO/Executive VP Keith Lewis. Distribution is concentrated in a small number of major mass and grocery retailers, which simultaneously enables scale and creates channel concentration exposure.

Name

John Soules Foods

Legal name

John Soules Foods

Website

https://johnsoulesfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

John Soules Foods (Soules Kitchen) is a U.S. protein producer founded in 1975 that sells all-natural chicken and beef products, including new refrigerated entrée lines, through major grocery retailers such as Walmart, Kroger, Costco, and Food Lion.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refrigerated Protein Entrées

NAICS

Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116), Poultry Processing (311615)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

Cold Prepared Foods & Meal Components (Sides, Proteins, Family Meals) (CRAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Freshly Made Grab-and-Go (Sandwiches, Wraps, Salads) (CRAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Refrigerated entrees
• Chicken products
• Beef products
• Protein meal solutions
• Ready-to-eat meals

Headquarters

HQ city

Tyler

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Chicken and Beef Product Sales: John Soules Foods generates revenue through the sale of chicken and beef products, including their new lines of refrigerated entrées featuring all-natural proteins paired with chef-inspired sauces.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Core offering

John Soules Foods manufactures and sells all-natural chicken and beef products under the Soules Kitchen brand, including two new refrigerated entrées lines — Protein & Sauce Meal Entrées and Street Eats — featuring chef-inspired sauces, with a licensed Mike's Hot Honey BBQ variety. Products are distributed through major U.S. retail grocery chains, targeting busy families seeking quick home-cooked meal solutions.

Product overview

John Soules Foods operates as Soules Kitchen, a leading U.S. producer of chicken and beef products. The company offers a portfolio of all-natural protein products including its core chicken and beef offerings, with recent expansion into the refrigerated entrées category through two new product lines: Protein & Sauce Meal Entrées and Street Eats. These new product lines feature chef-inspired sauces paired with all-natural proteins, including a licensed Mike's Hot Honey BBQ variety, and are distributed through major retail chains including Kroger, Costco, Food Lion, and Walmart.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Protein & Sauce Meal Entrées Refrigerated entrées product line featuring all-natural chicken and beef proteins paired with chef-inspired sauces, designed for busy families seeking quick home-cooked meals.
• Street Eats Refrigerated product line featuring all-natural chicken and beef proteins with street food-inspired sauces, targeting busy families seeking quick home-cooked meals.
• Mike's Hot Honey BBQ (Licensed Variety) Licensed BBQ sauce variety featuring the Mike's Hot Honey brand, offered within the Protein & Sauce Meal Entrées and Street Eats refrigerated lines.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mike's Hot HoneycoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerJohn Soules Foods has a licensing agreement with Mike's Hot Honey to feature their branded BBQ sauce variety (Mike's Hot Honey BBQ) as part of the new Protein & Sauce Meal Entrées product line. This partnership brings a recognized spicy honey brand into the refrigerated entrées category.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Tyson Foods: Largest U.S. poultry and prepared foods producer. Comparable as a major chicken and beef processor with a broad prepared/refrigerated meal portfolio sold through the same national grocery channels.
• Hormel Foods: Diversified protein and packaged foods company with refrigerated meal and entrée brands (e.g., Skippy, Justin's, Hormel Refrigerated Entreés). Comparable on refrigerated prepared foods category and mass retail distribution.

Direct peers

• Pilgrim's Pride: Large-scale chicken processor supplying retail and foodservice channels with prepared/value-added chicken products — directly comparable on protein production scale and customer base.
• Perdue Farms: Major chicken producer with branded refrigerated and prepared chicken products distributed nationally through grocery retail — closely comparable on protein category and retail go-to-market.
• Butterball: Major poultry and prepared turkey/chicken products company with national retail presence — comparable on protein category, prepared food portfolio, and grocery channel strategy.
• Brakebush Brothers: Privately held chicken processor focused on value-added, breaded, and prepared chicken products for retail and foodservice — directly comparable on product format and channel mix.
• Sanderson Farms (now Wayne-Sanderson Farms): Large U.S. chicken processor producing fresh and prepared poultry products for retail and foodservice — directly comparable on chicken protein production and scale.
• Foster Farms: Privately held U.S. poultry producer selling branded fresh and prepared chicken products in retail grocery, with comparable protein focus and regional-to-national distribution model.

Emerging players

• Bell & Evans: Premium all-natural chicken brand with refrigerated prepared chicken offerings sold in national grocery — comparable on all-natural protein positioning and premium refrigerated format.
• Kevin's Natural Foods: Specialty refrigerated entrée brand featuring chef-inspired proteins and sauces targeting health-conscious consumers — directly comparable on refrigerated meal format, sauce-driven differentiation, and retail grocery distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/johnsoulesfoods
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• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/johnsoulesfoods

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about John Soules Foods