What Farmington Foods does

Farmington Foods is a family-owned meat processing company headquartered at 7419 West Franklin Street, Forest Park, Illinois, founded in 1972 by Albert R. La Valle, Albert Joseph La Valle, and Frank A. DiJohn. The company operates two SQF Level 2-certified processing facilities in Forest Park — one dedicated to premium fresh meats and the other to ready-to-eat entrées — under a HACCP-based food safety management system with USDA inspection and serialized product traceability. Its product portfolio comprises raw butcher-cut meats (pork chops, ribs, tenderloins, racks, loins) and fully-cooked, hickory-smoked entrées (pulled pork, pulled chicken, ribs, pork carnitas, beef barbacoa, flavored crumbles), organized into four product lines: food service, retail private label, deli counter, and the Big Shoulders Smokehouse consumer sub-brand. The company markets itself on Chicago meat-packing heritage and three generations of family expertise; current leadership has been in place for nearly thirty years under President Tony DiJohn and CFO/COO Al La Valle (Albert Anthony).

The company distributes through national food service distributors including Sysco, US Foods, Gordon Food Service, Restaurant Depot, Reinhart, Quirch, and Panos, and through retail grocery chains including Meijer, Costco, Jewel-Osco, Schnucks, Sam's Club, and Publix. It manufactures retailer-owned private label products and also operates a branded consumer sub-brand, Big Shoulders Smokehouse, with social presence on Facebook and Instagram. Pricing is negotiated directly with distributor and retail buyers and is not publicly disclosed.

The business model is a B2B co-manufacturing and private-label operation with hybrid channel-partner and sales-led go-to-market. There are no subsidiaries, no disclosed external investors or funding rounds, and no parent company. The corporate profile lists 11–50 employees, though this figure appears materially smaller than the national distribution footprint across multi-billion-dollar enterprise accounts would imply, suggesting either an understated headcount metric or significant reliance on contract/seasonal labor.

Name

Farmington Foods

Legal name

Farmington Foods, LLC

Website

https://farmingtonfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Founded in 1972, Farmington Foods is a family-owned, SQF Level 2-certified meat processor in Forest Park, Illinois, supplying raw and fully-cooked pork and barbecue products to national food service distributors and retail grocery chains via private label and its Big Shoulders Smokehouse brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Meat Processing and Manufacturing

NAICS

Meat Processed from Carcasses (311612), Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Meat Packing Plants (2011), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Further Processing (Cooked, Smoked, Cured & Deli Meats) (AFAKALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pork Wholesale (Primal/Subprimal, Boxed Pork) (AFAIADAB), Pork Further Processing (Cured, Smoked, Ham, Bacon) (AFANABAE)

Keywords

• Meat processing
• Pork products
• Food service distribution
• Private label meats
• BBQ products

Headquarters

HQ city

Forest Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Service Distribution: B2B sales of premium meat products to food service operators including restaurants, hotels, and institutional caterers through major distributors.
2. Retail Private Label: Private label manufacturing for food retailers, offering complete portfolio of raw and fully cooked meat items under retailer brands with customization capabilities.
3. Big Shoulders Branded Retail: Consumer-facing branded products under Big Shoulders Smokehouse label sold through retail grocery chains including baby back ribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken, pork loin chops, and beef barbacoa.
4. Deli Counter Products: Fully cooked, ready-to-heat deli products for grocery deli counters including Hickory Smoked Premium Pork Ribs, Pulled Pork, Pork Carnitas, Beef Barbacoa, and flavored chicken products.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Farmington Foods processes and distributes raw, custom-processed, value-added, and fully cooked pork and meat products from two SQF Level 2-certified facilities in Forest Park, Illinois. The company supplies food service operators (restaurants, hotels, caterers) and food retailers with private label and branded offerings, including the Big Shoulders Smokehouse consumer brand of premium BBQ products.

Product overview

Farmington Foods is a family-owned meat processing company founded in 1972, operating SQF Level 2-certified processing facilities in Forest Park, Illinois. The company offers a diversified portfolio of fresh butcher-cut meats and chef-prepped, fully-cooked entrees organized into four main product categories: Food Service Products (raw, custom-processed, and fully-cooked items for food service operators), Retail Products (private label and branded fresh meats for grocers), Deli Products (fully-cooked ready-to-eat items for delis and quick-service restaurants), and Big Shoulders Smokehouse (a Chicago heritage sub-brand of premium barbecue products for retail consumers). The product portfolio spans pork ribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken, pork loins, pork chops, pork tenderloins, pork carnitas, beef barbacoa, and various pork crumbles, with products available in both raw and fully-cooked formats. The company's SQF Level 2-certified facilities include one dedicated to premium fresh meats and another dedicated to ready-to-eat entrees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Shoulders Smokehouse: A premium BBQ brand featuring fully-cooked, slow-smoked meat products including ribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken, pork loin chops, and beef barbacoa. Products are hand-trimmed, hickory smoked, and chef-seasoned.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ years in business with family ownership continuity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Smithfield Foods: Largest U.S. pork processor offering fresh and prepared pork products to retail, foodservice, and export. Overlaps in pork product categories and private label programs, but operates at far greater scale with vertically integrated hog production.
• Boar's Head Provisions: Established national deli meat and prepared protein brand with broad retail distribution. Comparable in deli/prepared meat category, but significantly larger and more brand-driven than Farmington.
• Tyson Foods: Largest U.S. meat processor with broad portfolio across beef, pork, chicken, and prepared foods. Competes for retail private label and foodservice business across all protein categories Farmington serves.
• Dietz & Watson: Family-owned deli meat and prepared protein producer with national retail presence. Comparable in deli and prepared meat categories and family-owned heritage, though larger and more brand-recognized.

Direct peers

• Premio Foods: Family-owned sausage and prepared meat manufacturer serving retail and foodservice. Comparable in product mix, family ownership structure, and channel strategy.
• Carando Foods: Italian-style prepared meat and sausage brand serving retail deli and foodservice. Comparable in prepared/cooked protein category and retail deli positioning.
• Hatfield Quality Meats: Mid-size pork processor offering fresh and value-added pork products to retail and foodservice channels. Direct comparable in scale, pork focus, and dual retail/foodservice go-to-market.
• Daily's Premium Meats: Specialty prepared meat manufacturer (bacon, smoked meats) serving foodservice and retail. Comparable in product positioning around premium, fully-cooked, hickory-smoked proteins for deli and foodservice customers.
• Kayem Foods: New England-based family-owned meat processor producing fresh and prepared meats, sausages, and deli products. Comparable family-owned, mid-scale private meat processor with retail and foodservice channels.

Regional players

• Appalachian Naturals / Neese's Country Sausage: Regional prepared meat and sausage manufacturer serving Southeastern U.S. retail and foodservice. Comparable in product type and channel approach, but geographically focused on a different region than Farmington's Midwest base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bigshoulderssmokehouse
• Instagraminstagram.com/bigshoulderssmokehouse

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Farmington Foods