Burke Corporation

What Burke Corporation does

Burke Corporation is a U.S. foodservice ingredient manufacturer specializing in fully cooked meat products for the restaurant industry. Founded in 1974 and headquartered in Nevada, Iowa, the company operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hormel Foods Corporation, with a secondary production facility in Lathrop, California operated under its Swiss American Sausage Co.™ brand (established 1930). Burke employs 251-500 people and sells under a portfolio of brands including BURKE®, MADE SIMPLE®, SWISS AMERICAN SAUSAGE CO.™, Tezzata, Premoro, and Magnifoods. The product line spans pepperoni, Italian and breakfast sausage, chorizo, beef toppings, chicken, bacon, Canadian bacon and ham, andouille, meatballs, and plant-based alternatives, sold as ingredients (not consumer packaged goods) to foodservice operators.

Burke's underlying technology centers on fully cooked meat processing and formulation, with a research and development group experienced in custom-formulating products to match specific customer recipes. The company holds SQF 2000 Level 3 Certification, the most stringent level awarded by the Safe Quality Food Institute, which functions as a third-party-verified food safety credential. Burke offers custom formulation services and a private label program for food manufacturers and processors, in addition to its stock product portfolio. Products feature an extended six-month frozen shelf life, consistent piece count and slice dealability for portion-cost accuracy, and bulk packaging options (20/30/40 lb boxes, totes, and 25/30 lb bags). A clean-label sub-brand, Made Simple, addresses demand for all-natural, minimally processed ingredients free from artificial additives.

Burke operates a B2B, sales-led go-to-market organized by region, with dedicated sales managers for each territory. Its distribution model is two-tier: direct shipments to chain restaurants' distribution centers or production facilities for orders of 2,000 pounds or more, and indirect sales through foodservice distributor partners for smaller orders serving independent operators. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company generates revenue through foodservice ingredient sales to restaurant chains, independent restaurants, foodservice distributors, and food manufacturers/processors. Customer acquisition is supported through trade show attendance (International Pizza Expo, IFT, RCA events), an online sample request program, content marketing via a recipe and menu-idea library, and a dedicated sales resource portal for distributors and DSRs. Geographic focus is North America, with a West Coast emphasis via the Lathrop facility.

Name

Burke Corporation

Legal name

Burke Corporation

Website

https://burkecorp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Burke Corporation is a Hormel Foods subsidiary that manufactures fully cooked meat ingredients — pepperoni, sausage, chorizo, bacon, meatballs, and plant-based alternatives — for foodservice customers including restaurant chains, independents, distributors, and food manufacturers across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foodservice Meat Ingredients

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Other Food Manufacturing (3119)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

Ground & Formed Meat Products Manufacturing (Burgers, Sausages, Meatballs) (AFAKALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cooked & RTE Processed Meats (Roasts, Meatloaf, Sliced RTE) (AFANAEAF), Formed & Restructured Meats (Nuggets, Patties, Logs, Portion-Control) (AFANAEAI), Frozen Meat & Poultry Meals & Value-Added Proteins (CRADADAH), Foodservice/Institutional Prepared Meat & Seafood Meals (Bulk/Portioned) (AFANAFAK)

Keywords

• Fully cooked meats
• Pizza toppings
• Foodservice ingredients
• Private label meats
• Custom meat formulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Nevada

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foodservice Ingredient Sales: B2B sales of fully cooked meat ingredients to restaurant chains, independent operators, distributors, and manufacturers. Products sold as ingredients for foodservice operators rather than consumer packaged goods.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Burke Corporation manufactures and markets fully cooked meat ingredients — including pizza toppings, sausage, pepperoni, beef, chicken, bacon, chorizo, andouille, meatballs, and plant-based alternatives — for B2B foodservice customers such as restaurant chains, independent operators, foodservice distributors, and food manufacturers. The company also offers custom formulation and private label services through its in-house R&D group, with a multi-brand portfolio (BURKE®, MADE SIMPLE®, Swiss American Sausage Co.™, Tezzata, Premoro, Magnifoods) supported by SQF 2000 Level 3 certification.

Product overview

Burke Corporation is a foodservice ingredients manufacturer specializing in fully cooked meats and protein products. The company's portfolio centers on its core BURKE® Fully Cooked Meats line, complemented by the clean-label MADE SIMPLE® Brand sub-brand and the heritage SWISS AMERICAN SAUSAGE CO.™ brand (operating since 1930). Additional brands include Tezzata (Mexican-style), Premoro (Italian-style), and Magnifoods (specialty). The product lineup spans pepperoni, Italian and breakfast sausage, chorizo, beef toppings, chicken, bacon, ham, Canadian bacon, andouille, meatballs, and plant-based alternatives. Burke serves chain restaurants, independents, distributors, and manufacturers with ingredients for pizza, breakfast, appetizers, sandwiches, soups, salads, and other culinary applications. The company also offers custom formulation and private label services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BURKE® Fully Cooked Meats Flagship line of fully cooked meat ingredients for foodservice operators, including various sizes, flavors, and performance attributes spanning pepperoni, sausage and pork toppings, beef toppings, chicken, bacon, Canadian bacon and ham, andouille, meatballs, chorizo, Mexican-style meats, diced meats, cured meat crumbles, sliced sausage links, and Hand-Pinched Style® toppings.
• MADE SIMPLE® Brand All-natural, minimally processed fully cooked meats free from artificial ingredients, targeting foodservice customers seeking cleaner label products.
• Swiss American Sausage Co.™ Brand West Coast brand established in 1930 providing high quality dry and Italian-style sausage products (including pepperoni, salami, and specialty West-Coast-style sausages) from its Lathrop, California facility.
• Tezzata Mexican-Style Meats Mexican-style meat products marketed under the Tezzata brand for pizzeria, restaurant, manufacturer, processor and distributor customers.
• Premoro Italian-Style Meats Italian-style meat products marketed under the Premoro brand for foodservice applications.
• Magnifoods Specialty Meats Specialty meat products marketed under the Magnifoods brand for foodservice customers.
• Custom Formulation Services In-house R&D service that formulates fully cooked meat products to match individual customer recipes and specifications, addressing the needs of restaurant chains and other foodservice customers.
• Private Label Program Private labeling service for both stock and custom fully cooked meat products, enabling foodservice customers and manufacturers to offer Burke-produced proteins under their own brand.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Johnsonville: Largest U.S. sausage maker and a direct competitor to Burke's Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, and fully cooked meat topping lines for foodservice and retail. Operates a comparable multi-format, multi-cuisine sausage portfolio with similar chain-account sales motion.
• Brakebush Brothers: Privately held, family-owned fully cooked chicken and protein manufacturer serving foodservice chains — directly comparable to Burke's fully cooked meat ingredients model, with the same B2B foodservice customer base and similar chain-account sales motion.

Broad incumbents

• Hormel Foods Corporation: Burke's parent company and a diversified foodservice and retail protein incumbent. While Burke operates within Hormel, Hormel's broader prepared meats, pepperoni, and foodservice ingredient lines compete in the same operator/chain procurement decisions and represent the natural exit/strategic alternative.
• Tyson Foods: One of the largest U.S. protein manufacturers with a broad fully cooked and value-added foodservice portfolio (pepperoni, sausage, chicken strips, meatballs) directly overlapping Burke's product set. A broad incumbent that competes for chain foodservice accounts at national scale.
• Hillshire Brands (Tyson): Prepared meats brand under Tyson Foods producing sausage, pepperoni, and lunch meats for retail and foodservice — competing directly with Burke's sausage and pepperoni lines in chain and distributor channels.
• Smithfield Foods: Largest U.S. pork processor with a sizable foodservice division producing pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, and bacon products for pizza and restaurant chains — a direct competitor to Burke's pork-based pizza toppings and breakfast meats.
• Perdue Farms: Major poultry and prepared foods manufacturer with a foodservice division producing fully cooked chicken strips, diced chicken, and chicken sausage — directly overlapping Burke's chicken product line and competing for the same chain foodservice accounts.
• Butterball: Leading U.S. turkey and poultry products company with a foodservice business producing fully cooked turkey burgers, breakfast sausage, and deli meats — comparable to Burke in scale and B2B foodservice orientation for protein toppings and breakfast proteins.
• Conagra Brands: Diversified packaged foods incumbent with significant foodservice exposure producing prepared meats, frozen meals, and pizza toppings — a broad competitor whose foodservice offerings overlap Burke's portfolio at chain customers.
• Kraft Heinz (Oscar Mayer): Major CPG company with prepared meats (Oscar Mayer) and foodservice pizza topping lines competing for chain and distributor accounts where Burke also sells. Represents a broad incumbent with established foodservice sales infrastructure and category breadth beyond Burke's specialty focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/burkecorpmeats
• Facebookfacebook.com/BurkeCorporation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burke-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Burke Corporation