Koch Foods
Koch Foods is a privately held, vertically integrated U.S. poultry processor serving foodservice, grocery/retail, industrial, and export customers with commodity chicken parts, value-added prepared products, and the Koch Foods and Oven Cravers brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersPark Ridge, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Koch Foods does
Koch Foods is a privately held, family-owned (Grendys family) vertically integrated poultry processor headquartered in Park Ridge, Illinois, founded in 1985 as a 13-employee chicken de-boning operation and grown to approximately 13,000 employees and one of the largest poultry processors in the United States. The company's operations span feed milling (including a Morton, Mississippi facility producing more than 700,000 tons annually, ranking in the top 5 percent of individual mill capacities worldwide and winner of the 2018 AFIA Feed Facility of the Year in the integrator category), poultry growing, processing, and distribution to customers across foodservice, grocery/retail, industrial, and export channels.
Its product portfolio includes bone-in and boneless commodity chicken parts, value-added breaded and grilled prepared items, stuffed entrees, CN-labeled child nutrition products, private label offerings, and the Koch Foods and Oven Cravers consumer brands. Distribution is managed through four dedicated sales teams—national accounts (restaurant chains), commodity (volume buyers), prepared items (deli/foodservice), and industrial (food manufacturers)—with export reach to international trade areas. The company has invested heavily in capacity, including a $220 million, 402,140-square-foot expansion of its Fairfield, Ohio processing plant (2021–2022) that added two production lines to the existing seven.
Revenue is generated through B2B one-time sales across the four channels, with quote-based pricing for foodservice and industrial customers, unit pricing for retail/frozen consumer products, and FOB port pricing for export. Strategic relationships include US Foods (2025 Overall and Center of the Plate Vendor of the Year), Applebee's (2023 Supplier of the Year), and supply to healthcare, education, and leading food manufacturers. The company has navigated a DOJ broiler price-fixing indictment that was dismissed with prejudice, and operations continued through a February 2025 fire at the Fairfield facility.
Koch Foods firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Koch Foods
- Legal name
- KOCH FOODS INCORPORATED
- Website
- https://kochfoods.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Koch Foods is a privately held, vertically integrated U.S. poultry processor serving foodservice, grocery/retail, industrial, and export customers with commodity chicken parts, value-added prepared products, and the Koch Foods and Oven Cravers brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Koch Foods industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Poultry Processing
- NAICS
- Poultry Processing (311615)
- SIC
- Poultry Slaughtering And Processing (2015), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Broiler Processing (Whole Bird, Parts, Further Processing) (AFANACAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Further Processed Poultry (Cooked, Breaded, Nuggets, Patties, Wings) (AFANACAC), Frozen Meat & Poultry Meals & Value-Added Proteins (CRADADAH), Snacking & Single-Serve Protein Meals (Bowls, Bites, Packs) (AFANAFAH)
Keywords
Where Koch Foods is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Park Ridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Koch Foods business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Foodservice Poultry Products: Koch Foods sells bone-in and boneless commodity chicken parts, value-added breaded and grilled products, prepared wings, and custom products to restaurant chains, healthcare facilities, education institutions, and delis. This is described as the channel that made them one of the largest poultry processors in the U.S.
- Consumer/Retail Products: Sells frozen breaded and grilled chicken products under the Koch Foods brand and Oven Cravers heritage brand to grocery/retail stores, including private label partnerships and hot deli programs.
- Industrial/B2B Ingredients: Provides chicken parts (whole muscle, formed, sliced, diced, breaded or glazed) as raw materials and ingredients to food manufacturers and brands, with customized R&D product development.
- Export Sales: Sells chicken parts (legs, thighs) in 10kg and 15kg boxes, fresh or frozen, FOB port, to international trade areas open to the United States.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Consumer retail frozen chicken products |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Foodservice and industrial bulk products |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Koch Foods product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Koch Foods is a vertically integrated U.S. poultry processor that grows, processes, and distributes chicken products across four channels: foodservice (bone-in, boneless, breaded, prepared and value-added items for restaurants, healthcare, and education), consumer retail (frozen breaded and grilled chicken under the Koch Foods brand and Oven Cravers heritage brand, plus private label), industrial (chicken parts and customized ingredients for food manufacturers), and export (legs, thighs, and other parts to international markets). It also supplies CN-labeled child nutrition products for K-12 and university meal programs.
Product overview
Koch Foods is a vertically integrated poultry company offering a diversified portfolio of chicken products across multiple channels. The product line consists of consumer retail brands (Koch Foods frozen breaded/grilled chicken and Oven Cravers heritage comfort food brand), a comprehensive foodservice portfolio including bone-in, boneless, breaded, raw, prepared and value-added poultry products, industrial ingredients for food manufacturers, export products for international markets, and CN-labeled child nutrition products for schools. The company also partners with retailers on private label offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Oven Cravers: Heritage brand of Koch Foods offering comfort food entrees made with all white meat chicken in various delicious flavors
- Koch Foods (retail brand)
Products and services
- Koch Foods Retail Brand (Fully Cooked Frozen and Raw Frozen Chicken) Frozen breaded and grilled chicken products made with 100% all natural, clean ingredients, sold through grocery and retail channels under the Koch Foods brand. Includes fully cooked frozen, raw frozen, and stuffed chicken entrees.
- Oven Cravers (Heritage Retail Brand) Heritage brand of Koch Foods featuring frozen comfort-food entrees made with all white meat chicken in a variety of flavors, sold through retail grocery channels.
- Foodservice Poultry Products Comprehensive foodservice portfolio covering bone-in breaded, bone-in raw (whole bird, whole breast, parts), boneless wings, popcorn chicken, breast fillets, nuggets, patties, fries, prepared wings, raw boneless, stuffed entrees/minis, tenderloins/tenders/strips, and variety products. Sold to restaurant chains, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, deli operators, and business/industry cafeterias through dedicated national accounts, commodity, prepared items, and deli sales teams.
- Industrial Chicken Products and Custom R&D Customized chicken raw materials and ingredients for food manufacturers and brands, including whole muscle, formed, sliced, diced, breaded, or glazed chicken, developed in partnership with customers' R&D teams for use in manufactured food products.
- Export Chicken Products Chicken parts (legs, thighs) packed in 10kg and 15kg boxes, available fresh or frozen, FOB port, for international markets (including China and other trade areas open to the United States), sold through the dedicated export sales team.
- Child Nutrition Products (CN-Labeled) CN-labeled whole grain breaded chicken products (patties, nuggets, etc.) for school nutrition programs, meeting USDA meal pattern requirements for the National School Lunch Program and serving K-12 and university foodservice operators.
- Private Label Chicken Offerings Partnership program with grocery retailers to produce customized chicken products under retailer brands, plus hot deli programs sold through retailer storefronts.
Quantifiable outcome
- 700,000+ tons of poultry feed produced annually at Morton facility
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Koch Foods
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Koch Foods technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Koch Foods partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- US FoodscoreLongstanding vendor partnership with US Foods, one of the largest food service distributors. Koch Foods received both Center of the Plate Vendor of the Year and Overall Vendor of the Year awards at US Foods Vendor Forum 2025. The relationship involves collaboration on service and growth strategies for 2026.
- Applebee'scoreKoch Foods named Applebee's Supplier of the Year at the company's 2023 Franchise Conference. Recognition of providing great service and great products to support Applebee's franchise operations.
- American Feed Industry Association (AFIA)minorKoch Foods' Morton, Mississippi feed mill won the 2018 Feed Facility of the Year award in the integrator category. AFIA conducted the award program since 1985, recognizing 71 companies for outstanding performance in animal food manufacturing.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Koch Foods competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Case Foods: Privately held Mid-Atlantic poultry processor producing fresh and further-processed chicken for retail and foodservice. Smaller scale than Koch but directly comparable on vertically integrated chicken processing.
Direct peers
- Perdue Farms: Family-owned, vertically integrated poultry producer with strong prepared/value-added chicken presence (Perdue, Harvestland) and branded retail footprint. Compares to Koch on premium retail branding, private label and foodservice channels.
- Foster Farms: Privately held, family-owned U.S. poultry processor with significant West Coast and Central Valley operations serving retail and foodservice. Comparable to Koch on vertical integration and privately held family ownership, though more regionally concentrated.
- Mountaire Farms: Privately held U.S. poultry processor and one of Koch's closest direct peers - vertically integrated from feed mills through processing, serving foodservice, retail and export. Privately held by the Cameron family with comparable size and channel focus.
- George's Inc. Privately held, vertically integrated poultry processor across hatchery, feed, grow-out and processing, serving foodservice, retail and industrial channels. Direct competitor to Koch on scale (mid-top tier U.S. private processors) and full vertical integration.
- Pilgrim's Pride: JBS-controlled, publicly traded broiler processor with operations across U.S., Mexico and Europe serving retail, foodservice and industrial channels. Closest publicly traded comparison to Koch on product mix, channel breadth, and export exposure.
- Wayne-Sanderson Farms: Formed from JBS's 2022 acquisition of Sanderson Farms, Wayne-Sanderson is a top-five U.S. poultry processor with vertically integrated chicken operations across foodservice and retail. Highly comparable scale and channel structure to Koch Foods.
- Simmons Foods: Privately held vertically integrated poultry and pet food producer based in Arkansas, with operations in prepared chicken for foodservice and private-label retail. Comparable value-added prepared focus and family ownership profile to Koch.
Regional players
- House of Raeford: Privately held poultry processor with operations concentrated in the Southeast U.S., focused on whole birds, parts and prepared poultry for foodservice and retail. Comparable product line, though smaller and more regionally concentrated than Koch.
Broad incumbents
- Tyson Foods: The largest U.S. poultry processor with vertically integrated operations spanning fresh, prepared and value-added chicken across retail, foodservice and industrial channels. Directly comparable to Koch on scale, vertical integration, and channel mix; meaningfully larger in absolute size and brand reach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Koch Foods social profiles
Digital presenceKoch Foods financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Koch Foods leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Koch Foods funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Koch Foods M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Koch Foods
What does Koch Foods do?
Koch Foods is a vertically integrated U.S. poultry processor that grows, processes, and distributes chicken products across four channels: foodservice (bone-in, boneless, breaded, prepared and value-added items for restaurants, healthcare, and education), consumer retail (frozen breaded and grilled chicken under the Koch Foods brand and Oven Cravers heritage brand, plus private label), industrial (chicken parts and customized ingredients for food manufacturers), and export (legs, thighs, and other parts to international markets). It also supplies CN-labeled child nutrition products for K-12 and university meal programs.
Is Koch Foods a public or private company?
Koch Foods is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Koch Foods founded?
Koch Foods was founded in 1985. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Koch Foods based?
Koch Foods is headquartered in Park Ridge, United States, in the North America region.
How does Koch Foods make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Foodservice Poultry Products are the primary driver. The others are consumer/Retail Products, industrial/B2B Ingredients and export Sales.
Who are Koch Foods's main competitors?
Case Foods is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Perdue Farms, Foster Farms, Mountaire Farms, George's Inc., Pilgrim's Pride, Wayne-Sanderson Farms and Simmons Foods. House of Raeford is listed as a regional player. Tyson Foods is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Koch Foods have an API?
No public API is recorded for Koch Foods.
What industry is Koch Foods in?
Koch Foods's product category is Poultry Processing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFANACAI, Broiler Processing (Whole Bird, Parts, Further Processing), with a secondary code of AFANACAC, Further Processed Poultry (Cooked, Breaded, Nuggets, Patties, Wings). Its NAICS code is 311615 and its SIC code is 2015.