Allen Family Foods
Encyclopedia
Allen Family Foods is a large U.S. producer and exporter of chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...

, headquartered in Seaford, Delaware
Seaford, Delaware
Seaford is a city located along the Nanticoke River in Sussex County, Delaware. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the city is 6,928, an increase of 3.4% from the 2000 census...

. Founded in 1919 by Charles C. Allen and Nellie G Allen, as a small local hatchery
Hatchery
A hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish or poultry. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled conditions; alternatively, it may be for economic reasons A hatchery is a...

. Today, Allen Family Foods is the world's 18th largest producer of chicken products, producing 10.5 million pounds (4.8 million kg) of finished products per week. Their network of 500 independent growers house 25 million chickens at any given time. They employ 3,400 people in three states (Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

), with an annual payroll of $90 million. Their slogan is "The Quality Chicken People".

Allen's operated a hatchery alone until 1971, when they bought their first processing plant, near Cordova, Maryland
Cordova, Maryland
Cordova is a census-designated place in Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 592 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cordova is located at ....

. The plant, formerly owned by Esskay, was then leased to Ralston-Purina under the agreement that Allen's would process the chickens and sell them under Ralston's Checkerboard Square label. Allen's was informed in 1974 that Ralston-Purina would not be renewing their agreement, and Allen's took over the plant entirely. They mostly did custom processing for Holly Farms, until 1980 they started selling chickens under their own label throughout the Northeast. Eventually, they acquired two additional processing plants, and a egg production company. They now also own a rendering plant in Linkwood, Maryland
Linkwood, Maryland
Linkwood is an unincorporated community in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States.-References:...

, where chicken byproducts are turned into feed and dog food.

The company filed for bankruptcy in June 2011.

Facilities

Function Location
Headquarters Seaford, DE
Processing Plants Cordova, MD - Harbeson, DE - Hurlock, MD
Hatcheries Dagsboro, DE - Hurlock, MD,Seaford,DE
Breeder Egg Production Liberty, NC
Feed Mills Delmar, DE - Seaford, DE
Rendering Plant Linkwood, MD

External links

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