Allen Family Foods was a large American producer and exporter of
chicken
The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster or cock is a term for an adult m ...
, headquartered in
Seaford, Delaware
Seaford is a city located along the Nanticoke River in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the city is 6,928, an increase of 3.4% from the 2000 census. It is part of the Salisb ...
. Founded in 1919 by Charles C. Allen and Nellie G. Allen as a small local
hatchery
A hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish, poultry or even turtles. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled condit ...
. At one time Allen Family Foods was 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 houses 25 million chickens at any given time. It employed 3,400 people in three states (
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, and
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
), with an annual payroll of $90 million.
['Allen's Hatchery celebrating 90th...'; Parks, Lynn R.; ''Laurel Star''; May 21, 2009] under the slogan is "The Quality Chicken People".
Allen's operated a hatchery alone until 1971, when it bought its first processing plant, near
Cordova, Maryland
Cordova is a village in Talbot County, Maryland, Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 592 at the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census.
Geography
Cordova is located at (38.877699, −75.990973).
According to the United ...
. The plant, formerly owned by
Esskay
Baltimore Highlands is a neighborhood in the Southeast District of Baltimore, located between the neighborhoods of Patterson Park and Kresson. Its boundaries are drawn by Pulaski Highway (north), East Baltimore Street (south), Haven Street (e ...
, was then leased to
Ralston-Purina
Ralston Purina Company was a St. Louis, Missouri,–based American conglomerate with substantial holdings in animal feed, food, pet food, consumer products, and entertainment. On December 12, 2001, it merged with Swiss food-giant Nestlé's Fris ...
under the agreement that Allen 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 the agreement, and Allen's took over the plant entirely. It mostly did custom processing for Holly Farms until 1980, when it started selling chickens under its own label throughout the Northeast. Eventually, it acquired two additional processing plants and an egg production company. It also owned a rendering plant in
Linkwood, Maryland
Linkwood is an unincorporated community in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. Linkwood is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 50 and Linkwood Road, southeast of Cambridge and northwest of Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code ...
, where chicken byproducts are turned into feed and dog food.
The company filed for bankruptcy in June 2011
and was subsequently sold off. The smaller company continues as Seaford-based Allen Harim Foods LLC.
Facilities
Allen Family Foods' facilities were sold between 2010 and 2011. The Hurlock and Delmar facilities belong to Amick Farms LLC
and the remaining sold property was reorganized under Allen Harim Foods.
See also
*
External links
Allen Family Foods, Inc.Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.National Chicken Council
References
{{reflist
Agriculture companies of the United States
Food manufacturers of the United States
Companies based in Sussex County, Delaware
Food and drink companies established in 1919
1919 establishments in Delaware
Ralston Purina
Agriculture in Delaware
Agriculture companies established in 1919
American companies established in 1919