Oscar Mayer is an American meat and cold cut producer known for its hot dogs, bologna, bacon, ham, and Lunchables products. The company is a subsidiary of the Kraft Heinz Company and is based in Chicago, Illinois.
German immigrant Oscar F. Mayer (1859–1955), born in Kösingen, Germany, began working at a meat market in Detroit, Michigan, and later in Chicago, Illinois. In 1883, Mayer and his brother Gottfried leased the Kolling Meat Market on the near-northside of Chicago. The Mayer brothers sold bratwurst, liverwurst, and weißwurst, which were popular in the predominantly German neighborhoods around their Chicago meat market.
As the meat market’s popularity grew, it expanded its storefront and participated in sponsoring local events including the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. By 1900, the company had 43 employees and a Chicago-wide delivery service. In 1904, Oscar Mayer began branding its meats to capitalize on their popularity, beginning an industry-wide trend.
Early company specialties were “Old World” sausages and Westphalian hams, soon followed by bacon and wieners. In 1919, the company made its first major expansion, with the purchase of a processing plant in Madison, Wisconsin. The plant was a profitable, efficient operation, and in 1957 Madison became the corporate headquarters.
For nearly a century, Oscar Mayer remained an independent company owned primarily by descendants of the Mayer brothers who started it. In 1981, Oscar Mayer stockholders elected to sell the company to General Foods. Four years later, Philip Morris acquired General Foods, and in 1989 merged General Foods with the newly acquired Kraft Foods transforming it into Kraft General foods.
These days, the Oscar Mayer brand is making radical changes to their full line, making it the first to market with no added nitrates or nitrites1, no artificial preservatives in their meat, and no by-products in every single one of their hot dogs.
According to en.wikipedia.org; businesswire.com; Statista. Source of photos: internet
