Tulip Ltd, the UK’s biggest producer and processor of pigs, is to change its name to Pilgrim’s Pride Ltd from Monday, August 31.
Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation, a US-based pig and poultry supplier, which, in turn, is owned by Brazilian meat giant JBS, acquired Tulip in October 2019 from Danish Crown.
The change in corporate identity is the latest step in the company’s integration programme. A full rebranding project is now being rolled out across the business and will continue into 2021.
Tulip CEO Andrew Cracknell said: “The Pilgrim’s culture, vision, values and strategy perfectly translate to our business and seamlessly compliment the strong foundations of our business.
“This is an important milestone as we continue our integration into the Pilgrim’s family, and an exciting time for the Pilgrim’s UK team, our farmers, customers and suppliers.”
Tulip has been a familiar name in the UK pork landscape for nearly two decades. Tulip International was established in 1990 through a merger of various companies in Denmark and Tulip Ltd was established as a single processing company for the UK in 2002.
Through BQP, Tulip breeds and rear around 1.5 million pigs a year using a range of production systems, including outdoor born, straw-finished, RSPCA Freedom Food Assured, free range and organic. With around 30% of the UK market share, it is the UK’s largest pig farming business and buyer of slaughter pigs. The integrated company also has 15 manufacturing facilities located throughout the UK, supplying the retail and foodservice sector with pork products.
Pilgrim, which also owns UK poultry giant Moy Park, is one of the world’s largest poultry producers and a fully integrated pork producer.
With 58,000 ‘team members’, the company includes 39 production facilities and 27 prepared foods facilities in 14 US states, the UK, Puerto Rico, Mexico and elsewhere in Europe. It partners more than 4,900 family farms for poultry and over 6,300 family farms for pig and lamb supplies.