2019 Processor of the Year: Carl Buddig and Company
In full bloom: Following an 18-month period of major acquisitions and expansions, Carl Buddig and Company has watched the seeds of business success sprout, bloom and bear fruit — now it moves into a strategic phase focused on execution.
As Homewood, Ill.-based Carl Buddig and Company celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2018, there was much abuzz about the company, both internally and around the meat and poultry industry. Known more typically as a quiet, hardworking, headline-avoiding company, Buddig made several splashes in the span of 18-24 months, setting the seeds for success through significant acquisitions and expansions.
First, Buddig addressed capacity constraints at its legacy Old Wisconsin facility in Sheboygan, Wis., with the construction and opening in 2016 of a brand new plant off Interstate 43 on the outskirts of town. Next, in June 2017, Buddig acquired a South Holland, Ill., neighbor, Rupari Food Services, and made it the backbone of the CBQ LLC division of the company, focused on barbecued meats, ribs and heat-and-serve entrees. Shortly afterward, CBQ secured a multi-year licensing deal with the Kingsford brand to produce barbecue meats for the retail marketplace. Then, in January 2018, Buddig closed a deal to acquire Butterball’s shuttered processing plant in Montgomery, Ill., adding approximately 280,000 square feet of much-needed processing capacity.