Highlights from the Greatest Gains list:

Prime Meats (Norsan Meats LLC) expanded operations to new territories, as well as to new segments. The company also introduced online sales.

Pederson Natural Farms Inc. had record sales and high fill rates in 2020 and is looking forward to new partnerships in 2021.

Toro Foods Inc. is building out a USDA processing room. This expansion will allow the company to custom cut, dice & slice beef, pork & chicken. It will also be making its ready-to-eat, award-winning Captain Red’s Seafood salads.

John Soules Foods Inc. began construction of a new plant, which is scheduled to begin production in late third-quarter 2021.

Sunnyvalley Smoked Meats Inc. celebrated its 25th anniversary with record sales in 2020. The company completed construction of a 10,000-square-foot dry storage building and has purchased 5 acres of land next door to build a new bacon processing plant.

Old World Provisions built and moved into an expanded facility in Troy, N.Y., bringing 100 percent of its production into one location.

Swaggerty Sausage Co. Inc. completed construction of a new state of the art freezer, doubling the company’s holding capacity. Profitability was the best in the history of the company, as was total dollar sales and throughput.

Burgers’ Smokehouse completed its second acquisition in January 2020. The company experienced growth in e-commerce and retail sales that offset its loss of business in the foodservice sector.

Lone Star Beef Processors expanded its capacity to harvest 1,450 cattle per day.

Despite having to shut four plants down for various periods of time including a bakery for almost 9 weeks, Monogram Food Solutions still set record top line and bottom line numbers, we far exceeded our annual operating plan. The company signed agreements for an acquisition in 2021 and has begun construction on two plants to be completed this year.

Rantoul Foods established its Agar brand in stores, finished its product flow automation and doubled its plant’s distribution area. The company also participated in numerous community givebacks, including its annual FFA freshman jacket donation for Rantoul High School.

Caviness Beef Packers Ltd. Is nearing completing of an expansion to its facility in Hereford, Texas.

Other highlights from the Top 100 processors:

In spite of the challenging environment, CS Beef Packers LLC had record sales in May and June of 2020, as well as its best sales year overall.

Within days of the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down businesses nationwide, Dole & Bailey Inc. executed a dramatic pivot. “With loss of over 90% or our traditional foodservice customers, we immediately increased our capacity for retail portion control processing and direct sales to local, independent retail operations. Our retail sales in 2020 grew over 400%,” says President Nancy Matheson-Burns. The company was recognized as a Top women-owned business in Massachusetts, by The Boston Globe and a Top Women-Led Business by The Commonwealth Institute.

Golden State Foods’ facility in Opelika, Ala., won a North American Meat Institute 2020 Worker Safety Recognition Award. The Opelika Chamber of Commerce also presented GSF with the Large Business of the Year Award for its Protein Products facility.

Hormel Foods Corp. acquired Sadler’s Smokehouse in March 2020. The Texas barbecue company generates annual sales of $140 million. Hormel paid almost $11 million in appreciation bonuses to full- and part-time plant production team members for their heroic work throughout the year. The company will soon open a charcuterie processing plant in Nebraska for its Columbus brand.

House of Raeford Farms Inc. has a new feed mill in Simsboro, La., scheduled to open in late summer 2021. It will support the company’s Arcadia, La., complex.

Plumrose USA, a division of JBS USA, announced plans for a $200 million ready-to-eat facility and rebranded itself as Swift Prepared Foods. JBS announced a global commitment to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. JBS USA and subsidiary Pilgrim’s also committed to established a free community college tuition program.

J.H. Routh Packing Co. was acquired by new ownership.

OSI Group LLC was able to participate in the USDA Farmers to Families program to a significant degree, to help provide protein items to Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic (hot dogs, meatballs, sausage links & patties, etc.).

Standard Meat Co. launched a new RTE program, expanded its meal kit offerings and is venturing into new platforms.

Williams Sausage Co. Inc. built a new 180,000-square-foot distribution center.

The Greatest Gains Charts

The Greatest Gains chart is designed to showcase the companies that have shown the strongest growth over the past year. These are not necessarily the largest companies in the country. However, their successful years deserve to be mentioned as well.