Does China own Butterball?
Daniel Lopez
Updated on March 06, 2026
Seaboard Corporation bought Smithfield's stake in Butterball in 2010. The company sells over one billion pounds of turkey a year. Though the Butterball brand has been formally recognized since 1940, Butterball LLC was formed in 2006. In Canada, the rights to Butterball are owned by Exceldor Foods Ltd.
Who is Butterball owned by?
Seaboard & Goldsboro become 50/50 owners of Butterball.Where are the Butterball processing plants located?
Butterball operates six processing plants located in North Carolina, Arkansas, and Missouri.Where does Butterball come from?
Butterball began in 1940 in Wyoming, Ohio, trademarked by a woman named Ada Walker, though the origin of the name remains unclear. A decade later, in 1951, Leo Peters bought the name and founded Butterball Farms in Grand Rapids, Michigan.Where are Butterball turkeys raised and processed?
Butterball maintains the largest turkey processing plant in the world in the small town of Mount Olive, North Carolina.Why China Is Obsessed With Promoting Potatoes (HBO)
Do turkeys come from China?
Domestic turkeys come from the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), a species that is native only to the Americas. In the 1500s, Spanish traders brought some that had been domesticated by indigenous Americans to Europe and Asia.Are Butterball turkeys raised in USA?
Just over half of all turkeys produced in the US come from four states: Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas and Missouri. The top turkey producer is Butterball (owned jointly by Maxwell Farms, Inc.Are Butterball turkeys factory farmed?
Like most animals raised for food, turkeys at Butterball factory farms are put through hell from the moment they're born until they're violently killed.Is Butterball real turkey?
Butterball turkeys are of the highest quality product and will be sure to impress your guests. Here's why Butterball is the right (and only!) choice this holiday season: Butterball turkeys are always tender and juicy because we take the extra step of individually pre-brining them based on size.Where do Butterball turkeys come from in Canada?
—Quebec-based food company Exceldor Cooperative has agreed to acquire Parrish & Heimbecker, Ltd., (P&H Foods) which makes the iconic Butterball branded foods. P&H's main turkey processing plant located in Hanover, Ont., and a joint venture interest in Golden Valley Farms processing plant located in Arthur, Ont.Who is the largest turkey producer?
The United States is the world's largest turkey producer and largest exporter of turkey products.Is Butterball owned by Seaboard?
Seaboard Foods, primarily known as a pork producer, owns about half of Butterball, with the remaining half owned by Goldboro Milling Co.Who created Butterball turkey?
Our HistoryButterball® Farms began over sixty years ago and developed a great reputation as a company. That's why founder Leo Peters made sure to retain the rights to the Butterball name when he sold the turkey patents.
What brand of turkey is best?
We Roasted 5 Grocery Store Turkeys & This Is the Best
- Here's how we did it.
- Butterball.
- Shady Brook Farms.
- Harris Teeter Brand.
- Nature's Rancher.
- Organic Prairie.