Patrick Cudahy

Patrick Cudahy Incorporated celebrated 115 years of business in 2003.

Patrick Cudahy, the Company’s founder started working as a superintendent of Plankinton and Armour, Milwaukee’s largest meat packing plant in Milwaukee in 1874. Ten years later he became Plankinton’s junior partner and four years after that Plankinton retired and transferred his interest to Patrick and John Cudahy. John was a silent partner but the name remained “Cudahy Brothers” and later “Cudahy Brothers Co.” until 1957.

Patrick Cudahy moved the company in 1892, because he was unhappy with his business relations with William Woods Plankinton, John’s son. He bought 700 acres of land in Cudahy Wisconsin, with two-thirds financing from his silent partner, his brother John. The railroad named the train stop and village ?Cudahy.?

Patrick Cudahy died in 1919 and his son Michael became president. Business changed in the 1920’s when congress enacted tariff acts to protect American manufacturers against European competition. In retaliation, the British passed the Empire Preference Act. Agricultural products were to be imported from Commonwealth countries and South America rather than the United States. Cudahy Brothers lost its most important market and had to shift to domestic business. The company survived the British act, the Depression and the agricultural drought of the 1930’s.

They became one of the country’s first packers to produce semi-perishable canned hams. They also became a leader in producing sliced dried beef, Italian-style sausage and sliced bacon. In 1930 the Company was said to have been the first meat packing plant to install a sharp freezer. It kept the meat’s natural bloom by exposing it to temperatures as low as 60 degrees below zero.

The Company’s best known meat brands in those years were Peacock and Jack Sprat. Shortening brands were White Champion and Snowball.

In November 1957 Cudahy Brothers Co. because “Patrick Cudahy Incorporated” to conform to its leading trademark.

The Company decided to drop its slaughtering operation after a 28-month-long strike from 1987 to 1989 and fierce competition. It now specializes in the manufacture of high quality processed pork products.

Present...

Patrick Cudahy has long been identified with a distinctly tasty bacon that is “Sweet Apple-Wood Smoked.”

We have seven varieties of cooked hams prepared in our state-of-the-art ham processing department. The broad category of dry sausages includes such items as German-style Hard Salami, Italian-style Genoa salami and pepperoni. We also offer gourmet style sausages. Other popular products include bologna, cooked salami, pork sausage, Braunschwiger, chopped ham and a full line of lard and shortening products.

We recognize the importance of reliable service and a consistent quality product, competitively priced. We have dedicated ourselves to be worthy of our customers’ trust and confidence, a trust built upon for over a 110 years. We know our success can come only from our customers’ full satisfaction.

Patrick Cudahy has also invested heavily into the addition of value-added precooked and presliced products for the foodservice industry. A full line of precooked bacon and sausage products provide foodservice operators with labor and cost saving alternatives to raw products they once purchased. A line of sliced ham, salami, specialty Italian meats and Deli meats under our portion perfect trademark are perfect for today’s sandwich shops, delis and fast food operators.

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