Conagra Brands ranks among North America’s largest packaged food companies. Headquartered in Chicago, the company produces frozen meals, snacks, condiments, and grocery items sold in supermarkets and food service channels across the continent.
The company owns household brands including Birds Eye, Duncan Hines, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender’s, Slim Jim, and Reddi-wip. These products reach consumers through grocery stores, mass merchandisers, convenience stores, and restaurants.
Conagra started as a grain milling operation in Nebraska over a century ago. Through strategic acquisitions and divestitures, it evolved into a branded consumer foods business focused on frozen and shelf-stable products.
Conagra Brands History
Conagra Brands Co-founders
Conagra Brands Market Cap
Conagra Brands has a market capitalization of approximately $8.68 billion as of late 2025. This valuation places it among mid-cap consumer packaged goods companies in the U.S. food industry.
Conagra Brands Revenue
Conagra generated $11.6 billion in net sales during fiscal year 2025, representing a 3.6% decline from the prior year. The company operates through four segments: Grocery & Snacks, Refrigerated & Frozen, International, and Foodservice.
Conagra Brands Acquisitions
Conagra built its brand portfolio through aggressive acquisitions spanning four decades. The company purchased over 200 businesses between the 1980s and 2000s, transforming from a grain miller into a packaged foods giant.
The 1980 acquisition of Banquet Foods marked Conagra’s entry into frozen meals. Armour and Company followed in 1983, and Beatrice Foods in 1990 made Conagra the second-largest U.S. food processor. During the 1990s, the company added Hunt’s, Orville Redenbacher’s, Wesson, Swiss Miss, Hebrew National, Marie Callender’s, and Slim Jim.
In 2012, Conagra acquired Ralcorp for $4.95 billion, becoming the largest private-label food producer in America. The company later divested these operations to TreeHouse Foods for $2.7 billion in 2015 to sharpen focus on branded products.
The $10.9 billion acquisition of Pinnacle Foods in October 2018 represented Conagra’s largest deal. This transaction added Birds Eye frozen vegetables, Duncan Hines baking mixes, Vlasic pickles, Gardein plant-based products, and Wish-Bone dressings. The deal doubled Conagra’s presence in frozen foods and expanded its snacks business.
Recent portfolio moves include selling Peter Pan peanut butter to Post Holdings in 2021. The company announced plans to divest Chef Boyardee in late 2024. These divestitures allow Conagra to concentrate resources on higher-growth brands in frozen meals, snacks, and condiments.
Conagra Brands Competitors
Conagra competes in the packaged foods industry against multinational corporations and specialty producers. The frozen foods and snacks categories see particularly intense competition from established brands and emerging players.
| Company | Headquarters | Primary Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Kraft Heinz | Chicago / Pittsburgh, USA | Condiments, Cheese, Frozen Meals |
| General Mills | Minneapolis, USA | Cereals, Snacks, Frozen Foods |
| Nestlé | Vevey, Switzerland | Frozen Foods, Beverages, Pet Food |
| Kellanova | Chicago, USA | Snacks, Frozen Foods, Cereals |
| TreeHouse Foods | Oak Brook, USA | Private Label Foods |
| Mondelez International | Chicago, USA | Snacks, Confectionery |
| Campbell Soup | Camden, USA | Soups, Snacks, Meals |
| Hormel Foods | Austin, USA | Meat Products, Refrigerated |
| J.M. Smucker | Orrville, USA | Spreads, Coffee, Pet Food |
| Tyson Foods | Springdale, USA | Meat, Prepared Foods |
FAQs
Who founded Conagra Brands?
Frank Little and Alva Kinney founded the company in 1919 as Nebraska Consolidated Mills. They merged four grain milling operations in Grand Island, Nebraska.
Where is Conagra Brands headquartered?
Conagra Brands is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company relocated from Omaha, Nebraska, to Chicago in 2016 after spinning off Lamb Weston.
What brands does Conagra own?
Conagra owns Birds Eye, Duncan Hines, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender’s, Slim Jim, Reddi-wip, Orville Redenbacher’s, Hunt’s, Vlasic, and Gardein among others.
When did Conagra acquire Pinnacle Foods?
Conagra completed its $10.9 billion acquisition of Pinnacle Foods on October 26, 2018. The deal added Birds Eye, Duncan Hines, and Vlasic to Conagra’s portfolio.
What does ConAgra mean?
ConAgra combines two Latin words: “con” meaning “with” and “agri” meaning “soil” or “earth.” The company adopted this name in 1971 when rebranding from Nebraska Consolidated Mills.