Company History

The company's history began in 1968 when Wilson Foods became a supplier of fresh beef patties for the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry. In 1971, as the industry made the move to frozen beef patties, Anderson Meat and Provisions, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Wilson Foods, built a plant in Oklahoma City to manufacture frozen beef patties.

In 1972, Anderson Meats worked with its core customer to develop the product specification for the Canadian Style Bacon we still produce today. In 1978, Anderson Meats became a producer of pre-cooked breakfast pork sausage patties. The Wilson Foods plant in Marshall, Missouri produced this new product.

In 1989, the company became Normac Foods, Inc. and in 1991 completed a state of the art manufacturing facility in Oklahoma City combining its beef and pork operations under one roof. The Lopez Family purchased controlling interest in 1992 and in 1995 changed the name of the company to Lopez Foods, Inc.

In 2001, Lopez Foods, Inc. entered into a joint-partnership with Tyson/IBP and jointly purchased Carneco Foods LLC, a meat manufacturing plant located in Columbus, NE. Carneco Foods manufactures frozen beef patties, beef chubs, and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) fresh ground beef for fast casual restaurants, retail outlets, and the foodservice industry. The partnership with Tyson/IBP brings capabilities to the joint venture that increase competitive advantages, such as assured supply of raw materials, risk management expertise, technical experience, equipment design and installation skills, and facility maintenance support.

Lopez Foods, Inc. recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. While 1992 marked the dawning of a new era, 2002 saw the company realize most of its strategic goals such as doubling in size, becoming a global entity, and further establishing itself within the QSR, retail, and foodservice industries.