Beef and ground beef

Largest US beef processor; ~25% US beef processing share; wholly owned subsidiary of JBS S.A. (Brazil), the world's largest meat company by sales; May 2021 cyberattack (Russian REvil ransomware) shut down all 9 US beef plants for 1 week; paid $11M ransom in Bitcoin

Cargill, Incorporated (Wayzata MN; private; ~$177B revenue FY2023; founded 1865; largest private company in the US by revenue) is the world's third-largest soybean crusher by capacity and the largest private commodity trading firm globally. Cargill operates soybean processing facilities in the US (Eddyville IA, Iowa Falls IA, Memphis TN, Wichita KS, Sidney OH) and Brazil (multiple Mato Grosso do Sul and Parana state locations). Cargill's animal nutrition division (Cargill Premix and Nutrition) directly sells soybean meal-based swine feed supplements and complete swine feed rations to US hog producers — vertically integrating crush to feed formulation. Cargill is both a major soybean meal producer (from its crush operations) and a major swine feed seller (through its nutrition business), making it uniquely positioned across the soybean-to-pork value chain. Cargill is family-controlled (Whitney MacMillan family) and does not report detailed financial segments publicly. US soybean crush: Cargill holds an estimated 15-20% of US crush capacity.

Second-largest US beef processor (~20-22% share); also largest US chicken processor; chairman John Tyson declared "the food supply chain is breaking" in April 2020 when COVID closures hit multiple plants simultaneously

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (Chicago IL; NYSE: ADM; ~$85B revenue FY2023; founded 1902) is the world's largest soybean crusher by total global capacity, operating soybean processing facilities across the US Midwest (Decatur IL, Quincy IL, Mankato MN, Shelbyville IN, Columbus NE, Velva ND), Brazil (Rondonopolis MT, Joaçaba SC), and Europe (Mainz Germany, Rotterdam Netherlands). ADM's Decatur Illinois complex — the company's global headquarters — is one of the largest single soybean processing campuses in the world, combining wet milling for corn and solvent extraction for soybeans on the same industrial campus. Soybean meal from ADM's US operations is the primary protein supplement in US swine and poultry feed. ADM's oilseeds segment (~$27B revenue) is the largest revenue contributor. ADM also produces soybean oil (sold to food manufacturers and as biodiesel feedstock), soy protein concentrate, and soy flour. In 2023-2024 ADM disclosed accounting irregularities in its Nutrition segment; CEO Juan Luciano resigned January 2024 amid a DOJ and SEC investigation into the Nutrition business unit — though the oilseeds/crush segment (which produces soybean meal) was not implicated. US soybean crush capacity approximately 66 million MT/year total; ADM accounts for an estimated 28-32% of US crush capacity.

Fourth-largest US beef processor (~12% share); majority-owned by Marfrig Global Foods (Brazil); operates large beef plants in Kansas (Liberal, Dodge City) and Iowa; foreign ownership alongside JBS means Brazilian companies control ~37% of US beef processing capacity

Bunge Global SA (Chesterfield MO; NYSE: BG; ~$59B revenue FY2023; founded 1818 in Amsterdam) is the world's second-largest soybean crusher by global capacity. Bunge operates extensive soybean crushing in the US (Cairo IL, Decatur IN, Danville IL, Council Bluffs IA, Emporia KS, Morristown IN, Norfolk NE, Stony Point NY), Brazil (Rondonopolis MT, Passo Fundo RS, Cachoeira RS, Porto Uniao SC, Gaspar SC), and Argentina (San Lorenzo, Santa Fe). Bunge's Argentine operations at San Lorenzo are part of the Rosario crush complex — the largest soybean processing cluster in the world. Bunge's global agribusiness segment is the core of the company and soybean crushing is the central activity. Bunge and Glencore announced a merger agreement in 2023 that is pending regulatory approval; if completed, the merged entity would be the world's largest agricultural commodity trading and processing company. US soybean crush: Bunge holds an estimated 20-24% of US crush capacity. Bunge's South American operations process Brazilian and Argentine soybeans that primarily supply Asian (especially Chinese) soybean meal markets.

POET LLC (Sioux Falls SD; private; Jeff Broin CEO and founder; ~$10B estimated revenue) is the world's largest corn ethanol producer — operating 34 ethanol biorefineries across the US Midwest producing ~2.7 billion gallons of ethanol/year. POET's ethanol production generates ~7 million tons/year of distillers grains (DDGS — dried distillers grains with solubles) as a coproduct. DDGS contain ~27% crude protein and ~8% fat — making them a valuable energy-protein ingredient for feedlot cattle diets, typically replacing 30-40% of corn in finishing rations while providing high bypass protein. POET's DDGS, sold under the ProGold brand, are purchased by feedlots in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota. The Renewable Fuel Standard's corn ethanol mandate created a massive DDGS supply stream that has reshaped feedlot nutrition — corn ethanol policy directly determines the availability and price of a major feedlot feed ingredient.

Melbourne, Australia-based global flexible and rigid packaging company (NYSE: AMCR). On April 30, 2025, Amcor completed its all-stock acquisition of Berry Global Group for $8.4 billion — creating the world's largest flexible packaging company with ~$23 billion in anticipated annual revenue, 400+ facilities globally, and ~70,000 employees in ~140 countries. Amcor had previously acquired Bemis Company (2019, $6.8B). The combined Amcor+Berry entity holds dominant positions in frozen food LLDPE/LDPE packaging film for IQF vegetables, frozen meat, frozen seafood, and convenience foods. Berry had been a major US blown film producer with multiple facilities. Global flexibles represent ~60% of combined Amcor+Berry's business. Brands include Cryovac (via Sealed Air — separate company), Bemis, and many unbranded OEM films.

Coveris Group (Vienna Austria; private equity — Sun European Partners / formerly Exopack / Sun Chemical / Printpack; ~$2B estimated revenue) is a leading European flexible packaging company producing PE food packaging films, labels, and pouches. Coveris operates approximately 30 manufacturing plants across Europe and the US, producing: PE cling film, stretch hood film, agricultural PE film, and food-grade PE packaging for produce, meat, bread, and dairy. Coveris was assembled through a series of acquisitions: Sun Chemical's packaging division + Exopack (US) were combined in 2013, then rebranded Coveris. Coveris is a key supplier to UK and European supermarket chains (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Rewe, Carrefour) for fresh produce and meat PE overwrap and cling film. Coveris's European food PE film operations represent an estimated 4-5% of European food PE film capacity.

German specialty films company (HQ Montabaur, Rhineland-Palatinate; private equity owned — Triton Partners; ~€3B revenue); world's leading producer of pharmaceutical-grade PVC and PVdC films for blister packaging (Klöckner Pentaplast's pharma films brand 'kp'). Klöckner Pentaplast's pharmaceutical films are used in virtually all European and most global pharma blister packaging — from OTC pain relievers to prescription antibiotics and biologics. kp also produces food packaging films (deli trays, cheese packaging) and industrial films from the same manufacturing platform. Klöckner Pentaplast went through a debt restructuring in 2020 as private equity leverage proved unsustainable in the COVID year — a packaging company that makes the PVC holding most European pharmaceutical blister packs faced its own financial distress simultaneously with COVID-19 healthcare demand surge.

Japanese specialty chemical company (TSE: 3405); produces Trosifol® PVB and SentryGlas® ionoplast interlayer films at Troisdorf, Germany (~22% global PVB share). UNIQUE STRATEGIC POSITION: Kuraray is simultaneously the world's LARGEST polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) producer — the primary raw material for all PVB production globally — and a competing PVB maker. Kuraray was the first company to commercially produce PVA in the 1950s (Japan) and operates 6 PVA plants (Japan x2, USA, Germany, Singapore). This means Kuraray supplies the key raw material to Eastman Chemical and Sekisui Chemical while competing against them in PVB film. SentryGlas® ionoplast (5x tear strength vs. standard PVB, 100x rigidity) targets premium architectural and security glazing; celebrates 25+ years of market presence.

Charlotte, North Carolina-based food and protective packaging company (NYSE: SEE through April 2026). Cryovac division acquired from W.R. Grace in 1998 ($4.9B). 2024 revenue: $5.39B; ~16,400 employees; 200+ global locations. In 2022, acquired Charter NEX Films for ~$1.4B, adding major US blown film capacity. **April 2026: Sealed Air was taken private by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R)** in a go-private transaction. Products for frozen food: Cryovac FFS (Form-Fill-Seal) films for VFFS/HFFS lines, vacuum skin packaging (VSP) films, shrink polyolefin multilayer films — all using LLDPE sealant layers optimized for low-temperature seal integrity. Charter NEX subsidiary (Superior WI, 7 US facilities, >200M lbs/yr PE film) provides upstream blown film manufacturing for Sealed Air's food packaging systems.