Top 10 Food and Beverages Companies in Chicago

Chicago is considered the capital of the food and beverages industry in the USA. Since the 1880s, it has been a powerhouse of leading firms in the industry. There are around 4500 food and beverages companies in Chicago and approximately 130,000 employees have been a part of this industry. Every company has a claim to fame for its unique manufacturing and distinct food products.

In this blog, we have enlisted the top 10 food and beverage companies in Chicago that have successfully established their services.

Here is a list of the top 10 Food and Beverages Companies in Chicago

1. Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)

Headquarters: Chicago, IL

Founded: 1902

Revenue: $88.76 Billion

Specialty: Prominent in Human and animal nutrition, prime agriculture organization

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) is a leader among food and beverages companies in Chicago. It is also one of the largest nutrition companies working in human and animal nutrition. The company is famous for producing foods, beverages, and supplements that enrich people’s lives. Cocoa, cocoa butter, and chocolate are some of its popular products as well as Ambrosia®, deZaan™, and Merckens® are some of its brands. Its mission statement is “to unlock the power of nature, to enrich the quality of life”. As of November 2024, ADM had a market cap of $26.01 Billion with $3.01 Billion in Earnings.

2. Mondelez International

Headquarters: Chicago, IL

Founded: 2012

Revenue: $36.15 Billion

Specialty: Confectionery, food, and beverage company

Mondelez International shines among food and beverages companies in Chicago for its snacks, confectionery, and beverages. Since its 2012 spin-off from Kraft Foods, Mondelez has dominated as one of the food and beverages companies in Chicago. Its famous brands now include Oreo, Cadbury, Toblerone, Milka, Ritz, and Trident. As of November 2024, Mondelez had a market cap of $86.99 Billion with $5.82 Billion in Earnings.

3. Kraft Heinz Company

Headquarters: Chicago, IL

Founded: 2015

Revenue: $26.13 Billion

Specialty: Quality and delicious food products, partnerships with powerful and iconic brands

Kraft Heinz Company is one of the top food and beverages companies in Chicago. With its consumer-centric approach, the products such as condiments, sauces, beverages, ketchup, frozen meals, etc., spark happiness among its customers. It has a mission to delight customers and to grow consistently keeping in mind the sustainable goals. As of November 2024, Kraft Heinz had a market cap of $38.60 Billion with $2.04 Billion in Earnings.

4. Conagra Brands

Headquarters: Chicago, IL

Founded: 1919

Revenue: $11.94 Billion

Specialty: Impactful and energized food culture, collaboration with great brands

Conagra Brands is a 100-year-old legacy that has made a huge impact on Chicago people’s lives. With an entrepreneurial approach, the company provides branded products such as popcorn, appetizers, bread, frozen food, etc. Birds Eye®, Duncan Hines®, Healthy Choice®, Marie Callender’s®, Reddi-wip®, and Slim Jim® are some of its iconic brands. It is on a mission to modernize its food in a smart and simple way and become the best food and beverages companies in Chicago. As of November 2024, Conagra Brands had a market cap of $13.10 Billion with $0.99 Billion in Earnings.

5. Molson Coors Beverage Company

Headquarters: Chicago, IL

Founded: 1774

Revenue: $11.93 Billion

Specialty: Craft beers, hard seltzers, and innovative ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails
Molson Coors Beverage Company is a famous beverage-making company that is consistently raising industry standards and impacting the consumers positively. The company produces numerous iconic beer brands such as Coors Light, Miller Lite, Blue Moon series, Vizzy, etc. It works for sustainable growth and development and strives for the mission of 2025 sustainability targets. Moreover, Molson Coors rightly takes its spot in the list of top food and beverages companies in Chicago. As of November 2024, Molson Coors had a market cap of $12.61 Billion with $1.67 Billion in Earnings.

6. Newly Weds Foods

Headquarters: Chicago, IL

Founded: 1932

Revenue: $2.7 billion

Specialty: Customized products in batter and bread

Newly Weds Foods is one of the top 10 food and beverages companies in Chicago, famous for having a customer-oriented food approach and following new food trends. It provides BBQ sauces, breaders, batters, bread crumbs, seasonings, soups, etc. The company also provides services such as culinary expertise, flavors, capsicum production, etc. As of November 2024, Molson Coors had a market cap of $12.61 Billion with $1.67 Billion in Earnings.

7. Ferrara Candy

Headquarters: Chicago, IL

Founded: 1908

Revenue: $42 billion

Specialty: High-quality candy products, Super innovation techniques

Ferrara is an American candy-producing company owned by the Ferrero Group. The company offers famous products including hard candies, bobs candies, chuckles, Lemonheads, red-hots, etc. It has more than 35 brands such as SweeTARTS®, Trolli®, Brach’s®, Black Forest®, Keebler®, and Famous Amos®. The company propels with the vision to lead the future of sweet snacking and continue to delight consumers around the world. Ferrara therefore makes it to the list of top food and beverages companies in Chicago.

8. Beam Suntory

Headquarters: Chicago, IL

Founded: 2011

Revenue: $1.6 billion

Specialty: Premium spirits

Beam Suntory is a premium spirits leader among food and beverage companies in Chicago. It is a leading beverage manufacturing company specializing in spirits. The world-known products include bourbons, Japanese whiskies, single malt scotches, tequilas, and cognac. It follows a vision of Growing for Good and maintains quality work, consumer connections, and entrepreneurial spirit.

9. Bridgeford Foods

Headquarters: Chicago, IL

Founded: 1902

Revenue: $231 million

Specialty: Pioneer of frozen food

Bridgeford Foods is an American food manufacturing company that is especially famous for beef jerky. This 90-year-old brand has been successful in making high-quality and innovative beef products. The company has a range of tasty products such as breadsticks, roll doughs, biscuits, etc. making it one of the best food and beverages companies in Chicago.

10. The Hillshire Brands

Headquarters: Chicago, IL

Founded: 2012

Revenue: $99.4 million

Specialty: Best marketer of packaged meat and frozen bakery products

The Hillshire Brands is a trusted name in packaged foods and a prominent entity among food and beverage companies in Chicago. Hillshire Brands is an American company that is now owned by Tyson Foods. The company has a good number of products made of beef, pork, and chicken. It has many famous brands such as Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, Wright Brand, Aidells, and State Fair. 

These food companies in Chicago have a mission to produce and market trusted quality food products that fit today’s changing lifestyle.

Chicago is the capital of the food and beverages industry in the USA and is definitely impacting the world. Most of the best food items and beverages come from Chicago-based companies. These top 10 food and beverages companies in Chicago are propelling in the industry and set to thrive in the surging market competition.

Prajakta Zurale

Also Read: 10 Best Big Data Companies In Chicago

FAQs

1. What food and drink is Chicago famous for?

Answer: Chicago is renowned for its iconic deep-dish pizzas, Italian beef sandwiches, and Chicago-style hot dogs. In beverages, the city is famous for Malört, its signature shot.

2. What are some food manufacturing companies in Chicago?

Answer: ConAgra, Cracker Jack, Fuhrman and Forster Company, Jays Foods, Inc., Kronos Foods, Mondelēz International, Oscar Mayer, Parker House Sausage Company, Tropicana Products, Vanee Foods, and Vienna Beef are the best food manufacturing companies Chicago.

3. What food manufacturing business was Chicago famous for?

Answer: Chicago’s Union Stockyards, established in 1865, made the city the center of meatpacking in the U.S. for decades. Companies like Swift & Company and Armour & Company pioneered modern meat processing methods.