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Perdue Farms Grows Tenfold Under Third-Generation Leadership
Jim Perdue expanded the family poultry company from roughly $1 billion to $9.2 billion in annual revenue after taking over in 1991. The firm became the largest U.S. organic chicken producer and organic grain purchaser while remaining 100 percent family owned.
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Perdue Farms reported $9.2 billion in revenue for 2025, nearly ten times the sales level when Jim Perdue became chairman and CEO in 1991. The company now holds more than 30 percent of the U.S. organic chicken market and purchases roughly 20 billion pounds of organic grain each year.
It also produces more than 500 million pounds of organic soybean oil annually and trades over $2 billion worth of grain.
The Perdue family retains full ownership of the business, which Forbes estimates is worth $4 billion in equity plus dividends paid since 2005. Jim Perdue shares ownership with his three sisters and their descendants; about 50 family members are involved, including five fourth-generation relatives employed at the company.
Kevin McAdams, an outside executive, serves as the current chief executive. Fourth-generation member Chris Oliviero, 52, holds the position of senior vice president for commercial strategy and business planning.
2002 and 2016, Perdue Farms converted all of its chicken operations to antibiotic-free production. The company maintains lower animal density on farms and improved ventilation and lighting to support animal health. Through its ownership of Niman Ranch and Coleman, Perdue produces pasture-raised beef on 105,000 acres, with plans to expand to 250,000 acres by 2028.
Jim Perdue, 77, returned to the company in the late 1980s after his father, Frank Perdue, threatened to sell the business if he did not rejoin. He succeeded his father as chairman and CEO in 1991.
