Poultry & Meat

Tyson Sizzles with Acquisition of Original Philly Holdings

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Springdale, Arkansas-headquartered Tyson Foods, Inc. has completed the acquisition of Philadelphia-based Original Philly Holdings, Inc., one of the USA’s leading producers of frozen raw and fully-cooked Philly-style sandwich steak and cheesesteak appetizer products. It employs approximately 250 people and operates two plants in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“Original Philly Holdings is a natural, strategic for us,” said Tyson Foods Prepared Foods Group President Sally Grimes. “The Original Philly brand and portfolio of products are highly regarded in the foodservice industry and have a growing list of customer relationships with chain and convenience store operators.” 

steaksOriginal Philly Holdings consists of two business units: Original Philly Cheesesteak Company, which manufactures raw Philly Style sandwich steak products, and Philadelphia Pre-Cooked Steak Company, which produces fully-cooked Philly-style sandwich steaks. Its customers include foodservice, retail and convenience store providers. 

“We look forward to combining our commercial and operational resources with Original Philly Holdings’ capabilities to offer new solutions to customers and consumers, expand distribution, and continue the growth and legacy of the business,” Grimes said.

“We’re excited to be part of the Tyson Foods family, which will allow us to build on the legacy of our business,” said John Karamatsoukas, president and chief executive officer of Original Philly Holdings.  “Tyson Foods is a leader in the food industry and has a strong reputation for successfully acquiring and growing family-owned businesses like ours.”

Integration teams from Tyson Foods and Original Philly have been formed and the company will remain focused on maintaining high quality customer service during the transition. 

About Original Philly

philly logoOriginal Philly Cheesesteak Co., originally known as Roxborough Meat Co., was founded in 1981 in a converted garage in Philadelphia’s Roxborough section as a producer of portion controlled Philly Style sliced steaks for sale to local and regional foodservice operators. Original Philly experienced 36 years of year-over-year growth, as Philly cheesesteaks increasingly became standard global menu fare.  In 1991, Philadelphia Pre-Cooked Steak Co. was founded to serve a rapidly growing customer base that was looking for convenient heat-and-serve fully cooked Philly steaks.  Original Philly Cheesesteak Co. and Philadelphia Pre-Cooked Steak Co. merged in early 2017 under Original Philly Holdings, Inc.