NYSE: HRL

Foodservice

The Foodservice segment consists primarily of the processing, marketing, and sale of food products to distributors and operators across a wide range of providers of food away from home, including restaurants, hospitality, healthcare, K-12, college and universities, and convenience stores in the U.S.

International

The International segment processes, markets, and sells the Company's products through retail and foodservice channels internationally. This segment also includes the results from the Company’s international joint ventures, equity method investments, and royalty arrangements, as well as operations in China and Brazil.

Net sales, segment profit, and certain other financial information by segment are reported in Note Q - Segment Reporting of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements and in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Products and Distribution

The Company develops, processes, and distributes a wide array of food products in a variety of markets and manufactures its products through various processing facilities and trusted co-manufacturers. The Company’s products primarily consist of meat, nuts, and other food products sold across multiple distribution channels, such as U.S. retail, U.S. foodservice, and internationally.

The Company sells its products in all 50 U.S. states. The Company’s products are sold through its sales personnel, who operate in assigned territories or in dedicated teams serving major customers and who are coordinated from sales offices predominately located in major U.S. cities. The Company's sales team is also responsible for the product portfolio of MegaMex Foods, a U.S. based Mexican food company, of which the Company owns a minority interest. Additionally, the Company utilizes independent brokers and distributors. Products are primarily distributed by common carriers.

The Company has a global presence within several major international markets, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea. Distribution of export sales to customers is primarily done by third party carriers, while the China and Brazil operations also rely on company-owned and operated delivery systems. The Company has licensed other companies to manufacture various products internationally on a royalty basis. The Company also has minority interests in food companies in the Philippines (The Purefoods-Hormel Company, Inc., 40 percent holding) and Indonesia (PT Garudafood Putra Putri Jaya Tbk (Garudafood), approximately 30 percent holding).

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Raw Materials

The Company concentrates on the marketing and sale of branded, value-added food products. The principal raw materials used by the Company include pork, turkey, beef, chicken, and nuts. The Company takes a balanced approach to sourcing its raw materials. To meet its needs for pork raw materials, the Company purchases hogs for the Austin, Minnesota processing facility, enters into long-term supply agreements for pork, and supplements this with spot market purchases of pork. The majority of the turkeys needed to meet raw material requirements are raised by the Company. Production costs from raising turkeys are subject to fluctuations in input costs, including grain prices and fuel costs. To manage input cost risks, the Company uses futures, swaps, and options contracts to hedge a portion of its anticipated purchases.

The Company also purchases raw materials from various suppliers. As the Company has shifted its focus toward a more value-added portfolio, it has become increasingly dependent on these suppliers to meet its raw material needs. Certain raw materials, such as cashews, are sourced internationally, which may cause additional risks to pricing and availability. The Company utilizes supply contracts and forward buying strategies in its effort to ensure an adequate supply and mitigate price fluctuations.

Human Capital

The Company’s employees are the driving force behind innovation, improvement, and success. As of October 26, 2025, the Company had approximately 20,000 active employees, with over 90 percent located within the U.S. At fiscal year end, approximately 20 percent of the Company's employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements. Contracts at two of the Company's facilities, covering approximately 700 employees, expire in the next fiscal year. The Company believes it has good relations with its workforce.

Talent Acquisition, Development, and Retention

Hormel’s team members are the cornerstone of the Company and of the fulfillment of its purpose — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ The Company places great importance on the growth, development, and engagement of its team members. The Company offers competitive compensation packages to its employees and provides a multitude of benefits, including medical, life and disability insurance, contributory and non-contributory retirement savings plans, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement programs, and two years of tuition-free community and technical college for U.S. employees’ dependent children.

The Company believes investing in the education, training, and development of employees contributes to the overall success of the business. The Company provides learning opportunities for employees through various training courses, including instructor-led internal and external programs and on-the-job training.

The Company considers the tenure of its team members to be an indicator of the success of its retention efforts and is proud of its tenure figures. As of October 26, 2025, approximately 50 percent of the Company’s team members had five or more years of service, and the 38-person officer team had an average of 22 years of service.

Creating an Inclusive Environment

The Company welcomes the unique skills, thoughts, backgrounds, and experiences of its team members, customers, and consumers. By fostering an inclusive culture, the Company enables every member of the workforce to leverage unique talents and high-performance standards to drive innovation and success.

The Company has nine employee resource groups (ERGs) that support the Company’s mission to create a workplace where all people feel welcomed, respected, and valued. These employee-driven groups play a critical role in the Company’s efforts to create an inclusive environment and provide professional development and mentorship opportunities.

Safety, Health, and Wellness

The Company develops and administers policies to ensure the safety of each employee and compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards in the U.S. and comparable international requirements. The Company also conducts regular audits of Company-owned production facilities to ensure compliance with safety policies. The Company conducts safety training for all team members and, during fiscal 2025, completed approximately 1,200 safety assessments each month.

The Company recognizes that team members perform best when they are healthy, and that optimal performance is necessary for the Company to succeed. In addition to the health care benefits package, the Company’s wellness programs aim to cultivate and maintain a culture of health and wellness that is focused on encouraging and empowering team members to make healthy lifestyle choices through awareness, prevention, and positive health behavior changes. This program offers a comprehensive suite of wellness benefits designed to support every aspect of well-being - physical, financial, and professional. These include tobacco cessation resources, confidential mental health support, family-building assistance, and opportunities for professional development.

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Governmental Regulation and Environmental Matters

The Company’s operations are subject to regulation by various governmental agencies which oversee areas such as food safety, workforce mobility, environmental laws, animal welfare, financial and tax regulations, and the processing, packaging, storage, distribution, advertising, and labeling of the Company’s products. The Company believes it is in compliance with current laws and regulations and does not expect continued compliance to have a material impact on its capital expenditures, earnings, or competitive position. The Company continues to monitor existing and pending laws and regulations and, while the impact of regulatory changes cannot be predicted with certainty, the Company does not expect compliance to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business. In addition to compliance with environmental laws and regulations, the Company has established guiding principles to support the long-term health of its business and further improve its sustainability efforts and reduce its environmental impact.

Significant Customers

The Company serves many customers throughout the world across various sales channels. Sales to the Company’s largest customer, Walmart Inc. and its subsidiaries (Walmart), accounted for 15.6 percent of consolidated gross sales less returns and allowances during fiscal 2025. Walmart is a customer for the Company’s Retail and International segments. The Company’s top five customers collectively represented approximately 38 percent of consolidated gross sales less returns and allowances during fiscal 2025. The loss of one or more of the top customers in any of the reportable segments could have a material adverse effect upon such segment’s financial results.

Competition

The production and sale of meat and food products in the U.S. and internationally is highly competitive. The Company primarily competes with manufacturers of pork and turkey products as well as national and regional producers of other meat and protein sources, such as beef, chicken, fish, nuts, and plant-based proteins.

All operating segments compete on the basis of price, product quality and attributes, brand identification, breadth of product line, and customer service. Through effective marketing, a dedicated network of direct and indirect sales personnel, and robust quality assurance programs, the Company’s strategy is to provide high quality products that possess strong brand recognition supported by reliable customer service, to support a higher value proposition for customers and consumers. To grow and maintain its competitive position, the Company focuses on meeting customer and consumer preferences, delivering product innovation, and maintaining long-term and lasting relationships with industry partners.

Patents and Trademarks

There are numerous patents and trademarks important to the Company’s business. As of October 26, 2025, the Company has thirteen U.S.-granted and six foreign-granted patents. Most of the trademarks the Company uses are registered in the U.S. and other countries. Some of the more significant owned or licensed trademarks used by the Company or its affiliates are:

HORMEL, ALWAYS TENDER, APPLEGATE, AUSTIN BLUES, BACON 1, BLACK LABEL, BREAD READY, BURKE, CAFÉ H, CERATTI, CHI-CHI’S, COLUMBUS, COMPLEATS, CORN NUTS, CURE 81, DAN’S PRIZE, DI LUSSO, DINTY MOORE, DON MIGUEL, DOÑA MARIA, EMBASA, FAST ‘N EASY, FIRE BRAISED, FLASH 180, FONTANINI, HERDEZ, HORMEL GATHERINGS, HOUSE OF TSANG, JENNIE-O, JUSTIN’S, LA VICTORIA, LAYOUT, LLOYD’S, MARY KITCHEN, MR. PEANUT, NATURAL CHOICE, NUT-RITION, OLD SMOKEHOUSE, OVEN READY, PILLOW PACK, PLANTERS, ROSA GRANDE, SADLER’S SMOKEHOUSE, SKIPPY, SPAM, SPECIAL RECIPE, SQUARE TABLE, VALLEY FRESH, and WHOLLY.

The Company’s patents expire after a term that is typically 20 years from the date of filing, with earlier expiration possible based on the Company’s decision whether to pay required maintenance fees. As long as the Company continues to use its trademarks, they are renewed indefinitely.

Available Information

The Company's internet website is hormelfoods.com. The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements, and amendments to such documents filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act), are available free of charge on the Investors section of the Company's website (investor.hormelfoods.com) as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company files such material with, or furnishes it to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In addition, the SEC maintains a website (sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. Investors should note that the Company currently announces material information to its investors and others using filings with the SEC, press releases, public conference calls, webcasts, or its website (hormelfoods.com). Information that the Company posts on its website could be deemed material to investors. The Company encourages investors, the media, and others interested in the Company to review the information it posts on these channels. The information on the Company's website is not, and shall not be deemed to be, a part hereof or incorporated into this or any of the Company's other filings with the SEC.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains forward-looking statements, which are based on the Company's current assumptions and expectations. These statements are typically accompanied by the words "aim," "anticipate," "believe," "could," “estimate,” "expect," “intend,” "may," "might," “plan,” “project,” "seek," “target,” "will," "would," or similar words or expressions. The principal forward-looking statements in this report include statements regarding the Company's: future financial and operational performance, fiscal 2026 outlook, expectations regarding commodity markets and raw material costs, intentions regarding future dividends, expectations regarding the Company's strategic initiatives, including the Transform and Modernize initiative and the Company's recent corporate restructuring plan, expectations for the adequacy of and costs associated with the Company's sources of liquidity, expected compliance with debt covenants, expectations regarding its contractual obligations and liabilities, expectations regarding the impact of new accounting pronouncements, expected contributions and payments related to its pension plan, expectations regarding the return on plan assets, expectations regarding the timing and recognition of compensation expenses, and expectations regarding the outcome of, and adequacy of its reserves for, claims, litigation, and the resolution of tax matters.

All such forward-looking statements are intended to enjoy the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Although the Company believes there is a reasonable basis for the forward-looking statements, its actual results could be materially different. The most important factors which could cause the Company's actual results to differ from its forward-looking statements are set forth in its description of risk factors included in Part I, Item 1A – Risk Factors to this Form 10-K, which should be read in conjunction with the forward-looking statements in this report. Though the Company has attempted to list comprehensively these important cautionary risk factors, the Company cautions that other factors may in the future prove to be important in affecting the Company’s business or results of operations. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement except as otherwise required by law.