Jeff Baker

Jeff Baker is group vice president of Retail Marketing – Value-Added Meats at Hormel Foods. In this position, he is responsible for all of the value-added meats offerings sold through retail channels across the enterprise.

Hormel Foods is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters^®, Skippy^®, SPAM^®, Hormel^® Natural Choice^®, Applegate^®, Justin’s^®, Columbus^®, WHOLLY^® Guacamole, Hormel^® Black Label^® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of the best companies to work for by U.S. News & World Report, one of America’s most responsible companies by Newsweek, recognized by TIME magazine as one of the World’s Best Companies, received a perfect score of 100 on the 2023–24 Corporate Equality Index and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts.

Baker joined Hormel Foods in sales in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1990. After holding product manager positions for smoked meats and sausage, Baker became the meat products district manager in Buffalo, N.Y., in 2001. In 2002, he was promoted to senior product manager, meat products, and became the group product manager for meat products three years later. Baker advanced to director of fresh meats marketing and Precept Foods in 2009, and he advanced to vice president of marketing, foodservice in 2012. He was promoted to group vice president of foodservice in 2015 and was named group vice president of deli in 2018. Baker assumed his current role in 2022.

Baker earned his bachelor of arts in marketing from the University of Dubuque. He has completed the executive development program at the Wharton School of Business.

In 2015, Baker was elected to the Board of Directors for Applegate Farms and in 2016, the Board of Directors for Hormel Foods International Corporation. Baker is a veteran of the United States Air Force and serves as Executive Sponsor for the company’s young professionals employee resource group – HYPE.

Baker has served in the community as a deacon for Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. He is on the Board of Trustees for the Hormel Historic Home, the Board of Directors for the International Deli Dairy Bakery Association (IDDBA) and the National Pork Board Human Nutrition Task Force.

Baker and his wife, Diane, have three daughters and six grandchildren.