Applegate Farms, LLC was founded in 1987 by Stephen McDonnell and Chris Ely, two food rebels with a cause and a mission: Changing The Meat We Eat.®
At Applegate, we truly believe that the way food is raised can change and transform lives – from the farmer who grows our food to the person who eats it. We lead that change by raising and crafting food with care and respect for animals, people and the planet. Applegate progresses the mission by raising the bar on creating clean, crave-able food, being transparent across all facets of the food system and seeding the demand for more sustainable and regenerative agriculture and business practices. Today, Applegate is the No. 1 brand in the natural and organic prepared-meats category. We also make a line of natural and organic cheese. Natural can mean many things, but to Applegate natural means our food is:
- From animals raised humanely without antibiotics, hormones or growth promotants
- From animals fed a vegetarian or pasture-centered diet (our beef is 100 percent grass-fed)
- Free of added chemical nitrites, nitrates or phosphates
- Free of artificial ingredients or preservatives