Who owns Columbus?
Columbus is owned by Hormel Foods (the United States, NYSE: HRL), which has owned the brand since 27 November 2017.[1] Columbus was founded in 1917 in San Francisco, California and was independent until 2017.
Key facts
- Current owner
- Hormel Foods Corporation verified
- Owned since
- Previous owner
- Independent (1917–2017)
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Austin, Minnesota
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, San Francisco, California
- Founded
- 1917
- Category
- Food › Meat, poultry & seafood › Processed & packaged meat
- Parent ticker
- NYSE: HRL
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Columbus
Columbus makes salami and Italian-style deli meats, founded in San Francisco in 1917 by an Italian immigrant family. Hormel acquired the business in 2017 for $850 million, adding a premium delicatessen brand to its meat portfolio. It is sold mainly through the deli counter and pre-sliced packs rather than through the shelf-stable meat aisle.
Ownership timeline of Columbus
- 2017 – present Hormel Foods [1] verified
Where Columbus sits in Hormel Foods
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Hormel Foods ownership tree →
Other brands owned by Hormel Foods in food
Latest news about Columbus
No tagged news items yet. Headlines are added nightly from public feeds; only titles and links are stored.
Headlines link to the original publisher. Brandtree does not reproduce article text.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Columbus?
The parent company of Columbus is Hormel Foods, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United States.
Is Columbus American?
Yes. Columbus originated in the United States in 1917 and its owner, Hormel Foods, is also headquartered in the United States.
Since when has Hormel Foods owned Columbus?
Hormel Foods has owned Columbus since 27 November 2017.
Who owned Columbus before Hormel Foods?
Columbus was an independent company from its founding in 1917 in San Francisco, California until Hormel Foods acquired it in 2017.
Is Columbus still owned by Hormel Foods?
Yes. As of 6 September 2026, Columbus is still owned by Hormel Foods. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Hormel Foods Corporation Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2025-12-05 — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K, published 5 December 2025; retrieved 6 September 2026.
Report a correction Opens a pre-filled GitHub issue. See our corrections policy.