Our Story
Relationships and experience define us. Since our beginnings in the 1930s, we’ve grown into one of the largest poultry producers in the United States. But our roots have never changed.
We’re still guided by the same family values that shaped our company early on. We believe in showing up for our people, serving our communities and always doing what’s right. That mindset drives our team forward and keeps us grounded in what matters most.
Our History
Peco Foods was founded in 1937 by John Herman Hickman, a pioneer in the poultry industry. From the start, his leadership was defined by a passion for people, a commitment to doing the right thing and a deep respect for the communities where we live and work.
For nearly fifty years, Hickman built the company from a small hatchery into a regional poultry supplier through lasting relationships with farmers, customers and team members. That foundation of trust and partnership drove steady growth across the Southeast, eventually shaping Peco into one of the nation’s top poultry producers.
Now in its fourth generation of family leadership, Peco continues to operate with the same principles that Hickman lived by. Integrity, accountability and care for others remain at the center of how we lead and grow.
Peco Through the Years
In the 1940s, Hickman began working with local farmers by supplying chicks and feed, while they raised the birds on their farms. He made arrangements to help farmers market their chickens through Harris Poultry and Egg Company in Tuscaloosa. During this time, chicken grew in popularity as an ideal meal to serve the family.
In the 1950s, contract farming had become the standard industry model. Hickman provided chicks, feed and a market; farmers supplied housing and labor.
In 1951, Hickman and George Koon Sr. built eight broiler houses in Gordo, Alabama, with the goal of processing 5,000 chickens a week. In 1953, Hickman helped form the Pickens County Poultry Producers Association and served as president. By 1955, Hickman’s brother, Clark, joined as hatchery manager and began building a feed mill to supply their 25 contract growers at the time.
The 1960s was a period of rapid growth for the poultry industry, and the Hickman family expanded operations in Gordo. In 1966, they built a new hatchery and feed mill, increasing production to 125,000 birds per week. Mr. Hickman’s sons, “Jerome” and “Denny” became more involved in the family business during this time.
In 1968, Harris Poultry and Egg Company merged with Hickman’s operation, and PECO became the official brand name. The following year, construction began on a new, modern processing plant in Tuscaloosa to replace and expand the existing facility.
In 1970, the Harris and Hickman families opened a new state-of-the-art processing plant in Tuscaloosa. Production reached 230,000 chickens per week, supported by 115 contract growers. During this period, six Hickman grandchildren joined the family business, marking the start of the third generation.
In 1981, Peco completed a new modern hatchery just north of Gordo. Equipped with 32 Jamesway incubators, the facility expanded capacity to 700,000 birds per week and supported a growing network of more than 120 contract growers.
A couple years later, the Hickman family acquired the Tuscaloosa processing plant from the Harris family, allowing Peco to expand into the export, fast food, retail and food service markets. Hickman Hatchery, Peco Farms and Peco Foods all began operating under the Peco Foods, Inc. name. In 1984, Hickman was inducted into the Alabama Poultry and Egg Association’s Poultry Hall of Fame, honoring his contributions to the industry.
In 1989, Peco expanded into Mississippi, acquiring and renovating a processing facility and building new live production infrastructure, including a feed mill in Bay Springs.
In 1995, Peco opened its first further processing facility in Brooksville, Mississippi. Expansion continued in 1996 with the addition of live and processing operations in Sebastopol, Philadelphia and Canton, Mississippi. By 1998, a second Canton facility opened on Fulton Street, followed by a third Canton facility on Feather Lane in 1999.
In 2011, the John Herman Hickman Foundation was established to provide scholarships to Peco team members and their children, serve victims of natural disasters and strengthen local communities. That same year, Peco expanded into Arkansas through the acquisition of live and processing operations in Batesville, becoming the eighth-largest poultry producer in the United States.
In 2016, Peco completed a greenfield expansion that added live, processing and further processing operations in Pocahontas and Corning, Arkansas, with contract producers across Arkansas and Missouri.
In 2017, Peco renovated a facility in downtown Tuscaloosa for its corporate headquarters to support innovation and future growth. The following year, it opened the Culinary Center for Innovation in Tuscaloosa, a space designed to replicate customer kitchens and support product development in further processing.
Peco’s next expansion followed shortly when the company acquired and renovated a cold storage facility in West Point, Mississippi, transforming it into Peco’s first distribution center. In 2021, Peco completed renovations to create a state-of-the-art further processing and par-fry facility.
In 2022, Peco celebrated 85 years as a top poultry company in the United States, committed to producing good, wholesome food to nourish a growing world.
In 2025, Peco opened a new training center at its Batesville, Arkansas complex and dedicated the Peco Memorial Garden to former President/CEO Denny Hickman and the longtime team members who shaped the company.
Today, Peco is a fourth-generation, family-owned company with over 7,500 team members across 12 locations in Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi. Peco is the seventh-largest poultry company in the country.