George A. Hormel Biography

George A. Hormel

Hormel settled in Austin, Minnesota after working throughout the Midwest, opening the George A. Hormel and Company meat packing business in 1891. Hormel's reputation for treating employees well through better wages and hours allowed the business to become a nationwide success. In 1927 he relinquished control of the firm to his son, Jay, under whose leadership the company's product line expanded to include canned ham, beef stew, and in 1937, everyone's favorite mystery meat, “Spam” was born. The company remains a staple of the Austin economy today, and the Hormel Institute, affiliated with the University of Minnesota, studies the connections between heart disease and oils and fats.

Jay Catherwood Hormel