Wright Brand Foods
Wright Brand Foods was a Vernon, Texas meat-processing company that became known for specialized bacon and ham production before being acquired by Tyson Foods in 2001.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Wright Brand Foods was a meat-processing company based in Vernon, Texas, whose origins date to 1922. The business began as the Vernon Meat Company, established by Egbert Eggleston, his son Fay, and son-in-law Roy Wright in the back of a local grocery store. Its early activity centered on pork bellies used for bacon, with the raw material arriving by rail and being preserved with salt. Roy Wright later developed the company's processing approach, including the use of liquid smoke. The company built a dedicated housing and shipping facility in 1926. During its early years it also resold a broad assortment of food products, including cheese, tea, beans, vinegar, preserves, and syrup. As the family business expanded, it added slaughtering capacity so it could manage pork production from carcass through processing. A major fire in 1938 destroyed most of the plant, including the slaughterhouse. The family rebuilt and established a federally inspected facility, Establishment No. 577, under the name Vernon Packing Company. Ownership shifted from the Eggleston family to Roy Wright during the Second World War period. The Wright family then constructed a new plant and renamed the company Wright Packing Company. Roy's sons, Bill and Bob Wright, joined the business, which continued to expand and employed approximately 225 people by the 1960s. A decisive strategic change came after Roy Wright retired in 1978 and transferred the family business to Bill and Bob. Rather than continuing as a general meat packer that both slaughtered animals and processed products, the family chose to concentrate on processing. Under the direction of the wider Wright family, including Bill's son Dan Wright, the company specialized in ham and bacon. This focus supported a broader range of processed products, including peppered bacon and hickory-smoked ham, while raw slaughtering was obtained from outside suppliers. The specialization was accompanied by a corporate renaming to Wright Brand Foods and substantial investment in the Vernon facility. Beginning with a new derind room in 1982 and continuing through plant improvements completed in 2001, the company expanded its processing infrastructure. A manufacturing analysis project with ProModel was credited with enabling the facility to double production capacity and save more than $10 million, according to the referenced company history. The business remained family-operated for most of its existence. Bill and Bob Wright retired in 1994, after which fourth-generation family members Dan Wright, Kelly Wright, and Kirk Eggleston ran the company. Brad Bolton, identified as a fifth-generation family member, served as company engineer. By the end of 1998, Wright Brand Foods had approximately 650 employees, and its production had increased several-fold during the two decades since it became a bacon-and-ham specialist. In the late 1990s, the family negotiated with several meat-production companies and ultimately accepted a buyout offer from Tyson Foods. The acquisition, completed in 2001, ended the period in which an Eggleston or Wright family member held total control of the business. Reference material describes Wright Brand Foods at that point as the largest bacon and ham producer in the Southwest, with distribution to 30 states and a workforce of approximately 746 employees. Publicly available material supplied for this dossier does not establish whether Wright Brand Foods continued as a separate legal entity or brand after integration into Tyson Foods.
History
Wright Brand Foods developed from a small family meat business in Vernon, Texas. In 1922, Egbert Eggleston, his son Fay, and Roy Wright founded the Vernon Meat Company in the rear of a local grocery store. The business handled pork bellies for bacon; the bellies were delivered by rail and preserved with salt, while Roy Wright introduced liquid smoke as part of the processing method. A dedicated housing and shipping plant was built in 1926. At this stage the company was not limited to meat processing and also resold products such as cheese, tea, beans, vinegar, preserves, and syrup. Later, the company built a slaughterhouse to control more of its pork supply and production process. In 1938, a major fire destroyed much of the operation, including the slaughterhouse. The family rebuilt with a federally inspected plant, Establishment No. 577, and adopted the name Vernon Packing Company. During the Second World War years, control moved from the Eggleston family to Roy Wright. The Wrights built a new plant and renamed the enterprise Wright Packing Company. Roy's sons Bill and Bob joined the operation, which grew to approximately 225 employees by the 1960s. The family continued to operate the company as a vertically oriented meat business for several decades. Roy Wright retired in 1978, leaving the business to Bill and Bob. The next generation concluded that operating both slaughtering and processing limited the company's growth potential. Led in part by Dan Wright, Bill's son, the family shifted toward specialized processing and concentrated on ham and bacon. This change allowed the company to broaden its processed-product range while sourcing slaughtered pork from other companies. Products associated with this period included peppered bacon and hickory-smoked ham. The strategic shift also led to the name Wright Brand Foods. From 1982 through 2001, the company repeatedly upgraded its Vernon facility, beginning with a derind room and later adding processing and infrastructure improvements. A project conducted with ProModel, a manufacturing-analysis firm, was credited with doubling production capacity and producing more than $10 million in savings. By the end of 1998, the business had approximately 650 employees and had increased production several-fold over the two decades since specialization. Bill and Bob retired in 1994. The company was subsequently managed by Dan Wright, Kelly Wright, and Kirk Eggleston, while Brad Bolton served as company engineer. During the late 1990s, the family considered offers from multiple meat companies. It ultimately agreed to sell to Tyson Foods, and the acquisition was completed in 2001. The sale ended the Wright and Eggleston families' continuous total control of the business since its founding. Available reference material describes the company at the time as a major Southwestern bacon and ham producer, distributing to 30 states and employing approximately 746 people. The supplied sources do not clarify the company's separate legal or brand status after acquisition.
- 2001
Acquired by Tyson Foods
[1]Tyson Foods acquired Wright Brand Foods after negotiations with multiple meat companies, ending direct family control.
- 1998
Business reaches approximately 650 employees
[1]By the end of 1998, Wright Brand Foods had grown substantially in employment and production after specializing in bacon and ham.
- 1994
Second-generation Wright leaders retire
[1]Bill and Bob Wright retired, and management passed to later-generation family members.
- 1982
Facility specialization and modernization begin
[1]The company began a long modernization program, including construction of a new derind room, as it focused increasingly on processed bacon and ham.
- 1978
Leadership passes to Bill and Bob Wright
[1]Roy Wright retired and transferred the family business to his sons.
- 1960
Employment reaches approximately 225
[1]Wright Packing had grown to roughly 225 employees by the 1960s.
- 1940
Wright family ownership begins
[1]During the Second World War period, ownership shifted to Roy Wright, who built a new plant and renamed the business Wright Packing Company.
- 1938
Plant fire and rebuilding
[1]A major fire destroyed most of the facility, including the slaughterhouse. The rebuilt operation received federal inspection and was renamed Vernon Packing Company.
- 1926
Dedicated facility opens
[1]The company constructed a separate housing and shipping plant as the business expanded.
- 1922
Vernon Meat Company founded
[1]Egbert Eggleston, Fay Eggleston, and Roy Wright established the original business in the back of a Vernon grocery store.
Products and positioning
A regional meat processor built around specialized bacon and ham production, with a heritage rooted in family ownership, pork processing, and large-scale distribution in the Southwestern United States.
Processed pork
Bacon
Bacon became the company's principal specialty after the strategic shift away from general slaughtering and meat packing. Wright Brand Foods processed pork bellies into a range of bacon products and expanded its capacity through successive improvements to the Vernon plant.
Flavored bacon
Peppered bacon
Peppered bacon was one of the product types associated with the company's specialized processing era. It reflected the decision to develop a broader selection of prepared bacon rather than operate primarily as a general slaughter-and-processing business.
Processed pork
Ham
Ham was a core product alongside bacon and became central to the company's regional market position. Wright Brand Foods increased its fresh ham and processed-ham capabilities as part of its plant expansion and specialization program.
Smoked ham
Hickory-smoked ham
Hickory-smoked ham was identified as a representative product of the company's specialized ham portfolio. The product illustrates Wright Brand Foods' emphasis on processing and flavor differentiation within the ham category.
Brand decisions
2001
Sale to Tyson FoodsM&ABackground
After discussions with several meat-production companies in the late 1990s, the Wright family received and accepted a buyout offer from Tyson Foods.
Action taken
Tyson Foods acquired Wright Brand Foods and brought the business into its corporate food operations.
Aftermath
The transaction ended the Wright and Eggleston families' total control of the company. The supplied sources do not establish the precise post-acquisition legal or branding structure.
1978
Shift from full-line meat packing to specialized processingStrategyBackground
The Wright family judged that handling both slaughtering and processing limited the company's ability to grow and compete as a broader meat business.
Action taken
The company focused on processing ham and bacon and relied on other companies for slaughtering.
Aftermath
The specialization supported a wider product selection, major facility investment, and substantial growth in employment and production.
Recent events
- 2001
Tyson Foods acquires Wright Brand Foods[1]
M&A
Tyson Foods completed the acquisition of Wright Brand Foods after negotiations with several meat-production companies. The transaction ended direct family control of the Vernon, Texas business.
- 2001
Wright Brand Foods expands bacon and ham processing capacity[1]
Other
Plant improvements carried out over several decades culminated in infrastructure upgrades that supported higher processing capacity and further modernization before the Tyson acquisition.
Sources1 sources
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