History
- 1813 – The Company is founded by Simon Fribourg in Arlon, Belgium.
- 1890–1899 – The Company expands into flour milling and builds its first mill in Arlon.
- 1914–1917 – Offices moved to London due to the outbreak of World War I.
- 1919 – Operations resume in Antwerp under the name ‘Compagnie Continentale d'Importation’.
- 1921 – Expanded operations to the United States by establishing ‘Continental Grain’ in Chicago and then in New York.
- 1928 – Continental Grain buys a grain elevator in St. Louis, Missouri. This would be the first of seven it would hold by 1935.
- 1940 – The Fribourg family leaves Europe to settle in the United States. This was due to the outbreak of World War II.
- 1944 – The Company moves its headquarters from Paris to New York and the first CEO (Michel Fribourg) is elected.
- 1964 – Continental Grain makes the first major grain sale by any US company to the Soviet Union. The deal called for the sale of one million tons of wheat to Exportkhleb, a soviet grain-purchasing agency.
- 1965 – Continental Grain ventures into the poultry business with its purchase of a majority interest in Allied Mills. This new division includes livestock production operations as well as processing operations.
- 1970 – Operations at Allied Mills poultry division is expanded to include seven poultry processing facilities as well as three egg production and processing units.
- 1971 - Continental Grain acquired Oroweat, a baking company
- 1972 – Another major sale to the Soviet Union is finalized and 10 million tons of grain is sent overseas.
- 1974 – Continental Grain expands its ownership of Allied Mills and makes it a wholly owned subsidiary.
- 1975 – Coronado Feeders is acquired by the company and establishes its first business venture into cattle feeding.
- 1978 – Another cattle feeding business, XIT Feeders, is acquired by Continental Grain.
- 1978 – A plant in Dobson, North Carolina is acquired by the Poultry Division of Continental Grain.
- 1979 – Colorado Beef is acquired, further expanding the company’s cattle feeding business.
- 1979 – In a joint venture with Charoen Pokphand, Continental Grain opens the first foreign-owned feed mill in Chinese history. The new venture is called Conti Chia Tai International (CCTI).
- 1981 – Grant County Feeders is acquired into the company’s cattle feeding business.
- 1981 - Oroweat acquired Brownberry
- 1984 - Oroweat is sold to General Foods; Brownberry is sold to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
- 1998 – Continental Grain ventures into the pork business with its purchase of a majority interest in Premium Standard Farms, Inc.
- 1999 – Continental Grain changes its name to ContiGroup Companies, Inc after the sale of the company’s commodity marketing business to Cargill.
- 2000 – The Animal Nutrition Division is sold to Hubbard Feeds of Mankato, Minnesota.
- 2000 – ContiFinancial, an early originator of subprime loans, went bankrupt; ContiGroup was the major shareholder.
- 2002 – Wayne Farms LLC purchases its thirteenth processing facility at College Park, Georgia.
- 2004 – Wayne Farms LLC begins building a new further-processing facility in Decatur, Alabama.
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