Our Story

At age 16, Gustavus Swift founds his butcher shop business in Eastham, Massachusetts. With help from his family, Swift’s father advances him $20 for a heifer, with which he makes a $10 profit. Later, his uncle lends him $400 to start his business in earnest.

Gustavus Swift
Old Swift

Swift then branches out to Brighton, Massachusetts, Albany, and Buffalo, New York. His next stop is the windy city of Chicago, where he establishes business there in 1875.

Take a journey with us, and discover the timeline of events that made Swift the brand it is today.

See how we’ve been inspiring the extraordinary since 1855.

Pointer SwiftMeats Discover the timeline of events that made Swift the brand it is today.
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1855

From a Dream
to Reality

Living on Cape Cod and working for his brother’s business, Gustavus dreams of bigger things. He wants to change the meat industry, and his father, believing in his dream, offers Gustavus $20. With only the money from his father, Gustavus purchases his own mature heifer and then butchers, packages, and sells it to his neighbors. From here, his vision of changing the meat industry becomes a reality.

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Swift Meats First Store
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1861
1861 SwiftMeats

A love through war

A new chapter begins as Gustavus marries Annie Maria Higgins. As their love blooms, war ensues around them. The American Civil War causes many disruptions in daily life, but the beef industry grows significantly. There is substantial demand for food to supply the Union and Confederate armies, and beef, a primary protein source, is high in demand.

1862

Meat & Matrimony

The newlyweds open a small butcher shop and slaughterhouse in Sagamore, Massachusetts, and the sale of live cattle takes off, becoming the primary focus of the business.

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1872

Butchers in business

Swift becomes partner in a new venture named Hathaway and Swift. James A. Hathaway is a renowned meat dealer in Boston, and together they relocate the meat dealing business to Buffalo, New York.

1875

A new beginning

Gustavus wants to expand his business, so he packs up his family and moves to Chicago to the Union Stockyards. He opens a small slaughterhouse and plans to transport live beef to the eastern states by rail.

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Swift Meats Ribbon
1878
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Gustavus vs. The Railroad Industry

A roadblock now stands in the way of Gustavus reaching his goal of transporting live beef to the eastern states by rail. The live shipment of cattle from the stockyard is a poor system, and the cattle would arrive at their destination in unfavorable conditions, losing their value. Gustavus is now determined to change the system by slaughtering cattle and hogs and packing the meat in Chicago before shipping it east; however, the industry lacks an adequate distribution system to ship fresh meat to widespread markets, and meat processing is restricted to the cold winter months to prevent it from spoiling.

To combat the situation, Swift initiates the design of a new type of railcar, one that will carry fresh butchered meat. This boxcar uses large blocks of ice that are deposited into the hatches overhead each car, creating chilled airflow and cool temperatures for the meat stored below. This radically alters the meat business.

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1880

The Swift Refrigerator Line (SRL)

To capitalize on the company’s engineering feat, Gustavus purchases railcars from the Peninsular Car Company and converts them into refrigerated railcars, and finally the Swift Refrigerator Line (SRL) is born.

SwiftMeats Refrigerator Line
Northwestern University SwiftMeats
1893

In Memory: Annie May Swift

Northwestern University decides to build a headquarters for its new School of Oratory and turns to Gustavus. His donation of $12,500 came with the right to name the building. In remembrance of his sweet daughter, Annie May, a former Northwestern student who passed in 1889, Gustavus officially names the building Annie May Swift Hall.

1900
SwiftMeats Boat 1900

The Year We Set Sail

By 1900, Swift has meat-packing plants across the Midwest, from Kansas City, Missouri, to St. Paul, Minnesota. From starting at home in Massachusetts and moving on to Chicago, Gustavus's vision for his business goes beyond his initial thoughts, and he opens Swift shops overseas in London, England.

1903

A Lasting Legacy

On March 29, 1903, Gustavus Franklin Swift passes away. His vision for end-to-end production control, ensuring quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, remains a cornerstone of modern strategies. His pioneering spirit lives on, shaping the way we approach transportation and storage to this day. His innovation and perseverance continue to inspire the extraordinary.

1915

Safety above all

Swift creates a ‘Safety First’ campaign to ensure the safety of its employees. This campaign cuts plant accidents in half.

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1924

The Royal We

On behalf of the British Empire, the Prince of Wales visits Chicago to thank American meat producers for the vast quantities of meat sent to the British lines throughout the First World War. The new representative of the industry, Louis F. Swift, son of Gustavus, hosts the Prince and gives him a tour of the Chicago stockyards.

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SwiftMeats in the war
1943

Accounting For War, Again

During World War II, 20,300 men and women of the Swift organization were called to serve in the military and auxiliary services. Though this is a time of struggle, the demand for meat is so high that Swift can continue to operate at total capacity, and sales exceed $1.4 billion. 

1964

Swift’s Premium Franks For All

Swift wants to remind customers that “meats make the meal nourishing as well as wonderful.” So, in the 1964 issue of Good Housekeeping, we introduce the world to Swift’s Premium Franks.

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