A glance at the past 70 years
Hybrid Turkeys began in 1953 as a small family operation based in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The founders, brothers Milo and Ross, were active leaders in the Mennonite community where they were raised. They began the business with two brooder barns and a flock of 500 turkeys.
An important turning point for the company was the addition of Len Weeden in 1961. Len Weeden joined the business as an artificial insemination expert who perfected the A.I. system for turkeys in the early years of its development. The company continued to grow, and in the 1980’s, Hybrid expanded into Europe by exporting their turkey management and breeding technology. This was an important step in gaining a position in the European market.
In the late 90’s Hybrid Turkeys accomplished a major achievement by eradicating salmonella in our system to provide salmonella-free breeding stock. From pedigree through parent stock, it was a five-year mission. It was our belief that one day, salmonella-free health status would be not just a benefit for one or two customers, but an industry expectation. This decision and long-term investment in biosecurity is a great example of the importance of keeping one eye to the future in our business.
In 2007, Hybrid Turkeys joined Hendrix Genetics: a family-owned, multi-species breeding organization. With this change, we were able to invest in stronger infrastructure, research and development, and the knowledge and expertise of our team.
Joseph and Jean-Marc Grelier
In 2011, Grelier was acquired, an independent hatcher-breeder based in France. With Grelier’s established values in innovation and quality, the organization was the right fit to begin our venture downstream into commercial distribution.
The next key milestone was significant investment in the U.S. turkey industry. In 2017 Hendrix Genetics announced investment in their own poult distribution network in the U.S. The objective: to ensure top quality and availability of Hybrid Turkeys products throughout the turkey value chain. This investment, estimated at approximately $70 million, included new and updated breeding farms, two new hatcheries, and a new transportation fleet. In 2018, a commercial hatchery was opened in Beresford, South Dakota with 35 million egg capacity.
Today, Hybrid Turkeys is leading the way in applying new and innovative technologies to ensure sustainable genetic progress for the future. Recent examples of innovation in breeding and selection include RFID technology, CT scanning technology, and testing through Combined Crossbred & Purebred Selection (CCPS). We will continue to maximize the use of these innovative technologies to deliver excellent performance at all levels of the turkey value chain. With high quality products tailored for the needs of the market, Hybrid Turkeys is focused on collaboration to bring excellence throughout the value chain. Together, we are Partners in Excellence.
Partners in Excellence
As your partner, we want to collaborate to bring excellence throughout the value chain. We believe that by working together, we can contribute to a sustainable turkey industry. Whether you are a grower, processor, integrator, or end consumer, our goal is to foster a connection between the links in the chain to achieve industry excellence.
Share your favorite memory with Hybrid Turkeys!
We want to hear your favorite 'throwback' memories of working together with Hybrid Turkeys!
In celebration of Hybrid Turkey's 70th anniversary, we are cherishing the incredible moments we've shared together. We invite you to share your favorite photos and stories of our journey together. Whether it's a visit from our team of experts or a memorable industry event, we want to see it all! 📸💭
Submit your favorite photos along with a short description of the memory it holds. We can't wait to hear from you!
Ready to take a nostalgic trip down memory lane?
Click the link below to see the photo submissions we've received and reminisce in unforgettable moments & milestones that shaped us.