Key Lessons From America’s Top Food Manufacturing Companies

It’s hard to overstate the significance of the food manufacturing companies in the U.S., with the sector contributing over $534 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2023, or about 2.2 percent of the nation’s total GDP. The sector reportedly supported 3.5 million jobs that year, with notable growth witnessed in beverage production. Like any other sector, the industry has its challenges — including labor shortages and food safety regulations compliance. But in general, it’s a thriving and dynamic sector with diverse future prospects. 

A look at some of the top companies in the sector in terms of sales reveals iconic names that are established titans on the national financial landscape — including a 2024 top 10 with iconic brands like Philip Morris, Mars and Anheuser-Busch. In this overview, we highlight the three top food manufacturers in the country — PepsiCo, Tyson Foods and Coca-Cola, according to Forbes Global 2000 2024 list — and explore what other manufacturers can learn from some of their essential keys to success. While you obviously have to be doing many things right to reach their industry standing, we take this opportunity to drill down into one specific aspect of each corporation’s dominance. 

Coca-Cola

Founded: 1886

Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia

Sales: $46.14 billion

Manufacturing facilities: 950 worldwide production facilities (220 bottling partners worldwide)

Brief history: Coca-Cola has an unusual early history and a staggering recent era of expansion and branching out. Founded originally by an Atlanta pharmacist, Dr. John Stith Pemberton, it began with its namesake beverage, which was then marketed as a medicinal tonic. The original formula for the drink actually included coca leaf extract in addition to caffeine from the kola nut — hence the moniker “Coca-Cola.” 

The formula evolved over the years, and the coca leaf element was removed by 1903. After officially incorporating in 1892, the company grew rapidly, due in great part to creative branding approaches and the distinguished contour bottle unveiled in 1915. The brand emerged as a globally recognized symbol of America — like apple pie and the stars and stripes.

More recently, Coca-Cola has grown even more profoundly, driven by a product portfolio diversification that now includes more than 500 brands. Today, their products include soft drinks, energy drinks, juices, plant-based beverages and many other offerings. The company has also boosted its profile due to its focus on sustainability, such as creating bottles made entirely from plant-based material. These changes, combined with Coca-Cola’s resilience in responding to consumer preferences and market trends, have helped establish its standing as one of the world’s most well-known and prosperous brands.

Lesson 1: Supply Chain Management

While trying to emulate Coca-Cola’s spectacular global success is probably a mission impossible, there’s certainly a wealth of helpful insights companies can glean from the brand’s business practices — particularly its impressive supply chain strategies. 

Case in point: Embracing technology has been vital to the company’s supply chain management, and Coca-Cola relies upon it in various ways. This includes the extensive use of AI and cloud computing and a partnership with Microsoft to infuse both of those tools into its supply chain arsenal. Coca-Cola also incorporated cutting-edge software into its warehouse and logistics software, boosting efficiency in not only how its goods are produced but transported as well. 

Technology has also played a key role in the company’s meticulous oversight of inventory and quality control, where high-tech management systems have helped track production, maintenance efforts, asset oversight and much more. And this is certainly worth noting by others in the industry as industrial manufacturers lose about $50 billion annually entirely due to unplanned downtime. 

Partnerships have also been a driver of Coca-Cola’s supply chain excellence. This includes working with established, reliable suppliers and forging enduring business connections that benefit both parties. For example, the company has been in partnership with McDonald’s since the 1950s and also collaborates with Burger King, Wendy’s and Subway. 

Tyson

Founded: 1935

Headquarters: Springdale, Arkansas

Sales: $52.88 billion

Manufacturing facilities: 123 food processing plants

Brief history: Tyson Foods has something of a rags-to-riches heritage, as it started during the Great Depression when founder John W. Tyson moved to Springdale, Ark., in 1931 and began delivering chickens to larger markets. The company eventually incorporated as Tyson Feed and Hatchery Inc. in 1947 and, in the 1950s, grew into processing plants. After going public in 1963, Tyson expanded quickly through acquisitions and was a poultry processing leader by the 1980s. Today, Tyson Foods is one of the largest processors and marketers of chicken, beef and pork globally. 

This growth continues to this day, as Tyson’s sales reached $13.6 billion in the first quarter of 2025 — a 2.3 percent increase from 2024 — and operating income rose by 151 percent. According to the company, these accomplishments have been driven by enhancing business practices and significant consumer demand for protein-related products. 

Lesson 2: Maintenance Career Development

One of Tyson’s main ingredients for success has been its career development focus that has produced better-skilled employees and boosted staff retention, among other pluses. This includes a few innovative programs specifically for maintenance and frontline plant workers. 

The 1+2 Maintenance Program initiative enables employees to earn while they learn, with participants dividing their time between in-classroom education and hands-on plant experience. The program teaches skills in areas ranging from hydraulics to electricity and welding. Graduates earn a certificate in industrial maintenance technology and are also classified as Level 8 technicians. This program is designed with frontline workers in mind that are preparing for higher-paying maintenance job roles. 

Upward Pathways is a free, in-plant career development program providing frontline workers with job skills training and workforce certifications. It emphasizes safety training and digital fluency, and it also teaches softer, transferable skills such as leadership and time management. The program was created to augment Tyson’s Upward Academy, which focuses on strengthening and championing team members’ lives through the cultivation of general life-skills such as English as a Second Language, citizenship, high school diploma access, plus digital and financial literacy.  

“The goal of Upward Pathways is to identify and grow the untapped talent in our frontline workforce,” stated Tyson educational leader Anson Green upon its launch in 2021. “The program represents a strategic effort to bolster career advancement efforts by maximizing the expertise, loyalty and powerful diversity of our frontline workers. The approach leverages our community-based partnerships to deliver education, training and supportive services aimed at increasing the competitiveness of our team members for advancement opportunities.”

Tyson’s programs are created to match the myriad needs of its frontline workforce, who speak several different languages and have a wide range of educational experience. It’s a win-win for the firm and its staff, helping nurture available talent within their current organization by creating a clear pathway for career progression. And the digital skills furnished in their programs have never been more vital considering the never-ending rise of technology that includes the ongoing leveraging of equipment maintenance software by maintenance managers. It seems to be a solid proactive strategy, particularly given that Tyson’s plants are home to myriad types of manufacturing equipment, including conveyor systems, packaging machines, robotic arms, forklifts and so forth. 

PepsiCo Inc.

Founded: 1898

Headquarters: Harrison, N.Y.

Sales: $91.88 billion

Manufacturing facilities: 1,000+ (290 are company-owned)

Brief history: PepsiCo’s origins not surprisingly have some similarities to rival Coca-Cola, and its namesake beverage was also created by a pharmacist — in this case, Caleb Bradham in North Carolina. The refreshment was originally known as Brad’s Drink but quickly changed its name, with the “pepsi” half of the new moniker a nod to its supposed digestive-aiding properties.

After declaring bankruptcy in the early 1920s, the company bounced back after being purchased by candy manufacturer Charles Guth in 1931 and beating Coca-Cola on price during the Depression. A huge moment for the corporation came in 1965 when Pepsi-Cola merged with Frito-Lay, a breakthrough into the snack food market that is a foundation of its ongoing spectacular success.

Lesson 3: Sustainability & Reducing Operational Costs

PepsiCo has embraced a holistic sustainability strategy that has not only been good for its brand and reputation but also saved it substantial money over the years. This is reflected in its PepsiCo Positive (pep+) framework that infuses each portion of its business with sustainability — from eco-friendly sourcing of ingredients to sustainable manufacturing and packaging. The company’s philosophy illustrates that sustainability isn’t an independent part of its approach but an essential business core. This extends into its principle of the Three Pillars of Positive Agriculture, Positive Value Chain and Positive Choices, resulting in a comprehensive approach to environmental and social impact.

PepsiCo establishes concise long-term objectives, including net-zero emissions by 2040 and also becoming net-water positive. This provides a sustainable plan of attack and spurs organization-wide innovation. What’s truly impressive is how PepsiCo surpasses even its own lofty goals. For example, the company announced in 2023 that it reached its objective of reducing water usage by 25 percent in high-risk areas two years ahead of their scheduled target. 

The corporation has also been extremely innovative in how it lowers its operating expenses. This includes partnerships with countless companies, including many startups, that help PepsiCo leverage new technologies optimal for navigating its key business challenges. This plays into a larger nationwide (and global) wave of manufacturers embracing a future of automation, AI and the Internet of Things (IoT). 

According to Forbes, one of the key pilot collaborations among the hundreds within the Pepsi Labs division that debuted in 2018 is one with a group called Augury. Its AI prowess has assisted PepsiCo in eliminating more than 4,500 hours of unplanned equipment downtime spanning more than 900 downtime events at 38 Frito Lay manufacturing plants in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

PepsiCo also relies heavily upon advanced computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) to help operations reach their potential and cut back on costs. For instance, the company employs AI-powered predictive and preventive maintenance tools to supervise machine status and avoid sudden breakdowns. This results in minimized downtime, lowered replacement expenses and improved overall efficiency. Manufacturing automation in PepsiCo’s production processes — such as bottling and packaging — also streamlines operations and lowers labor costs. Collectively, these tech solutions give PepsiCo the ability to sustain high standards while also keeping operational costs reasonable.