Oberto Snacks Inc.

Oberto Snacks Inc., formerly known as Oberto Sausage Company, is an American meat-snack business founded in Seattle, Washington, in 1918 by Constantino Oberto. The company began with handmade Italian sausages based on family recipes, including salami and coppa, and later developed into a broader producer of shelf-stable and smoked meat snacks. Its portfolio has included jerky, pepperoni, charcuterie products, chicken bites and other smoked meats sold under several names, including Oberto, Oberto Classics, Lowrey's Meat Snacks, Pacific Gold Beef Jerky and Cattleman's Cut. The business remained family-controlled during its formative decades. After Constantino Oberto died on Labor Day in 1943, his 16-year-old son Art Oberto assumed responsibility for the company while continuing his education at West Seattle High School. Art resisted pressure to sell and expanded the operation as demand grew. By the mid-1950s, sales supported construction of a new factory, completed in 1955 with financing assistance from the family of Art's wife, Dorothy Vennetti. Oberto's major transition from a regional sausage maker to a national meat-snack supplier came through beef jerky. The company developed jerky as a flagship product and secured placement with Safeway in 1967, its first distribution through a national grocery chain. The company subsequently expanded its manufacturing and brand portfolio. In 1990, Laura Oberto joined her father in senior leadership and became co-chairman; in 1991 she became president. Oberto acquired Smoke Craft and Lowrey's Meat Snacks in 1994, adding brands, facilities and approximately 200 employees, and acquired Pacific Sun Industries, producer of the Pacific Gold brand, in 2002. Distribution strategy changed significantly during the 1990s and 2000s. Oberto entered a distribution arrangement with Frito-Lay in 1999, but ended the relationship in 2009 after slower sales and returned to direct distribution of its products. Tom Ennis was subsequently appointed president and chief executive officer. During the early 2010s, the company reformulated its flagship jerky products, announcing the removal of ingredients such as corn syrup, preservatives, dextrose and other artificial ingredients. It also invested in a new production and distribution center in Nashville, Tennessee, opened in 2013, adding more than 300 jobs. The facility was closed in 2016 after the company announced layoffs of more than 80 employees. Oberto has used sports, outdoor activity and unconventional local marketing to distinguish its products. Art Oberto's branded Lincoln Town Car, known as the “jerky mobile,” promoted the company around the Seattle area beginning in the 1950s. The company sponsored a hydroplane racing boat from 1975 through the end of 2015. Later campaigns connected meat snacks with athletic performance and active lifestyles, using professional athletes and sports personalities. Oberto also partnered with Tough Mudder events and supported the Wounded Warrior Project. In April 2018, Oberto announced that it would be sold to Premium Brands Holdings Corporation. The transaction ended the company's period as an independent family-operated business while preserving Oberto as a meat-snack brand within Premium Brands' portfolio. Public reference material identifies the business as headquartered in Kent, Washington, and describes it as an active producer and marketer of packaged meat snacks.

Constantino Oberto established the business in Seattle in 1918, initially producing handmade Italian sausages from family recipes. The early range included salami, coppa and related sausage products. When Constantino died in 1943, his teenage son Art took over the business. Art continued operating the company while attending West Seattle High School and declined opportunities to sell it. Growth during the postwar period led to construction of a new factory, completed in 1955. The company's long-term expansion was driven by its move into packaged beef jerky. Oberto introduced its jerky to Safeway stores in 1967, giving the brand access to its first national grocery-chain distribution. Marketing also became a visible part of the company's identity. Beginning in the 1950s, Art used a branded Lincoln Town Car, referred to as the “jerky mobile,” for local promotion. From 1975 through 2015, Oberto sponsored a hydroplane racing boat. Leadership began transitioning within the family in the 1990s. Laura Oberto joined the company in 1990 as a senior leader and became president the following year. The company expanded through acquisitions, buying Smoke Craft and Lowrey's Meat Snacks and their Albany, Oregon, facilities in 1994. In 1999, Oberto entered a distribution partnership with Frito-Lay. The company later bought Pacific Sun Industries, which produced Pacific Gold, in 2002. Oberto ended the Frito-Lay arrangement in 2009 after slow sales and took distribution in-house. Tom Ennis was appointed president and CEO around the same period. In 2012, the company changed recipes for its flagship jerky products, removing corn syrup, preservatives, dextrose and other artificial ingredients. It opened a production and distribution center in Nashville in 2013, but announced the site's closure in 2016, with more than 80 layoffs reported. The brand continued to emphasize sports and active-lifestyle marketing. Its “You Get Out What You Put In” campaign used professional athletes and sports personalities, while partnerships with Tough Mudder events connected the company with endurance and outdoor audiences. Oberto also made a $100,000 donation to the Wounded Warrior Project in connection with its Tough Mudder partnership. In 2018, the company announced its sale to Premium Brands Holdings Corporation. Oberto remains identified with meat snacks sold under the Oberto name and related acquired brands, while its corporate history reflects a transition from a Seattle family sausage maker to a larger packaged-snack operation.

1. 2018Sale to Premium Brands announced

   Oberto announced that it would be sold to Premium Brands Holdings Corporation.

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2. 2016Nashville facility closes

   Oberto announced the closure of the Nashville plant and layoffs affecting more than 80 people.

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3. 2013Nashville facility opens

   Oberto opened a production and distribution center in Nashville, Tennessee.

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4. 2012Jerky recipes reformulated

   The company adjusted flagship jerky recipes to remove corn syrup, preservatives, dextrose and other artificial ingredients.

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5. 2009Distribution brought in-house

   Oberto ended its Frito-Lay arrangement and began distributing products independently.

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6. 2002Pacific Sun Industries acquired

   The acquisition brought the Pacific Gold brand into Oberto's portfolio.

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7. 1999Frito-Lay distribution partnership begins

   Oberto entered a distribution partnership with Frito-Lay.

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8. 1994Smoke Craft and Lowrey's acquired

   Oberto purchased Smoke Craft and Lowrey's Meat Snacks, adding brands, facilities and approximately 200 employees.

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9. 1990Laura Oberto joins senior leadership

   Laura Oberto joined her father in a leadership role and became co-chairman.

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10. 1967Oberto jerky enters Safeway

    Safeway became the first national grocery chain to carry Oberto beef jerky.

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11. 1955New factory completed

    A new factory was completed as the growing business expanded its manufacturing capacity.

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12. 1943Art Oberto takes over after his father's death

    Following Constantino Oberto's death, his 16-year-old son Art assumed responsibility for the company.

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13. 1918Company founded in Seattle

    Constantino Oberto founded the business and began making handmade Italian sausage and related cured meats.

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Packaged meat snacks positioned around bold flavor, convenient protein and active lifestyles, with brand communication frequently linked to sports, outdoor activities and simplified ingredient claims.

• Oberto Beef JerkyJerky

  Oberto's best-known product line grew from the company's sausage-making heritage and became its principal national grocery offering after distribution began through Safeway in 1967. The line includes packaged beef jerky positioned as a portable meat snack. In 2012, the company announced recipe changes intended to remove corn syrup, preservatives, dextrose and other artificial ingredients from flagship products.

• Oberto ClassicsTraditional meat snacks

  Oberto Classics is a branded range associated with the company's traditional meat-snack heritage. It sits within the broader Oberto portfolio of cured, smoked and dried meat products, extending the brand beyond a single jerky format into familiar snackable sausage and related offerings.

• Lowrey's Meat SnacksMeat snacks1994

  Lowrey's Meat Snacks became part of Oberto's portfolio through the 1994 acquisition of Smoke Craft and Lowrey's. The brand broadened Oberto's presence in packaged meat snacks and was associated with facilities in Albany, Oregon.

• Pacific Gold Beef JerkyBeef jerky2002

  Pacific Gold Beef Jerky entered Oberto's portfolio through the 2002 acquisition of Pacific Sun Industries. It represents a separate beef-jerky brand within the company's multi-brand approach to packaged meat snacks.

• Cattleman's CutMeat snacks

  Cattleman's Cut is one of the meat-snack brand names associated with Oberto Snacks. Public reference material identifies it as part of the company's portfolio, alongside Oberto, Lowrey's and Pacific Gold, although detailed product-level information is not specified.

• Italian sausages and charcuterieSausage and cured meats1918

  The company began with handmade Italian sausage and historically produced salami, coppa and other cured meats. These products represent the culinary foundation from which Oberto expanded into modern shelf-stable jerky, pepperoni, charcuterie and smoked meat snacks.

• 2015Shark Week jerky commercial

  United States

  Oberto ran a Shark Week commercial in which the company's CEO threw a giant piece of jerky into the ocean and a great white shark leapt from the water to take it.

  Outcome. The advertisement extended Oberto's irreverent, spectacle-driven approach to meat-snack marketing.

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• 2014Tough Mudder partnership

  United States

  Oberto partnered with Tough Mudder events to associate its meat snacks with endurance, outdoor activity and participation-based fitness.

  Outcome. The partnership was renewed in 2015, and Oberto donated $100,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project in connection with the relationship.

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• 2012You Get Out What You Put In

  United States

  This campaign linked Oberto meat snacks with performance and active lifestyles. Advertisements used professional athletes and sports personalities, including Louie Vito, Richard Sherman, Rob Gronkowski, Clint Dempsey, Dick Vitale and others.

  Outcome. The campaign strengthened Oberto's sports-oriented brand identity and broadened its spokesperson roster.

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• 1975Hydroplane racing sponsorship

  United States · Pacific Northwest

  Oberto sponsored a hydroplane racing boat as part of its long-running association with regional sports and spectacle.

  Outcome. The sponsorship continued until the end of 2015.

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• 1950Jerky mobile

  United States · Seattle area

  Art Oberto promoted the company locally by driving an Oberto-branded Lincoln Town Car, known as the “jerky mobile,” around the Seattle area.

  Outcome. The vehicle became an enduring example of Oberto's unconventional local marketing style.

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• 2018Sell the company to Premium Brands HoldingsM&A

  After a century of family ownership and independent operation, Oberto pursued a change in corporate ownership.

  What changed. Oberto announced its sale to Premium Brands Holdings Corporation.

  Aftermath. Oberto became part of Premium Brands' broader food portfolio while continuing as an identifiable meat-snack brand.

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• 2016Close Nashville plantStrategy

  The company reassessed its manufacturing footprint after opening the Nashville facility three years earlier.

  What changed. Oberto announced the closure of the Nashville plant and layoffs affecting more than 80 people.

  Aftermath. The decision reduced Oberto's operating footprint in Tennessee.

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• 2013Open Nashville production and distribution centerStrategy

  Oberto invested in additional manufacturing and logistics capacity.

  What changed. The company opened a production and distribution center in Nashville, Tennessee.

  Aftermath. The facility initially added more than 300 employees but was announced for closure in 2016.

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• 2012Reformulate flagship jerky recipesStrategy

  Oberto responded to consumer interest in simpler ingredient lists and product claims associated with natural foods.

  What changed. The company adjusted flagship jerky recipes to remove corn syrup, preservatives, dextrose and other artificial ingredients.

  Aftermath. The reformulation supported the brand's cleaner-ingredient and active-lifestyle positioning.

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• 2009Return to self-distributionStrategy

  Oberto reported slow sales during its Frito-Lay distribution period.

  What changed. The company terminated the Frito-Lay distribution deal and began distributing products itself.

  Aftermath. Tom Ennis was named president and CEO shortly afterward, accompanying a broader operational reset.

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• 2002Acquire Pacific Sun IndustriesM&A

  Oberto expanded its multi-brand meat-snack portfolio.

  What changed. The company acquired Pacific Sun Industries, producer of the Pacific Gold brand.

  Aftermath. Pacific Gold Beef Jerky became part of the Oberto brand portfolio.

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• 1999Enter Frito-Lay distribution partnershipStrategy

  Oberto pursued broader distribution for its growing packaged meat-snack business.

  What changed. The company entered a distribution partnership with Frito-Lay.

  Aftermath. The arrangement ended in 2009 after slow sales, after which Oberto resumed self-distribution.

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• 1994Acquire Smoke Craft and Lowrey's Meat SnacksM&A

  Oberto sought to expand its meat-snack brands, manufacturing footprint and workforce.

  What changed. The company purchased Smoke Craft and Lowrey's Meat Snacks and their facilities in Albany, Oregon.

  Aftermath. The transaction added approximately 200 employees and expanded Oberto's brand portfolio.

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• 2018Oberto announces sale to Premium Brands Holdings

  Oberto announced that it would be sold to Premium Brands Holdings Corporation, ending its period as an independent family-operated company.

  M&A
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• 2018Oberto announces sale to Premium Brand Holdings

  Oberto announced that it would be sold to Premium Brand Holdings, later known as Premium Brands Holdings Corporation.

  M&A
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• 2016Oberto announces closure of Nashville plant

  Oberto announced the closure of its Nashville facility and layoffs affecting more than 80 employees.

  Other
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• 2015Thomas Hernquist named president and CEO

  Thomas Hernquist succeeded Tom Ennis as Oberto's president and chief executive officer.

  Leadership change
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• 2013Oberto opens Nashville production and distribution center

  The company opened a manufacturing and distribution facility in Nashville, Tennessee, expanding production capacity and adding more than 300 employees.

  Other
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• 2012Oberto reformulates flagship jerky products

  The company announced recipe changes removing corn syrup, preservatives, dextrose and other artificial ingredients from its flagship jerky products.

  Product generation
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• 2009Oberto ends Frito-Lay distribution arrangement

  After a period of slower sales, Oberto ended its distribution relationship with Frito-Lay and resumed distributing its products independently.

  Other
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• 2009Oberto appoints Tom Ennis as president and CEO

  Following the change in distribution strategy, Oberto appointed Tom Ennis to lead the company as president and chief executive officer.

  Leadership change
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• 2009Oberto ends Frito-Lay distribution agreement

  After slow sales, Oberto ended its distribution relationship with Frito-Lay and moved to distributing its products independently.

  Other
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1. Oberto Snacks Inc.
2. Oberto official website