Cargill: A Global Agribusiness Giant, Its Family Legacy, and Controversies
- Marcelo Serafim
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
Cargill, Incorporated, founded in 1865 by William Wallace Cargill, stands as the largest privately held company in the United States, with revenues reaching $165 billion in 2022. Starting as a single grain storage warehouse in Conover, Iowa, at the end of the American Civil War, Cargill has grown into a multinational agribusiness titan, operating in 66 countries and employing over 160,000 people. The company’s core operations span trading, purchasing, and distributing agricultural commodities like grain and palm oil, as well as producing food ingredients such as starch, glucose syrup, and vegetable oils for ultra-processed foods. Cargill also plays a significant role in livestock production, meat processing, and financial services, managing risks in commodity markets. It supplies 25% of U.S. grain exports, 22% of the U.S. domestic meat market, and all the eggs used in American McDonald’s restaurants, underscoring its immense influence in the global food supply chain.
