George A. Hormel worked in a Chicago slaughterhouse before becoming a traveling wool and hide buyer. His travels took him to Austin and he decided to settle there, borrow $500, and open a meat business.
Hormel handled the production side of the business and his partner, Albert Friedrich, handled the retail side. The two dissolved their partnership in 1891 so that Hormel could start a complete meat packing operation on his own. He opened George A. Hormel & Co. in the northeast part of Austin in an old creamery building on the Cedar River.
To make ends meet in those early days, Hormel continued to trade in hides, eggs, wool, and poultry. Joining George in November 1891 was his youngest brother, Benjamin, age 14. By the end of 1891 Hormel employed six men and had slaughtered and sold 610 head of livestock. By 1893, the increased use of refrigerator cars had allowed many large meat packers to force smaller business under.
Two additional Hormel brothers, Herman and John, joined the business that same year and together they processed 1,532 hogs, enough to stay in business. The remaining members of the Hormel family moved to Austin in 1895 and joined the growing business. George turned to full-time management in 1899 and turned his focus on increasing production.
