Ingham's
Corporate brand
UnclaimedIngham's is an Australian poultry producer and animal-feed manufacturer serving retail, food-service, institutional and agricultural customers.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Ingham's is an Australian food and agribusiness company whose principal activities are the production, processing and distribution of poultry products and animal feed. Its consumer-facing business is best known for chicken and turkey sold through supermarkets, food-service operators, hospitality businesses and schools in Australia and New Zealand. The company also supplies a range of poultry products to commercial customers and manufactures stockfeed for poultry, horses and pigs. The business originated in 1918, when Walter Ingham acquired land at Casula, in New South Wales, for his 18-year-old son, Walter Ingham. What began as a small mixed-farming operation gradually shifted toward poultry production. Walter Ingham initially kept a very small flock, but the enterprise expanded rapidly. After Walter's death in 1953, his sons Jack Ingham and Bob Ingham developed the operation into a much larger breeding, growing, processing and distribution business. The Ingham family remained closely associated with management until the business was sold to private-equity firm TPG Capital in 2014. A major turning point came with the construction of the company's first processing plant at Casula in 1958. During the 1960s, advances in poultry processing, packaging and distribution helped Ingham's move from a farm-based producer toward a nationally recognized food company. The brand became a household name as packaged and processed poultry became more widely available in Australian retail channels. Ingham's also developed commercial relationships with major food-service customers, including a partnership with KFC beginning in 1976. In the 1990s, the company expanded its New Zealand interests and built its capability in industrial food production. It later established a dedicated facility for McDonald's chicken nuggets in response to strong demand. Its poultry portfolio includes fresh chicken cuts such as breast, thigh, wing and mince; ready-to-cook products such as kebabs, schnitzels, roasting portions, burger patties and meatballs; and frozen or prepared products including whole chickens and chicken Kiev. Turkey products include fresh cuts, sausages, roasts, steaks, wings, drumsticks, schnitzels and mince, alongside ready-to-eat roasted or smoked products and frozen whole turkeys. The company also produces egg-free food products and supplies products in formats designed for supermarkets, delis, restaurants and institutional kitchens. Animal feed is the other major area of activity. Ingham's produces stockfeed for poultry, horses and pigs and has described itself as one of Australasia's largest stockfeed manufacturers. This feed capability complements its vertically integrated poultry activities and gives the company exposure to both consumer food and agricultural supply markets. The company expanded its physical infrastructure during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Its Murarrie poultry processing plant, established in 2001, was described as the largest of its kind in Australia at the time and employed approximately 1,200 people. Across Australia and New Zealand, the company has reported a workforce of more than 8,000 people operating across more than 100 locations. In 2014, TPG Capital acquired Ingham's for A$880 million. The business subsequently returned to public markets, listing on the Australian Securities Exchange in November 2016. The Ingham name has also been associated with Australian thoroughbred racing and breeding. Jack and Bob Ingham built a major equine operation alongside the poultry business, including successful horses such as Octagonal and Lonhro. The family sold its thoroughbred interests in 2008, when the breeding operation was acquired by Dubai's Sheikh and incorporated into Darley Stud. That equine business is historically connected to the Ingham family but is separate from Ingham's current poultry and feed operations. Today, Ingham's positioning combines mass-market poultry, large-scale food manufacturing, food-service supply and agricultural feed. Its brand presence is strongest in Australia, while its business operations also extend across New Zealand. The company operates in categories shaped by food safety, animal welfare, biosecurity, processing efficiency and changing consumer demand for convenient protein products.
History
Ingham's traces its origins to 1918, when Walter Ingham acquired a 42-acre property at Casula, New South Wales, for his teenage son Walter. The younger Ingham began with mixed farming and gradually moved into poultry production. A flock that reportedly started with one cockerel and six hens grew substantially, establishing the foundations of a vertically integrated poultry enterprise. During the 1920s, the farm produced much of its own feed for poultry and horses. World War II increased the importance of domestic poultry production because meat supplies were constrained, and the Ingham operation supplied poultry products to Australian consumers. Women also worked on Ingham family farms as part of the broader wartime workforce. Following Walter Ingham's death in 1953, his sons Jack and Bob assumed control. They expanded breeding, production and processing and transformed the family operation into a leading Australian chicken and turkey producer. The company opened its first processing plant at Casula in 1958. During the 1960s, improvements in packaging and processing supported rapid growth in the Australian poultry sector and helped make Ingham's a nationally familiar name. The business broadened through investments and acquisitions. In 1963, it acquired a 50 percent interest in A.A. Tegel Turkey and completed the takeover in 1994. In 1972, it acquired a minority interest in Chickadee Food. In 1990, it acquired Harvey Farms, described as the number-two chicken processor in New Zealand at the time. Ingham's relationship with KFC developed into a business partnership in 1976, while its industrial processing capabilities later supported the production of McDonald's chicken nuggets. In 1995, the company built a dedicated plant for those products after demand became substantial. A major infrastructure project was completed in 2001 with the establishment of the Murarrie poultry processing plant. The facility was described as Australia's largest poultry processing plant at the time and used advanced production and supply-chain equipment, with approximately 1,200 employees. Ingham's also continued to develop its feed business, producing stockfeed for poultry, horses and pigs. The company ended its halal certification in Western Australia in 2008 and thereafter did not supply halal-slaughtered chicken from that operation. The same year, the Ingham family sold its substantial thoroughbred breeding and racing interests to Dubai's Sheikh, with the operation becoming part of Darley Stud. Although the horse business was not the same as the poultry company, it was an important part of the family's broader commercial history. In 2014, TPG Capital acquired Ingham's for A$880 million. This transaction ended the family's direct management of the poultry company, which had continued from its establishment. Ingham's subsequently listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in November 2016. The company has continued operating across Australia and New Zealand, supplying supermarkets, food-service customers, hospitality businesses and schools. Its contemporary portfolio spans fresh, packaged, ready-to-cook, frozen and ready-to-eat chicken and turkey, as well as animal feed. The business has also faced environmental and biosecurity issues. In 2015, it agreed to pay Lake Macquarie Council A$80,000 following a 2014 incident in which a ruptured tank released poultry blood and offal into local waterways. In 2026, the company reportedly imposed farm lockdowns and strengthened biosecurity in Western Australia after H5N1 was detected in migratory birds near Esperance.
- 2016
Australian Securities Exchange listing
[1]Ingham's listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in November.
- 2014
TPG Capital acquisition
[1]TPG Capital acquired Ingham's for A$880 million.
- 2008
Western Australian halal certification ended
[1]The company cancelled its halal certification status in Western Australia.
- 2001
Murarrie processing plant established
[1]Ingham's opened its large Murarrie poultry processing plant in Australia.
- 1995
Dedicated McDonald's nugget plant
[1]The company built a dedicated facility for producing McDonald's chicken nuggets after demand grew significantly.
- 1994
A.A. Tegel Turkey takeover completed
[1]Ingham's completed its takeover of A.A. Tegel Turkey.
- 1990
Harvey Farms acquired
[1]Ingham's acquired Harvey Farms, a major New Zealand chicken processor.
- 1976
KFC partnership
[1]Ingham's and KFC formed a business partnership that expanded opportunities for both companies.
- 1972
Investment in Chickadee Food
[1]The company acquired a 26 percent interest in Chickadee Food.
- 1963
Investment in A.A. Tegel Turkey
[1]Ingham's acquired a 50 percent interest in A.A. Tegel Turkey.
Products and positioning
A large-scale Australian poultry and feed producer combining supermarket poultry, food-service supply, institutional distribution and agricultural feed manufacturing.
Poultry
Fresh chicken
Fresh chicken is sold in cuts including breast, thigh, wing and mince. These products are distributed through supermarkets and also supplied to food-service and institutional customers. The range supports both household meal preparation and commercial kitchen use.
Convenience poultry
Ready-to-cook chicken
The ready-to-cook range includes kebabs, schnitzels, roasting portions, burger patties, meatballs and other prepared items. It is designed to reduce preparation time while retaining the company's core chicken offering across supermarket deli, chilled and packaged channels.
Processed poultry
Frozen and ready-to-eat chicken
Ingham's frozen and prepared chicken products include whole roasting chickens, chicken Kiev and processed chicken sold as a ready-to-eat roll through deli channels. These products extend the brand beyond raw poultry into convenience and prepared-food formats.
Poultry
Turkey
Turkey products span fresh sausages, small roasts, steaks, wings, drumsticks, schnitzels and mince. The range also includes roasted and smoked ready-to-eat products and frozen offerings such as whole turkeys, buffé products and turkey Kiev.
Animal feed
Stockfeed
The feed business manufactures stockfeed for poultry, horses and pigs. It serves agricultural and animal-production markets and complements Ingham's poultry operations with a broader role in the Australasian animal-feed supply chain.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2026
Western Australian biosecurity lockdownStrategyBackground
H5N1 was reported in two migratory birds near Esperance, Western Australia.
Action taken
Ingham's locked down poultry farms in Western Australia and tightened biosecurity procedures.
Aftermath
The measures were intended to reduce the risk of avian-influenza transmission to commercial poultry operations.
2016
Public-market listingStrategyBackground
Following the TPG Capital ownership period, Ingham's returned to the public capital markets.
Action taken
The company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in November 2016.
Aftermath
Ingham's became a publicly traded Australian food and agribusiness company.
2014
Sale to TPG CapitalM&ABackground
After nearly a century of family association, Ingham's was sold to a private-equity owner.
Action taken
TPG Capital acquired the company for A$880 million.
Aftermath
Direct Ingham family management ended, and the company later proceeded to a public listing.
Acquisition value. A$880 million (2014 acquisition)
2008
Withdrawal of Western Australian halal certificationStrategyBackground
The company reviewed its certification position in Western Australia.
Action taken
Ingham's cancelled its halal certification status in Western Australia and stopped supplying halal-slaughtered chicken from that operation.
Aftermath
The change affected the certification and product-supply status of the Western Australian business.
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