Joseph O’Connor serves as the President of Applegate and leads the Emerging Brands Retail Vertical at Hormel Foods. In his role, he leads Applegate’s mission-based portfolio that continues to be the leading natural and organic meat brand. Applegate was founded in 1987 and was acquired by Hormel Foods in 2015 and today, it is one of the company’s most successful brands. Joe began his career with Hormel Foods in 2006 and after roles in sales leadership and strategy for the company, he joined the Applegate team in 2020. Prior to joining Hormel, Joe held various positions in the industry that included DSD sales at Snyder’s of Hanover, retail store management at Clemens Markets and direct sales at Albert Organics. Joe graduated from Saint Joseph’s University with a degree in food marketing and currently resides in New Jersey with his wife and daughter.