King Arthur Baking has been around since 1790, but one of the most interesting things about the company isn't its age or even its flour.
It's who owns it.
King Arthur is 100% employee-owned.
Former owners Frank and Brinna Sands began transferring the company to its employees in 1996. By 2004, the transition was complete. Today, eligible employees earn company shares through an ESOP funded by the company, giving the people who work there an actual financial stake in the business.
That's more than putting “we value our employees” on a corporate webpage.
And consumers notice. In baking discussions, people repeatedly bring up employee ownership as one reason they feel good about supporting King Arthur—alongside the quality of the products themselves.
The company also has profit sharing. King Arthur reported that in 2024, 100% of employees who worked the entire year received a profit-sharing payout.
There are plenty of giant food brands competing for our grocery dollars. So when a company has spent more than two decades under 100% employee ownership, that's worth recognizing.
You don't have to believe a company is perfect to give credit where it's earned.
King Arthur built a model where the people doing the work can also own a piece of what they're building. That's the kind of business decision consumers deserve to know about.