Cargill's Profit Jumps 14 Percent Amid Growth in Beef and Chocolate

Cargill reported a 14 percent jump in fiscal first quarter profit. File photo of a Cargill facility in Memphis.

Growing consumer demand for beef, along with a balanced supply, lifted Cargill Inc.’s profit during the summer months, the company said Wednesday.

The Wayzata-based conglomerate said its profit rose 14 percent to $973 million in the three months ended Aug. 31, the first quarter of its 2018 fiscal year. Revenue rose slightly to $27.3 billion.

“We’re off to a good start in our new fiscal year, powered by the significant work we’ve done over the last few years and continuing to accelerate our performance,” David MacLennan, Cargill’s chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.

The momentum in Cargill’s protein business, the biggest contributor to its profitability recently, was a carry-over from the fiscal year that ended in May.

The U.S. cattle supply has fully rebounded following years of drought in Texas and the southern Plains states, meaning Cargill can process more cattle through its massive slaughterhouses and sell beef to customers. This is passed on to consumers who are responding by buying more beef. Cargill said it is also exporting more beef abroad.

Profits in the company’s chicken business, which operates chiefly outside the U.S., and in its global animal feed business fell slightly compared to a year ago.

Cargill’s food-ingredient business was its second largest contributor to financial gains, led in most regions by cocoa and chocolate products, as well as food sweeteners and starches