Hormel Foods Corp. announced Monday it was named the Walmart Supplier of the Year for overall best supplier performance and partnership in 2011.

The award is the top recognition given by Walmart and was presented at the Supplier Summit in Orlando, Flor., according to a press release. The award recognizes Hormel for a record of successful innovation and years of consistent growth.

“We are honored to be recognized by Walmart for this outstanding accomplishment,” said Patrick Connor, vice president at Hormel Foods and senior vice president of sales to Walmart. “This award recognizes the extraordinary efforts of our entire team throughout the U.S. and symbolizes our long-term growth and strategic alignment with one of our top customers.”

This is the first year Hormel has received this award.