Campbell Soup History: Founding, Timeline, and Milestones - Zippia (2024)

In 1869 Joseph A. Campbell and Abraham Anderson started producing canned vegetables, jellies, condiments, minced meats and, of course, soups.

In 1882 a partnership was formed between Campbell's son-in-law, Walter S. Spackman; Campbell's nephew, Joseph S. Campbell; and Arthur Dorrance, Spackman's personal friend who brought a cash infusion to the partnership.

Campbell reorganized into “Joseph Campbell & Co.” in 1896.

In 1896 the company built a large factory in Camden and expanded its product line to include prepared meats, sauces, canned fruits, ketchup, and plum pudding.

1898 The original labels for Campbell’s condensed tomato soup line were actually orange and blue, but this all changed in 1898 when the company’s treasurer, Herberton L. Williams, thought a red and white scheme would be more fitting.

In 1898, Herberton Williams, a Campbell's executive, convinced the company to adopt a carnelian red and bright white color scheme, because he was taken by the crisp carnelian red color of the Cornell University football team's uniforms.

Shipbuilding on the waterfront began about 1899.

By 1899 John Dorrance had successfully developed a method of canning condensed soup.

In 1900, Campbell's soups won the Gold Medallion for excellence at the Paris Exposition.

The final and most recognisable version is modelled on the medal the company received at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900 as a symbol of excellence.

John Dorrance became director of the company in 1900 and soon after the company was renamed the Joseph Campbell Company.

In 1902 Chef DeLisle became the first executive chef of Campbell’s.

By 1904 the company sold 16 million cans of soup a year.

In 1904, the cherubic Campbell Kids were introduced in a series of trolley car advertisem*nts, as a way to appeal to working mothers.

As the company began increasing the variety of soups it offered, it began canning less produce, eventually leading, in 1905, to a change in company name to Joseph Campbell Company.

Boasting 21 varieties of soup by this time, Campbell began to eye a bigger market; in 1911 Campbell began selling its products in California, thus becoming one of the first companies to serve the entire nation.

In 1912 Campbell began growing its own produce in an effort to standardize quality.

J.T. Dorrance became president of the company in 1914.

In 1915 Dorrance became sole owner of Campbell when he bought out his uncle, Arthur Dorrance.

Meantime, in 1915, Campbell acquired the Franco-American Food Company.

The first of many Campbell cookbooks, Helps for the Hostess, was published in 1916.

In 1921 Campbell acquired the Franco-American Food Company, and the next year the company was incorporated as the Campbell Soup Company.

Campbell Soup was founded on November 23, 1922, and is headquartered in Camden, NJ.”

In 1922 the company was incorporated as the Campbell Soup Company, centering the company on its most famous and profitable product.

John Dorrance and Chef Louis Charles DeLisle celebrating his Order of Chevalier du Merite (Knight of Merit) award in 1929.

In 1929 the company opened a second major facility in Chicago.

When John Dorrance died in 1930, Arthur C. Dorrance was elected president.

Campbell began backing these introductions with radio advertising in 1931, using the famous "M'm! M'm! Good!" slogan.

After the program’s adaptation of The War of the Worlds became a sensation for accidentally starting a mass panic due to its realism, Campbell’s took over as sponsor of the radio theater program in December 1938.

The acquisition includes a manufacturing location based in Napoleon, Ohio, opened in 1938.

Meantime, the company published its first full-length cookbook in 1941, titling it Easy Ways to Good Meals.

In 1942 sales topped $100 million for the first time.

In 1946 Arthur C. Dorrance died and James McGowen, Jr., became president.

Ronald Reagan was a spokesman for V8 when Campbell’s acquired the brand in 1948.

When television made its way to American homes in the 1950’s, Campbell introduced TV commercials, and some 40 years later, the Campbell Kids were found dancing to rap songs on the small screen.

In the midst of this growth, W.B. Murphy was elected president, following McGowan's retirement in 1953.

In 1958 sales exceeded $500 million for the first time and Campbell established Campbell's Soups, S.p.A. in Italy.

In 1961 Campbell acquired Pepperidge Farm, a maker of quality baked goods, and a similar Belgian company, Biscuits Delacre.

Also in 1966 Campbell formed Godiva Chocolatier to distribute the Belgian-made chocolates in the United States.

Campbell created Champion Valley Farms, a pet food concern, in 1969.

Campbell, which had built its fortune on Dorrance's invention of condensed soup, introduced the Chunky brand of ready-to-serve soups in 1970.

In 1971, for the first time, Campbell's sales topped $1 billion.

In 1972 Murphy retired and was replaced as president by Harold A. Shaub.

In 1973 Campbell acquired Pietro's Pizza Parlors, a chain based in the Pacific Northwest.

In 1974 the company completed a purchase of the European Godiva company and became its sole owner.

In 1978 Campbell purchased Vlasic Foods, a Michigan-based producer of pickles and similar condiments, for approximately $35 million in capital stock.

In June 1980 the company entered the debt market with a $100 million ten-year offering.

In 1980 R. Gorden McGovern succeeded Shaub as president and Campbell made two acquisitions--Swift-Armour S.A. Argentina and a small American poultry processing plant used by Swanson for its frozen chicken dinners.

In 1981 McGovern reorganized Campbell's management structure, dividing the company into two new divisions--Campbell United StatesA. and Campbell International--and about 50 business groups.

The company acquired Snow King Frozen Foods, a large producer of uncooked frozen specialty meats, and introduced the wildly successful Prego spaghetti sauce nationally in 1981.

In 1982 Campbell acquired Mrs.

In 1984 John T. Dorrance, Jr., the son of condensed soup's inventor, retired as chairman of the board and became director of the board's executive committee.

The Cape Cod Potato Chip Hyannis Factory opened in 1985, where visitors can stop by for a self-guided tour.

In 1985, however, the company decided to cut back on new product gambles and McGovern reevaluated his goals and returned the company's focus to product quality and efficiency.

The company purchased a Belgian food producer and 20 percent of Arnotts Ltd., an Australian biscuit manufacturer, in 1985.

In 1986 the company bought two more American food companies and established Campbell Enterprises to oversee non-grocery products.

By 1987 McGovern began selling off some of Campbell's less successful ventures.

In 1987 the company sold its disappointing pet food, Triangle physical fitness, and Juice Works beverage businesses.

In 1988 the Pietro's pizza and Annabelle's restaurants were also sold, taking Campbell out of the restaurant business entirely.

Campbell's management crisis was exacerbated by the death, in April 1989, of John Dorrance.

McGovern--who failed in an attempt to merge the company with Quaker Oats in 1989--left Campbell that same year.

The cookie subsidiary of Campbell Soup, Campbell Biscuits Europe, got a head start on the market in February 1990, when it reorganized its European corporate structure, consolidated marketing, and standardized packaging.

But some analysts warned that the profits came at the expense of core brand promotion, which was cut in 1991.

The New Jersey State Aquarium opened in 1992.

In 1992 the company made bolder goals, with a vision expressed as "Campbell Brands Preferred Around the World." The plan made further preparations for the European Community's single market and expanded those efforts around the world.

In 1993 Vlasic retired as chairman, with Johnson taking on this additional title.

The company recorded a $300 million restructuring charge in 1993 in relation to the divestment of several underperforming units.

In addition to a big push into the Mexican soup market, the company in 1993 began selling V8 vegetable juice in Europe and established a joint venture with Nakano Vinegar Co.

1994 Campbell’s celebrates its 125th anniversary.

Later in 1995, the company picked up Greenfield Healthy Foods, the number one maker of fat-free brownies and cookies for the health and convenience store markets, and Fresh Start Bakeries, a supplier of baked goods to fast-food restaurants.

Paul's frozen seafood line was sold to Pillsbury Co.'s Van de Kamp's unit in 1996.

Replacing him was Harvey Golub, former chairman and CEO of American Express Company and a Campbell director since 1996.

Also in 1997 Arnotts acquired the Sydney, Australia-based Kettle Chip Company.

The latter, however, was sold in 1998.

In July 1999, meantime, Johnson retired from his remaining position as chairman.

In January 2001 Douglas R. Conant was brought onboard as the new president and CEO. A 25-year food industry veteran, Conant had experience at three of the largest food companies in the world: General Mills, Inc., the Kraft Foods unit of Philip Morris Companies Inc., and Nabisco Holdings Corp.

In a deal completed in May 2001, Campbell paid Unilever about $900 million for several dry soup and bouillon brands in Europe, including Oxo, Batchelors, Heisse Tasse, Blå Band, and Royco.

In July 2001 Conant launched a three-year "transformation plan" to revitalize the ailing company.

The first cans of kosher condensed Vegetarian Vegetable Soup hit the market in late 2003.

In 2006 Premier Foods, the United Kingdom’s largest food producer, purchased Campbell Soup’s subsidiaries in both the United Kingdom and Ireland.

In the UK and Ireland, Campbell Soup was rebranded as Batchelors Condensed Soup (UK) and Erin (Ireland) in March 2008, when the license to use the brand name expired.

In 2008 Campbell entered a licensing agreement with Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc., that allowed the company to sell Wolfgang Puck soup, stock, and broth products, thereby expanding Campbell’s organic soup offerings.

In 2008 the company pledged $10 million to the city of Camden’s Public Benefit Plan for community improvement.

In 2009, Campbell’s completed the building of a new and expanded headquarters in the city.

In 2012, Campbell announced plans to buy Bolthouse Farms, a maker of juices, salad dressings, and baby carrots, for $1.55 billion.

In June 2013, Campbell acquired the Danish multinational baked goods company Kelsen Group for an undisclosed amount.

In December 2017, Campbell's completed the acquisition of Pacific Foods of Oregon, LLC for $700 million and announced the agreement to acquire the snack company Snyder's-Lance for $4.87 billion in cash.

The company announced in January 2018 that their only Canadian factory, in Toronto, would close.

In 2020 Late July snacks debuted its first-ever national advertising campaign.

Camden, NJ

Joseph Campbell,Abraham Anderson