After more than 150 years, Campbell Soup Company is changing its name. It’s just a subtle change – they’re dropping the word “soup” from their corporate name, rebranding themselves as The Campbell’s Company. While Campbell’s is the world’s largest soup producer, the company now owns many snack brands (like Goldfish, Pepperidge Farms, Snyders of Hanover, and Cape Cod potato chips), and soup is a smaller portion of its sales.
The company that would become Campbell’s started in 1869, when Joseph Campbell, a fruit merchant, and Abram Anderson, an icebox manufacturer, formed a partnership in Camden, N.J. They made canned tomatoes, vegetables, preserves, and other products. The first can of ready-to-eat tomato soup went on sale in 1895. In 1897, chemist John Dorrance, who also happened to be the nephew of the company’s president at the time, developed a commercially viable way to condense soup. This allowed the product to be packaged in a smaller can and be sold for less money than other canned soups.
Campbell’s red and white soup cans are immediately recognizable on the grocery store shelf. That color scheme was inspired by the Cornell University football team uniforms! Campbell’s has heavily invested in advertising since it’s beginning. One of the most well-known campaigns is the “Campbell’s Kids”. They were also the only sponsor of Lassie for it’s entire TV and radio run from 1954-1971. Their first TV commercial ran during an episode of the show!
After World War II, the Campbell’s started diversifying, acquiring producers of juice, frozen foods, bakery goods, and more. They opened Campbell’s Test Kitchens in 1941, and in 1955 one of their test kitchen chefs invented Green Bean Casserole.
Andy Warhol painted his famous Campbell’s Soup Can silkscreens in 1962. The company considered legal action but ultimately decided they were fine with their flagship product becoming an iconic piece of pop art.
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