Libby's

Libby's
Industry Food processing
Founded 1869
Headquarters Chicago, Illinois
Products Canned food and beverages
Website http://libbys.com
1898 advertisement showing the trapezoidal can of Libby, McNeill & Libby's canned corned beef
Libby, McNeill & Libby salmon fishing vessel, 1918

Libby's is a brand of canned food and beverages owned by Libby's Brand Holding based in Geneva, Switzerland and licensed to several companies around the world.

History

The company was founded as Libby, McNeill & Libby in Chicago, Illinois, by Archibald McNeill and the brothers Arthur and Charles Libby. The business began with a canned meat product, beef in brine, or corned beef. The product became well-known when the company began to package the meat in a trapezoid-shaped can starting in 1875.[1]

By 1880, it had 1,500 employees in Chicago.[2] By the turn of the century, the company employed about 2,000 workers,[3] as it had expanded to the canning of fruits and vegetables. Libby's came under the control of Swift & Company in the 1920s, but later became independent again.

One of the best known executives of Libby's was Charles Scott Bridges, who in 1947 was made a director of the company and in 1953 became Libby's president and chief executive officer. Libby's expanded and modernized during his presidency, and entered the extensive production of frozen foods. By 1960 Libby's had 9,000 employees and annual revenues of $296 million, and ranked 154th in size among U.S. corporations.

Libby, McNeill & Libby was acquired by Nestlé in 1970.[4]

Nestlé introduced Juicy Juice in 1977 and it was branded under the Libby's name. In 2006, Juicy Juice became branded under the Nestlé name. In 2014, the Juicy Juice brand and business was sold by Nestlé to Harvest Hill Beverage Company, a portfolio company of Brynwood Partners.[5][6]

In 1982, Libby's canned vegetable business was acquired by S.S. Pierce Company (now Seneca Foods) and its canned fruits business was acquired by California Canners and Growers (Cal Can).[7][8] In 1984, Cal Can merged with Tri-Valley Growers. In 2000, Tri-Valley Growers went bankrupt and the bulk of its operations, including the rights to the Libby's canned fruit business, was acquired by Signature Fruit LLC in 2001.[9] In 2006, Seneca Foods acquired Signature Fruit.[10]

Niagara Trading Company (now NTC Marketing, Inc.) acquired a long-term license for the Libby's name for canned pineapple and juices in 1983.[11][12]

In 1998, Libby's canned meat business was sold by Nestlé to International Home Foods.[13] In 2000, International Home Foods was acquired by ConAgra.[14]

In 2006, the Libby's trademark was sold by Nestlé to a Swiss entity that became known as Libby Brand Holding.

Advertising

In the 1970s, Libby's had a successful television advertising campaign featuring their jingle, "When it says Libby's Libby's Libby's on the label, label, label, you will like it, like it, like it, on your table, table, table."[15]

Operations

Before and after World War II, Libby's had canning operations outside the United States in Belgium and France, at Leer in northern Germany, and in the United Kingdom.

In 2015 Peaty Mills plc. acquired the Libby’s brand rights for preserved foods in the UK, Eire and Portugal with the exceptions of Corned Beef, Pumpkin and Fruit Juices. The brand rights for Fruit Juice in the UK are held by Refresco.

Libby's trademark in Canary Islands, Spain and Portugal is licensed to Establecimientos Industriales Archipiélago S.A.[16]

2009 canned pumpkin shortage

In November 2009, Libby's announced that because of poor weather on its Illinois pumpkin farms and a depleted back stock, a canned pumpkin shortage was likely as Thanksgiving approached. Libby's accounts for the vast majority of canned pumpkin production in the United States, and the shortfall prompted Libby's to establish farms in multiple states as a hedge against another mass shortage like the one that happened in 2009.[17]

References

  1. ↑ ConAgra history
  2. ↑ Encyclopedia of Chicago history
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-08-03. Retrieved 2015-09-10. 1901 promotional material
  4. ↑ Storch, Charles (26 September 1985). "Libby leaving Chicago". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  5. ↑ Rothman, Max (2 July 2014). "Nestlé USA unloads stake in Juicy Juice". BevNet. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  6. ↑ Bray, Chad (2 July 2014). "Nestlé to sell Juicy Juice brand to Brynwood Partners". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  7. ↑ "Libby to Sell Canning Business". The New York Times. 11 March 1982. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  8. ↑ 12 December 1981. "Libby says it will sell its canning operations". Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  9. ↑ Sinton, Peter (19 January 2001). "Tri-Valley Growers sold off in pieces". SF Gate. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  10. ↑ Pieterse, Janice (28 July 2006). "Seneca Foods aims to buy Calif. firm". Rcohester Business Journal. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  11. ↑ Niagara Trading
  12. ↑ Seneca's History Archived 2013-10-07 at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ "International Home Foods to Libby's canned meat products". Food Online. 22 July 1998. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  14. ↑ "ConAgra to buy International Home Foods". Los Angeles Times. 24 June 2000. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  15. ↑
  16. ↑ LIBBYS. zumo, vitaplus, nectar, naranja, piña, melocoton, platano, zanahoria, tomate, catchup. ketchup, canarias, guayaba, fresa, manzana, sin azucar, fruta, dieta, canarias, tenerife, las palmas, leche, salud, multifruta, mango, albaricoque, tropica...
  17. ↑ Severson, Kim (November 17, 2009). "Libby's Warns of a Canned Pumpkin Shortage". NYTimes.com.


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