COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC

Food Preparations, Not Elsewhere Classified

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

94companies1847–1998founding years91still active3no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedBoatmen's Bancshares Inc.
1847
FoundedHeidelberger Zement AG
1873
FoundedNabisco Foods Group
1898
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedBlue Diamond Growers
1910
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedShionogi & Co., Ltd.
1919
FoundedWeis Markets, Inc.
1924
FoundedPorsche AG
1931
FoundedAssociated British Foods plc
1935
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedShowa Shell Sekiyu K.K.
1942
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedDal-Tile International Inc.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedDover Corporation
1955
EconomyMcDonald's franchising begins, remaking fast food.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedNational Picture & Frame Company
1964
FoundedCeradyne, Inc.
1967
FoundedDesc, S.A. de C.V.
1973
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedCorporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile
1976
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedGrameen Bank
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedAmerican Classic Voyages Company
1985
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedRooms To Go Inc.
1990
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Boatmen's Bancshares Inc. →
Active · founded 1847
Boatmen's Bancshares Inc.
The Associated Press →
Active · founded 1848
The Associated Press (AP) describes itself as the largest newsgathering organization in the world.
Société du Louvre →
Defunct · founded 1855 · France
Société du Louvre does not run that Paris museum, but its properties are almost as distinguished.
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company →
Active · founded 1867
Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company is a prominent regional and specialty beer brewer.
Thomas J. Lipton Company →
Active · founded 1871
Thomas J.
Heidelberger Zement AG →
Active · founded 1873 · Germany
Heidelberger Zement AG is one of the world's five largest producers of construction materials.
Tone Brothers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1873
Tone Brothers, Inc.
Vorwerk & Co. →
Active · founded 1883 · Germany
For more than 100 years, Vorwerk & Co.
Pet Incorporated →
Active · founded 1885
Pet Incorporated, a specialty food producer with a number of familiar name-brands, operates 33 manufacturing plants…
Herman Goelitz, Inc. →
Active · founded 1898
Herman Goelitz, Inc.
Nabisco Foods Group →
Active · founded 1898
For nearly a century, Nabisco has been one of the most widely recognized names in the American food industry.
Borden, Inc. →
Active · founded 1899
The Borden, Inc.
McCormick & Company, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1903
McCormick & Company, Incorporated has been the largest U.S.
The King Arthur Flour Company →
Active · founded 1904
The King Arthur Flour Company celebrates its 210th anniversary in the year 2000.
Bestfoods →
Defunct · founded 1906
Bestfoods is one of the largest food companies in the United States, with two main businesses: consumer foods and…
Blue Diamond Growers →
Active · founded 1910
Blue Diamond Growers is the world's largest tree nut marketer and also ranks as one of the largest agricultural…
Hartmarx Corporation →
Active · founded 1911
Hartmarx Corporation is a holding company for a number of clothing companies, including its flagship brands of men's…
The Lane Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1912
The Lane Co., Inc.
Schott Brothers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1913
Schott Brothers, Inc.
Lutheran Brotherhood →
Active · founded 1917
Lutheran Brotherhood is the second-largest fraternal benefit society in the United States.
Shionogi & Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1919 · Japan
Shionogi & Co., Ltd., ranks among Japan's leading developers, producers, and exporters of pharmaceuticals.
Dawn Food Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1920
Dawn Food Products, Inc.
The J.M. Smucker Company →
Active · founded 1921
The J.M.
Zatarain's, Inc. →
Active · founded 1922
Zatarain's, Inc., is a leading producer of rice mixes.
Golden Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1923
A leading snack food producer in the southeastern United States, Golden Enterprises, Inc.
Advance Publications Inc. →
Active · founded 1924
Family owned and operated, Advance Publications Inc.
Weis Markets, Inc. →
Active · founded 1924
Weis Markets, Inc.
Hain Food Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Hain Food Group, Inc.
Rayonier Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Rayonier Inc.
AMETEK, Inc. →
Active · founded 1930
AMETEK, Inc.
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1930
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.
Porsche AG →
Active · founded 1931 · Germany
Porsche AG is legendary for its innovative and beautiful automobile designs.
Value Line, Inc. →
Active · founded 1931
Value Line, Inc.
Chock Full o'Nuts Corp. →
Active · founded 1932
Chock Full o'Nuts Corp.
Lamb Weston, Inc. →
Active · founded 1932
The largest producer of frozen potato products in the world, Lamb Weston, Inc.
Besnier SA →
Active · founded 1933 · France
Besnier SA is France's largest dairy products producer and one of the largest dairy products producers in Europe.
Associated British Foods plc →
Active · founded 1935 · United Kingdom
With high-ranking positions in several categories of foodstuffs, Associated British Foods plc (ABF) stands as one of…
Goya Foods Inc. →
Active · founded 1936
With almost 1,000 items on sale, Goya Foods Inc.
L'Oréal →
Active · founded 1939 · (1) 47 56 86 42
L'Oréal, one of the largest companies in France, is the world's largest manufacturer of high-quality cosmetics and…
World's Finest Chocolate Inc. →
Active · founded 1939
World's Finest Chocolate Inc.
Worthington Foods, Inc. →
Active · founded 1939
Worthington Foods, Inc., has grown from a tiny manufacturer of specialty foods into a leader of the U.S.
Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
c.
Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1945
Jos.
Kaman Corp. →
Active · founded 1945
Kaman Corp.
Sub-Zero Freezer Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1945
Sub-Zero Freezer Co., Inc., is the leading manufacturer of built-in refrigerators, which can be fronted with cabinetry…
Iams Company →
Active · founded 1946
Iams Company is a manufacturer of premium dog and cat foods which are distributed only through veterinarians, animal…
Cumberland Packing Corporation →
Active · founded 1947
Cumberland Packing Corporation is a relatively small, family-run business, yet it has been a major player in the…
Dal-Tile International Inc. →
Active · founded 1947
Dal-Tile International Inc.
Johnston Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Although it got its start selling auto replacement parts, Johnston Industries, Inc.
Consorcio G Grupo Dina, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1951 · Mexico
Consorcio G Grupo Dina , S.A.
Bayer A.G. →
Active · founded 1952 · Germany
Bayer A.G., along with BASF and Hoechst, is heir to the German chemical cartel known as I.G.
WD-40 Company →
Active · founded 1953
Since the 1950s, the San Diego-based WD-40 Company has dominated the U.S.
Dover Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
Dover Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturing holding company composed of about 50 subsidiaries with…
Renault Argentina S.A. →
Active · founded 1955 · Argentina
Of Argentina's ten automakers, almost all are closely held subsidiaries or affiliates of their American, European, or…
John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. →
Active · founded 1959
John B.
Marie Callender's Restaurant & Bakery, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Marie Callender's Restaurant & Bakery, Inc.
McLane Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
McLane Company, Inc., is one of the largest wholesale distribution companies in the United States.
National Picture & Frame Company →
Active · founded 1964
National Picture & Frame Company is a major designer, manufacturer, and marketer of a wide variety of low-priced…
Grupo Industrial Bimbo →
Active · founded 1965 · Mexico
Mexico's biggest baker and food company, Grupo Industrial Bimbo, is a Mexican multinational conglomerate that derives…
Ruth's Chris Steak House →
Active · founded 1965
Ruth's Chris Steak House is an international chain of upscale restaurants.
Montedison S.p.A. →
Defunct · founded 1966 · Italy
Montedison S.p.A.
Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Founded in Berkeley, California, in the mid-1960s, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Inc.
Ceradyne, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Ceradyne, Inc.
Wawa Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
With 515 outlets in 1996, Wawa Inc.
Offshore Logistics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Offshore Logistics, Inc., with headquarters in Lafayette, Louisiana, provides a variety of services to the petroleum…
GoodMark Foods, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
The world's largest producer of meat snacks, GoodMark Foods, Inc.
Celestial Seasonings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
The largest manufacturer and marketer of herb teas in the United States, Celestial Seasonings, Inc.
Desc, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1973 · Mexico
Desc, S.A.
The Yankee Candle Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
The Yankee Candle Company Inc.
Alfa, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1974 · Mexico
Alfa, S.A.
Kerry Group plc →
Active · founded 1974 · Ireland
Kerry Group plc is fast becoming one of the world's leading food ingredients suppliers.
The Summit Bancorporation →
Active · founded 1974
The Summit Bancorporation is the holding company for Summit Bank, New Jersey's fourth largest bank.
Hillsdown Holdings plc →
Active · founded 1975 · United Kingdom
Hillsdown Holdings plc is a somewhat obscure holding company for a wide range of food, homebuilding, furniture, and…
Corporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile →
Active · founded 1976 · Chile
: 212234 Copper Ore & Nickel Ore Mining; 331411 Primary Smelting & Refining of Copper Ore The state-owned Corporacion…
The Really Useful Group →
Active · founded 1977 · United Kingdom
The Really Useful Group is the umbrella corporation over a welter of entertainment and leisure companies that operate…
Riklis Family Corp. →
Active · founded 1980
Riklis Family Corp.
Kraft Jacobs Suchard AG →
Active · founded 1982 · Switzerland
Kraft Jacobs Suchard AG--part of Philip Morris Companies Inc.
Nimbus CD International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
In the mid-1990s Nimbus CD International, Inc.
Grameen Bank →
Active · founded 1983 · Bangladesh
Grameen Bank founder Muhammad Yunus pioneered the concept of 'micro-credit'--minuscule loans to the very poor.
TLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
TLC Beatrice International Holdings, Inc.
Altera Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Founded in 1983, Altera Corporation is a leading maker of high-density programmable logic devices (PLDs), based on…
Novellus Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Based in San Jose, California, Novellus Systems, Inc.
Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc.
American Classic Voyages Company →
Active · founded 1985
American Classic Voyages Company is parent company to two pleasure cruise companies, the Delta Queen Steamboat Company,…
Alpine Lace Brands, Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
Alpine Lace Brands, Inc., is a leading manufacturer of reduced-fat and fat-free deli cheeses and meats.
Michael Foods, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Michael Foods, Inc., through its Egg Products Division, is the largest producer, processor, and distributor of extended…
Suiza Foods Corporation →
Active · founded 1988
Suiza Foods Corporation has seemingly come out of nowhere to become one of the leading fresh milk and dairy food…
Brightpoint, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Brightpoint, Inc.
Rooms To Go Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
Rooms To Go Inc., a low- to mid-priced furniture store chain, has rapidly expanded to more than 60 stores since opening…
Orkla A/S →
Active · founded 1991 · Norway
Orkla A/S is the largest branded consumer goods group and food and beverage producer in Scandinavia and one of the five…
Footstar, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1996
Footstar, Incorporated is a holding company whose two subsidiaries, Footaction and Meldisco, are leading shoe retailers…
Diageo plc →
Active · founded 1997 · United Kingdom
Diageo plc is a world leader in branded food and drinks.
Vlasic Foods International Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
Spun off from Campbell Soup Company in March 1998, Vlasic Foods International Inc.
Weatherford International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1998
Houston-based Weatherford International, Inc.
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