The Campbell's Company (

doing business as A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...

Campbell's and formerly known as the Campbell Soup Company) is an American company, most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products. The classic red-and-white can design used by many Campbell's branded products has become an American icon, and its use in pop art was typified by American artist

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

's series of ''

Campbell's Soup Cans ''Campbell's Soup Cans'' (sometimes referred to as ''32 Campbell's Soup Cans'') is a Visual arts, work of art produced between November 1961 and June 1962 by the American artist Andy Warhol. It consists of thirty-two canvases, each measuri ...

'' prints. Campbell's has grown to become one of the largest processed food companies in the United States through

mergers and acquisitions Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...

, with a wide variety of products under its flagship Campbell's brand as well as other brands including

Pepperidge Farm Pepperidge Farm Incorporated is an American commercial bakery founded in 1937 by Margaret Rudkin, who named the brand after her family's 123-acre farm property in Fairfield, Connecticut, which had been named for the Black Tupelo, pepperidge tree. ...

, Snyder's of Hanover, V8, and Swanson. With its namesake brand Campbell's produces soups and other canned foods, baked goods, beverages, and snacks. It is headquartered in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

History

Foundation and early history

The company was started in 1869 by Joseph A. Campbell, a fruit merchant from

Bridgeton, New Jersey Bridgeton is a City (New Jersey), city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, Cumberland County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the county seat of Cumberland CountyAbraham Anderson, an icebox manufacturer from

South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...

. They produced canned

tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

es,

vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...

s, jellies, soups,

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

s, and minced meats. In 1876, Anderson left the partnership and the company became the "Joseph A. Campbell Preserve Company". Anderson's son, Campbell Speelman, split paths with his father and continued to work at Campbell's as a creative director, originally designing the Campbell's soup cans. In 1894, Campbell retired and Arthur Dorrance became the company president. Campbell reorganized into "Joseph Campbell & Co." in 1896. In 1897, John T. Dorrance, a nephew of company president Dorrance, began working for the company at a wage of $7.50 a week ($253 in 2022 dollars). Dorrance, a chemist with degrees from

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

and Göttingen University, Germany, developed a commercially viable method for condensing soup by halving the quantity of its heaviest ingredient:

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

. He went on to become president of the company from 1914 to 1930, eventually buying out the Campbell family. 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 Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team's uniforms. To this day, the layout of the can, with its red and white design and the metallic bronze medal seal from the 1900 Paris Exhibition, has changed very little, with the exception of the French phrase on the top of the bronze seal that said "Exposition-Universelle-Internationale" which was changed to the English name of the exhibition as "Paris International Exposition".

Growth under new leadership

Campbell Soup became one of the largest food companies in the world under the leadership of William Beverly Murphy. He was elected executive vice president of Campbell Soup in 1949 and was president and CEO from 1953 to 1972. While at Campbell's Soup Company, he took the corporation public and increased its brand portfolio to include Pepperidge Farm's breads, cookies, and crackers, Franco-American's gravies and pastas, V8 vegetable juices, Swanson broths, and Godiva's chocolates. David Johnson was president and CEO from 1990 until 1997. Campbell Soup has invested heavily in

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

since its inception, and many artifacts of its promotional campaigns have proven valuable in the Americana collectible advertising market. Perhaps best known are the " Campbell's Kids" designed by illustrator Grace Drayton.

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

was a spokesman for V8 when Campbell's acquired the brand in 1948. In addition to collectible advertising, the company has had notable commercial sponsorships. Among them was

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...

's '' The Campbell Playhouse'', which had previously been ''

The Mercury Theatre on the Air ''The Mercury Theatre on the Air'' is a radio series of live radio dramas created and hosted by Orson Welles. The weekly hour-long show presented classic literary works performed by Welles's celebrated Mercury Theatre repertory company, with mus ...

''. 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.

Shutdown of factories

The shutdown of Campbell's original plant in

, plant No. 1, was announced in 1989, with production to end on the night of March 1, 1991; the plant was officially closed the next day, and was demolished on November 1, 1991. Plants in

Pocomoke City, Maryland Pocomoke City, dubbed "the friendliest town on the Eastern Shore", is a city in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County, Maryland, United States. Although renamed in a burst of civic enthusiasm in 1878, the city is regularly referred to by i ...

; Crisfield, Maryland; and

Smyrna, Tennessee Smyrna is a town in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. Smyrna's population was 53,070 at the 2020 census, making it the largest town in Tennessee by population in that census. Smyrna is part of the Nashville metropolitan area. Histo ...

also shut down around that time. Plant No. 2, originally a tomato-processing plant, shut down in 1980. In the 1950s it had manufactured about 35% of all Campbell's products. Products included pork and beans; tomato juice, V8 vegetable juice, Franco-American spaghetti, macaroni and cheese; and soups (notably: bean with bacon, cream of mushroom, cream of celery, and cream of asparagus. Due to these closures 2,800 jobs were lost, around 1,000 of those from the Camden plant. Workers received one week's payment for each year of employment as well as six months of paid medical benefits, and half the cost for an additional six months. Salaried workers received one week's pay for each year of employment. Production was moved to plants in Napoleon, Ohio; Paris, Texas; and Maxton, North Carolina.

Recent history

In November 2007, Campbell's Soup sold Godiva to Yildiz Holding. In March 2008, Campbell's Soup was rebranded as Batchelors Condensed Soup in the UK and Erin in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

when the license to use the brand name in those countries expired.

Premier Foods Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The group owns many well-known brands, including Mr Kipling, Ambrosia (food), Ambrosia, Bird's Custard, Angel Delight, Homepride cooking sauces, J. Lyons ...

, headquartered in St. Albans,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

, bought the Campbell Soup Company in the UK and Ireland for £450 million ($830 million) in 2006 but was licensed to use the Campbell name only until 2008. Under this agreement, the US-based Campbell Soup Company continued to produce Campbell's Condensed Soup but could not sell the product in the UK for a further five years. Campbell's continues to be a major part of Camden, regularly participating in charity events in the community. In 2009, Campbell's completed the construction of a new and expanded headquarters in the city. In January 2010, Campbell's Canadian subsidiary began selling a line of soups that are certified by the Islamic Society of North America as being

halal ''Halal'' (; ) is an Arabic word that translates to in English. Although the term ''halal'' is often associated with Islamic dietary laws, particularly meat that is slaughtered according to Islamic guidelines, it also governs ethical practices ...

(prepared in accordance with

Islamic law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...

). Although Campbell does not have any plans to sell its halal soups in the United States, the move drew criticism from anti-Muslim critics in the United States. Several bloggers called for a boycott of the company, but Campbell's spokesman John Faulkner stated at the time that the company did not notice any effect on its sales as a result. In July 2011, Campbell's Soup decided to once again sell its product in the UK. Symingtons began manufacturing the brand under license. The new lineup consisted of twelve cup soups, five simmer soups designed to be cooked in a pot of water, four savory rice lines as well as four savory pasta and sauce packets. The items were not sold in cans but instead in packets and boxes. Later in 2011, the canned varieties also returned to supermarket shelves with refreshed labels and new lines. In 2012, Campbell announced plans to buy Bolthouse Farms, a maker of juices, salad dressings, and baby carrots, for $1.55 billion. Analysts said it was an attempt to reach younger, more affluent consumers. Since 2012, Campbell Soup has been focused on updating their image and digital marketing to increase visibility among younger generations. In June 2013, Campbell acquired the Danish multinational baked goods company Kelsen Group for an undisclosed amount. Kelsen has an 85-country distribution network and is seen as providing Campbell with opportunities for international expansion, particularly into China and other Asian markets. In June 2015, Campbell Soup acquired salsa maker Garden Fresh Gourmet for $231 million as it looked to expand into the fresh and organic packaged foods business. 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 latter deal is the largest in the company's history. In January 2018, Campbell's announced the closure of their only Canadian factory, in Toronto. Production shifted to three existing facilities in the United States, and 380 jobs were lost as a result. Denise morrison campbell soup company by bill cramer

Denise morrison campbell soup company by bill cramer

Denise Morrison served as the company's president and CEO from 2011 through 2018. On December 21, 2018, Mark Clouse, former CEO of Pinnacle Foods, was announced as Campbell's CEO effective January 22, 2019. Having sold over $450 million a year worth of Chunky Soup from 2004 to 2017, Campbell's asked for a

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...

on "Chunky", which was approved in 2019. In July 2019, Campbell's agreed to sell its stake in the Kelsen Group for $300 million to a subsidiary of Ferrero SpA, with the transfer to be completed in 2020. Campbell's also divested Arnott's Biscuits to KKR for $2.2 billion at the same time. In August 2023, it was announced that Campbell's had acquired the Louisville, Colorado-headquartered food manufacturer Sovos Brands for $2.7 billion. On August 1, 2024, Campbell's announced that it will transfer its stock listing from the NYSE to the Nasdaq Global Select Market starting on August 16 at the market close. Trading on Nasdaq began on August 19, 2024. On August 26, 2024, Campbell's announced it completed the sale of its Pop Secret popcorn business to Our Home, an independent snack company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. On September 11, 2024, Campbell's announced its intention to change its name to The Campbell's Company pending shareholder approval. The name change was approved on November 19, 2024. President and CEO Mark Clouse retired from his position to be named the team president of the NFL's

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...

, with Mick Beekhuizen succeeding him on February 1, 2025.

Pop art

In 1962, artist

incorporated the familiar look of the Campbell's soup can with a series of pop art silkscreens, a theme he would return to off and on through the 1960s and 1970s. The first batch in 1962 were a series of 32 canvases. At first, the cans were accurate representations of actual Campbell's cans, but as his series progressed, they became more surrealistic, with Warhol experimenting with negative-reversed color schemes and other varied techniques (many of these which would be used on other Warhol paintings of the period, such as his celebrity silkscreens of the 1960s). The silkscreens themselves have become iconic pieces of pop art, with one in particular, ''Small Torn Campbell Soup Can (Pepper Pot)'' (1962), commanding a price of $11.8 million at auction in 2006.

Slogans

* Mmm Mmm Good (1935–present—their predominantly used slogan) * Give Me The Campbell Life (1969–75) * Soup Is Good Food (1975–) * Never underestimate the power of soup! (1990s) * Possibilities (2005–2009) * So Many Many Reasons It's So Mmm Mmm Good (2009–2010) * It's Amazing What Soup Can Do! (2010–present) * Made for real, Real life (2015–present)

Health issues

Many canned soups, including Campbell's condensed and chunky varieties, contain relatively high quantities of

sodium Sodium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Na (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 element, group 1 of the peri ...

and thus are not desirable for those on low-sodium diets. However, Campbell's Chunky, Healthy Request and other soups, as well as their V-8 and Tomato juices, are claimed by Campbell's to contain reduced sodium levels. In the fall of 2007, Campbell's was awarded a Certificate of Excellence from ''Blood Pressure Canada'' for their efforts in lowering sodium levels. By the fall of 2009, Campbell's claimed it had lowered the sodium content in 50% of its soups range. In March 2010, this claim was challenged; ABC News reported that the low-sodium variety of Campbell soup in fact contained the same amount of sodium as the regular variety, and that Campbell's Healthy Request soup contained more fat than the regular variety. In July 2011, citing sinking sales, the company increased the salt content of its products again. In December 2009, ''

Consumer Reports Consumer Reports (CR), formerly Consumers Union (CU), is an American nonprofit consumer organization dedicated to independent product testing, investigative journalism, consumer-oriented research, public education, and consumer advocacy. Founded ...

'' found that major canned food companies including Campbell's Soup were producing tinned products with

bisphenol A Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound primarily used in the manufacturing of various plastics. It is a colourless solid which is Solubility, soluble in most common organic solvents, but has very poor solubility in water. BPA is produced on a ...

(BPA) levels over 100 ppb in some cases; the testing revealed that just one serving of canned food would exceed an expert's recommendation for daily exposure (0.2 micrograms per kg body weight per day).

GMO

Throughout 2012, Campbell's contributed $500,000 to a $46 million political campaign known as "the Coalition Against the Costly Food Labeling Proposition, sponsored by farmers and food producers". This organization was set up to oppose a citizens' initiative, known as Proposition 37, demanding mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients sold in California. In January 2016, the company decided to support mandatory labeling and announced they would label their products that contained GMO additives.

Brands

Campbell's owns numerous brands that it markets worldwide. Among these are the following:

Campbell's

The company's flagship brand and the Campbell's name is used to market soups, sauces, and canned meals. Product lines under the brand include:

Pepperidge Farm

An American baked-goods company founded in 1937, it was acquired by Campbell's in 1961. The Pepperidge Farm brand is used by Campbell's to market the following:

Pace Foods

An American salsa company founded in 1947, Pace was acquired by Campbell's in 1995. The Pace brand is used by Campbell's to market salsas and picante sauce.

Swanson

*Broth *TV dinners and frozen meals (made by Pinnacle Foods under license) *Canned chicken

Prego

*Pasta sauces

Snyder's-Lance

Lance The English term lance is derived, via Middle English '' launce'' and Old French '' lance'', from the Latin '' lancea'', a generic term meaning a wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generic term meaning a spear">wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generi ...

crackers and cookies * Snyder's of Hanover pretzels * Cape Cod Potato Chips *

Kettle A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a device specialized for boiling water, commonly with a ''lid'', ''spout'', and ''handle''. There are two main types: the ''stovetop kettle'', which uses heat from a cooktop, hob, and the ...

potato chips *Snack Factory pretzel chips *Archway Cookies

Late July Snacks

Late July Snacks is a subsidiary of the Campbell Soup Company, acquired in the Snyder's-Lance acquisition in early 2018. Snyder's-Lance had boosted their ownership stake in Late July Snacks to 80% in 2014.

Plants

United States

: world headquarters, non-manufacturing * Maxton, North Carolina: opened 1978 * Napoleon, Ohio *

Ashland, Ohio Ashland is a city in Ashland County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is approximately 66 miles southwest of Cleveland. The population was 19,225 at the 2020 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan statistical area, wh ...

: Archway Cookies bakery, acquired through the Snyder's-Lance purchase * Willard, Ohio * Paris, Texas *

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Everett, Washington Everett (; ) is the county seat and most populous city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the Seattle metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett ...

West Sacramento, California West Sacramento (also known as West Sac) is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. The city is separated from Sacramento, California, Sacramento by the Sacramento River, which also separates Sacramento County, California, Sacramento a ...

* Tualatin, Oregon * East Rancho Dominguez, California * Dixon, California *

Rancho Cucamonga, California Rancho Cucamonga ( ) is a city located just south of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and Angeles National Forest in San Bernardino County, California, United States. About east of Downtown Los Angeles, Rancho Cucamonga is the List ...

International

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

: Opened 1930 in New Toronto, Ontario (closure announced in 2018) *

Lemnos Lemnos ( ) or Limnos ( ) is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Lemnos (regional unit), Lemnos regional unit, which is part of the North Aegean modern regions of Greece ...

, Victoria, Australia *

Lübeck Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-larg ...

, Germany Sold in 2013 to CVC Capital Partners and converted into Continental Foods BVBA. *

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

state, Malaysia *

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...

, United Kingdom: Opened 1959, closed 2007. Site demolished 2012. * Bekasi, Indonesia (as PT. Arnotts Indonesia) until 2019 at which point Campbell Soup Company sold it to KKR *

Ribe Ribe () is a town in south-west Jutland, Denmark, with a population of 8,367 (2025). It is the seat of the Diocese of Ribe. Until 1 January 2007, Ribe was the seat of both a surrounding municipality and county. It is now part of the enlarged E ...

, Denmark until 2013 at which point Campbell Soup left the European market * Nørre Snede, Denmark until 2013 at which point Campbell Soup left the European market

Recalls

2010

On June 22, 2010, Campbell's "SpaghettiOs and Meatballs" product was recalled after a Texas firm found possible traces of underprocessed meat in the product.Texas Firm recalls 3 varieties of Spaghettios and Meatballs

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Collins, Douglas (1994). ''America's Favorite Food: The Story of Campbell Soup Company''. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. . * Shea, Martha Esposito, and Mathis, Mike (2002). ''Images of America: Campbell Soup Company''.

Arcadia Publishing Arcadia Publishing is an American Publishing, publisher of neighborhood, local history, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form.(analysis of the successful ''Images of America'' series). Arcadia Publishing also runs th ...

. . * Sidorick, Daniel (2009). ''Condensed Capitalism: Campbell Soup and the Pursuit of Cheap Production in the Twentieth Century''.

Cornell University Press The Cornell University Press is the university press of Cornell University, an Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York. It is currently housed in Sage House, the former residence of Henry William Sage. It was first established in 1869, maki ...

. .

External links

* – consumer
Official corporate website
{{Authority control, state=expanded 1869 establishments in New Jersey Brand name soups Companies based in Camden, New Jersey Companies listed on the Nasdaq Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange Multinational food companies Dorrance family Food and drink companies established in 1869 Food manufacturers of the United States