The J.M. Smucker Company, also known as Smucker's, is an American manufacturer of food and beverage products. Headquartered in Orrville, Ohio, the company was founded in 1897 as a maker of apple butter.
History
Founding (1897–1958)
The J.M. Smucker Company was founded in 1897 by Jerome Monroe Smucker. Smucker was born on December 5, 1858, in Orrville, Ohio, and much of his life was spent as a farmer in Orrville. In 1897 Smucker built a cider mill in Orrville. The company, which came to produce jellies, jams, and other food items, has stated that he used apples from local Orrville trees planted by Johnny Appleseed in the early nineteenth century. Smucker prepared apple butter and sold it from the back of a horse-drawn wagon.
right|thumb|Smucker's brand logo
The company was incorporated in 1921. At the time, the company sold preserves and jellies, and by 1928 was distributing in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. After the company recorded losses in 1932 and 1933, in 1935 Smucker's eldest son Willard established a Smucker's plant in the state of Washington for pre-processing apples, which were then shipped to Orrville to be cooked. After introducing its trademark glass jar in 1939, In 1940, Smucker's introduced its first line of ice cream toppings, and two years later began distributing its products nationally. During World War II, the company faced shortages of labor, glass, and fruit. In 1946, Smucker's earned the designation "U.S. Grade A Fancy" after it paid U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors to "oversee every aspect of its production."
National expansion and IPO (1959–1984)
The company went public in 1959, That year J.M. Smucker acquired the juices company Knudsen & Sons. In 1987 J.M. Smucker purchased R-Line Foods, By 1993, 8% of J.M. Smucker's annual sales were international. First held in 1996, the festival was held in New Bethlehem because the Smucker's peanut butter factory was the lead employer in the area at the time. In 1998, J.M. Smucker acquired the peanut butter company Adams, That year the company purchased International Multifoods Corporation. Among the acquired brands in the deal were Pillsbury, and Canadian flour companies Golden Temple, and Robin Hood. In 2006, White Lily Brand was acquired. That same year, the company also acquired King Kelly Orange Marmalade, Eagle Family Foods, which brought in the brands Eagle Brand/Borden milk products, None Such mincemeat, and Kava coffee.
In 2008, J.M. Smucker joined the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. from ConAgra Foods, while Cedar Fair continued to own the theme park itself. That year it also purchased the frozen produce company Europe's Best in Canada and the milk brand Carnation. On November 6, 2008, J.M. Smucker purchased the Folgers coffee brand division from Procter & Gamble for $3.3 billion, acquiring brands such as Millstone Coffee in the process. The Reverse Morris Trust merger doubled J.M. Smucker's size. makers of Latin coffee brands, followed by the North American coffee and tea operations of Sara Lee in 2011. J.M. Smucker acquired Big Heart Pet Brands in 2015 Also that year, J.M. Smucker announced it would sell its canned milk operations in the United States to Eagle Family Foods Group LLC. In February 2015, J.M Smucker and Keurig partnered together on making K-Cup packs of Dunkin' coffee. Mark Smucker was named CEO in 2016. As part of a strategy to focus on pet food, coffee, and snacking, on August 31, 2018, J.M. Smucker announced it had sold its baking business in the United States to Brynwood Partners for $375 million, Martha White, Hungry Jack, White Lily, and Jim Dandy. The baking business in Canada was retained. The company acquired Ainsworth Pet Nutrition in 2018, including the brands Better Than! Treats, Dad's Pet Care, and Rachael Ray Nutrish, and in October 2018, J.M. Smucker consolidated its $580 million marketing business into Publicis Groupe.
During the COVID-19 pandemic many J.M. Smucker employees began remote work. J.M. Smucker began providing "pay and benefits to employees to avoid furloughs," creating employee hardship and sick leave programs. By August 2020, its international and away-from-home segment had seen a quarterly sales decline of 9%. The Smucker's brand had seen a 25% quarterly increase in sales, Uncrustables had seen a 35% jump, and Crisco had seen a 50% increase. In September 2020, the company announced a new logo and corporate brand identity, with aims to distinguish Smucker the company from Smucker's brand food items. J.M. Smucker Company was shortened to J.M. Smucker Co. In December 2020 J.M. Smucker sold Crisco to B&G Foods for $550 million, part of the company's ongoing plan to divest of baking products in the United States. Overall in 2020, J.M. Smucker had $7.8 billion in net sales, with free cash flow growing 26% from 2019 to $985.5 million. Its US retail consumer foods unit saw a 22% jump in annual profits, while coffee rose 11% and pet food rose 6%. After selling Natural Balance Pet Foods to Nexus Capital for $50 million in Jan. 2021, in early 2022, the company sold R.W. Knudsen and truRoots to Nexus Capital. The deal included an agreement for Nexus Capital to license Santa Cruz Organic beverages, although not the brand's food items. The deal was estimated at $110 million. In January 2024, the Knott's Berry Farm grocery brand was discontinued due to low sales.
Hostess Brands acquisition
On 11 September 2023, J.M. Smucker announced an acquisition of Hostess Brands for $5.6 billion in cash and stock. This will bring several snack brands, including Twinkies, CupCakes, DingDongs, HoHos, Fruit Pies, CoffeeCakes, MiniMuffins, and Voortman cookies, along with seven manufacturing and distribution facilities, and 3,000 employees to J.M. Smucker. The acquisition was completed in November 2023.
Current brands
J.M. Smucker's four major business units are consumer foods, pet food, snacks, and coffee. The Smucker's flagship brand manufactures and sells its own brands of fruit preserves, jelly, peanut butter including Smucker's Goober PB&J, syrups, ice cream toppings including Smucker's Magic Shell, and the Uncrustables sealed crustless sandwich. In Canada, the brands are limited to ice cream toppings and preserves.
J.M. Smucker brands currently include:
Foods
- Bick's (pickles and condiments)
- Carnation Milk (Canada)
- Crosse & Blackwell (British)
- Five Roses (Canada)
- Golden Temple (Canada)
- Hostess Brands (baked goods)
- Jif (peanut butter)
- Laura Scudder's (peanut butter)
- Robin Hood (Canada)
- Smucker's Uncrustables (crustless sandwiches)
Pet foods
- Meow Mix (cat food)
- Milk-Bone (dog treats)
- Snausages (dog treats)
Coffee
- Café Bustelo
- Dunkin' (K-Cup, pre-made coffee)
- Folgers
See also
- List of coffee companies