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History of Campbell Company of Canada

Campbell Company of Canada is one of Canada's major food manufacturers. Established in 1930 in New Toronto, it was Campbell Soup Company's first foreign subsidiary. Campbell Canada operates two plants: the heated process soup plant in Etobicoke and a frozen foodservice and specialty food plant in Listowel. Headquartered in Etobicoke, Campbell Company of Canada employs approximately 1,500 people across the country.

A century ago there were only 100 items in the average grocery store. Fifty years ago, there were 1,000 items, and thirty years ago, the consumer had a choice of 8,000 items in the local store. Today there are more than 17,850 items to choose from. To keep up with this rapid product explosion, we work hard to constantly improve our products and develop new ones.

There are many factors which shape the path that Campbell travels including convenience, nutrition and variety, but at the core, Campbell success is based on a simple formula of providing consumers with uncompromising quality, good nutrition and excellent value.

Campbell Canada manufactures and markets products under such well known brands as Chunky, Habitant, Pepperidge Farm, Bisto, V8 and V8 Splash, Pace and the ever popular Red and White "Campbell's Soups".

The Campbell Company of Canada Timeline

1930	-	Campbell Soup Company Ltd. incorporates under the laws of Canada.
1931	-	Production begins in the New Toronto Plant.
1948	-	V8 Vegetable Juice added to the Campbell family and produced in Chatham, Ontario.
1955	-	Swanson frozen foods joins the Company's product line.
1960	-	Listowel Plant built for the frozen food operations. Canned Food Plant opens in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba to serve the transportation and marketing needs of the West.
1966	-	Mushroom farm acquired in Manitoba to keep up with demand for this ingredient.
1969	-	Poultry plant constructed in St. Mary's, Ontario to supply chicken and turkey meats.
1970	-	Wellington, Ontario mushroom farm commences operations.
1979	-	Campbell purchases CanVin Products Limited, makers of Allen's and Mitchell's apple juice and apple sauce, CanVin fruit drinks and vinegar, Bisto gravy, Paxo stuffing, Patterson Worcestershire sauce, A1 sauce, Gattuso olives, pickles, olive oil, tomato paste, pasta sauce and dry pasta.
1980	-	Over several years the 10 CanVin plants across Canada either consolidated or divested.
1981	-	Prego spaghetti sauces introduced across North America and originally manufactured in the Chatham plant.
1989	-	Campbell acquires Habitant, including its soups, marinated and sweet businesses. Acquires Quadelco Limited, a line of deli type fresh refrigerated business.
1990	-	Habitant products commence Production in Toronto.
1991	-	The Company divests the marinated and sweet businesses and the Portage Mushroom Factory closes.
1993	-	Divests Quadelco and closes the Chatham Plant.
1994	-	Purchases DietCare specializing in addressing the growing healthcare market with a lineup of Trepuree and Primepuree products which are currently manufactured in Listowel.
1995	-	Campbell acquires Pace, the clear leader in the Mexican sauce category. Grocery Building is erected to manufacture Red Juices (T.J and V-8), Prego, Apple Juice and to co-pack Gatorade. Ramen noodle manufactured at the Listowel Plant.
1997	-	Divests seven non-core brands, including Swanson frozen dinners, to concentrate on growing its core global businesses: soups and sauces, biscuits and confectionary and FoodService. Campbell continues to co-pack Swanson dinners in Listowel.
1998	-	Grocery Building closed.
1999	-	V8 Splash is launched in Canada. Labels for Education is launched in Canada.
2003	-	Campbell's Soup Company Ltd. in Canada changes its name to Campbell Company of Canada to reflect the diversity of its products and brands. Gardennay Soup, a gourmet-style soup, is launched nation wide and lower sodium broths are introduced.
2004	-	Aseptic Centre of Campbell's opens and aseptic production begins in Toronto. Campbell's is the first major brand manufacturer with a 'trans-fat-free' cracker on the grocery shelves with our Pepperidge Farm Goldfish line.

	According to Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating, vegetables take a prominent role and Canadians are encouraged to eat at least 5-10 servings of vegetables daily. One cup serving of Campbell's Vegetarian Vegetable or Vegetable Soup or a 250 mL glass of V8 contributes a full serving of vegetables. The Toronto Plant makes about 2.6 million cans of soup a day - if stacked; they soar 240 kilometers into the sky! There are 216 noodles in an average can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. 4 whole tomatoes are used to make a can of Campbell's Tomato Soup. Tomatoes are a good source of vitamins A and C. The average Canadian household has 8 cans of Campbell's Soup in its kitchen. In Canada, 7 million pounds of fresh mushrooms are used in production of mushroom soup a year - that would fill more than two Olympic size pools!