Pet, Inc. was an American company that was the first to commercially produce
evaporated milkEvaporated milk, also known as dehydrated milk, is a shelf-stable canned milk product with about 60% of the water removed from fresh milk. It differs from sweetened condensed milk, which contains added sugar. Sweetened condensed milk requires less processing since the added sugar inhibits...
as a shelf-stable consumer product and later became a multi-brand food products conglomerate. Its signature product,
PET Evaporated Milk, is now a product of
The J.M. Smucker Co.The J. M. Smucker Company is a manufacturer of fruit spreads, ice cream toppings, health and natural foods, beverages, shortening, and natural peanut butter in North America.Smucker's headquarters are located in Orrville, Ohio.- History :The J. M...
PET Dairy is a regional brand of fresh and processed dairy products in the
Southeastern United StatesThe US Southeast is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, but the Census Bureau does not provide a standard definition of a "Southeast" region of the United States, and organizations that need to subdivide the US are free to define a "Southeast" region to fit their needs...
made by the Land O' Sun division of
Dean FoodsThe Dean Foods Company is an American food and beverage company. In 1925, founder Samuel E. Dean bought the Pecatonica Marketing Company, an evaporated milk processing facility located in northwestern Illinois and named it the Dean Evaporated Milk Company in 1927. That same year Dean began to...
. Many of the remaining brands once owned by Pet, Inc.
Pet, Inc. was an American company that was the first to commercially produce
evaporated milkEvaporated milk, also known as dehydrated milk, is a shelf-stable canned milk product with about 60% of the water removed from fresh milk. It differs from sweetened condensed milk, which contains added sugar. Sweetened condensed milk requires less processing since the added sugar inhibits...
as a shelf-stable consumer product and later became a multi-brand food products conglomerate. Its signature product,
PET Evaporated Milk, is now a product of
The J.M. Smucker Co.The J. M. Smucker Company is a manufacturer of fruit spreads, ice cream toppings, health and natural foods, beverages, shortening, and natural peanut butter in North America.Smucker's headquarters are located in Orrville, Ohio.- History :The J. M...
PET Dairy is a regional brand of fresh and processed dairy products in the
Southeastern United StatesThe US Southeast is the eastern portion of the Southern United States, but the Census Bureau does not provide a standard definition of a "Southeast" region of the United States, and organizations that need to subdivide the US are free to define a "Southeast" region to fit their needs...
made by the Land O' Sun division of
Dean FoodsThe Dean Foods Company is an American food and beverage company. In 1925, founder Samuel E. Dean bought the Pecatonica Marketing Company, an evaporated milk processing facility located in northwestern Illinois and named it the Dean Evaporated Milk Company in 1927. That same year Dean began to...
. Many of the remaining brands once owned by Pet, Inc. are currently part of
General MillsGeneral Mills is an American Fortune 500 corporation, mainly concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets several well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green Giant,...
.
History
Evaporated milk was a popular product before refrigerators were common in homes, but is now a niche product mainly used in
bakingBaking is the technique of prolonged cooking of food by dry heat acting by convection, and not by radiation, normally in an oven, but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones. It is primarily used for the preparation of bread, cakes, pastries and pies, tarts, quiches, and cookies. Such items are...
and other recipes. PET realized this, and transformed into a food products conglomerate through a series of acquisitions. It was also the subject of acquisitions, primarily due to its Old El Paso, Progresso, and other brands, and not because of the evaporated milk.
John Baptist Meÿenberg
John Baptist Meÿenberg (1847-1914) was an operator at the
Anglo-SwissNestlé S.A. is a multinational packaged food company founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, and listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange with a turnover of over 87 billion Swiss francs...
milk condensery at
Cham, SwitzerlandCham is a village in the canton of Zug in Switzerland.-Location:Cham has an area, , of . Of this area, 63.3% is used for agricultural purposes, while 13.2% is forested...
. Anglo-Swiss made sweetened condensed milk. From 1866 through 1883, Meÿenberg experimented with preservation of milk without the use of sugar. He discovered that condensed milk would last longer if heated to 120°C (248°F) in a sealed container, and hence could be preserved without adding sugar. When Anglo-Swiss declined to implement Meÿenberg's work, he resigned from the company and emigrated to the United States. John Meÿenberg first moved to St. Louis, but soon transferred to
Highland, IllinoisHighland is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,438 at the 2000 census. Highland began as a Swiss settlement and derived its name from later German Immigrants.Highland is a sister city of Sursee in Switzerland.- History :...
due to its large Swiss population. On 25 November 1884, U.S. Patents 308,421 (Apparatus for Preserving Milk) and 308,422 (Process for Preserving Milk) were issued to Meÿenberg. Meÿenberg associated with various local merchants, including John Wildi, Louis Latzer, Dr. Knoebel, George Roth and Fred Kaeser and, on February 14, 1885, organized the
Helvetia Milk Condensing Company.
The company commenced operations in a closed wool factory. Helvetia started processing 300 gallons of raw milk a day. On 8 July 1885, the steam-powered sterilizer exploded and Helvetia Milk Condensing Company closed operations for repairs. Milk canned in early 1886 spoiled. Although John Meÿenberg believed that cans were inadequately sealed, others claimed that Meÿenberg's sterilization process was the cause. Due to this criticism, Meÿenberg left in August 1886.
In 1899, Meÿenberg assisted Elbridge Amos Stuart in producing Carnation Evaporated Milk.
Successful production
Louis Latzer assumed the role of technical director. He determined that the spoilage was caused by bacteria and resolved the problem. John Wildi was instrumental in marketing the product nationally and internationally, especially in areas where fresh milk or refrigeration were scarce. In 1895, the company registered the Pet trademark. In 1907, John Wildi separated from the company and organized the John Wildi Evaporated Milk Company in Columbus, Ohio. During World War I, American troops referred to a Helvetia milk can as a "Tin Cow". In 1923, the Helvetia Milk Condensing was renamed the
Pet Milk Company after its signature product "Our Pet Evaporated Cream". In 1929, Pet established the PET Dairy division by acquiring a fluid milk processing plant in
Johnson City, TennesseeJohnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County. The 2008 population for Johnson City was estimated at 61,990 by the United States Census, making it the eighth largest city in the state...
.
Foods conglomerate
- In 1950, Pet Evaporated Milk had higher sales than ever before or after.
- Transformed into a food products conglomerate with the purchase of many brands in the early 1960s. Including C. H. Musselman, Whitman's
Whitman's is one of America's largest and oldest brands of boxed chocolates. Whitman's confections have been produced since 1842, originally by Stephen Whitman in Philadelphia and currently by Russell Stover Candies...
, Downyflake, and R. E. Funsten.
- In 1962, Pet Milk Company announced the closing of its factory in New Glarus, Wisconsin
New Glarus is a village in Green County, Wisconsin, United States at the intersection of Wisconsin Highways 69 and 39. It has a population of 2,111 according to the 2000 census. The village, as well as the town that surrounds it, was named after the Canton of Glarus in eastern Switzerland because...
.
- Changed name to Pet Incorporated in 1966 and merged with the Hussmann Refrigerator Company.
- In 1968, Pet acquired the Mountain Pass Canning Company, maker of the Old El Paso
Old El Paso is a brand applied to a range of Mexican-style foods, including dinner kits, tacos and tortillas, sauces, condiments, rice and refried beans.Old El Paso products are marketed across the globe...
brand of Mexican food products.
- Acquired by IC Industries (ICI) in 1978. Hussmann and Pet were made into separate divisions of ICI.
- In 1981, ICI sold off the Musselman division.
- In 1982, the William Underwood Company
The William Underwood Company, founded in 1822, was a food company most famously known for its flagship product, Underwood Deviled Ham, a canned meat spread...
was acquired, bringing with it the brands B&M and Ac'cent.
- In 1985, the PET Dairy division was sold to the Challer Foods subsidiary of Finevest Dairy Holdings. This did not include the canned milk products.
- In 1986, Pet acquired Ogden Food Products (including the brands Progresso
thumbProgresso foods is an American company that was founded by Sicilian born Vincent Taormina in 1905 and specializing in canned Italian food products, mostly soup and beans, sold since 1949. Up until the 1970s, it was a family owned company. It is now owned by General Mills.It is often seen as an...
, Las Palmas, Hollywood, and Hain) and Primo-People:*DJ Premier, hip-hop producer, sometimes goes by nickname Primo*Primo Carnera , Italian boxer, World Heavyweight champion 1933 - 1934*Primo Cassarino , enforcer for the Gambino crime family...
Foods, an Italian foods marketer.
- in 1988, ICI changed its name to Whitman Corp.
- Acquired Orval Kent, a major prepared salad maker, in 1989.
- In 1990, Pet, Inc. was spun off of Whitman.
- In 1993, Pet sold the Whitman's chocolate brand to Russell Stover Candies
Russell Stover Candies, Inc. is a supplier of candy, chocolate, and confections in the United States. They are headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.- Ice cream years :...
.
- In 1994, Orval Kent was sold to Horizon Partners, a private equity group in Milwaukee.
- In 1995, Pet was acquired by the Pillsbury Company division of Grand Metropolitan
Grand Metropolitan plc is a former United Kingdom-based company operating hotels, holiday centres, entertainment centres, public houses and casinos...
. Major brands of interest are Old El Paso and Progresso.
- In 1997, Grand Met merged with Guinness
Guinness is a popular dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is based on the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide. A distinctive feature is the burnt...
to form DiageoDiageo plc is the largest multinational beer, wine and spirits company in the world. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and has American Depositary Receipts listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The word Diageo was formed from the Latin dia and the Greek geo , symbolising the use...
.
- In 2000, General Mills acquired Pillsbury (incl. Pet) from Diageo.
- In 2001, to satisfy the US FTC
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
, Diageo and General Mills agreed to sell several, but not all, Pillsbury brands to International Multifoods. This included the PET Evaporated Milk and PET dry creamer products.
- In 2004, The J.M. Smucker Co.
The J. M. Smucker Company is a manufacturer of fruit spreads, ice cream toppings, health and natural foods, beverages, shortening, and natural peanut butter in North America.Smucker's headquarters are located in Orrville, Ohio.- History :The J. M...
acquired Multifoods.
External links