The J.M. Smucker Company

The J.M. Smucker Company is an American manufacturer of food products in North America. Headquartered in Orrville, Ohio, the company was founded in 1897 as a maker of apple butter. J.M. Smucker currently has three major business units: consumer foods, pet foods, and coffee. Its flagship brand, Smucker's, produces fruit preserves, peanut butter, syrups, frozen crustless sandwiches, and ice cream toppings.

Among J.M. Smucker's other food and coffee brands are Knott's Berry Farm, Jif, Laura Scudder's, Santa Cruz Organic, Folgers, Café Bustelo, Dunkin', Smucker's Uncrustables, Bick's Pickle, Carnation, Crosse & Blackwell, Eagle Brand, Five Roses, and Robin Hood. Pet food brands include 9Lives, Gravy Train, Kibbles 'n Bits, Meow Mix, Milk-Bone, and Rachael Ray Nutrish, among others. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange, J.M. Smucker ranks 378 on the Fortune 500, with an estimated 2021 market value of $13.9 billion.

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.

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, annual sales reached $1 million. 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."

Recent (2017-2022)

After an antitrust lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in early March 2018, ConAgra Brands Inc. and J. M. Smucker Co. cancelled a deal for Smucker to purchase the Wesson cooking oil brand. The FTC claimed that Smuckers would have controlled at least 70% of the market for branded canola and vegetable oils. 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, including the brands Pillsbury, 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%. J.M. Smucker ranks 378 on the Fortune 500, with an estimated 2021 market value of $13.9 billion. 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 Santa Cruz Organic beverages, although not the brand's food items. The deal was estimated at $110 million.