COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 311411

Frozen Fruit, Juice, and Vegetable Manufacturing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

21companies1853–1992founding years21still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedBonduelle SA
1853
FoundedNestlé S.A.
1866
FoundedThe Coca-Cola Company
1892
FoundedDole Food Company, Inc.
1894
FoundedMorinaga & Co. Ltd.
1899
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedAjinomoto Co., Inc.
1909
FoundedLedesma Sociedad Anónima Agrícola Industrial
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedLassonde Industries Inc.
1918
FoundedFlowers Industries, Inc.FoundedKewpie Kabushiki Kaisha
1919
FoundedHanover Foods Corporation
1924
FoundedUnilever
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedFlorida's Natural Growers
1933
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedSeneca Foods Corporation
1949
FoundedJ.R. Simplot Company
1956
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedBirds Eye Foods, Inc.
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedPepsiCo, Inc.
1965
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedNorthland Cranberries, Inc.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Bonduelle SA →
Active · founded 1853 · France
Based near Lille, France, Bonduelle SA is Europe's leading producer of prepared vegetables.
Nestlé S.A. →
Active · founded 1866 · Switzerland
Nestlé S.A.
The Coca-Cola Company →
Active · founded 1892
The Coca-Cola Company is the world's number one maker of soft drinks, selling 1.3 billion beverage servings every day.
Dole Food Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1894
Best known for its pineapples, Dole Food Company, Inc., is promotes its Dole brand of fresh and packaged food and…
Morinaga & Co. Ltd. →
Active · founded 1899 · Japan
One of Japan's leading candy and confectionery manufacturers, Morinaga & Co.
Ajinomoto Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1909 · Japan
Ajinomoto Co., Inc., the world's first and still-largest producer of monosodium glutamate (MSG), is one of Japan's…
Koninklijke Wessanen nv →
Active · founded 1913 · The Netherlands
Early 20th Century:Company exits from the cheese, seed, and grain trades and begins focusing on processed products.
Ledesma Sociedad Anónima Agrícola Industrial →
Active · founded 1914 · Argentina
Ledesma Sociedad Anónima Agrícola Industrial, Argentina's largest sugar producer, is a model of stability: it has had…
Lassonde Industries Inc. →
Active · founded 1918 · Canada
Lassonde Industries Inc.
Flowers Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1919
Flowers Industries, Inc.
Kewpie Kabushiki Kaisha →
Active · founded 1919 · Japan
Kewpie Kabushiki Kaisha (QP Corporation is its English equivalent name), one of Japan's leading food products…
Hanover Foods Corporation →
Active · founded 1924
Hanover Foods Corporation is the largest fully-integrated and independent food processor in the United States.
Unilever →
Active · founded 1929 · The Netherlands
If the adage 'two heads are better than one' applies to business, then certainly Unilever is a prime example.
Molinos Río de la Plata S.A. →
Active · founded 1931 · Argentina
Now a century old, Molinos Río de la Plata S.A.
Florida's Natural Growers →
Active · founded 1933
Florida's Natural Growers is the largest citrus cooperative in the state of Florida and the second largest orange juice…
Seneca Foods Corporation →
Active · founded 1949
A familiar name to consumers throughout the United States, Seneca Foods Corporation processes vegetables and fruits,…
J.R. Simplot Company →
Active · founded 1956
The J.R.
Birds Eye Foods, Inc. →
Active · founded 1961
Birds Eye Foods, Inc., formerly Agrilink Foods, Inc., is the country's top producer of frozen vegetables.
PepsiCo, Inc. →
Active · founded 1965
PepsiCo, Inc.
Northland Cranberries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Northland Cranberries, Inc.
OJSC Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods →
Active · founded 1992 · Russia
Founded shortly after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, OJSC Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods has become a market leader in the…
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