The Campbell's Company
Company History
Campbell's History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1869 in Camden, United States
When was Campbell's founded?
Campbell's was founded in 1869 in Camden, United States by Joseph A. Campbell and Abraham Anderson, making it 157 years old.
- Founded
- 1869
- Founding place
- Camden, United States
- Founders
- Joseph A. Campbell and Abraham Anderson
- Headquarters today
- Camden, New Jersey
- Milestones documented
- 17 (1869–2026)
- Current CEO
- Mick J. Beekhuizen
- Acquisitions
- 8
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1869 | Anderson and Campbell start canning in Camden |
| 1897 | Condensed soup is developed |
| 1898 | Red-and-white label adopted |
| 1900 | Gold medal at the Paris Exposition |
| 1922 | Renamed Campbell Soup Company |
| 1954 | Shares offered to the public |
| 1955 | Swanson acquired |
| 1961 | Pepperidge Farm acquired |
| 1995 | Pace Foods acquired |
| 2018 | Snyder's-Lance acquired |
| 2019 | International and fresh businesses sold |
| 2024 | Sovos Brands and Rao's acquired |
| 2024 | Listing moves to Nasdaq and name changes |
| 2025 | Mick Beekhuizen becomes CEO |
| 2025 | Fiscal 2025 net sales reach $10.253 billion |
| 2026 | 49% of La Regina acquired |
| 2026 | Fiscal 2026 results and dividend reset |
- Where was Campbell's founded?
- Campbell's was founded in Camden, United States in 1869. wikidata.org
- Who founded Campbell's?
- Campbell's was founded by Joseph A. Campbell and Abraham Anderson.
- When did Campbell's start?
- Campbell's was founded in 1869.
- How old is Campbell's?
- Campbell's is 157 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Joseph A. Campbell, a fruit merchant, and Abraham Anderson, an icebox maker, started a canning business in Camden in 1869 that packed tomatoes, vegetables, jellies and mincemeat. Anderson left in 1876. In 1897 Arthur Dorrance, who was running the company, hired his nephew John T. Dorrance, a chemist trained at MIT and the University of Gottingen. John worked out how to remove much of the water from soup, which shrank the can and let the company sell condensed soup for 10 cents, against about 30 cents for ready-to-eat canned soup. He became president in 1914, bought out his uncle in 1915, and the business took the name Campbell Soup Company in 1922.
Founders
Joseph A. Campbell
Campbell and Anderson's partnership packed tomatoes, vegetables, jellies, condiments and mincemeat from the farms around Camden. After Anderson left in 1876 the firm carried Campbell's name, and in 1894 Arthur Dorrance became president. The products that made the name famous came after Campbell's own role: condensed soup, developed by Arthur Dorrance's nephew John T. Dorrance in 1897, and the red-and-white label adopted in 1898. The company still has its headquarters in Camden and still uses his name, now as The Campbell's Company. Joseph A. Campbell was born in 1904 in White Plains. Education: Canterbury School; Dartmouth College; Columbia University.
Abraham Anderson
Anderson brought manufacturing experience to the 1869 partnership, which canned seasonal New Jersey produce. He left in 1876, and the business was reorganized under Campbell's name. Because he departed two decades before condensed soup, Anderson had no part in the product that made the company famous, but the Camden canning operation he helped start is the origin of a business that reported $9.744 billion of net sales in fiscal 2026. Anderson was born in 1832 and died on June 10, 1915. He had founded the Anderson Preserving Company in 1860, nine years before the partnership with Joseph Campbell.
Key Milestones
Anderson and Campbell start canning in Camden
Joseph A. Campbell and Abraham Anderson start a canning business in Camden, New Jersey, packing tomatoes, vegetables, jellies and mincemeat.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgCondensed soup is developed
Chemist John T. Dorrance, nephew of company head Arthur Dorrance, develops condensed soup, which the company sells for 10 cents a can.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRed-and-white label adopted
The company adopts the red-and-white can label, which it says was inspired by the Cornell University football team's uniforms.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgGold medal at the Paris Exposition
Campbell's condensed soup wins a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition; the medallion still appears on the label.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRenamed Campbell Soup Company
The business formally takes the name Campbell Soup Company, which it keeps until 2024.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgShares offered to the public
The Dorrance-controlled company sells shares to the public for the first time.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSwanson acquired
Campbell's buys C.A. Swanson & Sons, adding the Swanson broth and frozen dinner brands.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgPepperidge Farm acquired
Campbell's buys Pepperidge Farm, founded by Margaret Rudkin in 1937; Rudkin joins the Campbell's board. Goldfish crackers follow in the U.S. in 1962.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgPace Foods acquired
Campbell's completes its $1.115 billion purchase of Pace Foods, maker of Pace picante sauce and salsa.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSnyder's-Lance acquired
Campbell's completes the $6.1 billion acquisition of Snyder's-Lance, adding Snyder's of Hanover, Lance, Cape Cod, Kettle Brand, Late July and Snack Factory.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgInternational and fresh businesses sold
Under new CEO Mark Clouse, Campbell's sells Arnott's and other international operations to KKR for $2.2 billion, sells Kelsen to Ferrero and sells Bolthouse Farms for $510 million to pay down debt.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSovos Brands and Rao's acquired
Campbell's completes the $2.7 billion purchase of Sovos Brands on March 12, 2024, adding Rao's, Michael Angelo's and noosa.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgListing moves to Nasdaq and name changes
Shares move from the NYSE to Nasdaq on August 19, 2024, and shareholders approve the name The Campbell's Company in November 2024.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgMick Beekhuizen becomes CEO
Mick Beekhuizen, previously CFO and president of Meals & Beverages, becomes President and CEO on February 1, 2025, succeeding Mark Clouse.
Source: investor.thecampbellscompany.comFiscal 2025 net sales reach $10.253 billion
Fiscal 2025, a 53-week year with the first full year of Sovos Brands, ends with $10.253 billion of net sales and $602 million of net earnings.
Source: sec.gov49% of La Regina acquired
On May 4, 2026 Campbell's completes the $286 million purchase of 49% of La Regina, the Italian company that makes all Rao's tomato-based sauces.
Source: thecampbellscompany.comFiscal 2026 results and dividend reset
Fiscal 2026 net sales fall 5% to $9.744 billion; on September 3, 2026 Campbell's cuts the quarterly dividend 36% to $0.25 and launches a $500 million cost-savings program.
Source: thecampbellscompany.comMajor Acquisitions
Snyder's-Lance, Inc.
2018Add a salty snacks portfolio to Pepperidge Farm and Goldfish and build a snacks division with its own direct-store-delivery network.
Sovos Brands (Rao's Homemade)
2024Buy Rao's, a fast-growing premium pasta sauce brand, along with Michael Angelo's frozen entrees and noosa yogurt.
La Regina di San Marzano and La Regina Atlantica (49% stake)
2026Secure the supplier that has made Rao's sauces since 1993 and produces all Rao's tomato-based sauces, from Scafati, Italy and Alma, Georgia.
Pacific Foods of Oregon
2017Add an organic broth, soup and plant-based beverage brand.
Bolthouse Farms
2012Enter fresh carrots, juices and refrigerated dressings as the anchor of a new Campbell Fresh division.
Pace Foods
1995Add the leading picante sauce and salsa brand.
Pepperidge Farm
1961Add Margaret Rudkin's premium bakery business, founded in 1937.
C.A. Swanson & Sons
1955Add the Swanson broth and frozen dinner brands.
Keep researching Campbell's
Campbell's Company History FAQ
When was Campbell's founded?
In 1869, when fruit merchant Joseph A. Campbell and icebox maker Abraham Anderson started a canning business in Camden, New Jersey. The company has been headquartered in Camden ever since.
Who invented Campbell's condensed soup?
Chemist John T. Dorrance, nephew of company head Arthur Dorrance, in 1897. Removing much of the water let Campbell's sell soup for 10 cents a can, against about 30 cents for ready-to-eat canned soup.
Why is the Campbell's soup can red and white?
Campbell's says the colors adopted in 1898 were inspired by the Cornell University football team's uniforms. The gold medallion on the label comes from the 1900 Paris Exposition.
How did Andy Warhol make the soup can famous?
Warhol showed 32 canvases of Campbell's Soup Cans at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles in 1962, turning the label into one of the best-known images in pop art.
When did Campbell Soup Company change its name?
Shareholders approved the name The Campbell's Company in November 2024, two months after it was proposed, to reflect a business that now includes snacks and premium sauces as well as soup.
When did Campbell's go public?
The Dorrance-controlled company first sold shares to the public in 1954. Its listing moved from the New York Stock Exchange to Nasdaq on August 19, 2024, keeping the ticker CPB.
Which deals shaped modern Campbell's?
Swanson (1955), Pepperidge Farm (1961), Pace (1995), Snyder's-Lance for $6.1 billion (2018), Sovos Brands and Rao's for $2.7 billion (2024) and 49% of Rao's sauce maker La Regina (2026). In 2019 it sold its international and fresh businesses.
What happened at Campbell's in 2026?
Fiscal 2026 net sales fell 5% to $9.744 billion. In September 2026 the company cut its dividend 36%, reduced salaried staff by about 13%, closed two snack plants and set a $500 million cost-savings target for fiscal 2030.
When was Campbell Soup founded?
It was founded in 1869 by Joseph A. Campbell and Abraham Anderson. However, the company truly exploded in 1897 when Dr. John T. Dorrance, a brilliant chemist, invented the formula for condensed soup.
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