Beech-Nut's roots go back to 1891, to theMohawk Valley town ofCanajoharie, New York. Raymond P. Lipe, along with his friend John D. Zieley and their brothers, Walter H. Lipe and David Zieley, and Bartlett Arkell, founded The Imperial Packing Co. for the production of Beech-Nut ham. The product was based on the smoked hams of the Lipes' father, farmer Ephraim Lipe. The company's principal products were ham and bacon for the first seven years. The Zieleys sold their shares to the Lipe brothers in 1892.
The company was incorporated as the Beech-Nut Packing Company in 1899. Arkell was the first president of the company.[2] In 1900, the company's sales were $200,000. Engineers from Beech-Nut patented the firstvacuum jar, with a design that included agasket and top that could remain intact in transit and became a standard of the industry .
1973: Part of the company that sold only baby food was sold to a group led by lawyerFrank C. Nicholas.
1976: Beech Nut becomes the first baby food company to remove added salt, in addition to added refined sugar, beginning the "natural" baby food movement.[7]
1979: Nicholas sold the baby food company toNestlé.
1981:Nabisco acquired Life Savers (which includes the Beech-Nut candy line) from the E.R. Squibb Corporation.
1985: Beech-Nut began testing its products' ingredients for environmental contaminants, such as heavy metals and pesticides.[8]
1987: Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation paidUS$2.2 million, then the largest fine issued, for violating theFederal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by selling artificially flavored sugar water asapple juice.John F. Lavery, the company's vice president for operations was convicted in criminal court and sentenced to a year and a day in jail;Niels L. Hoyvald, the president of the company, also convicted, served six months of community service. Each of them also paid a $100,000 fine.[9]
1998: Milnot Holding Corporation, one of the portfolio of companies owned by theprivate equity investment firmMadison Dearborn Partners, acquired Beech-Nut fromRalcorp Holdings (a spin-off ofRalston Purina). A potential merger with H.J. Heinz Co. was successfully challenged by the Federal Trade Commission and never consummated.
2002: Beech-Nut becomes the first baby food manufacturer to produce a line of baby food withDHA andARA, two essential fatty acids found naturally inbreast milk.[10]
2005: Madison Dearborn sold Milnot, and Beech-Nut along with it, to the Swiss branded consumer-goods firmHero Group.
2007: Beech-Nut announced its intentions to move all of its manufacturing and corporate operations to the town ofFlorida, New York, a town close toAmsterdam, NY.
