 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food processing |
| Founded | 1886; 139 years ago (1886) |
| Headquarters | 205 North Wiget Lane Walnut Creek, California,United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Gregory Longstreet(CEO) |
| Products | Canned fruit,fruit cups,canned vegetables,frozen vegetables,stock,broth,sauce,bubble tea, and others |
| Owner | Del Monte Pacific Limited[1] |
Number of employees |  7,000(2022)[2] |
| Parent | NutriAsia |
| Subsidiaries | College Inn Foods, S&W Fine Foods, Inc, Contadina Foods Inc, DLM Foods, LLC, Industrias Citricolas de Montemorelos S.A. de C.V[3] |
| Website | www |
Del Monte Foods Inc. (trading asDel Monte Foods) is an Americanfood production anddistribution company[4] and subsidiary ofNutriAsia, headquartered inWalnut Creek, California.[5] Del Monte Foods is one of the largest producers, distributors and marketers of branded processed food for the U.S. retail market, generating approximately $1.73 billion of annual sales.[6] Its portfolio of brands includes Del Monte, S&W,Contadina, College Inn, Kitchen Basics, Joyba, and Take Root.[7][8] Greg Longstreet is the current chief executive officer of Del Monte Foods.[9] Several Del Monte products hold the number one or two market share position.[10] The company also produces, distributes and markets private-label food.
In 2014, Del Monte Foods Inc. was acquired by the Philippines' Campos Group-owned Del Monte Pacific Limited in an acquisition deal that cost US$1.67 billion.[11] The pet food division of Del Monte Foods Inc. was not part of the deal and continued to operate as a separate company under the nameBig Heart Pet Brands, Inc.[12][13]The J.M. Smucker Company acquired Big Heart Pet Brands in 2015 for $5.8 billion.[14]
In the 1870s and 1880s, California became a major producer of fruits and vegetables. TheHotel Del Monte was a famous resort hotel on theMonterey Peninsula which first built what is nowPebble Beach Golf Links.[15]
In the 1880s, anOakland, California foods distributor used the Del Monte name to market a premium blend of coffee that had been prepared for the hotel.[16]
By 1892, the firm expanded its business and selected Del Monte as the brand name for its new line of cannedpeaches. In 1898, the California Fruit Canners Association (CFCA) formed when 18 West Coast canning companies merged.[17] The Del Monte brand was one of several brands marketed by the new company. It introduced the Del Monte Shield in 1909.[18]
Under the leadership ofGeorge Newell Armsby, in 1916, CFCA added Alaska Packers Association, Central California Canneries, two canners, and Griffin & Skelley, a food brokerage house, incorporating itself asCalifornia Packing Corporation, or Calpak, and began selling its products under the Del Monte andSunkist brands.[19][20] The new company grew to operate more than 60 canneries inWashington,Oregon,Idaho,Utah andAlaska. In 1917, it acquired pineapple farms and a cannery inHawaii and, in the 1920s, added canneries inFlorida and theMidwest, as well as in thePhilippines. After WWII, it constructed or purchased more facilities overseas.[21] These multinational operations made the name California Packing Corporation obsolete, and in June 1967, the corporation adopted the name of its leading brand to become Del Monte Corporation.[22]
In 1972, Del Monte became the first major US food processor to voluntarily adoptnutritional labeling on all its food products.[23]
Del Monte became part ofR.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. (later RJR Nabisco, Inc.), in 1979. After having been acquired byKohlberg Kravis Roberts in 1988,RJR Nabisco sold several Del Monte divisions. Thefresh fruit business was sold toPolly Peck.[24] RJR Nabisco retained Del Monte Canada and Venezuela. The remaining food processing divisions, known as Del Monte Foods, were sold toMerrill Lynch,Citicorp Venture Capital, andKikkoman in 1989. Kikkoman separately acquired Del Monte brand in Asia (excluding Philippines, the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar). In 1990, the European division was subject to a management buyout andHawaiian Punch was sold toProcter & Gamble.[25][26] Del Monte sold part of its Philippines division in 1991 and the remainder in 1996.[27] In 1993, Del Monte's dried fruit division was sold to Yorkshire Food Group.[28] In 1996, Del Monte sold its pudding division toKraft.[29] In 1996, Del Monte Mexico was sold toHicks, Muse, Tate & Furst; the Central American and Caribbean operations were also sold.[30][31]
Texas Pacific Group acquired Del Monte in 1997.[32] Del Monte acquiredContadina fromNestlé in 1997 and reacquired Del Monte Venezuela fromNabisco in 1998.[33][34] Del Monte Foods again became a publicly traded company in 1999, and in 2002, it purchased several brands from US food giantHeinz in an all-stock transaction that left Heinz shareholders with 74.5% of Del Monte and original Del Monte shareholders with 25.5% of the company, and nearly tripled Del Monte Foods' size.[35] Del Monte subsequently established anEast Coast headquarters inPittsburgh, home of Heinz, and in 2021 moved their headquarters to Penn Center West.[36]
Del Monte acquired the worldwide rights to the SunFresh brand, a brand of premium citrus and tropical fruits, in 2000.[18] In March of the following year, it acquired the worldwide rights to the S&W brand of processed fruit, vegetable, tomato and specialty sauce products.[37]
On September 28, 2004, the site of Del Monte's former Plant No. 1 in San Francisco was dedicated as Del Monte Square. It was once the world's largest fruit and vegetable cannery.[38]
In 2006, Del Monte became the second largest pet foods company upon divesting its US infant feeding business and US retail private label soup and gravy businesses and acquiring two key pet brands. The company sold its Soup and Infant Feeding business in April 2006 toTreeHouse Foods, Inc.[39] Del Monte boughtMeow Mix in May 2006,[40] and acquiredMilk-Bone in July of that year fromKraft Foods. Also in 2006,Faribault Foods acquired the perpetual license of S&W branded dry soaked beans for North America from Del Monte.[41]
In June 2008, Del Monte announced the sale of itsseafood division,StarKist, toSouth Korea-based Dongwon Enterprise Company. Dongwon purchased the business for $363 million. Del Monte stated that StarKist was no longer a good fit for the company and that they would be concentrating on pet food and higher margin produce.[42]
On March 8, 2011, the company announced it had been acquired by an investor group led by funds affiliated withKohlberg Kravis Roberts and with PediaBears Wholesome Foods, Vestar Capital Partners and Centerview Partners.[43] The stock was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange prior to the start of trading on March 9, 2011.[44]
On February 19, 2014,Philippines based food producer Del Monte Pacific Limited completed the purchase of Del Monte's consumer food business, for US$1.675 billion.[45] The remaining company consisted of the pet food division and was renamedBig Heart Pet Brands.[46]
In 2015, Del Monte Foods acquired Sager Creek, owner of the Vegetable, Freshlike, Popeye, Trappley's and Allen's brands of canned vegetables.[47] Del Monte Foods sold the Sager Creek brands to McCall Farms in 2017.[48] Also in 2015, Del Monte Foods moved its headquarters toWalnut Creek, California fromSan Francisco.[49]
Del Monte Foods markets packaged food products under the Del Monte brand in the United States.[50]
Lotte Chilsung, a South Korean beverage company, partnered with Del Monte Juice Products in 1982.[51]
Japan-basedKikkoman acquired Del Monte Asia in 1989.[52]
US-based Del Monte Foods retains the rights to the Del Monte brand, which is licensed by other entities around the world.[53] The Del Monte brand in Canada was retained byNabisco when the rest of the business was sold. Nabisco merged withKraft Foods in 2000. In 2006 Kraft sold Del Monte and other underperforming assets toSun Capital Partners and EG Capital.[54]ConAgra Foods acquired Del Monte Canada in 2012.[55] In 2018, Del Monte Canada was acquired byBonduelle.[56]
Del Monte's Central American and Caribbean operations were sold to local investors in 1996.[31]
Del Monte Europe (including African operations) was subject to a management buyout in 1990 and renamed Del Monte International. Cirio acquired Del Monte International in 2001.[57] After Cirio's bankruptcy, Del Monte Europe was acquired byFresh Del Monte Produce.[58]
In 1996, Del Monte Mexico was sold toHicks, Muse, Tate & Furst.[30] It later became part of Hicks Muse holdingInternational Home Foods, which was acquired by ConAgra Foods in 2000.
Del Monte sold stakes in Del Monte Philippines to Kikkoman and Del Monte International in 1991. In 1996, Del Monte and Kikkoman sold their stakes and Del Monte International and Macondray & Co., Inc. (owned by the Lorenzo family) became joint owners. Del Monte Pacific Limited (headquartered inSingapore) became the parent company and publicly traded in 1999. Cirio acquired Del Monte International in 2001. In 2005, Macondray and Cirio sold their controlling stakes in Del Monte Pacific Limited to Philippine companyNutriAsia, the maker ofUFC,Mang Tomas,Datu Puti andSilver Swan.[57][59] In 2014, Del Monte Pacific Limited acquired Del Monte Foods.[60]
The Del Monte brand in South America was retained byNabisco when the rest of the business was sold. Del Monte Foods reacquired Del Monte South America from Nabisco in 1998.[34]
Fresh Del Monte Produce was created in 1989 whenRJR Nabisco sold the fresh fruit division of Del Monte Foods toPolly Peck.[24] Mohammed Abu-Ghazaleh purchased Fresh Del Monte in 1996.[61] The company went public in 1997.[62]
Del Monte Dried Fruit was sold to Yorkshire Food Group in 1993. Yorkshire's US division became Premier Valley Foods. Premier Valley Foods was sold to a group led by Brent Enterprises in 2003.[63] Premier Valley was later acquired bySunsweet Growers.[64]
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A1953 Alcoa Aluminum advertisement featured a Del Monte Ketchup bottle with the caption "you mean a woman can open it?" The ad, which is sometimes mistakenly attributed to Del Monte, has been seen as a symbol of casual sexism in the United States during the 1950s.[65][66]
In 1977, Del Monte was accused of profiting from the South Africanapartheid regime after sardines used in some of the company's products were found to have been sourced from the coast of Namibia, which was underSouth African control at the time. Some activists called for a boycott of Del Monte products.[67][failed verification]
In January 2007, Del Monte Foods was accused of opposing efforts by theUnited States Congress to apply thecontinental minimum wage to the lower-payingtuna packing plants inAmerican Samoa. On January 16, 2007, Melissa Murphy Brown, spokesperson for Del Monte, stated that the application would "severely cripple the local economy." She also stated that "For over 50 years, the Federal Department of Labor has provided that wages in U.S. territories, including American Samoa, be set by a federally appointed wage board, following public hearings".[68]
In 2023, four deaths were reported on a Del Monte pineapple farm in Kenya. A 2024 report said that there was evidence of human rights violations on the farm.[69][70]
