Campbell's Owns Way More Snack Brands Than We Realized
Did you know Campbell's has a whole snack division full of your favorite foods, beyond soup?
Virtually everyone in America knows all about Campbell's soups, of course, but what you might not realize is that the corporation's interests extend far beyond that aisle of the grocery store. Food Business News reports that on a recent earnings call, executives at the Campbell Soup Company announced their intention to grow the company's snack division, a portfolio that already includes tons of everyday brands. In fact, though we don't think of Campbell's outside of a canned food context, you probably have at least one Campbell's-owned snack in your pantry right now.
Snack brands owned by Campbell’s
The snack division owns a wide variety of brands that have nothing to do with soup—at least not directly. Here are the products owned by the Campbell Soup Company:
- Cape Cod Chips
- Pepperidge Farm
- Kettle Chips
- Lance
- Late July Snacks
- Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps
- Snyder's of Hanover
- Archway
- Pop Secret
- Eat Smart Snacks
- Jay's
- Krunchers
- O-Ke-Doke
- Stella D'oro
- Tom's Snacks
I've been eating products from these brands for most of my life, and it's interesting to think about how all our favorites are produced by a handful of corporations. O-Ke-Doke? I used to crush bags of that popcorn with my school lunches when I was a kid. My dad regularly eats Lance cracker sandwiches as a snack, and I had zero idea that Snyder's of Hanover and Snack Factory Pretzel Chips, both staples of any party spread, are owned by the same company that makes my favorite grilled cheese sandwich soup.
Since Campbell's is putting more effort into this part of its business, don't be surprised if you see more activity around those brand names at the grocery store. A lot of the renewed efforts are currently around logistics and warehousing—you know, the boring business shit—but CEO Mark Clouse said on the earnings call that both Lance and Late July are particularly poised for growth.
No matter where the economy is headed, snacking will never go out of style—and it'll never stop being good business, especially for the corporations that own massive portfolios of heavily marketed products. Organic tortilla chip, anyone?