Conagra Brands Celebrates 100 Year Anniversary in Food
As company turns 100 in September 2019, it honors its rich heritage, celebrates its food brands
and continues its legacy of community impact
TORONTO and CHICAGO, Sept. 18, 2019 /CNW/ - Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in the food industry this month, a milestone enabled by the company's unwavering commitment to embrace change.
"Conagra was founded 100 years ago and throughout that time we have been dedicated to providing our consumers, customers and communities with great food, great brands, great people and consistent results," said Ian Roberts, Vice President and General Manager, Conagra Brands Canada. "Although Conagra Brands is a hundred-year-old company we are an organization with a modern mindset that is focused on innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. We are also very proud of our Canadian team all across the country who continuously give back through our initiatives in the community such as volunteering with the United Way and our involvement with food banks."
Conagra has distinctive Canadian presence and impact with brands such as Aylmer's® and Hunt's® which use tomatoes grown and canned in southwestern Ontario; Gardein® which was created by a Canadian chef; VH® which is manufactured and bottled in our Québec facility and has a heritage tracing back to Montreal in the 1950's and POGO® a uniquely Canadian icon and household name.
Conagra is also celebrating its portfolio of iconic and emerging food brands. The company's brands were founded by forward-thinking entrepreneurs, and today, Conagra's employees embrace a similar passion for creativity and results. Brand founders' highlights include:
- Aylmer®: The brand "Aylmer" has been around since the 1880's making it older than many popular brands. The original Aylmer canning company was formed in Ontario in 1881, and eventually grew to over 50 plants across the country, it was, and still is Canada's choice in tomatoes1.
- Angie's® BOOMCHICKAPOP®: Husband and wife entrepreneurs Dan and Angie Bastian popped kettle corn in their Mankato, Minn. garage to teach their kids the value of hard work and have a little fun along the way. They also wanted a snack they felt good about feeding their family. Today the brand features hugely flavorful snacks made with real, simple ingredients.
- Duncan Hines®: Travelling salesman Duncan Hines crafted "Adventures In Good Eating" guides which became staples of mid-20th century road trips. In 1952, Hines and business partner Roy Park brought over 250 food products to market under the Duncan Hines label. The current line of cake and brownie mixes and Perfect Size for 1 sweet treats carry on Hines' appetite for baking.
- Frontera®: Chef Rick Bayless opened Frontera Grill, his first restaurant, in 1987. He launched Frontera Foods almost a decade later. The brand continues to inspire and guide the mission: To bring the culinary richness of Mexico to kitchens everywhere, so all of us can create authentic flavorful food that brings people together and connects them with the bold taste and spirit of Mexico.
- Healthy Choice®: When former Conagra CEO Mike Harper suffered a heart attack in 1985, he began seeking healthier diet alternatives. This led to his idea for a line of delicious and healthy frozen foods that would make it easier for people to live a healthier lifestyle.
- POGO®: Many years ago, in an English pub, a young man Leopold Kerr was inspired by an innovative treat, a sausage covered in spicy dough, fried and mounted on a stick. He soon after traveled to Canada and developed a ready-made version that could simply be heated and served. Leopold opened his first plant in 1962 in Terrebonne, Québec. It wasn't long before the increasing demand resulted in a move to a new plant in Boisbriand, Québec where POGO is still produced today.
- VH®: It all started in the 1950's with one man's quest to find something more inspiring than your usual North American fare. That man was Montreal's Vincent Harrison. And it was in that change vested post war decade that he started to make his trips to Asia in search of authentic and inspiring tastes to bring home. The result is the VH line of sauces, dips and marinades, which are still produced in Québec.
About Conagra Brands
Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened focus on innovation. The company's portfolio is evolving to satisfy people's changing food preferences. Conagra's iconic brands, such as Birds Eye®, Marie Callender's®, Banquet®, Healthy Choice®, Slim Jim®, Reddi-wip®, and Vlasic®, as well as emerging brands, including Angie's® BOOMCHICKAPOP®, Duke's®, Earth Balance®, Gardein®, and Frontera®, offer choices for every occasion. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.
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1 AC Nielsen GB+DR+MM, $ Share 52 weeks ending August 17, 2019
SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.
MEDIA: Natasha Townsend - Harbinger Communications, 416-960-5100, [email protected]
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