The J.M. Smucker Company
| File:Smuckers logo.svg Logo used since 2020 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food and beverages |
| Founded | 1 January 1897 in Orrville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Founder | Jerome Monroe Smucker |
| Headquarters | Orrville, Ohio , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Mark Smucker (Chairman, President, and CEO) |
| Products | Fruit preserves, peanut butter, syrups, frozen crustless sandwiches, ice cream toppings, pet foods, coffee, snacks |
Number of employees | 7,000+ (estimated from acquisition data) (2023) |
| Website | www |
The J.M. Smucker Company, commonly referred to as Smuckers, is a U.S.-based producer of food and beverages, with its headquarters located in Orrville, Ohio. Established in 1897 by Jerome Monroe Smucker, the company initially specialized in apple butter. Today, it operates through three primary divisions: consumer foods, pet foods, and coffee. Its leading brand, Smucker's, features products such as fruit preserves, peanut butter, syrups, frozen crustless sandwiches, and ice cream toppings.
Among its other well-known food and coffee labels are Bick's Pickle, Café Bustelo, Carnation Milk (Canada), Crosse & Blackwell, Dunkin', Five Roses (Canada), Folgers, Golden Temple (Canada), Jif, Knott's Berry Farm, Laura Scudder's, Robin Hood (Canada), Santa Cruz Organic, and Smucker's Uncrustables. Its pet food portfolio includes brands like Meow Mix and Milk-Bone. In 2023, Smuckers broadened its offerings by acquiring Hostess Brands, the maker of Twinkies, through a $5.6 billion transaction involving cash and stock.
Trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker SJM, J.M. Smucker holds the 426th position on the Fortune 500, with an estimated market capitalization of $14.6 billion as of 2022. The company’s strategic direction and worldwide operations are overseen by chairman, president, and CEO Mark Smucker.
Founding (1897–1958)
The origins of The J.M. Smucker Company trace back to 1897 when farmer Jerome Monroe Smucker from Orrville, Ohio, established a cider mill utilizing apples sourced locally, including some planted by Johnny Appleseed. Initially, he created apple butter and sold it directly from a horse-drawn wagon.
After incorporating in 1921, the company concentrated on producing preserves and jellies, distributing them across Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana by 1928. Following financial setbacks during the early 1930s, Smucker’s eldest son Willard opened a facility in Washington state in 1935 to preprocess apples that were then transported back to Orrville for cooking. The launch of the signature glass jar in 1939 contributed to annual sales reaching $1 million.
By 1940, Smucker's extended its product range to include ice cream toppings and began distributing nationally in 1942. Despite shortages of labor, glass containers, and fruit during World War II, the company secured the "U.S. Grade A Fancy" certification in 1946 by investing in USDA quality inspections.
National expansion and IPO (1959–1984)
The company went public in 1959 and expanded production capacity by 40% with a new plant opening in Salinas, California in 1960. That same year, Paul Smucker assumed the role of president. In 1965, J.M. Smucker was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
In 1963, J.M. Smucker acquired Mary Ellen, a manufacturer specializing in jams and jellies. Profits grew steadily from 1959 until 1969 but declined in 1970. Between 1973 and 1980, cost reduction initiatives were implemented alongside acquisitions of manufacturing facilities in Oregon, Tennessee, and California while consolidating packing operations. A low-sugar spread was introduced in 1978 but was not approved by the FDA to be marketed as jam. The purchase of gourmet preserves maker Dickinson's occurred in 1979. By 1980, J.M. Smucker commanded over a quarter of the U.S. jams and jellies market share, ranking first nationally.
Timothy Smucker became president in 1981; the following year saw the acquisition of Magic Shell. After earlier purchases of pickle producers Wooster Preserving Co. and H.W. Madison Co., the pickle segment was divested in the early 1980s due to underperformance. In 1984, while maintaining a family ownership stake of approximately 30%, J.M. Smucker acquired Knudsen & Sons juice company and continued trading on the NYSE.
Diversification and expansion (1980s–2016)
During the late 1980s, under the leadership of CEO Richard Smucker, J.M. Smucker pursued international growth by acquiring companies across Canada, the United States, Australia, and Europe. Notable acquisitions included R-Line Foods in 1987, Canadian toppings brand Shirriff in 1988, and Australian firm Henry Jones Foods in 1989, which was later divested in 2004. By 1993, overseas markets represented 8% of the company's total revenue.
In 1994, the company expanded its portfolio by purchasing peanut butter manufacturer Laura Scudder's and juice producer After the Fall, alongside transitioning its advertising efforts to the Leo Burnett Company. Reflecting its community ties, J.M. Smucker co-sponsored New Bethlehem’s annual Peanut Butter Festival, recognizing the local economic contributions of its peanut butter production facility. The acquisitions continued with Adams peanut butter and MenUSAver (later rebranded as Uncrustables) in 1998, followed by Jif peanut butter and Crisco shortening brands in 2002.
Headquartered in Orrville, Ohio, J.M. Smucker remained a family-operated business spanning four generations by 2004. Between 1998 and 2004, it consistently earned a place on Fortune magazine’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, achieving the top ranking in 2004—the same year it acquired International Multifoods Corporation. This strategic acquisition brought Pillsbury, Hungry Jack, Pet Inc., Bick's pickles and condiments, Golden Temple, and Robin Hood flour into its brand portfolio. Subsequent purchases included White Lily flour in 2006; Five Roses flour in 2007; as well as King Kelly Orange Marmalade and Eagle Family Foods—adding Eagle Brand milk products, None Such mincemeat, and Kava coffee.
In 2008, J.M. Smucker was added to the S&P 500 Index. That May, it acquired the Knott's Berry Farm food brand from ConAgra Foods while Cedar Fair maintained ownership of the theme park operations. The same year saw further acquisitions: Canadian frozen produce company Europe's Best and Carnation milk brand. In November 2008, J.M. Smucker completed a $3.3 billion purchase of Folgers coffee from Procter & Gamble—including Millstone Coffee—effectively doubling its size through a Reverse Morris Trust transaction.
The company continued to grow by acquiring Rowland Coffee Roasters in 2010—known for Latin American coffee brands—Sara Lee’s North American coffee and tea operations in 2011, and Big Heart Pet Brands in 2015 for $5.8 billion. The latter acquisition incorporated pet food brands such as Milk Bone, Meow Mix, Kibbles ‘n Bits, and Pup-Peroni into its offerings. That same year marked the sale of its U.S. canned milk business to Eagle Family Foods Group LLC.
In February 2015, J.M. Smucker formed a partnership with Keurig to manufacture Dunkin' K-Cup pods for retail sale. Mark Smucker assumed the role of CEO in 2016, continuing to steer the company towards diversified product lines and international market expansion.
Recent developments (2017–present)
In March 2018, following an antitrust lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), ConAgra Brands Inc. and J.M. Smucker Co. mutually terminated Smucker’s planned acquisition of the Wesson cooking oil brand—a deal that would have granted Smucker control over more than 70% of the branded canola and vegetable oil market. Aligning with a strategy emphasizing pet food, coffee, and snack categories, J.M. Smucker divested its U.S. baking segment on August 31, 2018—selling brands including Pillsbury, Martha White, Hungry Jack, White Lily, and Jim Dandy to Brynwood Partners for $375 million while retaining Canadian baking operations. Additionally that year, the company expanded its pet nutrition lineup by acquiring Ainsworth Pet Nutrition with brands such as Better Than! Treats, Dad's Pet Care, and Rachael Ray Nutrish. In October 2018, Smucker consolidated its $580 million marketing operations under Publicis Groupe.
During the COVID-19 pandemic period, J.M. Smucker implemented remote working arrangements while maintaining employee compensation and benefits to prevent furloughs; hardship and sick leave programs were also introduced. By August 2020, despite a 9% drop in international and away-from-home sales segments, core brands performed robustly: sales of Smucker’s brand increased by 25%, Uncrustables grew by 35%, and Crisco surged by 50%. In September of that year, the firm rebranded itself as J.M. Smucker Co., updating its logo to clearly differentiate corporate identity from individual product lines. Continuing its U.S. baking portfolio streamlining efforts, it sold Crisco to B&G Foods for $550 million in December 2020.
For fiscal year 2020, J.M. Smucker reported net sales totaling $7.8 billion with free cash flow rising by 26% to $985.5 million. Profitability within the U.S. retail consumer foods division improved by 22%; coffee sales advanced by 11%, while pet food revenues increased by 6%. Following January 2021’s sale of Natural Balance Pet Foods to Nexus Capital for $50 million, the company divested R.W. Knudsen and truRoots brands to Nexus Capital in early 2022 for approximately $110 million—this agreement also included Nexus Capital acquiring Santa Cruz Organic beverage products (excluding food items). In January 2024, due to underperformance in sales, J.M. Smucker discontinued the Knott's Berry Farm grocery brand line.
Acquisition of Hostess Brands
On September 11, 2023, J.M. Smucker revealed its acquisition of Hostess Brands in a transaction valued at $5.6 billion, involving both cash and stock components. This strategic purchase incorporated well-known snack products such as Twinkies, CupCakes, DingDongs, HoHos, Fruit Pies, CoffeeCakes, MiniMuffins, and Voortman cookies into J.M. Smucker's lineup. Additionally, the agreement included seven production and distribution centers along with a workforce of approximately 3,000 employees. The transaction was officially completed in November 2023.
Current Brand Portfolio
J.M. Smucker's operations are divided into four primary segments: consumer foods, pet food, snacks, and coffee. The company is distinguished for its offerings of fruit spreads, peanut butter varieties, ice cream toppings, sweetened condensed milk, as well as natural food and beverage products. Its leading brand features fruit preserves and jellies, peanut butter including the Smucker's Goober PB&J line, syrups, ice cream toppings such as Magic Shell, and Uncrustables—sealed crustless sandwiches. In the Canadian market, the focus is on ice cream toppings and preserves.
Prominent brands under J.M. Smucker include:
Foods
- Bick's – pickles and condiments
- Carnation Milk – Canadian market
- Crosse & Blackwell – British brand
- Five Roses – Canada
- Golden Temple – Canada
- Hostess Brands – baked snack goods
- Jif – peanut butter products
- Laura Scudder's – peanut butter
- Robin Hood – Canadian brand
- Smucker's Uncrustables – sealed crustless sandwiches
Pet Foods
Coffee
- Café Bustelo
- Dunkin' – available as K-Cup pods and ready-to-drink coffee
- Folgers
See also
External links
- Articles with short description
- Pages with broken file links
- The J.M. Smucker Co. brands
- Food and drink companies based in Ohio
- Brand name condiments
- Baking mixes
- American companies established in 1897
- Animal food manufacturers
- Food and drink companies established in 1897
- Companies based in Wooster, Ohio
- 1950s initial public offerings
- Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange
- Companies in the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats
- Condiment companies of the United States
- Fruit preserve companies
- Peanut butter
- Coffee companies of the United States
- Veterinary companies of the United States
- Wayne County, Ohio
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- Companies of the United States by year of establishment