Fremont Canning Company

Fremont Canning Company established the baby food enterprise of Gerber Products Company.

The company was founded by Frank Daniel Gerber and his father in 1901 in Fremont, Michigan. The canning company began with a US$10,000 investment. The firm initially marketed canned peas, beans, fruits and other produce for local farmers. In its early years (from 1901 until 1908), the company struggled. In 1908, the United States’ economy in general recovered from a slump; the company then became profitable.

The firm expanded the plant in the pre-World War I years of 1914 and 1915, from seasonal to year-round production. Western Michigan and Fremont were hit by a postwar slump in 1919 to 1920 which slowed the company’s sales and growth. In the later 1920s, growth and profits resumed. Gerber’s son, Daniel, joined the company at this time.

The major change in the cannery company’s direction came about around 1927 to 1928. Daniel suggested that they start making baby food; the idea originated with his wife, Dorothy. The couple had an ill baby daughter, Sally, who required extra care. A pediatrician suggested they prepare special food for the infant. This food was prepared with special cooking and straining methods, requiring much labor on the part of Dorothy Gerber. She suggested to Dan that perhaps they could make baby food at the canning company, since the only other way of obtaining this product was by prescription, which was very expensive. She thought that a market might exist for others in a similar situation. The canning company was already producing similar products for adults.

The company researched producing and selling baby food. They planned to sell the product for less than half the prescription price. One of the keys to the canning company’s successful marketing was an advertisement for baby food placed in Good Housekeeping magazine. It got mothers of infants to participate directly in a coupon redemption program. The introductory offer was six cans of the canning company’s soup and strained vegetables for $1.00 in exchange for the name of a favorite grocer. They sought to generate enough responses that they could offer proof to grocers of the new demand for stocking their baby food on shelves. This campaign stressed the nutritional and time-saving value of its foods.

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