Campbell's Owns This Beloved Snack Brand. Do You Know Which One?

When you think of Campbell's, your mind probably jumps to the iconic canned soups. The red cans with the retro design are well-recognizable on the store shelves and a true staple in many American pantries. The company sells much more than just soup, though, and one of the food brands you may not know are owned by Campbell's is Pepperidge Farm.

You likely know Pepperidge Farm by its large lineup of cookies and the legendary Goldfish crackers, but the story of the company actually began with bread. In the 1930s, Margaret Rudkin was a mother of three boys, the youngest of whom suffered from asthma and allergies and had to eat minimally processed food. Rudkin started baking stone-ground, whole wheat bread for him, which drastically improved his health. Seeing that she was on to something, she started selling her bread at the local grocery store. She named her business venture Pepperidge Farm after the property she lived on with her family. It only went upwards from there — by 1940, over a million loaves had been sold, and the production finally moved from her home into a proper factory.

Rudkin kept growing the company, soon expanding to include products beyond bread. First came the cookies, then the frozen pastries, and finally the Goldfish crackers. In 1961, Pepperidge Farm sold to Campbell's, but Rudkin stayed involved in the company until she retired in 1966.

By 1961, Pepperidge Farm was making $32 million in revenue, had six factories in the United States, and a lineup of over 50 products. While clearly a successful company, it was still relatively small when compared to the giant that was Campbell's. The latter was making $516 million in revenue, had 28 factories (nine of which were abroad), and over 100 products. In comparison to Pepperidge Farm, Campbell's was massive, and it had ambition to grow even further, particularly by expanding into the bakery category — that's where Pepperidge came into the picture.

The acquisition proved to be massively successful for both companies. Within the next few decades, Pepperidge Farm grew to nearly 600 products (including various new Goldfish flavors) and over $1 billion in revenue. Campbell's size and resources helped Pepperidge grow commercially, as well as expand internationally. The company also represents an important share of Campbell's overall profits. In a 2010 PR message, Campbell's COO at the time called the purchase of Pepperidge Farm "one of the most strategic acquisitions our company has ever made," referring to its subsidiary as "a consistent growth engine over the last 50 years."