Gerber Products Company facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Baby foods |
| Founded | 1927 in Fremont, Michigan, U.S. |
| Founder | Daniel Frank Gerber |
| Headquarters |
Fremont, Michigan
,
U.S.
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|
Area served
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Worldwide |
| Parent | Nestlé |
Gerber Products Company is an American company. It is famous for making baby food and other products for babies. Its main office is in Fremont, Michigan. Gerber is part of a bigger company called Nestlé.
Besides food, Gerber also makes things like pumps for breastfeeding, baby bottles, and health items. These include tooth and gum cleaners and vitamin drops for little ones.
Contents
The Story of Gerber
How Gerber Began
Gerber started in 1927 in Fremont, Michigan. A man named Daniel Frank Gerber founded it. He owned the Fremont Canning Company. This company made canned fruits and vegetables.
Daniel's wife, Dorothy, had a seven-month-old daughter named Sally. Her pediatrician suggested she make strained food for Sally. Dorothy worked hard to strain fruits and vegetables by hand. She then suggested to Daniel that his company could make this food. This would help many other mothers.
Daniel saw a great idea for a business. By 1928, Gerber had five baby food products. These included beef vegetable soup, strained peas, prunes, carrots, and spinach. Just six months later, Gerber baby foods were sold all over the country.
Gerber grew into a very important company in the baby food world. Today, it offers over 190 products. These products are sold in 80 countries. Their labels are printed in 16 different languages. Gerber's main rivals are Beech-Nut and Del Monte Foods. As of 2017, Gerber sold 61 percent of all baby food in the United States.
More Products from Gerber
In 1960, Gerber started selling baby food in glass jars. Many families reused these jars for storage at home. Soon after, Gerber began selling other baby items. These included pacifiers, baby bottles, and small baby toys. In 2003, Gerber started using plastic tubs for some vegetables and fruits. However, other fruits and meats are still sold in glass jars.
In 1967, Gerber Products decided to offer life insurance for young families. Today, the Gerber Life Insurance Company is a large seller of life insurance in the United States. Gerber Life has over two million life insurance policies. The company's insurance plans are available in the United States, Puerto Rico, and most of Canada.
In the early 1990s, Gerber tried to sell sugar-free food. They had a Sugar Free Vanilla Custard flavor. This was for babies with diabetes. But not many people bought it, so they stopped making it. Gerber also started making juices. They still sold these juices as of March 2009. In 1999, Gerber also created skincare products for babies.
Joining Other Companies
In 1994, Gerber joined with Sandoz Laboratories. Two years later, Sandoz joined with CIBA-Geigy. Together, they formed Novartis. Novartis became one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world. In 2007, Gerber was sold to Nestlé for $5.5 billion.
Connecting with Customers
Gerber has always tried to be a friendly company. In 1938, Gerber Products started a customer relations department. Sally Gerber, who was ten years old then, began answering every customer's letter. She continued this for many years, even when she became a senior leader at the company.
In 1986, the company set up the Gerber Parents' Resource Center. This was a free phone line for customers. It has given information about baby food and parenting advice ever since.
The Famous Gerber Baby
The famous Gerber Baby is a portrait of Ann Turner Cook. Her picture is on all Gerber product packages. Ann Turner Cook later became a mystery writer. Her neighbor, Dorothy Hope Smith, drew the charcoal sketch. Smith entered the drawing in a contest for the company's logo.
The image of the Gerber baby is very popular. The baby is shown alone, looking straight at the person viewing the package. This innocent look was a smart way to connect with mothers. It made mothers feel that if their babies ate Gerber food, they would be as happy and cute as the Gerber baby.
Growth and Support
In September 2008, Gerber's facilities in Fremont received a special tax break. This was part of Michigan's Agricultural Renaissance Zone program. Gerber received $43 million in tax breaks over 15 years. To get these benefits, Gerber agreed to keep 1,100 jobs in Fremont. They also promised to invest $50 million in their Fremont facilities over ten years.
To get the full 15 years of tax breaks, Gerber agreed to add 200 more jobs. They also agreed to spend a total of $75 million on their facilities. These tax breaks were largely supported. Even though local governments lost some money, they believed it was worth it. The City of Fremont lost about $300,000 per year. Newaygo County lost about $160,000 a year.
The Fremont research and development center is now one of 23 Nestlé "product technology centers" worldwide. It also does scientific research for baby and infant nutrition. This new investment is expected to help Newaygo County become a "global leader in scientific research."
Gerber Products
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Oatmeal
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Boxed food
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Strained peas
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Baby bottles
See also
- Gerber Singles
