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 a famous American company. It makes food and other products for babies. Its main office is in Florham Park, New Jersey, but it plans to move to Arlington, Virginia. Gerber is part of a bigger company called Nestlé.
Gerber also sells things like baby bottles and pacifiers. They even have health products for babies, like tooth and gum cleanser and vitamin drops.
Contents
The Story of Gerber
How Gerber Started
Gerber started in 1927 in Fremont, Michigan. A man named Daniel Frank Gerber founded it. He already owned a company called Fremont Canning Company. This company made canned fruits and vegetables.
One day, Daniel's wife, Dorothy, was making food for their seven-month-old daughter, Sally. A doctor had suggested she strain the food. Dorothy worked hard to prepare the food by hand. Daniel saw this and realized it could be a good business idea. He decided to start making baby food.
By 1928, Gerber had five baby food products. These included beef vegetable soup, strained peas, prunes, carrots, and spinach. Just six months later, Gerber's baby foods were sold all over the country.
Many people believe Dorothy Gerber was the first person to think of the baby food idea. She spent a lot of time straining fruits and vegetables for her baby. She then suggested to her husband, Daniel, that his company could make this food. This would make life easier for mothers everywhere.
Gerber grew into a very big company in the baby food world. Today, it offers over 190 different products. These products are sold in 80 countries. Their labels are printed in 16 languages. Other big baby food companies like Beech-Nut and Del Monte Foods are Gerber's main rivals. In 2017, Gerber sold 61% of all baby food in the United States.
New Products Over Time
In 1960, Gerber began selling its baby food in glass jars. These jars were often reused at home for storage. Soon after, Gerber started selling other baby items. These included pacifiers, baby bottles, and small baby toys. In 2003, Gerber began using plastic tubs for some of its vegetable and fruit purees. However, some 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 very large. It sells life insurance directly to people. Gerber Life currently has over two million life insurance policies. The company has more than $650 million in assets. Their insurance plans for adults and children are available in the United States, Puerto Rico, and most of Canada. In 2018, Gerber Life Insurance was sold to another company. This company still uses the Gerber name under a special agreement.
In the early 1990s, Gerber tried to sell sugar-free food. They had a Sugar Free Vanilla Custard flavor. It was made for babies who needed sugar-free options. But not many people bought it, so they stopped making it after a few years. Gerber also started making juices. They were still selling these juices in 2009. In 1999, Gerber also created skincare products for babies.
Company Mergers
In 1994, Gerber joined with a company called Sandoz Laboratories. Two years later, Sandoz merged with another company, 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 company that families trust. In 1938, Gerber Products started a customer relations department. At that time, ten-year-old Sally Gerber began writing back to every customer. She continued this for many years, even when she became a senior leader at the company. In 1986, the company created the Gerber Parents' Resource Center. This was a free phone line for customers. It has been giving information about baby food and parenting advice ever since.
The Famous Gerber Baby
The famous Gerber Baby is a portrait seen on all Gerber product packages. This baby is actually Ann Turner Cook. She 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 Gerber Baby image is very popular. The baby is shown alone, looking directly at you. This innocent look was a smart way to attract mothers. It made them 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 factories in Fremont got a special tax break. They received $43 million in tax savings over 15 years. To get this help, Gerber agreed to keep 1,100 jobs in Fremont. They also promised to invest $50 million in their facilities over the next ten years. To get the full 15 years of tax breaks, Gerber agreed to add 200 more jobs. They also promised to spend a total of $75 million on their buildings.
These tax breaks were mostly supported. Even though local governments lost some money, they believed it was worth it. The CEO of Nestlé Nutrition North America said that the Fremont research center would be one of 23 such centers worldwide. It would focus on 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
