Vlasic Pickles facts for kids
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| Founded | 1942 |
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| Founder | Frank Vlasic |
| Headquarters |
Parsippany, New Jersey (Produced in Imlay City, Michigan)
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| Products | Pickled cucumbers |
| Owner | Conagra Brands |
Vlasic is a well-known American brand that makes pickles. It is currently owned by a company called Conagra Brands. Vlasic started in 1942 and quickly became one of the most popular pickle brands in the United States.
Contents
The Story of Vlasic Pickles
Starting a Family Business
The story of Vlasic began with Franjo "Frank" Vlašić. He was from a region called Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1912, Frank moved to Detroit, Michigan in the United States.
He used money he saved from his factory job to open a small business. This business was a creamery, which is a place that makes dairy products like milk and butter.
His son, Joseph, later took over a route for delivering milk in 1922. This milk delivery business grew very large. It became the biggest dairy distributor in the state of Michigan.
From Milk to Pickles
In 1937, the Vlasic family was asked to help distribute a special kind of homemade pickle. They started selling these fresh pickles in glass jars. This was a new way to sell pickles at the time.
The first Vlasic pickle factory was built in Imlay City, Michigan. After World War II, the company grew very quickly. More and more people started eating pickles, which helped Vlasic become even bigger.
Meet the Vlasic Stork
In 1974, Vlasic introduced a fun new mascot: a stork carrying a baby. This idea came from the old story that storks deliver babies. Vlasic used this to suggest that pregnant women often crave pickles.
Their slogan was, "the pickle pregnant women crave...after all, who's a better pickle expert?" The modern Vlasic Stork talks in a funny way, a bit like the famous comedian Groucho Marx. He even holds a pickle like a cigar! The first voice for the stork was Ron Masak, and now it's Doug Preis.
Changes in Ownership
In 1978, the Campbell Soup Company bought Vlasic Pickles. Later, in 1998, Vlasic became its own separate company again. It was called Vlasic Foods International.
New Pickle Ideas
On April 13, 1999, Vlasic came out with a new product called Vlasic Hamburger Stackers. These pickles were special because they were made from very long cucumbers. These cucumbers could grow up to sixteen inches (41 cm) long and over three inches (7.6 cm) wide! This meant that just one pickle slice could cover an entire hamburger.
In 2001, the company faced some financial challenges. It went through a process called Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This is a legal step a company takes when it needs to reorganize its money. Vlasic planned to sell its pickle and barbecue sauce parts to another company, H. J. Heinz. However, they later changed their minds and looked for other buyers.
Today, Vlasic is owned by Conagra Brands. The Vlasic Stork mascot even appeared in a MasterCard commercial during the Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. In the ad, he was shown having dinner with other famous advertising characters.
In 2019, Conagra Brands announced that Vlasic was working on a new snack: Vlasic Pickle Chips. These chips are made from pickles that are vacuum-fried.
Where Vlasic Pickles Come From
The cucumbers used to make Vlasic pickles are grown in Michigan. Some of the cities where they are grown include Mount Pleasant and Kalamazoo. The pickles are then processed at the Vlasic plant in Imlay City, Michigan.
See also
- List of brand name condiments
- Robert J. Vlasic
