Campbell Soup Company

Campbell Soup Company is a long-established American packaged-food business best known for the Campbell’s soup brand and its red-and-white can. Founded in 1869 in Camden, New Jersey, by produce dealer Joseph A. Campbell, the company began as a producer of canned tomatoes, vegetables, jellies and soups. Its decisive early breakthrough came when chemist John T. Dorrance developed condensed soup in the late nineteenth century. Removing much of the water reduced shipping and storage costs and allowed consumers to prepare soup by adding water at home, helping create one of the defining convenience-food formats of the modern grocery industry. The company’s visual identity became unusually durable. A red-and-white label introduced in 1898, later associated with the gold-medal imagery from the 1900 Paris Exposition, helped make Campbell’s products recognizable across generations. Advertising expanded from print into radio, television and later digital media. The brand’s association with family meals, convenience and comfort was reinforced by decades of household-oriented marketing, while Andy Warhol’s paintings of Campbell’s soup cans in the 1960s gave the packaging a lasting place in popular culture and art history. Campbell gradually broadened beyond condensed soup. Its meals and beverages portfolio includes condensed and ready-to-serve soups, broth, sauces, pasta products and other convenient meal components. Its snacks portfolio includes Pepperidge Farm baked goods and cookies, Goldfish crackers, Snyder’s of Hanover pretzels, Lance crackers, Late July tortilla chips and other snack brands. The company has also operated or acquired brands in beverages, fresh foods and international packaged foods, although its portfolio has changed repeatedly through acquisitions and divestitures. Major strategic changes have included the acquisition of Snyder’s-Lance in 2018, which significantly expanded Campbell’s presence in snacks, and the divestiture of several businesses as management concentrated on a smaller number of categories. In 2019 Campbell agreed to sell Arnott’s biscuits and its stake in Kelsen Group to affiliates of Ferrero. In 2023 it agreed to acquire Sovos Brands, owner of Rao’s, Michael Angelo’s and noosa; the transaction closed in March 2024 for approximately $2.7 billion in enterprise value. The purchase strengthened Campbell’s premium meals and sauces offering and led to a new Distinctive Brands unit within Meals & Beverages. Campbell markets its products primarily in North America through grocery, mass retail, club, convenience, food-service and e-commerce channels. Its positioning combines trust and familiarity with convenience, taste, meal inspiration and, increasingly, premium ingredients and contemporary eating occasions. The company remains publicly traded under ticker CPB and continues to organize its business principally around Meals & Beverages and Snacks.

Joseph A. Campbell established the business in Camden, New Jersey, in 1869. The early company sold preserved foods, including canned vegetables, tomatoes, jellies and soups, at a time when industrial canning was transforming food distribution. Campbell’s later importance came from the work of John T. Dorrance, a chemist and MIT-trained organic chemist who joined the company and developed a commercially practical condensed-soup process. By concentrating soup and requiring consumers to add water, Campbell reduced package size and distribution expense while offering a convenient product for household kitchens. The company invested heavily in branding and mass communication. Its red-and-white label, adopted in 1898, became a durable packaging signature. Campbell soup received a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition, and the company incorporated medal imagery into its marketing. Early advertising emphasized nutrition, vigor, household efficiency and family service, reflecting the conventions of the period. Over time Campbell used print, radio and television to make its cans and products familiar nationally. The company’s visual recognizability was later amplified by Andy Warhol’s 1960s paintings of Campbell’s soup cans. During the twentieth century Campbell expanded from soup into a wider branded-food house. Pepperidge Farm brought baked goods, cookies and Goldfish crackers; other acquisitions added sauces, beverages, crackers and international operations. The company’s core business remained soup and convenient meals, but management periodically reshaped the portfolio in response to changing consumer preferences, retailer power and competitive pressure from private labels. In the 2000s and 2010s Campbell attempted to refresh its core soup business and reach younger consumers through packaging, product innovation, digital media and integrated advertising. “Make It Campbell’s Instead” in 2003–04 encouraged consumers to substitute soup products for other meal or snack occasions. “It’s Amazing What Soup Can Do,” introduced in 2010, unified major U.S. soup brands under one advertising idea. “Made for Real, Real Life,” introduced in 2015, used real-family portrayals to connect soup with contemporary household routines. Portfolio management became more pronounced later in the decade. Campbell acquired Snyder’s-Lance in 2018, adding a major snacks platform that included Snyder’s of Hanover, Lance and Late July. In 2019 it agreed to sell Arnott’s biscuits and its interest in Kelsen Group to Ferrero-related buyers, reflecting a focus on categories judged more central to its strategy. Earlier international expansion had included the 1996 agreement to acquire Germany’s Erasco canned-soup group, while the company’s British and Irish Campbell’s-branded business was later sold and the license name changed after the license period ended. Campbell announced the purchase of Sovos Brands in August 2023. The transaction added premium Rao’s sauces and related pasta products, Michael Angelo’s frozen meals and noosa yogurt. After regulatory review and a request for additional information from the Federal Trade Commission, the acquisition closed in March 2024 for approximately $2.7 billion in enterprise value. Campbell placed the acquired brands in a new Distinctive Brands unit within Meals & Beverages. The resulting company combines a historic mainstream soup franchise with premium meals and sauces and a substantial snacks business. It continues to sell through retail and digital channels, using its established brands while seeking growth through premiumization, innovation and occasion-based marketing.

• 2024

  Sovos Brands acquisition completed

  [2]Campbell completes acquisition of Sovos Brandsthecampbellscompany.com

  Campbell completed its approximately $2.7 billion acquisition of Sovos Brands.

• 2019

  Arnott’s and Kelsen divestitures agreed

  [6]Bolthouse Farms acquisition announceden.wikipedia.org

  Campbell agreed to sell Arnott’s biscuits and its Kelsen stake to Ferrero-related buyers.

• 2018

  Snyder’s-Lance acquired

  [6]Bolthouse Farms acquisition announceden.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition materially expanded Campbell’s snacks platform.

• 2012

  Bolthouse Farms acquisition announced

  [6]Bolthouse Farms acquisition announceden.wikipedia.org

  Campbell announced plans to acquire Bolthouse Farms, expanding into juices, dressings and fresh foods.

• 1996

  Erasco acquisition announced

  [5]Erasco acquisition announcedinvestor.thecampbellscompany.com

  Campbell announced an agreement to acquire Germany’s Erasco canned-soup group.

• 1900

  Paris Exposition recognition

  [3]Campbell Soup Advertising Collectionsi.edu

  Campbell soup received a gold medal at the Paris Exposition, imagery later used in branding.

• 1898

  Red-and-white label introduced

  [3]Campbell Soup Advertising Collectionsi.edu

  The enduring red-and-white visual identity was incorporated into Campbell packaging and advertising.

• 1869

  Company founded in Camden

  [1]The Campbell’s Company official websitethecampbellscompany.com

  Joseph A. Campbell established the preserved-food business that became Campbell Soup Company.

A trusted, convenient and increasingly diversified packaged-food portfolio built around everyday meals, comfort foods, recognizable brands and snacks, with premium growth supplied by brands such as Rao’s.

• Soup

  Campbell’s Condensed Soup

  The company’s signature concentrated soup format, sold in a broad range of flavors and designed to be prepared with added water or used as a cooking ingredient.

• Soup

  Campbell’s Chunky

  A hearty soup line built around larger pieces of meat, vegetables and other substantial ingredients, positioned as a filling meal rather than a light starter.

• Baked goods and snacks

  Pepperidge Farm

  A Campbell business centered on cookies, crackers, breads and other baked products, including the widely recognized Goldfish cracker line.

• Snacks · 2018

  Snyder’s-Lance portfolio

  Campbell’s snacks platform includes pretzels, crackers and tortilla chips sold under brands such as Snyder’s of Hanover, Lance and Late July.

• Premium sauces and meals · 2024

  Rao’s Homemade

  A premium food brand acquired through Sovos Brands, known especially for pasta sauces and expanded into pasta, soups and frozen meal products.

• 2020The New Pantry

  United States

  A social and digital partnership with Group Nine properties, including NowThis Food, PopSugar and Thrillist, promoted home cooking and meals shared at home during the pandemic period.

  Outcome. The effort used mobile video, Instagram Stories and shoppable content to reach younger consumers and connect Campbell products with home meal preparation.

  Source
• 2020Pandemic-era digital and culture partnerships

  United States

  Campbell promoted lunch occasions, spicy Chunky soup and healthier eating while expanding shoppable media, delivery partnerships and connections with the NFL, Twitch and EA Madden.

  Outcome. The strategy responded to increased at-home eating and sought to improve relevance among millennials and Generation Z.

  Source
• 2015Made for Real, Real Life

  United States

  Campbell and BBDO New York portrayed real families and varied household configurations in humorous, relatable vignettes showing how soup fits into busy modern routines.

  Outcome. The campaign represented Campbell’s first integrated soup-portfolio advertising effort in more than five years and aimed to make the brand feel more authentic and contemporary.

  Source
• 2010It’s Amazing What Soup Can Do

  United States

  Campbell created its first umbrella campaign for major U.S. soup brands, including condensed, Chunky, Healthy Request, Select Harvest and microwaveable products. The creative presented soup as useful for better eating, energy, enjoyment and everyday life.

  Outcome. The company sought to modernize Campbell’s and stimulate growth by combining brand budgets under one platform.

  Source
• 2003Make It Campbell’s Instead

  United States

  Campbell used an integrated advertising and merchandising effort to encourage consumers to substitute its soups for other meal and snack occasions. The campaign used a reality-television-style presentation and promoted the breadth of the soup portfolio.

  Outcome. The effort was part of a broader attempt to revive Campbell’s core soup business and increase consideration across multiple eating occasions.

  Source

• 2023

  Agree to acquire Sovos BrandsM&A

  Background

  Campbell wanted to strengthen Meals & Beverages with premium, high-growth sauces and adjacent meal brands.

  Action taken

  Campbell agreed to buy Sovos Brands for $23 per share in cash, at an enterprise value of approximately $2.7 billion.

  Aftermath

  The deal was completed in March 2024 after regulatory information requests and added Rao’s, Michael Angelo’s and noosa.

  Enterprise value. Approximately $2.7 billion (2023 announced transaction)

  Source

• 2019

  Divest Arnott’s and Kelsen interestsM&A

  Background

  Campbell pursued portfolio simplification and concentration on selected strategic categories.

  Action taken

  The company agreed to sell Arnott’s biscuits and its stake in Kelsen Group to Ferrero-related buyers.

  Aftermath

  The disposals reduced Campbell’s exposure to those international biscuit businesses.

  Source

• 2018

  Acquire Snyder’s-LanceM&A

  Background

  Campbell sought to build a stronger snacks business and diversify beyond slower-growing soup categories.

  Action taken

  The company acquired Snyder’s-Lance, adding pretzels, crackers, chips and related snack brands.

  Aftermath

  The transaction became a foundation of Campbell’s Snacks division.

  Source

• 2022.03.09

  Reported2022.03.10

  Campbell reports lower quarterly sales and earnings[12]Campbell公布季度销售额和收益下降yahoo.com

  Campbell reported lower sales and earnings for its latest quarter, citing higher costs, supply-chain challenges and the Omicron surge. Net sales from continuing operations fell 3% and adjusted earnings before interest and taxes fell 17%.

• 2019.09.23

  Reported2019.09.23

  Ferrero-affiliated company completes acquisition of Kelsen Group[13]费列罗关联公司完成对Kelsen Group的收购finanznachrichten.de

  A Ferrero-affiliated company completed its acquisition of Kelsen Group A.S. from Campbell Soup Company. The transaction includes Kelsen's two production facilities in Nørre Snede and Ribe, and the management and employees will be retained.

Read more

1. 1The Campbell’s Company official websitethecampbellscompany.com
2. 2Campbell completes acquisition of Sovos Brandsthecampbellscompany.com
3. 3Campbell Soup Advertising Collectionsi.edu
4. 4Campbell to acquire Sovos Brands SEC exhibitsec.gov
5. 5Erasco acquisition announcedinvestor.thecampbellscompany.com
6. 6Bolthouse Farms acquisition announceden.wikipedia.org
7. 7Make It Campbell’s Insteadmarketing-case-studies.blogspot.com
8. 8It’s Amazing What Soup Can Dothecampbellscompany.com
9. 9Made for Real, Real Lifethecampbellscompany.com
10. 10The New Pantrymarketingdive.com
11. 11Pandemic-era digital and culture partnershipsuschamber.com
12. 12Campbell公布季度销售额和收益下降yahoo.com
13. 13费列罗关联公司完成对Kelsen Group的收购finanznachrichten.de