General Host

General Host was a New York-based American food and food-related company whose roots went back to the formation of General Baking Company in 1911. The original business was created through the combination of 21 baking companies from 12 states, giving it a substantial regional manufacturing and distribution footprint from the outset. It entered the market as a publicly traded enterprise, with its shares listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and quickly expanded through acquisitions such as Louisville's Grocers' Baking Company and Grocer's Biscuit Company. Bread was the company's central business during its first several decades. Its principal brand was Bond Bread, which became one of the best-selling bread brands in the United States during the 1920s. General Baking also marketed Mothers Bread, Bond Rye Bread, and Butter Krust Bread. By the early 1920s, the company operated approximately 40 bakeries and was the largest wholesale bakery in the New York metropolitan area. A 1925 combination involving General Baking, Ward Baking Company, and Continental Baking Company greatly expanded the sector's scale, although the companies did not remain a single unified operating business in the long term. By 1930, General Baking had about 50 plants serving 18 states. The company pursued product and geographic expansion after the Second World War. It acquired Van de Kamp's in 1956, extending its bakery presence to the West Coast, and later developed frozen foods and confectionery products under the Van de Kamp's name. As supermarkets began installing their own in-store bakeries and large baking companies competed more aggressively, General Baking experienced financial pressure. The Goldfield Corporation, led by Richard C. Pistell, took control in 1965. Reorganization produced a return to profit, but the strategy increasingly moved beyond traditional baking. General Baking acquired hotel properties in Yellowstone National Park through the Yellowstone Park Company and also entered other food and retail activities. In 1967, after reporting profit from a much broader portfolio, the company adopted the name General Host. During the late 1960s and 1970s it pursued an ambitious diversification strategy spanning bakeries, meatpacking, frozen foods, snack stands, restaurants, hotels, and specialty retail. Its attempted acquisition of Armour and Company gave General a controlling stock position but did not result in lasting control; the stake was sold to Greyhound in 1970, and the proceeds helped finance the purchase of Cudahy Packing Company. The diversification program produced both growth and restructuring. General Host more than doubled reported sales between 1967 and 1972, but it also sold or reduced several legacy food operations. It disposed of most of its Bond Bread baking division by 1972, sold the Van de Kamp's bakery division in 1979 while retaining its frozen-food operations for a time, and divested part of Cudahy's meat-processing interests in 1981. The company bought Hickory Farms in 1980 and Frank's Nursery & Crafts in 1982, reflecting management's belief that lawn-and-garden retail offered stronger operating prospects than food manufacturing. During the mid-1980s, General Host began selling much of its remaining food portfolio. It sold its Van de Kamp's frozen-food division to Pillsbury in 1984, disposed of its Hickory Farms interest in 1986, and sold its remaining stake in All American Gourmet to Kraft Foods in 1987 after an earlier public offering of part of that business. General Host ultimately became closely associated with Frank's Nursery & Crafts, which later entered bankruptcy in 2004. The company is therefore best understood as a historically significant but ultimately unsuccessful diversification holding company, rather than as a continuing consumer brand with a single modern product line.

General Host originated as General Baking Company, incorporated in New York in June 1911 through the consolidation of 21 baking companies operating across 12 states. The new company was created with a broad but deliberately controlled plant footprint and immediately expanded through the purchase of Grocers' Baking Company and its biscuit subsidiary. It was publicly traded from its formation, with an initial stock issue and bond offering, and was led by executives drawn from the predecessor baking businesses. The business grew rapidly during the 1910s and 1920s. By 1917 it had bakeries in 27 cities, and by 1922 it operated about 40 plants. Its most important product was Bond Bread, whose formula had been developed around 1915 using consumer-submitted recipes and samples. Bond Bread became a leading American bread brand and reportedly accounted for more than 90 percent of General Baking's sales and production. Other brands included Mothers Bread, Bond Rye Bread, and Butter Krust Bread. In 1925, a major three-way combination involving General Baking, Ward Baking, and Continental Baking expanded the group's overall plant network and national market share. General Baking was reincorporated in Baltimore, and by 1930 it owned approximately 50 plants serving 18 states. The company continued to develop Bond Bread during the early 1930s. In 1931 it introduced vitamin D into the production process, an important nutritional modification to a formula that had previously remained substantially unchanged. The company also simplified its corporate structure by eliminating a holding company and converting the stock into holdings in General Baking Company, which continued to trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Postwar competition changed the economics of commercial baking. Large bakery groups competed for shelf space while supermarkets increasingly installed their own bakeries. General Baking broadened its geographic and product base by acquiring Van de Kamp's in 1956. The transaction expanded the company's presence on the West Coast. Under pressure from operating losses, General Baking was taken over by Goldfield Corporation in 1965. Richard C. Pistell led the reorganization, and the company returned to profitability the next year. Management then pursued diversification, using the Van de Kamp's name for frozen foods and candy and moving into businesses unrelated to conventional bread production. General Baking's expansion included hospitality and tourism. Through the Yellowstone Park Company, it acquired or operated the Old Faithful Inn and Lake Hotel in Yellowstone National Park. It also acquired Hot Sam, a chain of pretzel stands, and undertook a significant meatpacking strategy. In 1969 General attempted a hostile takeover of Armour and Company. Although it accumulated 57 percent of Armour's stock, lawsuits and governance complications prevented it from establishing lasting control. General sold the position to Greyhound in 1970 and used the proceeds to acquire Cudahy Packing Company. The increasingly diverse portfolio prompted the 1967 name change to General Host. In 1972 the company reported sales more than twice its 1967 level, but diversification also exposed it to operational and regulatory problems. General Host and two executives were fined over unsanitary conditions at a bakery after a mouse was found in a loaf of Bond Bread. The company also disposed of most of its Bond Bread baking division by 1972, signaling a retreat from the business that had defined its first half-century. During the late 1970s and 1980s, General Host continued to reshape its holdings. The National Park Service ended its Yellowstone hotel-management contract in 1979, citing poor service and inadequate maintenance. That year General Host sold the Van de Kamp's bakery division to private investors but retained the frozen-food business. It bought Hickory Farms in 1980 and restructured Cudahy's meat operations in 1981, transferring part of the business to Bar-S while closing facilities and eliminating jobs. In 1982, it purchased Frank's Nursery & Crafts, betting that lawn-and-garden retail would produce better operating returns than food manufacturing. The company then reversed much of its diversification. It sold Van de Kamp's frozen foods to Pillsbury in 1984, disposed of its Hickory Farms interest in 1986, and sold its remaining All American Gourmet interest to Kraft Foods in 1987 after an earlier minority public offering. General Host subsequently became associated primarily with Frank's Nursery & Crafts, which later filed for bankruptcy in 2004. The available record does not establish a continuing operating company or current consumer brand, so General Host is treated as defunct.

• 2004

  Frank's Nursery & Crafts files for bankruptcy

  [1]General Hosten.wikipedia.org

  The former General Host-owned retailer entered bankruptcy.

• 1987

  All American Gourmet is sold to Kraft Foods

  [1]General Hosten.wikipedia.org

  The sale represented a major step in General Host's withdrawal from food operations.

• 1982

  Frank's Nursery & Crafts is acquired

  [1]General Hosten.wikipedia.org

  The company entered lawn-and-garden specialty retail in a major strategic shift.

• 1972

  Bond Bread division is largely divested

  [1]General Hosten.wikipedia.org

  General Host sold most of its original baking division as it continued diversifying.

• 1969

  Armour acquisition attempt and bread price-fixing conviction

  [1]General Hosten.wikipedia.org

  General Host pursued Armour while also facing a federal price-fixing conviction involving bread sales in Philadelphia.

• 1967

  General Baking becomes General Host

  [1]General Hosten.wikipedia.org

  The new name reflected the company's expansion beyond traditional baking.

• 1956

  Van de Kamp's is acquired

  [1]General Hosten.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition gave General Baking a larger West Coast presence.

• 1931

  Vitamin D is added to Bond Bread

  [1]General Hosten.wikipedia.org

  The company introduced vitamin D fortification into its bread-production process.

• 1925

  Major bakery combination announced

  [1]General Hosten.wikipedia.org

  General Baking joined Ward Baking and Continental Baking in a large-scale industry combination.

• 1923

  Bond Bread becomes a leading national bread brand

  [1]General Hosten.wikipedia.org

  Bond Bread was recognized as the best-selling bread brand in the United States.

• 1911

  General Baking Company is incorporated

  [1]General Hosten.wikipedia.org

  Twenty-one baking companies from 12 states were consolidated into a new New York-based enterprise.

General Host positioned itself as a diversified food and consumer-products company. It began as a large-scale regional and national bakery operator centered on Bond Bread, then pursued a conglomerate strategy encompassing food processing, specialty retail, hospitality, and lawn-and-garden merchandising.

• Packaged bread · 1915

  Bond Bread

  Bond Bread was General Baking's defining product and accounted for the overwhelming majority of the company's sales and production during its peak bakery years. Its formula was developed around 1915 after the company reviewed thousands of consumer submissions. It became a leading American bread brand in the 1920s and was later modified to include vitamin D. The company sold the product alongside other branded loaves as the baking division was gradually reduced.

• Packaged bread

  Mothers Bread

  Mothers Bread was one of the secondary bread brands marketed by General Baking alongside Bond Bread. It formed part of the company's branded wholesale-bakery portfolio during the period when General Baking operated a large multistate plant network.

• Rye bread

  Bond Rye Bread

  Bond Rye Bread extended the Bond brand into rye bread and was listed among General Baking's principal branded bakery products. It belonged to the company's historical bread portfolio rather than to its later diversified retail businesses.

• Packaged bread

  Butter Krust Bread

  Butter Krust Bread was another General Baking branded loaf sold during the company's large-scale bakery era. It complemented Bond Bread and Mothers Bread within the company's regional bakery distribution system.

• Bakery, frozen foods, and confectionery · 1956

  Van de Kamp's products

  After acquiring Van de Kamp's, General Baking used the name for West Coast bakery operations and later for frozen foods and quality candies. The bakery division was sold in 1979, while the frozen-food operation remained until it was sold to Pillsbury in 1984.

• Specialty foods and food gifts · 1980

  Hickory Farms

  Hickory Farms was a specialty-food business acquired by General Host in 1980. It represented the company's effort to broaden its consumer-food portfolio beyond bakery and meat manufacturing. General Host later sold its interest in 1986.

• Processed meat · 1970

  Cudahy meat products

  Through Cudahy Packing Company, General Host entered pork processing and retained dry sausage and canned ham operations after restructuring part of the business. Losses led to a 1981 divestiture of part of the meat-processing operation to Bar-S.

• Pretzel stands and snack food

  Hot Sam

  Hot Sam was a chain of pretzel stands acquired by General Host as part of its move into prepared food service and retail concessions. The business originated in Detroit and broadened General Host's activities beyond packaged food manufacturing.

• Lawn-and-garden specialty retail · 1982

  Frank's Nursery & Crafts

  Frank's Nursery & Crafts became General Host's principal later retail holding after its 1982 acquisition. The chain sold lawn, garden, and craft-related merchandise. Its purchase reflected management's belief that specialty lawn-and-garden retail could offer stronger operating returns than food products. The retailer later entered bankruptcy in 2004.

• 1979

  Yellowstone hotel service criticism

  The National Park Service terminated General Host's contract to manage two Yellowstone hotels, attributing the decision to poor service and inadequate maintenance.

  Source

• 1972

  Unsanitary bakery conditions and contaminated loaf

  A mouse was discovered sliced into a loaf of Bond Bread, prompting enforcement attention to unsanitary conditions at a General Host bakery. The company and two executives were fined.

  Source

• 1969

  Philadelphia bread price-fixing conviction

  General Host and several other baking companies were found guilty in federal court and fined for price fixing in the Philadelphia bread market. The conduct covered the period from 1964 to 1968, with the indictment served in 1968.

  Source

Read more

• 1987

  Sell All American Gourmet to Kraft FoodsM&A

  Background

  General Host had already sold 25 percent of All American Gourmet through a 1985 public offering.

  Action taken

  It sold the remaining 75 percent interest to Kraft Foods.

  Aftermath

  The sale further reduced General Host's food-industry holdings.

  Source

• 1984

  Sell Van de Kamp's frozen foods to PillsburyM&A

  Background

  General Host was progressively exiting its food businesses.

  Action taken

  The company sold the Van de Kamp's frozen-food division to Pillsbury.

  Aftermath

  The transaction ended General Host's remaining ownership of Van de Kamp's operations.

  Source

• 1982

  Acquire Frank's Nursery & CraftsM&A

  Background

  Company research indicated that lawn-and-garden retail could generate stronger operating profits than food products.

  Action taken

  General Host purchased Frank's Nursery & Crafts.

  Aftermath

  Frank's became the company's most prominent later retail holding, although it eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2004.

  Source

• 1981

  Restructure Cudahy meat processingStrategy

  Background

  General Host faced financial losses in the Cudahy meat-processing unit.

  Action taken

  It divested part of the operation to Bar-S, closed four processing centers and 13 distribution centers, and terminated 1,100 employees.

  Aftermath

  General Host retained dry sausage and canned ham operations while reducing its exposure to meat processing.

  Source

• 1972

  Reduce the Bond Bread bakery businessStrategy

  Background

  General Host was shifting away from its historical baking base toward a diversified corporate model.

  Action taken

  The company sold most of its Bond Bread baking division.

  Aftermath

  The divestiture marked a major retreat from the business that had defined General Baking for decades.

  Source

• 1969

  Attempt to take control of Armour and CompanyM&A

  Background

  General Host sought to expand its meat-industry position through a hostile takeover of Armour and Company.

  Action taken

  It acquired a controlling stock interest but could not establish lasting control because of litigation and related difficulties, and later sold the position to Greyhound.

  Aftermath

  The proceeds were used to support the acquisition of Cudahy Packing Company.

  Source

• 1967

  Rename the company General HostStrategy

  Background

  The former General Baking Company had expanded into frozen foods, confectionery, hospitality, and other non-bakery activities.

  Action taken

  Management adopted the General Host name to reflect the broader corporate portfolio.

  Aftermath

  The company continued pursuing diversification across food manufacturing, hospitality, snack retail, meatpacking, and specialty retail.

  Source

1. 1General Hosten.wikipedia.org