Hunt’s is the name of a brand of preserved tomato products owned by Conagra Brands. The company was founded in 1888, in Sebastopol, California, as the Hunt Bros. Fruit Packing Co., by Joseph and William Hunt. The brothers relocated to nearby Santa Rosa in 1890, and then to Hayward in 1895. This small canning operation grew rapidly, focused on canning the products of California’s booming fruit and vegetable industries. By 1941, the plant shipped a hundred million cans of soup, fruits, vegetables, and juices annually.
In 1943, Hunt’s was taken over by Norton Simon’s Val Vita Food Products, a competing firm founded in the early 1930s and based in Fullerton, California. The merged firm kept Hunt’s name and incorporated as Hunt Food and Industries, Inc. The new management, led by Norton Simon decided to focus the company on canned tomato products, particularly prepared tomato sauce.
Besides several varieties of canned tomato sauce, Hunt’s brand appears on tomato paste, diced, whole, stewed, pureed and crushed tomatoes, organic and No Salt Added tomato products, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, barbecue sauce, canned potatoes, canned peaches and Hunt’s Family Favorites line of canned recipe helpers. Hunt’s brand name also appears on Manwich brand sloppy joes products, formerly Hunt’s Snack Pack Pudding. Reddi-wip whipped cream was originally also under the Hunt’s banner.
According to newsweek.com; en.wikipedia.org; Source of photo: internet
