Seneca Foods Corporation

Our Company

For over 60 years, Seneca Foods has been dedicated to providing quality food products and service excellence worldwide.

Seneca's History

In 1949, Cornell University business student Art Wolcott went to the bankruptcy auction of the Dundee Grape Juice Company. Within a month he had purchased the company itself; thus becoming the Founder of Seneca Foods Corporation. This was the start of a growing business.

The Company was named Seneca Grape Juice Company and pressed 600 tons of concord grapes in the first year. Since then, our name has changed a few times but the core of our Company has always remained focused on agribusiness. We are intensely proud of our heritage and especially our products, which are distributed worldwide and found in nearly every cupboard in America.

As the world's largest producer of canned vegetables, we are ideally positioned for vigorous growth in global markets. An independent commodity-driven food manufacturing company, Seneca Foods has the long-term vision, the drive, and the resources for continued success.

Please take a few moments to go through our last six decades of growth and the highlights of our rich and exciting history.

	The decade of the 1950s was marked with slow but steady expansion and long hours as we grew internally and through acquisitions. [more]			During the 1960s we continued to expand with new plants and new products, including the introduction of the first frozen apple juice concentrate under our Seneca Brand. [more]


	The 1970s was a period of rapid growth and diversification as we acquired companies in the food distribution, canned vegetable, glass, paint and textile businesses. Through one of these acquisitions, Julius G. (Chuck) Kayser joined Seneca and played a key role in our growth until his death in 1988. [more]			A decade of both growth and consolidation as we aquired Libby's Canned Vegetables and sold our food distribution business and several of our non-food operations. [more]

	Through further acquisitions and internal growth, Seneca became the world's largest processor of canned vegetables. At the end of the decade we further strengthened our financial base by selling our juice operations and raising additional capital with a shareholder rights offering. [more]			During this decade, Seneca committed to remain an independent, publicly traded company and to meet the quality, service and cost expectations of our customers across America and around the world. With modern plants and a strong balance sheet, Seneca became well positioned to pursue strategic business opportunities and to continue our tradition of surviving and succeeding in a rapidly consolidating industry. [more]

Innovation and growth marks the start of 2010 through product extensions and the acquisition of Lebanon Valley Storage, LP. [more]

Seneca Foods Corporation

In May 2007, Seneca Snack Company (a wholly owned of Seneca Foods Corporation that makes apple and potato chips) acquired the vacuum frying assets of Tastee Apple, Inc. Based in Newcomerstown, Ohio, Tastee was best known for its caramel and chocolate covered apples, in addition to its apple cider business.
In August 2006, Seneca acquired 100% of the membership interests of Signature Fruit Company, LLC, based in Modesto, California. Signature Fruit Company was a leading processor of shelf stable fruit products, including peaches, pears, apricots, fruit cocktail, mixed fruit and fruit salad and nectars and concentrates. The acquisition will allow Seneca to add a full line of canned fruits to its product offerings.
In May 2003, Seneca completed the second largest acquisition in its history by acquiring 12 plants from Chiquita Brands, Inc. Included in the acquisition was a substantial private label retail, foodservice, export and branded business. The brands included Stokely's®, Read®, Festal®, Tendersweet®, Walla Walla® and Diamond A®. Seneca subsequently spun off four plants to Lakeside Foods. This acquisition brought the total number of plant locations at Seneca to 25.
In 2000, Seneca Foods Corporation celebrated its Golden Anniversary marking our first 50 years of dedication to our consumers.
Acquired Agrilink's Midwest private label canned vegetable business. This transaction also included the purchase of the Arlington, Minnesota facility.

Acquired several name brands including Treesweet®, Orange Plus®, and Awake® juice brands and Blue Boy®, Aunt Nellie's® and Lohmann® vegetable brands.
Expanded sales to global markets with the acquisition of an apple chip business.
Acquired six vegetable plants from Pillsbury and entered into an alliance with them to manufacture products for the Green Giant label.
Acquired a maraschino cherry and glace fruit business.
Divested our applesauce and juice operations to focus resources on our core vegetable business.
Acquired the rights to market a full range of International Libby canned fruits, vegetables, pastas and baked bean products to over 30 countries around the world.
Expanded Seneca Flight Operations by becoming the fixed based operator at Yates County Airport, adding management aircraft, and building a state of the art hanger complex.

Our corporate name was changed to S.S. Pierce Company.
A non-food group was added through the acquisition of Tapetex (textiles), Lehman Bros. (paint), and Castle Hansen (glass).
Acquisition of the S.S. Pierce Company (including its subsidiaries - Lincoln Foods, Kennett Canning Co. and Stateline Potato Chip Co.) took place. S.S. Pierce was a leading New England food service distributor as well as a rectifier, bottler and distributor of wines and spirits.
Another acquisition that took place during this period was the purchase of Marion Canning which marked our entry into vegetable processing.
An apple processing plant in Mountain Home, North Carolina, was also purchased.
During the 1970's we increased our canned vegetable business with retail and food service customers through the acquisition of Fruit Belt Preserving Co., Seneca Kraut, and Perfection Foods.
We began the production of metal cans for both our juice and vegetable products