Gerber Products Company
Encyclopedia
Gerber Products Company is a purveyor of baby food
and baby products. A former American-owned company, Gerber is now a subsidiary of Nestlé
, and is currently located in Fremont, Michigan
, USA.
, by Daniel Frank Gerber
, owner of the Fremont Canning Company
, which produced canned fruit and vegetables. At the suggestion of a pediatrician, Gerber's wife Dorothy Gerber began making hand-strained food for their seven-month-old daughter, Sally
. Recognising a business opportunity, Gerber began making baby food. By 1928, he had developed five products for the market: strained peas, prunes, carrots and spinach, and beef vegetable soup. Six months later, Gerber's baby foods were distributed nationwide.
The brand eventually became a major company in the baby food industry; it offers more than 190 products in 80 countries, with labeling in 16 languages. The main competitors are Beech-Nut
and Del Monte Foods
, but Gerber controls 83 percent of the baby food market in the United States
.
In 1994 Gerber merged with Sandoz Laboratories. Two years, Sandoz merged with CIBA-Geigy to form Novartis
, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. In 2007, Gerber was sold to the Nestlé Company for $5.5 billion.
Its subsidiary Gerber Life Insurance Company
is located in White Plains, New York
.
s were introduced. In 2003, Gerber partially replaced the glass jars with plastic
tubs, for fruits and vegetables. Meats and some fruits are still sold in jars.
In 1967, executives at Gerber Products decided to offer a line of life insurance
products aimed at young families. Today, the Gerber Life Insurance Company
is one of the largest purveyors of direct-marketed life insurance in the United States. Gerber Life currently has more than two million life insurance policies in force, and controls more than $650 million in assets. The company's term and whole life insurance products for adults and children are available in the United States, Puerto Rico, and most of Canada. Gerber Life currently has an A (Excellent) rating with independent rating entity AM Best, the third-highest rating out of thirteen categories.
Early in the 1990s, Gerber tried to enter into the sugar-free food market with a Sugar Free Vanilla Custard flavor, favorable to diabetic
babies. The product did not see as much demand as expected, and it was dropped off the supermarket shelves after a few years. Gerber also began to produce juices, which are still being sold as of March 2009. In 1999, Gerber established Gerber Skincare products for babies.
Other Gerber products currently produced include breastfeeding
supplies, such as the Premium Feeding System Manual Massaging Pump, as well as baby bottle
s and nipples. They also market a line of health care products, including Tooth and Gum Cleanser and Vitamin Drops.
began answering each customer's letter individually, a practice she would continue for many years, even after she became a senior vice president of the company. In 1986, the company set up the Gerber Parents' Resource Center, a toll-free customer relations hotline, which has been providing information on baby food and parenting issues ever since.
is the famous Gerber baby, whose portrait is featured prominently on all Gerber product packaging. Cook is now a retired teacher and mystery writer. She was depicted in a charcoal sketch by neighbor Dorothy Hope Smith. Smith submitted the sketch as an entry for the company's logo contest.
A few interim Gerber babies were selected to appear on Gerber products in the mid '70s including babies known only as Hogg and Murray.
Numerous urban legends have incorrectly identified the Gerber baby. Some legends claim that the baby is Sally Gerber herself, the reason why the company itself was established.
The Tax Breaks have been largely supported, despite large revenue losses by local governments. $300,000 in losses a year for the City of Fremont, 10% of their budget, $160,000 a year for Newaygo County. It is estimated local governments would give up potentially $15 million in revenues over the 15 years as part of the tax break. Both the county and the city will be working with the Fremont Area Community Foundation
to receive funds in the initial years to help with specific projects and programs. The Fremont Public School District would receive assistance through the state school aid formula. Nestle Nutrition North America CEO Kurt Schmidt
said that the Fremont research and development center will be one of 23 worldwide Nestle "product technology centers" and also include scientific research for baby and infant nutritional products. It is expected that the new investment will help make Newaygo County a "global leader in scientific research."
Baby food
Baby food is any food, other than breastmilk or infant formula, that is made specifically for infants, roughly between the ages of four to six months to 2 years. The food comes in multiple varieties and tastes, can be produced by many manufacturers, or may be table food that the rest of the family...
and baby products. A former American-owned company, Gerber is now a subsidiary of Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
, and is currently located in Fremont, Michigan
Fremont, Michigan
Fremont is a city in Newaygo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,081 at the 2010 census.- History :The first inhabitants of the Fremont area were native Americans. A group of settlers led by Daniel Weaver first settled in the area in 1855. The Weaver homestead served as the...
, USA.
History
The company was founded in 1927 in Fremont, MichiganFremont, Michigan
Fremont is a city in Newaygo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,081 at the 2010 census.- History :The first inhabitants of the Fremont area were native Americans. A group of settlers led by Daniel Weaver first settled in the area in 1855. The Weaver homestead served as the...
, by Daniel Frank Gerber
Daniel Frank Gerber
- Early life :Gerber, the subject of this article, went by the name "Dan" to his friends and relatives. He was born in Fremont of Newaygo County, Michigan, in 1898 – the son of Frank Daniel Gerber.- Mid life :...
, owner of the Fremont Canning Company
Fremont Canning Company
Fremont Canning Company established the baby food enterprise of Gerber Products Company.-Founders:The company was founded by Frank Daniel Gerber and his father in 1901 in Fremont, Michigan. The canning company began with a ten thousand dollar investment. The firm initially marketed canned peas,...
, which produced canned fruit and vegetables. At the suggestion of a pediatrician, Gerber's wife Dorothy Gerber began making hand-strained food for their seven-month-old daughter, Sally
Sally Gerber
Sally Gerber is the daughter of Daniel Frank Gerber who established the baby food enterprise Gerber Products Company....
. Recognising a business opportunity, Gerber began making baby food. By 1928, he had developed five products for the market: strained peas, prunes, carrots and spinach, and beef vegetable soup. Six months later, Gerber's baby foods were distributed nationwide.
The brand eventually became a major company in the baby food industry; it offers more than 190 products in 80 countries, with labeling in 16 languages. The main competitors are Beech-Nut
Beech-Nut
Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation is a baby food company that is currently owned by the Swiss branded consumer-goods firm Hero Group.- History :...
and Del Monte Foods
Del Monte Foods
Del Monte Foods is an American food production and distribution company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Del Monte Foods is one of the country's largest producers, distributors and marketers of branded food and pet products for the U.S. retail market, generating approximately $3.6...
, but Gerber controls 83 percent of the baby food market in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 1994 Gerber merged with Sandoz Laboratories. Two years, Sandoz merged with CIBA-Geigy to form Novartis
Novartis
Novartis International AG is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland, ranking number three in sales among the world-wide industry...
, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. In 2007, Gerber was sold to the Nestlé Company for $5.5 billion.
Its subsidiary Gerber Life Insurance Company
Gerber Life Insurance Company
The Gerber Life Insurance Company was formed in 1967 as a subsidiary of the Gerber Products Company in Fremont, Michigan. It is headquartered in White Plains, New York. It is one of the top direct-response marketing insurance companies and a leading provider of juvenile life insurance...
is located in White Plains, New York
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
.
Product diversification
In 1960, Gerber started selling its baby food in glass jars, which often found new life as a generic household storage item. Soon after, other items such as pacifiers, baby bottles and small baby toyToy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s were introduced. In 2003, Gerber partially replaced the glass jars with plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
tubs, for fruits and vegetables. Meats and some fruits are still sold in jars.
In 1967, executives at Gerber Products decided to offer a line of life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
products aimed at young families. Today, the Gerber Life Insurance Company
Gerber Life Insurance Company
The Gerber Life Insurance Company was formed in 1967 as a subsidiary of the Gerber Products Company in Fremont, Michigan. It is headquartered in White Plains, New York. It is one of the top direct-response marketing insurance companies and a leading provider of juvenile life insurance...
is one of the largest purveyors of direct-marketed life insurance in the United States. Gerber Life currently has more than two million life insurance policies in force, and controls more than $650 million in assets. The company's term and whole life insurance products for adults and children are available in the United States, Puerto Rico, and most of Canada. Gerber Life currently has an A (Excellent) rating with independent rating entity AM Best, the third-highest rating out of thirteen categories.
Early in the 1990s, Gerber tried to enter into the sugar-free food market with a Sugar Free Vanilla Custard flavor, favorable to diabetic
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
babies. The product did not see as much demand as expected, and it was dropped off the supermarket shelves after a few years. Gerber also began to produce juices, which are still being sold as of March 2009. In 1999, Gerber established Gerber Skincare products for babies.
Other Gerber products currently produced include breastfeeding
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...
supplies, such as the Premium Feeding System Manual Massaging Pump, as well as baby bottle
Baby bottle
A baby bottle is a bottle with a teat to drink directly from. It is typically used by infants and young children when a mother does not breastfeed, or if someone cannot drink from a cup, for feeding oneself or being fed.In particular it is used to feed infant formula, expressed breast milk or...
s and nipples. They also market a line of health care products, including Tooth and Gum Cleanser and Vitamin Drops.
Consumer relations
Gerber has a long history of projecting a family-friendly image. When Gerber Products established a consumer relations department in 1938, then ten-year-old Sally GerberSally Gerber
Sally Gerber is the daughter of Daniel Frank Gerber who established the baby food enterprise Gerber Products Company....
began answering each customer's letter individually, a practice she would continue for many years, even after she became a senior vice president of the company. In 1986, the company set up the Gerber Parents' Resource Center, a toll-free customer relations hotline, which has been providing information on baby food and parenting issues ever since.
Gerber Baby
According to Gerber, Ann Turner CookAnn Turner Cook
Ann Turner Cook is an American mystery novelist, who was the model for the familiar Gerber Baby artwork seen on baby-food packages of the Gerber Products Company.-Gerber baby:...
is the famous Gerber baby, whose portrait is featured prominently on all Gerber product packaging. Cook is now a retired teacher and mystery writer. She was depicted in a charcoal sketch by neighbor Dorothy Hope Smith. Smith submitted the sketch as an entry for the company's logo contest.
A few interim Gerber babies were selected to appear on Gerber products in the mid '70s including babies known only as Hogg and Murray.
Numerous urban legends have incorrectly identified the Gerber baby. Some legends claim that the baby is Sally Gerber herself, the reason why the company itself was established.
Tax break and expansion
In September of 2008, Gerber's Fremont facilities were designated as a Michigan Agricultural Renaissance Zone, and received $43 million in tax breaks over 15 years. In order to receive the incentives, Gerber agreed to continue its employment in Fremont at 1,100 jobs and invest $50 million in its Fremont facilities over the course of the next 10 years, however to get the full 15 years of tax breaks, Gerber agreed to increase employment by 200 and spend a total of $75 million on its facilities.The Tax Breaks have been largely supported, despite large revenue losses by local governments. $300,000 in losses a year for the City of Fremont, 10% of their budget, $160,000 a year for Newaygo County. It is estimated local governments would give up potentially $15 million in revenues over the 15 years as part of the tax break. Both the county and the city will be working with the Fremont Area Community Foundation
Fremont Area Community Foundation
The Fremont Area Community Foundation is a philanthropic organization in Fremont, Michigan. Founded in 1972 to serve the people of Newaygo County, it is one of the largest community foundations in the United States on a per capita basis, serving a population of 50,000 with net assets of...
to receive funds in the initial years to help with specific projects and programs. The Fremont Public School District would receive assistance through the state school aid formula. Nestle Nutrition North America CEO Kurt Schmidt
Kurt Schmidt
Kurt Schmidt was a German Generalleutnant during the Second World War who also fought during the First World War.-Early life and career:...
said that the Fremont research and development center will be one of 23 worldwide Nestle "product technology centers" and also include scientific research for baby and infant nutritional products. It is expected that the new investment will help make Newaygo County a "global leader in scientific research."
External links
- Gerber: Corporate Website
- Nestlé: Official website
- Gerber Life: Gerber Life Insurance Company
- Novartis: Novartis corporate Web site