Campbell Soup Company Sacramento Plant records, 1948-2013

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Summary

Creators:
Campbell Soup Company
Abstract:
The Campbell Soup Company Sacramento Plant records document the plant's culture and history from 1948 to 2013. The majority of the collection is made up of photographs of plant activities and employee events, and company publications, including annual reports, newsletters, magazines, and anniversary celebrations. Also included are an employee scrapbook and various food industry magazines.
Extent:
3 linear feet (5 boxes)
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item and/or item number], [box and folder number], Campbell Soup Company Sacramento Plant records, MS0035, Center for Sacramento History.

Background

Scope and content:

The Campbell Soup Company Sacramento Plant records document the plant's culture and history from 1948 to 2013. The majority of the collection is made up of photographs of plant activities and employee events, and company publications. Photographs include negatives, prints, and digital files that are mostly undated, though some are dated from the late 1940s to the early 1950s. Publications include annual reports, newsletters, magazines, and anniversary celebrations. Also included in the collection are an employee’s scrapbook, various food industry magazines, and a can of soup from the final day of production.

Biographical / historical:

Joseph Campbell and Abram Anderson formed Campbell Soup Company in 1869. Their first plant was located in Camden, New Jersey, and the company went through several changes in name and ownership before it began to expand its products and plants across the United States and the world. In 1947, Campbell opened its third soup plant, and its first on the West Coast, in Sacramento, California.

From 1947 to 2013, the Campbell Sacramento plant operated at 6200 Franklin Boulevard, covering 146 acres along Franklin from 38th to 47th avenues. Construction of the plant started in 1946 and the first day of production was on September 8, 1947. Material shortages and restrictions during the Korean War delayed the official opening of the plant until 1954, when construction of the plant’s kitchen, cafeteria, and W-1 office areas were completed. The plant continued to expand over the years, with the addition of more warehouses in 1976, a 121,000-square-foot distribution center in 1994, and a 34,000-square-foot cold storage building and 14 acre, 2 megawatt solar power array in 2010.

Campbell’s Sacramento plant helped develop the area’s robust canning industry and created stable well-paying jobs for 66 years. During its operation, the plant produced thousands of products, including soups, sauces, and beverages, and employed up to 2,000 people at a time. In 2013, Campbell Soup Company closed the plant and shifted production and equipment to plants in other states, stating Sacramento was its oldest and most expensive plant to operate. With the closure, 700 full-time jobs were eliminated.

Acquisition information:
Donated by Matthew H. Valine (accession number 2014/030).
Arrangement:

The collection is organized into 3 series:
Series 1: Publications
Series 2: Photographs
Series 3: Other records

Physical location:
1:K:6
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research use.

Terms of access:

All requests to publish or quote from private collections held by the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) must be submitted in writing to csh@cityofsacramento.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of CSH as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the patron. No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item and/or item number], [box and folder number], Campbell Soup Company Sacramento Plant records, MS0035, Center for Sacramento History.

Location of this collection:
551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95811, US
Contact:
(916) 808-7072
csh@cityofsacramento.org
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