With solid roots in Canada, Kraft Canada’s heritage can be traced back to J.L. Kraft. Today, Kraft Canada manufactures and markets many of the favourite foods and beverages that are the mainstay of Canadian kitchens.
J.L. Kraft: A Canadian Story
Today’s grocery store is a direct descendant of the old-time country general store, but bears little likeness to its ancestor. The number and diversification of food products on today’s supermarket shelves is a far cry from the basic "do-it-yourself" and bulk foods available to the turn-of-the-century shopper. The standardized retail packaging of today was still in its infancy.
Born in 1874 to dairy farmers in Stevensville Ontario, James Lewis Kraft (known as J.L.) began his working life as a sales clerk in a country general store. Mr. Kraft didn’t like the poor economics he saw at the general store so with a vision of modern food merchandising, he set out to do something about it.
Mr. Kraft Moves to Chicago
In 1903, Mr. Kraft moved to Chicago and with $65 in capital, he entered the wholesale cheese business. Using a rented wagon and horse Mr. Kraft bought cheeses daily from Chicago’s warehouse district and delivered them to local merchants. When his business prospered, he expanded it to include manufacturing. Mr. Kraft was on the brink of revolutionizing cheese manufacturing, not only in Chicago, but around the world.
Processed Cheese – A Revolution in Food Production
In his early wholesale cheese days, Mr. Kraft was troubled by the amount of waste involved in selling cheese. He was determined to make cheese a more dependable and marketable commodity that would keep better, cook better and could be packaged in convenient sizes without waste.
Working with a double boiler and an old copper kettle in his kitchen, Mr. Kraft experimented with different formulas of blending and heating cheese. His determination paid off. In 1916, Mr. Kraft was granted a patent for what became known as processed cheese.
Kraft: A Canadian Household Word
In 1920, Mr. Kraft entered the Canadian market by purchasing MacLaren’s Imperial Cheese Co. Ltd, which had a factory in downtown Montreal. The company grew rapidly during the 1920’s and Mr. Kraft hired a home economist opening the celebrated Kraft Kitchens to answer consumer mail and develop recipes. When the first cheese advertising appeared from coast-to-coast Kraft became a household name.
Post War Expansion
Following World War II, the company’s name was changed from Kraft Cheese Company to Kraft Foods. The name change reflected its expanding array of food products, with new lines becoming an almost annual event. In order to get product to market, Kraft developed a coast-to-coast sales and distribution system that was regarded as one of the finest in the food industry.
Kraft General Foods
In 1989, Kraft merged with General Foods to form Kraft General Foods. The new company offered more than 1,000 products to Canadian consumers.
On January 20, 1995, Kraft General Foods was officially re-named Kraft Canada Inc. (KCI). In the US the company was renamed Kraft Foods.
Kraft Continues to Grow
In 2000, Philip Morris Companies, Kraft’s parent company, acquired Nabisco Holdings and integrated the Nabisco brands into Kraft Foods. One year later, Philip Morris made an initial public offering for Kraft Foods Inc. common stock in the second-largest IPO in U.S. history. On June 13, 2001, Kraft stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “KFT.”
Kraft Foods Inc. became a fully independent company on March 30, 2007. On April 2, 2007, Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO joined 11 Kraft employees to ring The Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange to mark the first day of trading following the complete spin-off from its parent company. Kraft Foods Inc. (KFT) replaced American International Group Inc. (AIG) in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, effective with the opening of trading on September 22, 2008.
Cadbury Joins The Family
Cadbury became part of the Kraft Foods family on February 2, 2010. The combination creates a global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals. Click here to learn more about the Cadbury brands heritage.
About Kraft Foods Today
Kraft Foods is building a global snacks powerhouse and an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love. With annual revenues of approximately $48 billion, the company is the world’s second largest food company, making delicious products for billions of consumers in approximately 170 countries. The portfolio includes 11 iconic brands with revenues exceeding $1 billion – Oreo, Nabisco and LU biscuits; Milka and Cadbury chocolates; Trident gum; Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees; Philadelphia cream cheeses; Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; and Oscar Mayer meats. Approximately 70 brands generate annual revenues of more than $100 million. Kraft Foods (www.kraftfoodscompany.com; NYSE: KFT) is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index. In Canada, company brands include Kraft Dinner macaroni and cheese, Christie cookies and crackers, Kool-Aid and Del Monte beverages, Caramilk chocolate, Maynards candy, and Stride and Dentyne gum.