A Major Soup Giant Has Owned Pepperidge Farm For Years, And You Had No Clue
Remember when the first thing that came to mind when you heard the words "Pepperidge Farm" wasn't a meme? The brand sure does, and based on the actual ads that "Family Guy" parodied, it probably also remembers the sweet aroma of homemade raisin bread wafting through the kitchen, and how simple things made better cookies. For many of us, the brand is also at the center of a lot of sweet childhood memories. One thing about Pepperidge Farm that seems to evade our collective consciousness, however, is the fact that it's been owned by one of the world's biggest soup brands for literal decades.
It turns out that the manufacturer of Milano cookies, Julia Child's white bread of choice for tuna sandwiches, and a surprisingly delicious ice cream topping was purchased by The Campbell's Company way back in 1961. That means it's been under the Campbell's umbrella for more than 64 years today, alongside other acquisitions from over the years, like V8 and Prego. Considering Pepperidge Farm was founded by Margaret Rudkin in 1937, the brand has officially been part of Campbell's for longer than it hasn't.
Acquiring Pepperidge Farm was a major business move for Campbell's
According to a 1960 New York Times report on the sale, The Campbell Soup Company (this was before the brand decided to drop "Soup" from its name) exchanged the equivalent of $28.2 million in shares to buy Pepperidge Farm. This was a huge deal at the time, considering that the amount it paid would be around $306.6 million today when adjusted for inflation. This included the purchase of six Pepperidge Farm plants, with Campbell's taking in the baking company's then-1,700 employees. The acquisition paid off beautifully for Campbell's; Pepperidge Farm's Goldfish brand alone is nearly a billion-dollar business as of 2024.
The sale also brought Pepperidge Farm's products to millions more households nationwide, with a global distribution network reaching as far as the Philippines. The brand's success is well-deserved; its Farmhouse Hearty White Bread made it into the top five of our store-bought white bread rankings, and its Farmhouse Thin and Crispy cookies were good enough to place fourth in our store-bought chocolate chip cookies rankings. However, Pepperidge Farm could use a little help in the cake department; its Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake ranked 10th out of 11 in our store-bought chocolate cake rankings.