My great grandfather’s name was Royal. The family story is that, when he was born, his mother looked up at her kitchen shelf and saw a box. Royal Baking Powder gave him his name.
Though I don’t recommend looking at one’s pantry for kids’ names, our shelves hold names for food in Ohio that should be a source of pride for Ohioans. There’s some lesser known food producers but ones for which we all have reasons to be proud too.
Every corner of the state helps to tell our state’s significant food manufacturing story.
First Thought: Well Known Brands Galore.
Jerome Monroe Smucker gave his name to J.M. Smucker headquartered in Orrville. The multi-billion dollar company got started making apple butter in Wayne County. Who didn’t grow up with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? Today, the company’s national facilities produce Smucker’s jelly and Jif peanut butter.
Teresa Marzetti gave her name to the Columbus company for which various brands are often found on our shelves in more ways than one ranging from salad dressing to fruit dips.
Campbell soup is a safe bet on Ohioans’ shelves too. Campbell’s largest soup plant is in Napoleon, Ohio. There’s an over two million square foot building coupled with a massive tomato soup can replica you can’t miss if you are there.
Totino’s pizza rolls are made at General Mills facilities in Jackson County. The company is one of southeast Ohio’s largest employers with over 1,000 employees. You can’t help but personally feel that job impact if you live near there.
Bud Lite is brewed in
Columbus. Miller Lite comes out of
Trenton.
Another Thought: Bet
You Find These Products Too.
There’s more to our food shelves than big brands.
Heath is home to GB Food. The food producer doesn’t brand anything, but chances are pretty good that you’ve eaten their soy crisps that end up the top ingredient in popular protein bars.
Despite the legends about Wisconsin, Ohio is actually a top producer of cheese among states. In fact, the nation’s number one producer of swiss cheese is located in northeastern Ohio. Brewster Cheese in Brewster isn’t a brand you see often but percentages are pretty high that the swiss cheese you eat comes from there.
Drivers on I-70 can’t miss Royal Canin’s new place in Preble County. Another big producer, but, for now, a lesser-known brand.
It would take a whole
other page to tell Ohio’s agricultural story married with our manufacturing one.
Third Thought: Economic Impact is a Reason to Double the Pride.
So often when we talk about manufacturing and Ohio’s well-earned pride with that sector of our economy, we miss the trees because of the forest. Food manufacturing, in particular, is a stand out reason for understanding the overall tremendous economic impact of manufacturing in our state.
In many places in Ohio, our neighbors make their living proudly making products that fill our kitchen shelves every day. The local economic impact of food manufacturing is often crucial to a whole regional economy.
You don’t have to live in
Napoleon, Brewster, Heath, or Wellston, though, to appreciate the manufacturing
story that permeates all of Ohio and is, rightly, a source of pride.
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This column is a regular column in The Columbus Dispatch.
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