Title: Larsen Company Records
Inclusive Dates: 1895-2006 (bulk 1920s-1990s)

Creator:

• Larsen Company

Call Number: Green Bay Mss 202; PH Green Bay Mss 202

Quantity: 5.0 cubic feet (11 archives boxes, 1 records center carton, and 1 oversize folder) and 1.5 cubic feet of photographs and ephemera (3 archives boxes, 1 flat box, and 3 oversize folders)

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Archives and Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Records, mainly from the 1920s through the 1990s, of the Larsen Company, a family owned canning company based out of Green Bay, Wisconsin. The collection contains documents relating to running a canning company in the 20th century including administrative records such as by-laws and articles of incorporation, annual and financial reports, trademark and copyright infringement cases, and abstracts of title. Also includes extensive historical information including photographs, and materials relating to the products canned by the company including a procedure book, price lists, advertisements, and labels for their products such as Veg-All and FreshLike.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-gb0202

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William Larsen was born in Buffalo, New York on May 29, 1850, and his family moved to Wisconsin near present day Ephraim soon after. As a young adult, Larsen worked briefly as a teacher in Door County, then as a head clerk in a general store. While working in this store Larsen gained knowledge of vegetables and produce. In 1875 Larsen opened his own retail grocery store with a partner in Fort Howard, Wisconsin, but by 1882 had sold his share to concentrate on his farm produce wholesale business. William Larsen became interested in canning as an extension of his fresh fruit and vegetable business; thus in 1890 started to can peas as the William Larsen Canning Company.

During this time, he bought property between Oneida and Green Bay for his new canning business as well as to grow produce for canning. Land that was unsuitable for farming was used as pasture land for cattle and Guernsey cows. The dairy part of the business was phased out by 1928, and the beef cattle as well as the farmland were phased out by 1945 and 1946.

Much of the work in the early years was done by hand. In 1908 the first machinery -- rotary graders and blanchers, fillers and cappers, and hoists -- was brought in to process fruits and vegetables for canning. The earliest vegetables to be mechanically processed were peas, followed by corn, tomatoes, sauerkraut, and beets.

During World War I, the canning business supplied the United States Army with mixed vegetables under the label Armour Very Best. In 1918 William Larsen retired, with management passed onto four of his sons: Austin, Milton, Donald, and Sumner. William Larsen died in 1922 and ownership was transferred to his sons. The William Larsen Canning Company was dissolved in 1926 and reincorporated under the name The Larsen Company. Austin served as president, Milton as head of sales, Donald as production manager, and Sumner head of farm operations.

In the same year as the reincorporation, the Veg-All label for canned mixed vegetables was introduced, baby food production began in 1930, and in the mid-1930s vacuum packs were introduced under the label FreshLike. During this time, a canned product with five vegetables separated by parchment in one can was also invented under the name Layer-Pak.

The Larsen Company spent the next several decades growing, which included acquiring smaller canning companies such as the Fox Valley Canning Company sometime in the 1970s. The company went public in 1962. The company merged with Dean Foods in 1986, maintaining the Larsen Company brands, such as Veg-All and FreshLike. Dean Foods then acquired Birds Eye Frozen Foods from Kraft Foods in 1994. Dean sold off its vegetable side of the business and is now known as Birds Eye Foods as of 2003.

The Larsen Company records documents a family owned canning company based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in the twentieth century. The collection contains administrative records including information regarding trademark disputes, product information including a canning procedures manual, advertising examples, and product labels. The collection also includes considerable historical information and a few photographs.

The History of the Larsen Company series is extensive, with material created between 1930 and 2006. Information is included from its early days in the 1890s when it was known as the William Larsen Canning Company, up through its merger with Dean Foods in the 1980s. Publicity about the company runs from the 1940s through the 1990s. A list of factories and products from the 1990s is included, as well as several speeches about the company made over the years. Also included is a small amount of information about the Larsen family.

The Administrative Records series, from 1900 to 1992, is the bulk of the collection. The series is arranged into nine sub-series: By-laws and articles of incorporation; Correspondence; Annual reports; Financial reports; Minutes; Legal documents; Stocks; Human resources; and Fox Valley Canning Company records.

The By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation, 1925-1986, include the original by-laws and articles of incorporation from 1925, as well as various amendments and reorganizations. Also included are papers relating to a company takeover in 1953, company objectives from 1957, documents relating to the merger with Dean in 1986, and mission statements of both Larsen and Dean from the 1980s.

The Correspondence is very sparse. There are a few letters from 1900 and 1911, and letters scattered from the 1940s, 1960s through the 1990s. The Annual reports include printed reports for every year from 1953 through 1985.

The Financial reports are strongest from the early to mid-20th century from 1923 through 1959. Also included is an examination of William Larsen’s estate, a small amount of information about the Larsen Company Foundation, which began in 1985 as the charitable end of the company, and a small amount of financial information from 1992.

The Minutes from board meetings are mostly complete from 1925 through 1982. The original volumes, which housed the minutes, were arranged with the most recent minutes in front and the oldest in back, this order was retained, while the binders were discarded. Also included is a list of minute excerpts from 1959 through 1980.

The Legal documents are further organized into three sections: relating to land; trademark and copyright; and agreements with other companies. The documents relating to land, 1922-1983, include land acquisitions, abstracts of title, and maps of land owned by the Larsen Company from Green Bay and Brown County, Cambria and Darien, and Hortonville, Wisconsin. The land in Hortonville, Wisconsin, was owned by the Fox Valley Canning Company, before being acquired by Larsen. The trademark and copyright documents, from 1908 to 1992, cover registration of trademarks and copyright and cases against other companies for trademark infringement. The agreements with other companies, from 1921 through 1946, include agreements with truckers and railways in order to ship their product.

The Stocks sub-series includes documents relating to being publically traded in the stock market in 1962 as well as some stockholder information from 1984 to 1992. It also includes several stocks that were held by the Larsen Company in 1987. The Human resources subseries only includes two documents, one relating to pensions in 1943, and a welcoming document for new employees from 1961.

The collection also includes a few records from the Fox Valley Canning Company records, which was acquired by the Larsen company in the 1970s. Included are a few audit reports from 1932 and the 1940s, as well as minutes from 1955 through 1971.

The Products series, from 1895 through 1999, documents the various products produced by the Larsen Company. Included are canning procedures from 1970 to 1999, covering apples and carrots, to burnt sugar and condiments, and for turkey and chicken. The fried chicken procedures are divided for United States procedures versus Canadian procedures. There is information about some of their specific lines of products such as Veg-All, Layer-Pak (a can with five different vegetables divided by parchment paper), and FreshLike. Also included are recipes, price lists, seals of approval, and a disaster preparedness packet highlighting their canned water from the early 1960s.

The Visual Materials are further divided into three sub-series: Advertisements, Labels, and Photographs. The advertisements include some early examples from the William Larsen Company all the way up through the 1980s. There are coupons and recipes, along with special promotions. The Veg-All line is particularly well documented including a broadside advertisement with a “Wagon Wheel pie” using Veg-All vegetables.

The labels include examples from the 1930s through the 1950s of their Green Bay brand, FreshLike, Larsen general brand, Diet Pak for individuals who needed to eat special diets, the strained brands for babies, Toytown, and Veg-All. Also includes a Voila! label mock-up from the early 2000s, some Fox Valley Canning Company labels, and a few labels of competing brands. The Photographs, dating from 1895 to 1997, are not extensive, but do cover several aspects of the company. There are a few photographs of the company buildings in Green Bay from the early years of the company, images of harvesting crops and sorting in the 1970s and 1980s, and products, promotions, and displays. The displays include the “World’s Largest Veg-All Display”; in a Los Angeles market in 1997. Also includes a few photographs of family members including William Larsen Sr., and of employees.

Trowbridge, Planert & Schaefer Law Firm Records (Green Bay Mss 89), held at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Archives and Area Research Center, owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, includes records concerning legal cases associated with the Larsen Company.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Greg Larsen, 2015. Accession Number: M2016-003

Processing Information

Processed by Alison E. Bridger and UW-Madison SLIS 875-001 class, March 2016.

Green Bay Mss 202	Series: History of The Larsen Company, 1930-2006
Box   1 Folder   1-3	Larsen Company history, circa 1930s-1986
Box   1 Folder   4	Published accounts, circa 1950s
Box   1 Folder   5	Correspondence, 1948, 1972, 2006
Box   1 Folder   6	Family history
Box   1 Folder   7	100th Anniversary, 1988-1990
Box   1 Folder   8	Lakeside Packing Company: A Century of Quality, 1987
Box   2 Folder   1	The Larsen News, 1946
Box   2 Folder   1	FreshLike News, 1964
Box   1 Folder   9	Plants and products, circa 1990s
	Publicity
Box   1 Folder   10-27	Press releases and clippings, 1960-1980
Box   1 Folder   28	Cal-Dutch acquisition press releases and clippings, 1966
Box   1 Folder   29	Fires at Larsen offices and facilities clippings, 1969-1979
Box   1 Folder   30	Kouba, Carl obituaries, 1977
Box   1 Folder   31	Lambeau, R.E. obituary, 1959
Box   1 Folder   32	Larsen, Milton W. obituary, 1946
Box   1 Folder   33	Mitchell, Mark H. articles, 1971-1977
Box   1 Folder   34	Dean Foods press releases, clippings, and reports, 1987, 1990-1992
Box   2 Folder   2-4	Newspaper and magazine clippings, 1960s-1980s
Box   1 Folder   35	Speeches, circa 1955-circa 1988
	Series: Administrative Records, 1900-1992	⇧
	By-laws and articles of incorporation, 1925-1986
Box   2 Folder   5-9	1925-1980s
Box   2 Folder   10	Larsen Company takeover, 1953
Box   2 Folder   11	Larsen Company objectives, 1957
Box   2 Folder   12	Merger with Dean, 1986
Box   2 Folder   13	Mission statements of Larsen and Dean, circa 1980s
	Correspondence, 1900-1992
Box   2 Folder   14	1900, 1911
Box   2 Folder   15	1940s
Box   2 Folder   16	1960s
Box   2 Folder   17	1970s
Box   2 Folder   18	1980s
Box   2 Folder   19	1990s
Box   2 Folder   20	Inter-office, 1990-1992
	Annual reports, 1953-1985
Box   3 Folder   1	1953-1959
Box   3 Folder   2	1960-1964
Box   3 Folder   3	1965-1969
Box   3 Folder   4	1970-1974
Box   3 Folder   5	1975-1979
Box   3 Folder   6	1980-1985
	Financial reports, 1923-1959, 1985-1992
Box   4 Folder   1	Examination: estate of Wm. Larsen and the Larsen Company, 1923 January 1-1925 December 1
Box   4 Folder   2	Audits, 1926-1928
Box   4 Folder   3	Audits, 1933
Box   4 Folder   4	Comparative statements, 1933-1938
Box   4 Folder   5	Accounting recommendations, 1939
Box   4 Folder   6	General examination, 1938-1939
Box   4 Folder   7	Examination of accounts, 1940
Box   4 Folder   8-11	Audit reports, 1951-1959
Box   4 Folder   12	Yearly statements without general audit, 1927-1929
Box   5 Folder   1	Yearly statements without general audit, 1930-1932
Box   5 Folder   2	Yearly statements without general audit, 1934-1935
Box   5 Folder   3	Yearly statements without general audit, 1936-1937
Box   5 Folder   4	Larsen Company Foundation, 1985-1987
Box   5 Folder   5	Financial information, miscellaneous, 1992
	Minutes, 1925-1982
Box   6 Folder   1-3	1925 October 13-1952 August 12
Box   6 Folder   4-6	1952 August 26-1961 July 27
Box   6 Folder   7-9	1967 September 19-1974 August 15
Box   7 Folder   1-2	1974 September 17-1979 May 22
Box   7 Folder   3-4	1979 August 18-1982 August 19
Box   7 Folder   5	Excerpts from minutes, 1959-1980
	Legal documents, 1908-1992
	Relating to land acquisition, 1922-1983
Box   8 Folder   1-16	Green Bay and Brown County, Wisconsin, 1925-1975
Box   9 Folder   1-3	Cambria and Darien, Wisconsin, 1966-1981
Box   9 Folder   4-9	Hortonville, Wisconsin, 1922-1981
	Trademark and copyright, 1908-1992
Box   10 Folder   1	Registration of trademarks, 1908-1975
Box   10 Folder   2	Demand for product, 1942
Box   10 Folder   3	Use of “FreshLike,” 1992
	Trademark infringement
Box   10 Folder   4	Correspondence and legal action with various companies, 1934-1948
Box   10 Folder   5	General Grocer Company, 1940
Box   10 Folder   6	Grand Union Company, 1955
Box   10 Folder   7	Rocky Mountain Packing, 1936-1942
	Agreements with other companies, 1921-1946
Box   10 Folder   8	Various companies, 1936-1946
Box   10 Folder   9	Pere Marquette Railway Company, 1943
Box   10 Folder   10	Robinson-Patman Bill, 1936-1941
Box   10 Folder   11	Truckers, 1939-1941
Box   10 Folder   12	Vinersations, 1921-1940
Box   10 Folder   13	White Cap Company, 1944-1945
	Stocks, 1962, 1984-1992
Box   10 Folder   14-16	Larsen Company going public, 1962
Box   10 Folder   17	Relating to stock registration, 1962
Box   10 Folder   18	Stocks held by Larsen Company, 1987
Box   10 Folder   19	Over the counter weekly list, 1977-1986
Box   10 Folder   20	Stockholder information, miscellaneous, 1984-1992
	Human resources, 1943, 1961
Box   1 Folder   36	Pension trust, 1943
Box   1 Folder   37	“Your Job at the Larsen Company,” 1961
	Fox Valley Canning Company records, 1932-1971
	Audit reports
Box   5 Folder   6	1932
Box   5 Folder   7	1941-1943
Box   5 Folder   8	1944, 1947-1948
Box   7 Folder   6	Minutes, 1955 September 20-1971 September 21
	Series: Products, 1895-1999	⇧
	Canning procedures: Procedure Book No. 32, 1970-1999
Box   11 Folder   1	Access (to procedure book)
Box   11 Folder   2	Apples
Box   11 Folder   2	Carrots
Box   11 Folder   3	Containers
Box   11 Folder   3	Burnt sugar
Box   11 Folder   3	Condiments
Box   11 Folder   4	Turkey meat
Box   11 Folder   4	Whipped potatoes
Box   11 Folder   5	Standardization of batches
Box   11 Folder   5	Ingredients preparation
Box   11 Folder   6	Vegetable oils
Box   11 Folder   6	Frying oils
Box   11 Folder   7	Flour and starch
Box   11 Folder   7	Dairy products
Box   11 Folder   8	Freezing and storage
Box   11 Folder   8	Brownie mix
Box   11 Folder   8	Dried beans
Box   11 Folder   9	Purees
Box   11 Folder   9	Chicken gravy
Box   11 Folder   10	Cooked beef meat and stock
Box   11 Folder   10	Margarine
Box   11 Folder   11	Fried chicken
Box   11 Folder   11	Sealing microwavable trays
Box   11 Folder   11	Turkey gravy
Box   11 Folder   12	Apple-cranberry compote
Box   11 Folder   12	Apple-cherry mix
Box   11 Folder   13	Fried chicken (Canadian procedure)
Box   11 Folder   13	Tomato sauce
Box   11 Folder   14	Seasoning sauce
Box   11 Folder   14	Cheese sauce
Box   11 Folder   15	Fried chicken (United States procedure)
Box   11 Folder   15	Rice mix
Box   11 Folder   16	Sweet/sour sauce
Box   11 Folder   16	Batter for fried chicken
Box   11 Folder   17	Margarine (without palm oil)
Box   11 Folder   17	Turkey dressing
Box   11 Folder   18	Chicken dressing
Box   11 Folder   18	Chicken meat
Box   11 Folder   19	Turkey meat
Box   11 Folder   19	Seasoned sauce
Box   11 Folder   20	Fried chicken (United States procedure)
Box   11 Folder   20	Turkey meat
Box   11 Folder   21	Vegetable season sauce
Box   11 Folder   21	Poultry dressing
Box   11 Folder   22	Fried chicken (United States procedure)
Box   11 Folder   22	Turkey newlyweds
Box   11 Folder   23	Chicken newlyweds
Box   11 Folder   23	Seasoned sauce for roasted potatoes
Box   11 Folder   24	General procedures
Box   12 Folder   1	Production, 1972
Box   12 Folder   2	Veg-All and Layer-Pak information, circa 1948
Box   12 Folder   3	Veg-All and FreshLike new label announcements, 1968
Box   12 Folder   4	Veg-All information packet, 1997
Box   12 Folder   5	Food service information pack, circa 1983
Box   12 Folder   6	Food service material, 1984-1985
Box   12 Folder   7	Development and recipes, circa 1951-1965
Box   12 Folder   8	Suggestions and Recipes for Institutional Users, 1958
Box   12 Folder   9	The Canning Industry, 1971
Box   12 Folder   10	Food Labeling: Some Questions Answered, 1971 May
Box   12 Folder   11	Organizing a Product Recall Program, 1974 April
Box   12 Folder   12-14	Price lists of products, 1895-1951
Box   12 Folder   15	Competitor’s price and spot lists, 1917-1951
Box   12 Folder   16	Canned water and disaster preparedness, circa 1961
Box   12 Folder   17	Seals of approval, 1929-1941
Oversize Folder   1	Seals of approval, 1929
PH Green Bay Mss 202	Series: Visual Materials, 1895-2000	⇧
	Advertisements, 1896-1990s
Box   1 Folder   1	William Larsen Company ads in cookbooks, 1896, 1910
Box   1 Folder   2	Newspaper and magazine clippings, 1919-1941
Box   4 Folder   1	Coupons, recipes, ads, circa 1930s-1960s
Box   1 Folder   3	Promotions, 1949 and undated
Box   4 Folder   2	Birds Eye ad, 1940s?
	FreshLike
Box   4 Folder   3	Broadside, 1939
Oversize Folder   3	Poster, 1990s?
	Veg-All
Box   4 Folder   5	circa 1930s
Box   4 Folder   5	1960s
Box   1 Folder   4-6	1950s-1980s
Oversize Folder   1	Wagon Wheel pie, 1950s or 1960s
Oversize Folder   2	Bake-off sale on Pillsbury flour bag, undated
Box   1 Folder   7	Larsen Company information pack, circa 1983
	Label history, circa 1930s-circa 1950s, 2000s?
Box   2 Folder   1	Green Bay brand
Box   2 Folder   2	FreshLike
Box   2 Folder   3	Larsen, general
Box   2 Folder   4	Larsen, Diet Pak
Box   2 Folder   5	Larsen, Strained
Box   2 Folder   6	Toytown
Box   2 Folder   7	Veg-All
Box   4 Folder   6	Voila! label mock-up, 2000s?
Box   2 Folder   8	Larsen Company other brands
Box   2 Folder   9	Fox Valley Canning Company
Box   2 Folder   10	Other company labels and ads
	Photographs, 1895-1997
	Factories and other buildings
Box   3 Folder   1	William Larsen Canning Company building: drawing, circa 1895
Box   4 Folder   7	Original buildings, Green Bay, circa 1910s?
	Factory in Green Bay
Box   4 Folder   8	Print, circa 1930s or 1940s
Box   3 Folder   2	Prints, 1930s-1940s, 1980s
Box   3 Folder   3	Negatives, 1930s-1940s
Box   3 Folder   4	Fox Valley Canning Company, Hortonville, Wisconsin, postcard, circa 1950s?
	Farming
Box   3 Folder   5	Harvesting crops, circa 1970s
Box   3 Folder   6	Sorting equipment
Box   3 Folder   15-16	Transparencies, circa 1981
	Products
Box   3 Folder   7	Promotions and products displays
Box   3 Folder   8	Baby food displays
Box   3 Folder   9	Canning conventions, photographs of displays and attendees
Box   3 Folder   15-16	Transparencies, circa 1981
Box   3 Folder   17	Transparencies of FreshLike canned vegetables, 1962
Box   4 Folder   9	World’s Largest Veg-All display, Los Angeles Market, 1997
	People
Box   3 Folder   10	William Larsen Sr., circa 1910s
Box   3 Folder   11	Donald Larsen
Box   3 Folder   12	Larsen brothers?, circa 1950s
Box   3 Folder   13	Family members
Box   3 Folder   14	Employees