Bear Creek Corporation
Encyclopedia
Harry & David is an American
company that was founded in 1910, when Seattle hotelier Samuel Rosenberg purchased 240 acres (97.1 ha) of pear
orchards in Medford
, Oregon
. His sons, Harry and David, took the company over upon his death in 1914. The company is best known for beginning the business of mail order
direct marketing
of fruit
, especially through its "Fruit-of-the-Month Club." Their "Harry & David" brand specializes in high-end gift baskets and holiday gift towers. It is owned by private investment firms Wasserstein
& Company and Highfields Capital Management, who bought the company in 2004.
Harry and David added Jackson & Perkins, a mail-order rose
marketer, to its brands in 1966. However, Jackson and Perkins was sold to an outside group of investors for $49 million in 2007.
In 2008, Harry and David announced it acquired Wolferman's from Williams Foods and Cushman's, a family-owned marketer of citrus and specialty foods.
Harry and David filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy
on March 28, 2011 and successfully completed its reorganization efforts, emerging from bankruptcy on September 13, 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
company that was founded in 1910, when Seattle hotelier Samuel Rosenberg purchased 240 acres (97.1 ha) of pear
Pear
The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....
orchards in Medford
Medford, Oregon
Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. His sons, Harry and David, took the company over upon his death in 1914. The company is best known for beginning the business of mail order
Mail order
Mail order is a term which describes the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote method such as through a telephone call or web site. Then, the products are delivered to the customer...
direct marketing
Direct marketing
Direct marketing is a channel-agnostic form of advertising that allows businesses and nonprofits to communicate straight to the customer, with advertising techniques such as mobile messaging, email, interactive consumer websites, online display ads, fliers, catalog distribution, promotional...
of fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, especially through its "Fruit-of-the-Month Club." Their "Harry & David" brand specializes in high-end gift baskets and holiday gift towers. It is owned by private investment firms Wasserstein
Bruce Wasserstein
Bruce Jay Wasserstein was an American investment banker and businessman. He was a graduate of the McBurney School, University of Michigan, Harvard Business School, and Harvard Law School, and spent a year at Cambridge University...
& Company and Highfields Capital Management, who bought the company in 2004.
Harry and David added Jackson & Perkins, a mail-order rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
marketer, to its brands in 1966. However, Jackson and Perkins was sold to an outside group of investors for $49 million in 2007.
In 2008, Harry and David announced it acquired Wolferman's from Williams Foods and Cushman's, a family-owned marketer of citrus and specialty foods.
Harry and David filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
on March 28, 2011 and successfully completed its reorganization efforts, emerging from bankruptcy on September 13, 2011.