Bumble Bee (brand)
Encyclopedia
Bumble Bee Foods, LLC is a formerly American-owned company that produces canned
tuna
, salmon
, other seafood
s, and chicken. The company is headquartered in San Diego, California, United States. The brand is marketed as Clover Leaf in Canada. It is now owned by the British private equity firm Lion Capital
.
formed the Columbia River Packers Association. The Bumble Bee brand was introduced in 1910. Columbia River Packers merged with Dole
into Castle & Cooke
Since the middle 1980s, Bumble Bee Foods has gone through a number of ownership changes, beginning with Castle & Cooke's sale of Bumble Bee in a leveraged buyout
to management in 1985. The management team, having paid off their leveraged debt prior to their 5-year goal, sold Bumble Bee to Pillsbury in 1988 contingent upon the President, Patrick Rose and the management team staying on for 5 years, Pillsbury in turn, following their December 1988, hostile takeover by Grand Metropolitan
PLC, were forced to sell it the next year to the Thai company Unicord. Bumble Bee went bankrupt in 1997, and was sold to International Home Foods, the former food unit of American Home Products
. ConAgra acquired International Home Foods in 2000; they sold Bumble Bee to the private equity firm Centre Partners in 2003. The Canadian company Connors Bros. merged with Bumble Bee in 2004. Centre Partners acquired the company again in 2008 and sold it to Lion Capital
in 2010.
The company formerly ran a cannery in Astoria, the Samuel Elmore Cannery
, which had been designated a National Historic Landmark
. The deteriorating structure was later slated for demolition, and the facility burned in 1993. Today the company has canneries in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
and Santa Fe Springs, California
.
In 2007, a case of fatal botulism
caused by food produced at a plant owned and operated by Bumble Bee prompted a recall (see Castleberry's Food Company
). In 2010, the USDA announced a recall of Bumble Bee chicken salad products because of plastic pieces found inside http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20024683-10391704.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody. In 1982, 40 million cans of Bumble Bee tuna were recalled due to holes in some cans http://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/09/garden/recall-of-tuna-proceeds-slowly.html.
. The jingle was adapted into a song by the ska
band Mephiskapheles
on their 1994 record God Bless Satan
.
Canning
Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product, such as canned, dried lentils, can last as...
tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
, salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
, other seafood
Seafood
Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
s, and chicken. The company is headquartered in San Diego, California, United States. The brand is marketed as Clover Leaf in Canada. It is now owned by the British private equity firm Lion Capital
Lion Capital LLP
Lion Capital LLP is a British private equity firm, primarily focusing on leveraged buyout investments in Europe. The firm specializes on investments in the consumer sector...
.
History
The Bumble Bee company began in 1899 when seven salmon canners in Astoria, OregonAstoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
formed the Columbia River Packers Association. The Bumble Bee brand was introduced in 1910. Columbia River Packers merged with Dole
Dole Food Company
Dole Food Company, Inc. is an American-based agricultural multinational corporation headquartered in Westlake Village, California. The company is the largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world, operating with 74,300 full-time and seasonal employees who are responsible for over 300...
into Castle & Cooke
Castle & Cooke
Castle & Cooke, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based company that was once part of the Big Five companies in territorial Hawaii. The company at one time did most of its business in agriculture...
Since the middle 1980s, Bumble Bee Foods has gone through a number of ownership changes, beginning with Castle & Cooke's sale of Bumble Bee in a leveraged buyout
LBO
LBO may refer to:* large bowel obstruction* Leveraged buyout, a method of acquiring a company* Lithium triborate , substance* Left Business Observer, an economics newsletter published by Doug Henwood...
to management in 1985. The management team, having paid off their leveraged debt prior to their 5-year goal, sold Bumble Bee to Pillsbury in 1988 contingent upon the President, Patrick Rose and the management team staying on for 5 years, Pillsbury in turn, following their December 1988, hostile takeover by Grand Metropolitan
Grand Metropolitan
Grand Metropolitan plc is a former United Kingdom-based company operating hotels, holiday centres, entertainment centres, public houses and casinos...
PLC, were forced to sell it the next year to the Thai company Unicord. Bumble Bee went bankrupt in 1997, and was sold to International Home Foods, the former food unit of American Home Products
Wyeth
Wyeth, formerly one of the companies owned by American Home Products Corporation , was a pharmaceutical company. The company was based in Madison, New Jersey, USA...
. ConAgra acquired International Home Foods in 2000; they sold Bumble Bee to the private equity firm Centre Partners in 2003. The Canadian company Connors Bros. merged with Bumble Bee in 2004. Centre Partners acquired the company again in 2008 and sold it to Lion Capital
Lion Capital LLP
Lion Capital LLP is a British private equity firm, primarily focusing on leveraged buyout investments in Europe. The firm specializes on investments in the consumer sector...
in 2010.
The company formerly ran a cannery in Astoria, the Samuel Elmore Cannery
Samuel Elmore Cannery
Samuel Elmore Cannery was a U.S. National Historic Landmark in Astoria, Oregon that was designated in 1966 but was delisted in 1993.The home of "Bumble Bee" brand tuna, it was the longest continuously-operated salmon cannery in the United States, from its construction in 1898 until decommissioning...
, which had been designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. The deteriorating structure was later slated for demolition, and the facility burned in 1993. Today the company has canneries in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
and Santa Fe Springs, California
Santa Fe Springs, California
Santa Fe Springs is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. The population was 16,223 at the 2010 census, down from 17,438 at the 2000 census....
.
In 2007, a case of fatal botulism
Botulism
Botulism also known as botulinus intoxication is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by botulinum toxin which is metabolic waste produced under anaerobic conditions by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and affecting a wide range of mammals, birds and fish...
caused by food produced at a plant owned and operated by Bumble Bee prompted a recall (see Castleberry's Food Company
Castleberry's Food Company
Castleberry's Food Company was an Augusta, Georgia-based canned food company founded in the 1920s by Clement Stewart Castleberry with the help of his father Clement Lamar Castleberry and closed permanently in March 2008 by the United States Food and Drug Administration.The company grew from a...
). In 2010, the USDA announced a recall of Bumble Bee chicken salad products because of plastic pieces found inside http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20024683-10391704.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody. In 1982, 40 million cans of Bumble Bee tuna were recalled due to holes in some cans http://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/09/garden/recall-of-tuna-proceeds-slowly.html.
Advertisements
The brand is famous for its "Yum Yum Bumble Bee" advertising jingleJingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
. The jingle was adapted into a song by the ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band Mephiskapheles
Mephiskapheles
Mephiskapheles was a third wave ska band based in New York. Originally called "Skatterbrains," their later name is a portmanteau of "ska" and "Mephistopheles", of Goethe's Faust...
on their 1994 record God Bless Satan
God Bless Satan
God Bless Satan was the debut album of third wave ska band Mephiskapheles, released in 1994. The album has ironically playful, satanic undertones.- Track listing :# "Mephiskapheles" – 4:57# "Satanic Debris" – 4:16# "Bad John" – 3:24...
.