Smuckers Case Study

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INTRODUCTION

The following is a situational analysis of Smuckers. I will be explaining the company’s background, current situation, SWOT analysis, key issues and alternatives and my recommendations for the company.

CURRENT SITUATION

The J.M. Smucker Company was founded in 1897 by Jerome Monroe Smuckers who built a steam powered cider mill in Orville, Ohio. Smucker soon realized that his power mill could produce more apple cider than he could sell. He insisted on not letting any of his product to go to waste, so he found a family recipe for apple butter and used the excess apple cider to make apple butter. By 1920 J.M. Smucker was making jams, jellies and preserves and had began to capitalize on his product. Since then J.M. Smucker Company has been a successful family run business for four generations. J.M. Smucker Company's headquarters is located in Orrville, Ohio. The Company has 17 manufacturing locations within North America and four manufacturing locations in Canada. In 1942, J.M. Smucker began distributing his products nationally and by 1949 had added ice cream toppings to its product line. In 1958 the nation was becoming more aware of calorie intake, so Smuckers introduced reduced-calorie fruit spreads. In 1959, Paul Smucker, the grandson of Jerome Smuckers, took over and made the company public, which in turn allowed the company to grow rapidly. In 1963 tomato ketchup was introduced. In 1965 peanut butter was added to line of products and striped peanut butter and jelly in 1968. Throughout the following years syrups, low-sugar preserve, and natural peanut butters were produced. In 1987, Paul retired and handed over the family company to his two sons, Tim and Richard Smucker.

Not only has Smuckers product line grown but the company has also grown in brands. Smucker operates with brands such as Hungry Jack, Jif, Dunkan Donuts, Pillsbury and many more. Smucker is a...