It All Began…
In Mary Clark's kitchen in Des Moines, Iowa, over three-quarters of a century ago. It was 1926, and the Clark family had just decided to embark on an entrepreneurial journey, because Mrs. Clark's salad dressing was just too good to keep all to themselves. For nearly five decades the company remained family owned and operated, manufacturing salad dressings, mayonnaise and sauces under the Mrs. Clark's brand name and literally selling these products door to door throughout Iowa.
In 1973, the family retired after a good, long run and sold Mrs. Clark's Foods to a group of investors from Chicago. The company stayed in Iowa, and under new direction began to private label salad dressings to local food chains and wholesalers. This new undertaking, in addition to the continued production and marketing of the Mrs. Clark's brand, resulted in a phenomenal sales growth over a period of just a few years.
The same foresight that brought about the successful venture into private labeling, ten years later recognized the potential of adding fruit juices to the product line. At the time, most of the fruit juices sold in the Midwest were coming from the East Coast. Capitalizing on this, Mrs. Clark's invested in a juice line, and being centrally located in the states, had a distinct freight advantage over the competition. Mrs. Clark's was officially in the juice business, and it was shipping out by the truckload.
As the 80s drew to a close, Mrs. Clark's found itself bulging at the seams. The company was running at full capacity with its customer base and product demand continuing to grow. A new state-of-the-art facility was constructed in Ankeny, Iowa, with built-in room for additional expansion. And that would soon prove to be essential to the company.
The 90s brought with it more heated competition in the juice business, as more companies began to private label fruit juices and open plants in the Midwest. So, with an eye on the big picture, Mrs. Clark's took steps to diversify with yet another food product category -- tomato-based sauces. Mrs. Clark's also beefed up its sales efforts with more focused attention to the food service industry, commodities and co-packing, in addition to retail.
In 1995, Mrs. Clark's Foods was purchased by AGRI Industries, a farmer-owned cooperative. This new ownership made a substantial commitment to making Mrs. Clark's an even more successful entity. After some initial restructuring and 60,000 square feet of warehouse space added to the production facility, the company was streamlined, more efficient and poised to take on the 21st century.
