Fremont Canning Company - Product Shift

Product Shift

The major change in the cannery company's direction came about around 1927 to 1928. Daniel suggested that they start making baby food; the idea originated with his wife, Dorothy. The couple had an ill baby daughter, Sally, who required extra care. A pediatrician suggested they prepare special food for the infant. This food was prepared with special cooking and straining methods, requiring much labor on the part of Dorothy Gerber. She suggested to Dan that perhaps they could make baby food at the canning company, since the only other way of obtaining this product was by prescription, which was very expensive. She thought that a market might exist for others in a similar situation. The canning company was already producing similar products for adults.

The company researched producing and selling baby food. They planned to sell the product for less than half the prescription price. One of the keys to the canning company’s successful marketing was an advertisement for baby food placed in Good Housekeeping magazine. It got mothers of infants to participate directly in a coupon redemption program. The introductory offer was six cans of the canning company’s soup and strained vegetables for $1.00 in exchange for the name of a favorite grocer. They sought to generate enough responses that they could offer proof to grocers of the new demand for stocking their baby food on shelves. This campaign stressed the nutritional and time-saving value of its foods.