After 155 Years, Campbell Soup Changes Its Name

No more soup for the Campbell’s company.

Legacy food companies like Campbell are shifting their focus to capture a larger share of the snack market. I Photo: Kevin Marsh Flickr

The 155-year-old Campbell Soup Company plans to drop “soup” from its corporate name, rebranding itself as The Campbell’s Company. More consumers are opting for snacks over ready-to-serve soups, and the company has acquired other food lines to capture this market, Nathaniel Meyersohn reported for CNN.

In addition to its lineup of soups, Campbell now owns popular snack brands like Goldfish, Snyder’s of Hanover, Cape Cod, and Pepperidge Farm.

The company also recently acquired Sovos Brands, maker of the well-known Italian food brand Rao’s sauces.

“This subtle yet important change retains the company’s iconic name recognition, reputation, and equity built over 155 years, while better reflecting the full breadth of the company’s portfolio,” Campbell CEO Mark Clouse said in a statement.

The name change is subject to shareholder approval at the company’s annual meeting in November. Though soup remains an important part of Campbell’s business, it now constitutes a smaller portion of its sales.

Last year, Campbell’s snack sales grew by 13%, while its soups saw only 3% growth.

Legacy food companies like Campbell are shifting their focus to capture a larger share of the snack market, which is valued at more than $200 billion by market research firm Circana.

Nearly half of Americans report eating at least three snacks a day, according to Circana.

In August, Mars, the maker of M&M’s, agreed to buy Kellanova, the company behind Cheez-Its and Pringles, in a deal valued at nearly $29 billion. “Snacking is a large, attractive, and durable category that continues to grow in importance with consumers,” Kellanova said at the time.