Beech-Nut history

By 1899, the Zieleys and Raymond Lipe had bailed out of the foundering firm, which owed the local bank some $60,000.

In 1900, the company's sales were $200,000.

Strained foods for babies were introduced in 1931 by Clark Arkell, who had succeeded his father Bartlett to the presidency of the company.

During the Great Depression, when Beech-Nut's higher priced products were passed over in the grocery stores, Beech-Nut chewing gum kept the company afloat, providing $11 million of the company's $18 million in sales in 1935.

By 1950, the 48 different types of jarred baby foods--produced in Beech-Nut plants in Canajoharie; Rochester, New York; and San Jose, California--provided more than a quarter of the company's $70 million sales volume.

1956: The company merges with Life Savers Corp.

In 1962 the death of Clark Arkell marked the end of an era for Beech-Nut, which had been controlled by the Arkell family since its founding.

Beech-Nut sales dropped from $70 million in 1973 to $54 million the following year and, for the first time since its founding, the company finished the year with a net loss.

Beech-Nut finally issued the recall in November 1982, but by that time all but 20,000 cases of the juice had been distributed overseas.

In 1984, the company launched a new line of baby foods called "Stages," which used color-coded packaging to identify the age at which babies could start eating each type of food.

1986: The company and two of its executives are indicted on 470 counts of violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act for selling adulterated apple products.

In September 1989, Ralston Purina Co. purchased Beech-Nut from Nestlé for an estimated $85 million, about half of the baby food's $150 million annual sales.

1994: Ralston spins off its human food businesses as Ralcorp Holdings Inc.

That speculation rang true in 1998 when the Milnot Company purchased the baby food concern for $68 million.

2001: H.J. Heinz Co. and Milnot abandon merger plans.