C. C. Lang & Son, a Baltimore-based pickle and sauerkraut manufacturing company, was started in 1881. [1] Located in one of the chief canning cities of the United States, the pickle and sauerkraut company supplied their own cucumbers and cabbage from the Lang Farm, located in Glen Arm, Maryland. [2]
Started by German immigrant C.C. Lang, the business was passed down to Charles Gottlieb Lang, (1890–1956) who expanded the small business into an enterprise employing 700 persons in Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, New York, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
In the 1940s this pickle and sauerkraut industry was made up of about 300 canning factories located around the country. In addition to C.C. Lang & Son, these companies include the H. J. Heinz Company and Hunt Foods, as well as California Packing Corp, Green Bay Food Company and Libby, McNeill & Libby. [3]
Henry John Heinz was an American entrepreneur of Palatine descent who, at the age of 25, co-founded a small horseradish concern in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. This business failed, but his second business expanded into tomato ketchup and other condiments, and ultimately became the internationally known H. J. Heinz Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Sauerkraut is finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. It has a long shelf life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid formed when the bacteria ferment the sugars in the cabbage leaves. It is one of the best-known national dishes in Germany.
McCormick & Company, Incorporated is an American food company that manufactures, markets, and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments, and other flavoring products to retail outlets, food manufacturers, and foodservice businesses.
Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Inc., also known as Harris Teeter Neighborhood Food & Pharmacy, is an American supermarket chain based in Matthews, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. As of November 2021, the chain operates 261 stores in seven South Atlantic states and the District of Columbia. Supermarket News ranked Harris Teeter No. 34 in the 2012 "Top 75 Retailers & Wholesalers" based on 2011 fiscal year sales of $4.3 billion.
Crosse & Blackwell is a British food brand. The original company was established in London in 1706, then was acquired by Edmund Crosse and Thomas Blackwell in 1830. It became independent until it was acquired by Swiss conglomerate Nestlé in 1960.
The Budlong Pickle Company was an American company based in Chicago that made and marketed pickles from its own cucumbers. Founded in the late 1850s, it was sold in 1958 to a company which was later acquired by Dean Foods. The Budlong pickle legacy has recently been revived as the namesake of restaurant in Chicago called “The Budlong Hot chicken”. Founded by Jared Leonard in 2015, The Budlong Hot Chicken was originally called “The Budlong Pickle & Chicken shop”& was located on the site of the old farm in Lincoln square. The budlong Hot Chicken has grown into 5 stores in Chicago & is currently under franchise development.
Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. The pickling procedure typically affects the food's texture and flavor. The resulting food is called a pickle, or, to prevent ambiguity, prefaced with pickled. Foods that are pickled include vegetables, fruits, meats, fish, dairy and eggs.
The Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) is a labor union representing migrant farm workers in the Midwestern United States and North Carolina.
Perdue Farms is the parent company of Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness, based in Salisbury, Maryland. Perdue Foods is a major chicken, turkey, and pork processing company in the United States. Perdue AgriBusiness ranks among the top United States grain companies. Perdue Farms has 2021 annual sales of $8 billion.
Downtown Baltimore is the central business district of the city of Baltimore traditionally bounded by Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the west, Franklin Street to the north, President Street to the east and the Inner Harbor area to the south.
The Mount Olive Pickle Company is an American food processing company located in Mount Olive, North Carolina. The company's primary product is pickled cucumbers, but it is also a large supplier of pepper, mixed pickle, relish, and other pickled products. Mt. Olive is the largest independent pickle company in the United States and the top-selling pickle brand in the Southeastern United States, where its market share approaches 70 percent.
Clifton Park is a public urban park and national historic district located between the Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello and Waverly neighborhoods to the west and the Belair-Edison, Lauraville, Hamilton communities to the north in the northeast section of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is roughly bordered by Erdman Avenue to the northeast, Sinclair Lane to the south, Harford Road to the northwest and Belair Road to the southeast. The eighteen-hole Clifton Park Golf Course, which is the site of the annual Clifton Park Golf Tournament, occupies the north side of the park.
Berger Cookies are a handmade cookie made and marketed by DeBaufre Bakeries of Baltimore, Maryland. The cookies are widely known for their thick, chocolate frosting on an imperfectly-shaped shortbread cookie. Not unlike a black and white cookie, the Berger Cookie is frosted on its flat bottom, giving the final cookie an overall rounded shape. Each weighs 1.25 ounces, with the cake-like under-cookie weighing a quarter of an ounce, and the chocolate/fudge frosting weighing an ounce. DeBaufre distributes packaged Berger Cookies via a delivery network around Baltimore and markets the cookies worldwide via internet sales.
Royal Farms is a privately owned chain of convenience stores headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. The company operates more than 200 stores throughout Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and West Virginia with plans to expand into North Carolina. Many of the stores also have gasoline and electric vehicle charging sold on the premises, as well as house-made fried chicken, chicken sandwiches, and fries.
Polaner is an American brand of fruit preserves and condiments that was founded by Max and Lena Polaner as M. Polaner Inc. in the late 19th century in Newark, New Jersey. It was renamed M. Polaner and Son, Inc. when their son Sidney Polaner joined the company.
Claussen is an American brand of pickled cucumbers that is headquartered in Woodstock, Illinois, an exurb of Chicago. Unlike many other brands, Claussen pickles are uncooked and are typically located in the refrigerated section of grocery stores.
Melvin James Berman, was a prominent land developer in Maryland. He was instrumental in the creation of Columbia, Maryland along with his development partner James Rouse.
Libby's was an American company that produced canned food and beverages. The firm was established in 1869 in Chicago, Illinois. The Libby's trademark is currently owned by Libby's Brand Holding based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is licensed to several companies around the world.
Hirzel Canning Company & Farms is an American food products company that owns Dei Fratelli Brand Tomatoes and Silver Fleece Brand Sauerkraut. It is headquartered in Northwood, Ohio.
The Libby, McNeill and Libby Building is an industrial building on Western Avenue in Blue Island, Illinois. It was designed by Philip Larmon and built between 1917 and 1919. It originally served as Libby, McNeill and Libby's main Midwest processing plant.