American company that was the first to commercially produce evaporated milk as a shelf-stable consumer product with its “PET Milk” brand. PET anticipated this change and starting in the 1950s became a multi-brand food products conglomerate through a series of acquisitions. Musselman applesauce ceased independent operations in 1995 when it was acquired by the Pillsbury Company with “PET” becoming a Pillsbury brand.
The “PET” trademark is owned by Eagle who still produce the PET Milk brand of evaporated milk. Anglo-Swiss milk condensery at Cham, Switzerland. Meÿenberg associated with various local merchants in Highland, many of Swiss background, and starting in December 1884 had a series of meetings with John Wildi, Dr. Louis Latzer, George Roth, and Fred Kaeser. Knoebel was named president and Wildi secretary and treasurer.
Roth, Latzer, and Kaeser took director roles with Meÿenberg as superintendent of manufacturing. Production of Helvetia’s first product, “Highland Evaporated Cream” unsweetened condensed milk, started on June 14, 1885, in an old, converted wool factory. They were soon processing 300 gallons of raw milk a day. Production restarted in August 1885 and by the end of the year, Helvetia’s evaporated milk was beginning to gain recognition in the Southern US. Its reputation was boosted after it donated 10 cases to victims of a fire in Galveston, Texas, and a grocer in El Paso, Texas, ordered 100 cases after crediting it with helping to bring his sick infant back to health. However, throughout its first year the company experienced a number of setbacks. The new equipment required frequent adjustment, the factory was short of water and the company had to drill a number of additional wells, and, most concerning, cases of its milk began spoiling on store shelves.
