Since the 1830s, when Chicago enjoyed a brief period of importance as a local milling center for spring wheat, the city has long been a center for the conversion of raw farm products into edible goods.[2] Since the 1880s, Chicago has also been home to leading firms in other areas of the food processing industry, including cereals, baked goods, and candy.[2] Many people attribute the success of early food manufacturers in the region to both the proximity to major rail hubs as well as being near some of the nation's most productive agricultural areas. One example is Swift & Armour, formed by the merger of Swift & Company and Armour and Company. The ability to quickly move meat in refrigerated trains, a new innovation in that era, along with access to cattle and pork helped spark an international meat-packing revolution. Located centrally within the United States, this made Chicago an ideal transportation hub for the distribution of goods out West and back East. Towards the end of the twentieth century, many companies merged, making Chicago-based food processors some of the largest local employers, mass-producing some of the most well known global brands.
Today that tradition continues with companies such as Kraft, Wrigley, Sara Lee, and Tootsie Roll Industries, all running global operations within the Chicago metropolitan area.
Contents |
Hundreds of well-known food products have originated or are produced in the city. Below is a list of widely known food manufacturers with current or historical ties to Chicago.