This a brief summary of Del Monte story. Del Monte Foods, Inc is a North American food production and distribution company founded in 1886 in San Francisco, California. It is one of the American company that produce the largest branded processed food generating about $1.8 billion of annual sales.

The company is a global producer, marketer and distributor of fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables. They distribute the product along with juices, beverages, snacks and desserts in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Current headquarters are in 3003 Oak Road Contra Costa Centre, California. The brands includes Del Monte, S&W, Contadina, College Inn, Fruit Burst, Fruit Naturals, Orchard Select and SunFresh.

In the 1880’s an Oakland, California foods distributor used the Del Monte brand for a premium blend of coffee. In 1892 the company expanded its business and selected Del Monte as the brand name for canned peaches.
In 1898, the California Fruit Canners Association (CFCA) was formed. The members were from merged 18 West Coast canning companies. Several brands were marketed by the new company including Del Monte.

In June 1967 the corporation adopted the name from its most famous brand and became Del Monte Corporation. The name “Del Monte” itself is coming from Italian and means “someone from the mountain (monte)”.

In 1972, Del Monte became the first major US food processor to add nutritional labeling on all its food products. This made good impact in the US as it was applauded by government officials as a breakthrough in educating the consumer.

According to Del Monte website the fruit, vegetables and tomatoes they use in their products have always been Non-GMO. In 2016, they began labeling all of their vegetables, fruit cups, and many more tomato products as Non- GMO. They are also the FIRST consumer-facing manufacturer to work with the USDA for NON-GMO CERTIFICATION for corn products.

On February 19, 2014, Del Monte Pacific Limited bought the Del Monte’s consumer food business for US$ 1.675 billion. The company is now 87% owned by Del Monte Pacific Limited, a Filipino multinational food and beverage company listed on the Singapore Exchange and Philippine Stock Exchange.

As of 2019, Del Monte has more than 10.000 employees, the number raises to 40.000 in 2021 if global packing facilities are added.