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Libby, McNeill & Libby: The Chicago Packer That Put Beef in a Can

A Chicago partnership built on packed beef turned canned meat into a national and export business, then passed through Swift, Nestle and several buyers.

Who founded Libby, McNeill & Libby?

The company was founded in Chicago by Archibald McNeill and the brothers Arthur and Charles Libby. The Encyclopedia of Chicago entry dates the start to 1868 and says the partners first sold beef packed in brine. A Wikipedia-based account carried on a Wikiwand page for Libby's gives 1869, so sources differ by a year.

Chicago was the natural base for the work. Its packers worked at the Union Stock Yards, and Libby, like other large packers of the day, slaughtered cattle there. That is where the firm killed the cattle behind its canned beef.

How did Libby become known for canned meat?

In 1875 the firm began canning meat in distinctive metal containers, described in one source as pyramid-shaped and in another as trapezoid-shaped. The packaging made the product easy to recognize and, according to the Chicago encyclopedia, it sold well. The Wikiwand account says the company started with canned corned beef.

By the 1880s Libby had about 1,500 employees, slaughtered as many as 200,000 cattle a year and sold several million dollars of canned meat annually. A good share went to Europe, where civilians and soldiers ate it.

What Made It Work

Libby's growth rested on one idea: a shelf-stable product could travel where fresh beef could not. Canning let a Chicago packer sell to distant and overseas buyers without refrigerated shipping, and a recognizable can helped build a brand.

The record also shows the limits of independence. Swift & Co., the Chicago packing giant, controlled Libby from 1888 to 1920, and later owners broke the business into pieces.

  • Product choice: canned meat suited long-distance and export sales to Europe.
  • Distinctive packaging: the shaped can set Libby apart, and the company began using it in 1875.
  • Scale at the source: slaughter at the Union Stock Yards of up to 200,000 cattle a year by the 1880s.
  • Diversification: in the early 1900s Libby began canning vegetables and fruit, widening beyond beef, a move that later made the brand more familiar on grocery shelves than in the meat case.
  • Foreign operations: the company had canning operations in Belgium, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, according to one source.
  • Limit to note: Swift control from 1888 to 1920 and later sales of its lines meant the original company did not survive as such.

Swift ownership and the canned goods era

Swift & Co. controlled Libby from 1888 to 1920. In the early 1900s the company started canning vegetables and fruit, and by the mid-1930s it employed about 9,000 people in the Chicago area. In the 1940s annual sales passed $100 million.

Beef was the starting point, but the business followed the whole canning market. That broad base is why the Libby's name is better known today on fruit and vegetables than on beef.

Nestle, the breakup and the brand today

Nestle of Switzerland bought the company around 1970, when it had annual sales near $500 million and about 1,300 Chicago-area workers, according to the Chicago encyclopedia. The Wikiwand account lists 1970 as the purchase year.

The pieces then went separate ways. In 1982 the canned vegetable business went to S. S. Pierce, now Seneca Foods, and the canned fruit business to California Canners and Growers. Nestle sold the canned meat business in 1998 to International Home Foods, which ConAgra acquired in 2000. In 2006 Nestle sold the trademark to a Swiss entity, Libby Brand Holding. The brand is licensed to companies around the world.

Where Libby fits in beef history

Libby shows how Chicago's packers moved beyond fresh meat. The Union Stock Yards supplied the cattle, canning supplied the shelf life, and export markets supplied the demand. You can read how the yards worked in the Encyclopedia of Chicago on the Union Stock Yard.

For the ranch side of the beef chain, farm.FM covers ranching and cattle country, and a farm.FM story about canned beef follows the product through the pantry.

Timeline

  1. 1868Libby, McNeill & Libby founded in Chicago (one source says 1869)
  2. 1875Company begins canning meat in shaped metal cans
  3. 1880sAbout 1,500 employees; up to 200,000 cattle slaughtered a year
  4. 1888Swift & Co. takes control, which lasts until 1920
  5. 1930sAbout 9,000 employees in the Chicago area
  6. 1940sAnnual sales pass $100 million
  7. 1970Nestle acquires the company
  8. 1982Vegetable and fruit businesses sold to other buyers
  9. 1998Canned meat business sold to International Home Foods
  10. 2006Libby's trademark sold to Libby Brand Holding of Switzerland

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Libby, McNeill & Libby?

Archibald McNeill and brothers Arthur and Charles Libby founded the company in Chicago. The Encyclopedia of Chicago dates it to 1868, while another account gives 1869.

What was Libby's known for?

Libby's was known for canned meat, first beef packed in brine and then canned products in shaped metal cans from 1875. It later added canned vegetables and fruit.

Who owns Libby's today?

The Libby's trademark is held by Libby's Brand Holding in Geneva, Switzerland, and is licensed to companies worldwide. The original Chicago company no longer exists as such.

Did Swift own Libby?

Yes. Swift & Co. controlled Libby, McNeill & Libby from 1888 to 1920, according to the Encyclopedia of Chicago.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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