Read about the milestones, landmarks, and notable events that have comprised McCormick history and allowed us to become the world's leading flavor experts.
1990 Agreement reached to form a joint venture with an affiliate of Rudolf Wild GmBH & Co. KG of Heidelberg, Germany, for the purpose of distributing and selling fruit flavors in the U.S. market. Subsidiary of Hanson Industries sold its interest in the OLD BAY brand of products to McCormick. OLD BAY is now sold in both retail and food service size packages.
1991 Acquired Mojave Foods Corporation from M.A.B. Services, Inc., of Los Angeles. Tubed Products, Inc., signed a letter of intent to purchase the plastic squeeze tube business of Peerless Tube Company, including its plant in Freehold, N.J. Terms were not disclosed. The Golden West Foods poultry business was sold. The Company announced a two-for-one split of both classes of common stock and the intention to raise the quarterly dividend for the eighth time since April of 1988.
1992 McCormick U.K. acquired Glentham International Ltd. of Northampton, U.K., from Harrisons and Crosfield. Glentam supplies seasoning blends to food processing industry. TAC Chemicals (sanitation chemicals), located in Dallas, was sold to Kay Chemical of Greensboro, N.C., for $4.9 million.
1993 McCormick acquired the consumer products business of Golden Dipt Company, a division of DCA Food Industries, Inc. Admiral Plastics acquired by Setco, Inc.
1994 Grupo Pesa, a Mexican industrial seasoning company was acquired. McCormick and PT Rodamas of Jakarta, Indonesia, formed a new joint venture, PT McCormick Indonesia. Tuko Oy, of Finland was also acquired. The Company formed a new joint venture, AVT McCormick Ingredients Private Limited, with A.V. Group Companies of Madras, India. The Company acquired Butty, of Switzerland, the herb and spice division of Lipton-Sais, a Swiss food subsidiary of Unilever. Acquired Minipack, Southampton, Hampshire, U.K., adding the first overseas capabilities to McCormick's packaging business. British subsidiary, McCormick (UK) PLC, entered the foodservice business with acquisition of Noel Holdings, Ltd. from Management Capital Fund Limited. Bailey A. Thomas, Chairman and CEO, died of a heart attack. H. Eugene Blattman was elected Chief Executive Officer. He retained the title of President and COO. Chairman Emeritus Charles P. McCormick, Jr., was re-elected Chairman.
1995 McCormick Foods Australia Pty. Ltd. agreed to purchase the dessert business of Traders Pty. Ltd., including the Aeroplane Jelly (gelatin) brand, based in Sydney, Australia. The Company launched an aggressive radio campaign for its U.S. retail markets. McCormick increased ownership in Shanghai McCormick Seasoning & Foodstuffs Co., Limited, a venture that began in 1990, to 90%. Plans were announced to build a plant in Guangzhou, the second operation in China. The Company formed Global Food Ingredients-Europe, bringing together Global Food Ingredients and McCormick Glentham, both in the U.K. and McCormick Ingredients Europe Inc., the Netherlands. Golden West Foods, Inc. of Bedford, Virginia was sold. Robert J. Lawless named Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer.
1996 McCormick sold Giza National Dehydration Company of Cairo, Egypt, to Kato Investment Company. Minipack Systems Limited of Southampton, England was sold by McCormick to a management buyout group. H. Eugene Blattman retired and Robert J. Lawless was named President & COO. The Company announced a new stock repurchase program to buy back up to 10 million shares of the Company's outstanding stock from time to time in the open market. The Company finalized the sale of Gilroy Foods to ConAgra, Inc. At the same time, the sale of Gilroy Energy Company to Calpine Corp. was announced.
1997 Robert J. Lawless became President, Chief Executive Officer and COO. Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, President, University of Maryland Baltimore County was elected to the Company's Board of Directors. McCormick Canada, Inc. acquired the French's dry seasoning mix line from Reckitt & Colman Canada, Inc.
1998 James T. Brady, former Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, and Edward S. Dunn Jr., former President of Harris Teeter, Inc. were elected to the Board of Directors.
1999 Robert J. Lawless was elected Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer. McCormick stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
