British Columbia Packers · 1981
Purse-seine full of herring, a deckhand pointing into the catch.
Farm, Grain, Mill, Fish
British Columbia Packers
2 pictures · 1981
- Founded
- 1928 (British Columbia Fishing and Packing merged with Gosse Packing as British Columbia Packers Limited); earlier B.C. Packers Association 1902
- Head office then
- Vancouver, British Columbia (head office moved to Steveston, Richmond, in 1968)
British Columbia Packers caught, canned and sold Pacific fish. Formed in 1928, it held dozens of canneries, cold storage, and a fleet. Brands included Clover Leaf and Paramount. The Imperial Plant at Steveston was the flagship salmon cannery.
It was the main B.C. salmon packer and a large coastal employer. Clover Leaf became the country’s leading canned salmon and tuna brand.
Why it mattered
BC Packers was the dominant B.C. salmon packer and a large coastal employer. Clover Leaf became Canada's leading canned salmon and tuna brand. The company concentrated the Fraser River and coastal cannery industry into one vertically integrated Canadian packer.
Now
George Weston bought the company in 1962. Last processing at Steveston was in 1997. In 1999 Weston sold the Clover Leaf and Paramount brands; the packing plants were not in the sale. Clover Leaf is now a brand under FCF. The canneries are gone.
Still open
- McGill corporate-reports note says Weston Resources acquired BC Packers in 1984; TCE and other standard accounts date the Weston purchase 1962. 1962 used here; 1984 may be a later share consolidation.
- UBC says Weston acquired BC Packers 'during this decade' (1960s) without a year; TCE supplies 1962.
- Thai Union never completed a purchase of Clover Leaf/Bumble Bee.
Sources
The pictures
- British Columbia Packers 1981 — annual reportarchive.org/details/McGillLibrary-637397-27935
- British Columbia Packers 1981 — annual reportarchive.org/details/McGillLibrary-637397-27935
References
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: George Weston LimitedWeston purchased BC Packers 1962 and Connors Brothers 1967
- UBC Rare Books and Special Collections: British Columbia Packers authority record1928 formation; Weston acquisition in the 1960s; operations dissolved 1996–97 via Canadian Fisheries / BCPL Limited
- City of Richmond Archives: BC Packers Limited — A Short History1928 merger; Steveston HQ 1968; last Imperial Plant processing 1997; offices closed 2001
- CBC News: Weston sells B.C. canned fish businessfate: Clover Leaf and Paramount sold to International Home Foods, 1999; plants excluded
- Food Ingredients Online: International Home to Acquire Clover Leaf and Paramount, 5 January 1999independent confirmation of brand sale; plants retained by BC Packers
- Business Wire: Bumble Bee Foods completes asset sale to FCF, 31 January 2020Clover Leaf brand among assets sold to FCF
- Lexpert: Clover Leaf and Bumble Bee sale to FCF, 1 April 2020Canadian Clover Leaf / Brunswick labels included in FCF sale