Campbell's Soup Goes Back to Basics

Campbell’s Soup Company has made American staple foods for 148 years now, and manages to continue drawing intrigue in 2017 - while staying true to its roots of tradition and trustworthiness. Like many other brands strategizing how to keep up with shifting demographics, they seem intent on easing consumer wariness about potentially harmful additives in food. The iconic brand stood out from other leading food companies by announcing that all of their product labels would disclose GMO ingredients early last year. The company has also been tapping into the organic and natural food sectors by purchasing companies such as Plum Organics and Bolthouse Farms. But what’s really making waves is Campbell’s latest endeavors in smaller, offshoot brands that are filled to the brim with authenticity and thoughtfulness.Four employees of Campbell’s banded together last year to create the Soulfull Project. The company makes stick-to-your-ribs instant hot cereals with a “buy one, give one to someone in need” model directly benefiting the food banks in their South New Jersey community. In their latest venture, Campbell’s has set out once again to connect with its Camden, New Jersey birthplace by bringing the recipe for the legendary beefsteak tomato soup from 1915 to life again. This tribute to the heritage of the company came with logistical complications, chiefly with the procurement of locally grown Beefsteak tomatoes - a temperamental crop which doesn’t yield a large enough harvest for too many batches of soup. Thus, the product is only available for purchase in New Jersey and Pennsylvania... For now.[caption id="attachment_4274" align="aligncenter" width="600"]

The jars of the original recipe beefsteak tomato soup feature label reminiscent of those first used for the soup in 1915. (Source)[/caption]The first successful attempt at replicating the decade old recipe made a few hundred jars of the soup, and left the employees feeling prideful and elated. The second round found a new farm with even more beefsteak tomatoes, bringing production up to 10,000 jars (Adweek). Although this soup continues to be sold regionally only, we’re interested to see if and how they will continue to scale up production in the coming years. And while we are certainly interested in the possibility of seeing the soup on shelves nationwide, this homegrown product will nevertheless remain a great example of how a large CPG brand can honor its legacy without overextending itself.