J.M. Schneider

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Contents

Introduction

Johannes (John) Metz Schneider (February 17, 1859-February 23, 1942) was the founder of Schneider Foods, one of Canada's largest producers of food products. Today, the company has numerous facilities and thousands of employees.

History

J.M. Schneider’s entrepreneurial drive began as a young boy, when he cut ice from a local creek which he sold to grocery stores. At the age of 31, Schneider injured his hand while working for a dollar a day at a local button factory. Out of necessity, he started making sausages in his home to make ends meet. Though he returned to work, he continued the business on his own time, selling door-to-door, at the local farmers’ market, and to grocery stores. He quit his job in 1888 and launched J.M. Schneider Sausage Manufacturers full-time with a savings of $300.

Schneider put his business up for sale early on because he thought it was losing money. With the persuasion of customers and a second look at his books, Schneider changed his mind. In a speech made in 1933 at his parents’ 50th anniversary, Norman C. Schneider, recalled the early years of the family business:

“Many of us knew them in the early days when father was struggling to establish a business, when for years he made a bare living by working from early dawn to late in the evening to support a family of five children and making no forward progress financially.”

Schneiders first plant was built in 1890. By 1910, it employed 10 people and by 1912, the company expanded to a second plant which would last until 1925 when an ever larger plant was built on the present Schneider site. In 1916, Schneider incorporated the company as J.M. Schneider and Sons Limited. The company bought from local farms in Waterloo County and also raised some of its own stock on a farm that was formerly the Seagram race track and stables.

Norman and his brother, Fred eventually took over the Schneider business from their father. A third brother, Charles, joined the business later. In 1955, Schneiders registered the well-recognized “Dutch girl” trademark that it used since the late 1930s to symbolize the Pennsylvania Dutch heritage of the local farmers it purchased from. In the 1960’s, the company went public with the family still retaining controlling interest. The company ran into trouble in the 1980s, including a failed corporate reorganization as the Heritage Group Inc.

Schneider was still active with his company even at the age of 80. A replica of his early butcher shop is reproduced at Kitchener’s Doon Heritage Crossroads. The Schneider Family’s contributions were not limited to the creation of a successful business. The family also contributed to society as city councilors, members of parliament and supporters of culture and music.

Schneiders has been owned by Maple Leaf Foods Inc. since 2004 – an acquisition which brought the company back into Canadian hands after a 2001 acquisition by American firm, Smithfield Foods Inc.

A 1925 Province of Ontario History had high praise for Schneider:

“Today, a large proportion of the industries of Kitchener are owned and managed by descendants of those worthy pioneers; and their vision, ambition, sound business judgment and square dealing have placed the city of Kitchener among the leading industrial centres of the Province. John M. Schneider is a noteworthy example of this type of business man.”

Personal

John grew up on a Waterloo County farm. He was the eldest in a family of nine, son to German immigrant, Johann Christoph, a farmer and local builder. He married Helena Ahrens November 8, 1883. They had five children.


References

  • Speech by Norman C. Schneider, November 8, 1933, part of the Schneider Family Collection at the University of Waterloo Library
  • Province of Ontario History, 1925, part of the Schneider Family Collection
  • Waterloo County Hall of Fame article, Kitchener-Waterloo Record, Sept. 13, 1975, part of the Schneider Family Collection
  • The Kitchener-Waterloo Record, May 1, 1980, part of the Schneider Family Collection
  • Exchange magazine, February 1992, part of the Schneider Family Collection
  • A Legacy of Quality: J.M. Schneider Inc., A Centennial Celebration 1890-1990, Ray Stanton

External Links

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