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It all started in 1907, when John S. Musselman, Sr. and his
two sons, John Jr. and Christian High, purchased the Biglerville Canning
Company, located in the heart of Pennsylvania apple country. Four short years
later, Christian and his wife, Emma, became the sole owners.
Following a successful first year of running the company,
Mr. Musselman (Christian) and Emma began building a second canning facility in
Gardners, Pa. The plant was up and running by 1913. This new plant, and the
original one in Biglerville, provided much needed canned goods for the
servicemen during World War I, including corn, tomatoes, and sliced apples.
As the company became more successful, and the demand for
their products increased, Mr. Musselman decided that it was necessary to build a
third plant. So in 1920 construction began on a large canning facility and
vinegar distillery in Inwood, West Virginia. One of Mr. Musselman’s greatest
achievements would occur at this plant. With the ongoing war there was no
machinery available to manufacture apple sauce, so Mr. Musselman, being the
entrepreneur that he was, built his own. By 1934, Musselman’s apple sauce production
had tripled.
Mr. Musselman was also keenly interested in agriculture and
soil development. He pioneered several
new and valuable soil development methods. In the early 1920’s, his crop
rotation discoveries led to the first ever planting of Montmorency Red Tart
Cherries in the area (cherries were always one Mr. Musselman’s favorites).
In 1928 a preserves plant was built in Biglerville for the
manufacturing of Apple Butter and Jellies. 1929 was a big year for the
Musselman’s. In that year, they began canning cherries and started their own
trucking fleet that shipped Musselman’s products all over the eastern United
States (after all, when you have a great product, you want to share it).
The Musselman family, devout Mennonites of Pennsylvania Dutch
decent, was inspired by much more then producing good food. They felt a keen sense of community obligation
and created the Musselman Foundation in 1942. Over the course of 65 years the
foundation has continued to support the local communities by donating to
schools, colleges, libraries, and hospitals.
In 1944, Mr. Musselman passed away, at which time the
Production Manager, John A. Hauser became the president of the Musselman
Company and Musselman Foundation. Emma
remained Vice President until her death in 1966.Their daughter Mrs. L. Musselman Arnold
continued as Secretary and second Vice President of the Corporation.Over the next few decades, the Musselman
Company became a leading brand of apple sauce in American grocery stores, and
won over generations of families with their “Quality You Can Taste”.
In 1984 the C. H. Musselman Company was purchased by a
cooperative of local fruit growers (Knouse Foods Cooperative). The Musselman’s
name, which reflected tradition and value, was preserved and remains a thriving
brand today under the ownership of the growers that tend the fruit orchards.
The Musselman Company has a long list of achievements, and
those include being the first apple sauce in single serving cups, the first
apple sauce in 48 oz. plastic jars, the first apple sauce to be sweetened with
Splenda, and one of the first apple sauces in 24 oz. plastic jars. Hey, when
you’ve been around for over a century, you have a lot of firsts.
The Musselman’s brand has grown quite a bit since, and now includes a wide variety
of apple sauces – including apple sauce blended with other fruit flavors and lite
apple sauce flavors that are great for those who are counting calories. And the partnership between Musselman’s and
Sesame Street provided a line of Sesame Street Fruit-Flavored apple sauces. With
25% less sugar, they are a great snack for kids that encourage healthy eating
habits early in life.
Today, the grower owned cooperative provides a livelihood
for nearly 600 farming families. Carefully tending to almost 70,000 acres of fruit orchards, our growers
produce a variety of fruits, including apples, tart cherries, peaches, and
blueberries.
Musselman’s continues to provide generations of satisfied
families with a harvest of quality apple sauces and apple juices.
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