The official source of “the Minnesota Pickle” and creators of the State Fair pickle line, Gedney Foods is an iconic Minnesota company, with products distributed throughout the Midwest. Founded in 1880, Gedney continues to grow one of the more successful pickle brands in the United States.
Matthias Anderson Gedney founded the M.A. Gedney Company. He was born in Patterson, New Jersey on October 24, 1822. Gedney spent much of his youth and early adulthood at sea as a merchantman and in the navy. In 1849, he joined the California gold rush, making enough money to start a small trade business and marry Calista Jane Bailey. Gedney first got involved in the pickle business in 1863. That year, Gedney and his family moved to Illinois. He began working for Northwestern Pickle Works near Evanston. While in Illinois, Gedney’s wife Calista passed away in 1874 after having twelve children, three of whom died as infants. Gedney left Northwestern Pickle Works in 1876 to join S.M. Dingee and Co., a pickle company in Chicago. He was related to the Dingee family through his mother-in-law, Eliza Dingee Bailey. In 1877, Gedney was remarried, to Anne Kirk.
In 1879, after years in the pickle business, Gedney decided to found his own company. Moving to Minneapolis, Gedney searched for local Minnesota farmers willing to grow cucumbers, a semi-tropical vine fruit not yet introduced to the state. In 1880, he founded the M.A. Gedney Pickling Co. with two of his five sons, Charles Bailey Gedney and John Parker Gedney. The first factory opened in 1881 on Lowry Avenue in north Minneapolis. By 1888, the company was successful enough that two other sons, Isadore Vallier and Henry Edwin, joined. The company was incorporated on April 23, 1888.
By 1893, the Gedney Pickling Co. was expanding. Factories were already established in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Chaska; Omaha and Kearney, Nebraska; and Mauston, Wisconsin. Expanded railway service ended the need for these local branches by the early 1900s. All Gedney factories outside of Minnesota were closed. In 1958, the Chaska branch was expanded and all pickle processing moved to this location. The company went national in 1999 to better compete with larger corporations.
In 1905, Gedney Pickles celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary. That same year, Matthias Gedney passed away. His youngest son, Isadore Vallier Gedney, succeeded him as head of the company. The company remained under the leadership of Gedney descendents. Isadore Gedney’s son-in-law Harry Augustus Tuttle, II succeeded him in 1945. Harry Tuttle’s son, Gedney Tuttle, took over in 1967, followed by his son, Jeffrey Tuttle in 1997. Other family members work in the factories or hold key positions.
When Gedney Pickles started in 1880, they offered only pickles. After opening a branch in Chaska in 1900, sauerkraut was added to the product line. The company soon added other vinegar-based products, such as mustard, relishes, olives, catsup (now commonly spelled ketchup), Worcestershire sauce, horseradish sauce and tobacco pepper sauce. None of these products are still produced except pickles and relishes. In 1940, bottled salad dressings were added, and in 1994, jams, both of which are still produced. The company began its State Fair Pickle line in 1991 with two varieties. This line grew to five pickle types and four different jams in 1994. In 2002, Gedney began production of all pickles for the Del Monte and Target Archer Farms brands.
Turning Point: In 1863, Matthias Gedney got his first job in the pickle business with Northwestern Pickle Works, beginning a lifelong passion for and business in pickles.
Chronology:
- October 24, 1822: Matthias Anderson Gedney is born in Patterson, New Jersey.
- 1849: M.A. Gedney joins the California gold rush, starting a small trade.
- 1863: Matthias Gedney joins the pickle industry, working for Northwestern Pickle Works near Evanston, Illinois.
- 1876: Gedney joins the S.M. Dingee and Co. pickle business in Chicago, Illinois.
- 1879: Matthias Gedney and family move to Minneapolis, where he encourages local farmers to grow cucumbers.
- 1880: The M.A. Gedney Pickling Co. is founded by Matthias Gedney and two sons, Charles Bailey Gedney and John Parker Gedney.
- 1881: The first Gedney pickle factory opens on Lowry Avenue in Minneapolis.
- April 23, 1888: The M.A. Gedney Pickling Co. is incorporated.
- 1893: The Gedney Co. has expanded into Minneapolis, St. Paul and Chaska; Omaha and Kearney, Nebraska; and Mauston, Wisconsin.
- 1905: The M.A. Gedney Pickling Co. celebrates twenty-five years. That same year, Matthias Gedney passes away. His son, Isadore Vallier Gedney succeeds him as head of the company.
- 1958: The Chaska factory expands; all operations and pickle processing is moved to Chaska.
- 1991: The State Fair product line is introduced by Gedney Foods.
- 1999: The Gedney Food Company expands nationally through increased distribution and purchase of Del Monte pickling plants.
- 2002: Gedney begins production of all Del Monte and Target Archer Farms brand pickles.
Bibliography:
Burns, Christopher. “In the Hall of Minnesota’s Pickle King: M.A. Gedney Co. Relishes the Pickle Business.” Chanhassen Sailor, June 6, 1990.
Gedney Food Company website. Company History. http://www.gedneyfoods.com/Company/History
“Gedney Pickle Factory Will Locate Here.” Weekly Valley Herald, February 7, 1901.
“M.A. Gedney Co. Announces New Pickle Processing Plant.” Weekly Valley Herald, April 25, 1963.
“The Pickle Factory.” Weekly Valley Herald, June 26, 1902.
Schettler, Joel. “Gedney’s Makes Move- From ‘Minnesota Pickle’ to ‘Minnesota Preserve’.” Chaska Herald, April 28, 1994.
Tuttle, Gedney. The Minnesota Pickle: A History of the M.A. Gedney Company. Edina: Lily Pad Publishing, 2009.
Related Resources:
[Primary]
“Charley Gedney Was Up From St. Paul.” Weekly Valley Herald, April 24, 1902.
“Gedney Factory Has Fine Record of Production.” Weekly Valley Herald, January 7, 1954.
“Pickle Professor.” Waconia Patriot, May 15, 2008.
“To Get a Pickle Station.” Lester Prairie Herald, December 31, 1908.
[Secondary]
Barac, Lavonne. Chaska: A Minnesota River City, Volume 1 and 2. St. Paul: Carver County Public Library, 1989.
Frank, Melvin Lynn. “In North Minneapolis: Sawmill city Boyhood.” Minnesota History, 47 no. 4 (Winter 1980): 141-153. http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/47/v47i04p141-153.pdf
Hoisington, Daniel John. Chanhassen: A Centennial History. Chanhassen, MN: The Press, Banta Corporation, July 1996.
Holcombe, Maj. R.I., ed. Compendium of History and Biography of Carver and Hennepin Counties, Minnesota. Henry Taylor and Company: Chicago, 1915.
M.A. Gedney Company. Picklicious : 125 Extraordinary Recipes : A Cookbook for People who are Passionate about Pickles. Chaska: M.A. Gedney Company, 2005.
Tremblay, Ruth and Lois Schulstad. Images of America: Carver County. Arcadia Publishing: Charleston, South Carolina, 2011.
[Web]
Gedney Food Company website. http://www.gedneyfoods.com/
Images/Audio/Video
AV-81-9028.
Photograph Collection, Carver County Historical Society, Waconia
Photographic print
“Gedney Pickle Plant”
Description: Image shows a side view of the exterior of the Chaska pickling factory. The image shows the vats used to brine the pickles.
Rights held by the CCHS.
AV-86-9248
Photograph Collection, Carver County Historical Society, Waconia
Photographic print
“Gedney Sign”
Description: Shows a man standing to the left of the Gedney sign, outside the Chaska factory. Circa 1980s.
Rights held by the CCHS.
“This article used with the permission of MNopedia, operated by the Minnesota Historical Society, under a Creative Commons License. No changes have been made to the article’s content.”
