CHAPTER TITLE i From the Ground up the FirSt FiFty yearS oF mcCain FoodS daniel StoFFman In collaboratI on wI th t ony van l eersum ii FROM THE GROUND UP CHAPTER TITLE iii ContentS Produced on the occasion of its 50th anniversary Copyright © McCain Foods Limited 2007 Foreword by Wallace McCain / x by All rights reserved. No part of this book, including images, illustrations, photographs, mcCain FoodS limited logos, text, etc. may be reproduced, modified, copied or transmitted in any form or used BCE Place for commercial purposes without the prior written permission of McCain Foods Limited, Preface by Janice Wismer / xii 181 Bay Street, Suite 3600 or, in the case of reprographic copying, a license from Access Copyright, the Canadian Toronto, Ontario, Canada Copyright Licensing Agency, One Yonge Street, Suite 1900, Toronto, Ontario, M6B 3A9. M5J 2T3 Chapter One the beGinninG / 1 www.mccain.com 416-955-1700 LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA CATALOGUING IN PUBLICATION Stoffman, Daniel Chapter Two CroSSinG the atlantiC / 39 From the ground up : the first fifty years of McCain Foods / Daniel Stoffman For copies of this book, please contact: in collaboration with Tony van Leersum. McCain Foods Limited, Chapter Three aCroSS the Channel / 69 Director, Communications, Includes index. at [email protected] ISBN: 978-0-9783720-0-2 Chapter Four down under / 103 or at the address above 1. McCain Foods Limited – History. 2. McCain, Wallace, 1930– . 3. McCain, H. Harrison, 1927–2004. I. Van Leersum, Tony, 1935– . II. McCain Foods Limited Chapter Five the home Front / 125 This book was printed on paper containing III. Title. post-consumer waste, which saved: HD9217.C34M338 2007 338.7'664028530971 C2007-903193-5 Chapter Six South oF the border / 165 42 trees 29 million BTU’s of energy 4,626 pounds of greenhouse gases Chapter Seven new worldS to Conquer / 187 15,163 gallons of water Project management and design: Counterpunch / Linda Gustafson 2,509 pounds of solid waste Editor: Judy Phillips Printed in Canada by Friesens Printers Chapter Eight a world oF ChanGe / 225 Calculation based on research by Environmental Defense and members of the Paper Task Force. PHOTO CREDITS: Many of the photographs are from the extensive picture archives, both historical and contemporary, that McCain agronomists and other employees have Afterword by Dale Morrison / 240 contributed to, including the photographs of Erika Fitzgerald, Erik Haasken, Luis Lago Castro, David Morgan, Ghislain Pelletier, David Pullan, John Walsh, Tony van Leersum, and Acknowledgements / 242 many others. The collection of historical photographs is maintained by Dawn Shaw at Florenceville, New Brunswick. Other photographs are by: Keith Blackmore (107), Bart W. Bradbury (164), The Woodstock Index / 244 Bugle (126), Carl Court (61 left), Doug Forster (x), Mark Howard (174), Mike Kipling (38), Michael Mahovlich / Masterfile (138 right), Trish McCain (ii), Diana Murphy (140), Mike Ridewood (133 various), Henk Ruitenbeek (129, 133 various), Clive Schaupmeyer (124), Eerik Schipper (68), Sid Tabak (i, vii–ix, 93, 138 left, 139 top, 144, 159, 161, 162, 163, 238, 239), and Graeme Williams (192). Efforts have been made to locate the copyright owner of the photographs used in this publication. We would be happy to include any omissions in future editions. iv FROM THE GROUND UP CHAPTER TITLE v nobody, leaSt oF all the mcCain brotherS, imaGined that the little Frozen FoodS plant they opened in 1957 would, beFore the Century waS over, make FlorenCeville the FrenCh Fry Capital oF the world. TOP: Harrison McCain and BOTTOM: Wallace McCain, c.1980s. FACING PAGE: The Florenceville plant by night, 2006. vi FROM THE GROUND UP CHAPTER TITLE vii viii FROM THE GROUND UP CHAPTER TITLE ix wallace mccaIn what we accomplished together. I am proud of the unique relationship Harrison and I had, with the support of our older brothers, even after what transpired and when he Foreword passed away. I am proud of all the people described in these stories, and they should be equally proud, because it is their story also. One of the things that made Harrison and me pretty good leaders was that we always looked forward, never back. After these stories get told and the memories are embedded, it is just as important for us to keep facing forward into the future. No I am writing this on my own behalf and on the behalf of my matter how good Harrison and I, and our people, were in our day, it should never be brother Harrison. We were a team. I wish he were here to add the same. Great companies renew themselves. The McCain family has renewed itself his own, most distinctive, voice, but I think I know what he – from a family business into a business family. And just as important, McCain Foods would feel and say. is renewing itself under exceptional professional management, with the world’s best We were two young guys, eager to have a business we could professional management techniques of large global enterprises. That means change, call our own; eager to succeed. We never really started out with and of course change can be difficult, but it is necessary to perpetuate the legacy that grandiose ambitions. We used to think just maybe we could Harrison and I, and the people described in these stories, have built. Inside difficult build a business that might make a million dollars. And, we change is opportunity, and we have the opportunity now to take a great twentieth never really did it for the money. We just thought business was century organization and make it a great twenty-first century organization. fun – it was a game and a challenge. We liked building things, I believe in that. I know Harrison would believe in that. And I think the hundreds and we loved the people we worked with. That’s why we did of people who were our partners would also believe in that. In fact, it’s just as excit- what we did. ing today as the day in February 1957 when we turned on our first fryer to make a Our success wasn’t because we were great financial engineers McCain frozen french fry. – we weren’t. It wasn’t because we had the very best plants – On behalf of Harrison and me – thank you all for fifty amazing years. often we didn’t. And our success wasn’t because we built a so- phisticated strategic plan – in fact, we never prepared one in all G. Wallace F. McCain our years! We had some good timing, and we had some good Toronto, Canada luck. But mostly, we were able to build a team of truly great March 2007 people. People who cared a lot. People who didn’t care so much about the material things of power, title, and money; they just Wallace McCain, 2003. wanted to get things done (quickly), just like Harrison and me, and they wanted to make a difference. People who were honest, hard working, persevering, direct, and dedicated to success; people who shared our dreams – that’s what made McCain Foods Limited a smashing success. This book, on the occasion of our fiftieth anniversary, will tell the story of -hun dreds of those very people. It tells stories of our victories, and some of our failures (we had many, but we learned from them). It tells war stories and love stories (we all loved the business). This book is an important collection of stories to describe the past: fifty years of success led by two people but driven by thousands. I am proud of x FROM THE GROUND UP FOREWORD xi JanIce wIsmer the launch of a new strategic plan in 2004. Its mission is clear: to provide the tools for all employees to continuously learn and grow, achieving excellence in every job preFaCe every day, making McCain the preferred choice in all our markets. The board, which represents the interests of employees around the world, strongly believes that sharing the experiences, entrepreneurship, and sheer fortitude of the remarkable people who built McCain into the global force it is today would inspire in our employees the car- ing, committed attitude that has carried McCain forward and that will take us to the There is a certain simplicity to life at McCain that many large, next level of performance. public companies today are trying to achieve. Underlying that We have all been chosen – and have chosen ourselves – to be a part of this family. We simplicity is a purposeful resolve to win. That winning attitude have been given a great gift – a global success story, a place where we can learn, grow, is deeply ingrained in the culture of McCain, a culture that val- and be valued for our contributions. It’s up to us now to be the standard-bearers for the ues treating all people at all levels – customers, employees, and future. I have every confidence that we will continue to make the family proud. suppliers – with respect. That a small-town Canadian business could become, fifty years after its founding, a global mega- Janice Wismer brand and one of the world’s most respected companies is a Vice-President, Human Resources testament to the loyalty and efforts of its employees. McCain Foods Limited It doesn’t matter where you travel with McCain in the Toronto, Canada world, whether it be Ballarat, Australia; Scarborough, May 2007 England; Johannesburg, South Africa; or the place that started it all, Florenceville, New Brunswick, the stories of the found- ing fathers and the vision that they inspired to build the fin- est global food business in the world, are endless. Woven through all these stories are common threads: The joy of watching young people develop and rise through the leader- ship ranks.