The SPAM Museum (History of Hormel)

The Hormel Company, the original producers of SPAM, is located in Austin MN. George A. Hormel, a German immigrant settled in Austin and started the Geo. A. Hormel & Co. in 1891 selling a variety of meats, dried and fresh, along with dairy products.

In 2016 on the 125th Anniversary of the Hormel Company in Austin, a new SPAM Museum was opened in the downtown area showcasing the history of the company and their product, SPAM.

It is a very kid friendly museum filled with tons of information. I think I took more than 60 photos! I am not a fan of SPAM. I do remember having it as a kid once in awhile, mostly when there wasn't the time to prepare a full meal. I think we had it a couple of times in our early marriage years when money was tight. We did get a can of SPAM when Hubby bid on and won the Minnesota basket at the resort's cancer fund raising a number of years ago. I did fry it, but neither of us found it very appealing. Sorry SPAM. BUT, as I learned in the museum, SPAM has had an important role in the food industry.

The look of the SPAM can from its inception. It was first introduced as Hormel Spiced Ham in 1937. For more than 50 years the can was opened with a key. Another tidbit: A 12 ounce size was considered the right size to serve a family of five for dinner. The rectangular shaped can was chosen for the shape so the meat could be cut and easily fit on a slice of bread.

Do you remember canned hams that were opened with a key?

spiced meat?

I did not understand the spiced meat until I noticed the name on the original can of SPAM in the previous photo. (Jay Hormel was the son of George.)

six ingredients???

how it is made

the six ingredients

Jay became acting president of the company in 1928. Beginning in 1935 new products, advertising and management styles were introduced. 

Dinty Moore was created as a ready to eat, hearty meal for around 15¢ a can in the Depression Era to feed hardworking European immigrants. 

Jay took another daring and innovative move. Chili Con Carne was considered a southern dish. Again solid taste research, creative marketing and bold public relations helped make chili a mainstream American dish.

Then came the war.

The Hormel Company promised every enlisted worker their job would be waiting for them when they returned. During WWII 1961 employees served our country. Hormel hired nearly 1300 women to work the production line. Hormel celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 1941. (Jay had enlisted in the Army and spent time in France in WWI.)

By 1944 90% of Hormel canned food production was destined for Uncle Sam's operations. By February 1945, 65% of ALL Hormel production were devoured by Uncle Sam's troops in Europe and the Pacific. (But not all canned meat was from Hormel!)

Of special significance to us...

As a cook serving in Iraq, Hubby said the MORE meals were popular with the National Guard soldiers as the MREs were not very tasty and fresh food was rare. Chili Mac was very popular. The cans were tossed in a hug kettle of hot water to heat them. Soldiers chose from the offered varieties. (Thank You Hormel Company. We know the meals were not that healthy, but there wasn't a lot of choices during the war in 1991.)

In 1969 the decision was made to build a flagship plant in Austin MN guaranteeing production and jobs for the future solidifying the company's small town roots. In 1982 a plant the size of 23 football fields was built in Austin. The $100 million building includes state-of-the-art processing equipment and was the largest investment in the company's history. In 1993 Geo. A. Hormel & Co. was officially changed to Hormel Foods Corporation. In 2016 Hormel employed about 4000 people from the Austin area. 

From their current website: The Hormel Foods Austin Plant has 1,800 employees, 1.3 million square feet of manufacturing space and seven operating divisions. The largest of the Hormel Foods manufacturing locations, the Austin Plant produces more than 1 billion pounds of product annually and approximately 2,000 items, including Hormel Cure 81 ham, Hormel pepperoni products, the SPAM family of products and more.

More SPAM in another post.