FieldFresh Foods inaugurated a new processed food manufacturing and beverages facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu state, India

on 2 November 2010. It is a first-of-its-kind facility in India to have both these processes integrated in a single plant. It also has a research and development (R&D) facility, which will focus on product customisation and innovation. FieldFresh Foods has made an initial investment of INR1.15bn ($23m) in the plant. The company is a 50:50 joint venture between the business conglomerate Bharti Enterprises and Philippines-based Del Monte Pacific (DMP). It was formed at the end of 2007. Construction was started in July 2009 and the plant was officially opened in November 2010. Plant design

The new plant is located on a greenfield site spread over 21.4 acres in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu. A fully integrated and automated food processing and beverages unit, the facility is equipped with state-of-the-art technology for pasteurisation, cold storage and packaging. The plant also has automated monitoring systems and an online lab. The R&D facility will support the development of innovative products as per consumer demand. The online lab and the computer monitoring system will help in maintaining a consistent output. The packaging unit at the facility has an option for packing culinary products in glass, squeezy and flexible packs. "FieldFresh Foods has made an initial investment of INR1.15bn in the plant." The manufacturing automation helps in avoiding human error and interference for the majority of the production process. This results in high quality products. The integration enables the Hosur plant to have different capabilities ranging from processing, research and development, packaging and warehousing. It will also support a speed to market strategy. Processing

The company used contract manufacturers in North India and imported the packaged foods from Del Monte in Philippines. The Hosur manufacturing facility processes fruit juices and entire functional processed foods. The juice products from the plant include pineapple, orange, mango, and green apple beverages with other ingredients and flavours. The culinary products from the plant include sauces, ketchups, mayonnaise, mustard sauce, packaged foods and Italian cuisine. With the plant being operational, Del Monte plans to add several new products to its portfolio in future. Capacity

The FieldFresh Foods plant will have a production capacity of 300 cans and 200 PET bottles of fruit drinks per minute during the initial stage of operations. When fully operational, the plant's capacity will be equal to 10,000 cases in PET bottles and 15,000 cases in cans per day. The plant will also produce about 4t of culinary products every hour. The daily capacities upon full commissioning of the plant will include about 48t per day in glass bottles, 36t of squeezy packs, 8.4t in 10gm sachets and about 12t in 1kg packs. The mayonnaise will be produced at a rate of about 1,500kg every hour. Contractors

The FieldFresh Foods factory building was designed by B. Mehtalia Consultants. SP Contracts was the general contractor for construction of the facility. "Del Monte aims to cater to the needs of modern retail restaurants and hotels." The enterprise resource planning (ERP) system for FieldFresh Foods is being provided by Ramco Systems. The ERP provider is also responsible for addressing supply chain management requirements and providing inventory management, sales management, procurement management, financial management and corporate performance management for FieldFresh Foods. Market growth

The beverage and processed food products will be marketed under the brand name Del Monte. The processed and fresh produce foods market is estimated to be about INR45bn and is growing by about 25% year-on-year. The juice products from the Hosur plant will be marketed in India alone, while the culinary products will be exported too. The Del Monte brand aims to cater to the needs of modern retail restaurants and hotels, and airlines with new consumer products. FieldFresh Foods markets its products through 15,000 general outlets and 1,000 modern trade outlets which will be further expanded. (From left) Joselito D. campos Jr., MD and CEO, Del Monte Pacific Ltd., Rakesh Bharati Mittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director Bharati Enterprises and Sanjay Nandrajog, CEO, FieldFresh Foods Pvt. Limited, at the inauguration of Fieldfresh Foods R&D, and Manufacturing Facility plant at Hosur, Tamilnadu on Tuesday. Photo: G.R.N. Somashekar. The Del Monte Corporation, doing business as Del Monte Foods, is an American food production and distribution company headquartered in One Maritime Plaza, San Francisco, California. Del Monte Foods is one of the country's largest producers, distributors and marketers of branded food and pet products for the U.S. retail market, generating approximately $3.6 billion in net sales in fiscal 2009. Its portfolio of brands includes Del Monte, S&W, Contadina, College Inn, Meow Mix, Kibbles 'n Bits, 9Lives, Milk-Bone, Pup-Peroni, Meaty Bone, Snausages and Pounce. Several Del Monte products

hold the number one or two market share position.[2] The company also produces, distributes and markets private label food and pet products. Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Del Monte Foods worldwide 3 Criticism and controversy 4 Pop culture references 5 Del Monte Foods products 5.1 Consumer brands 5.2 Pet brands 6 Images 7 See also 8 References 9 External links History[edit]

In the 1870s and 1880s, California became a major producer of fruits and vegetables. In 1886, the Del Monte name premiered, originally used in the 1880s by an Oakland, California, foods distributor to designate a premium blend of coffee prepared for the Hotel Del Monte on the Monterey peninsula. By 1892, the Del Monte brand was introduced when the firm expanded its business and selected Del Monte as the brand name for its new line of canned peaches. In 1898, the California Fruit Canners Association (CFCA) formed when 18 West Coast canning companies merged.[3] The Del Monte brand was one of several brands marketed by the new company. It introduced the Del Monte Shield in 1909.[4] Under the leadership of George Newell Armsby, in 1916 CFCA added two more canners and a food brokerage house, incorporated itself as California Packing Corporation, or Calpak, and began marketing its products under the Del Monte brand. The new company grew to operate more than 60 canneries in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Alaska. In 1917, it acquired pineapple farms and a cannery in Hawaii and, in the 1920s, added canneries in Florida and the Midwest, as well as in the Philippines. After WWII, it constructed or purchased more facilities overseas.[5] These multinational operations made the name California Packing Corporation obsolete, and in June 1967, the corporation adopted the name of its leading brand to become Del Monte Corporation.[6]

In 1972, Del Monte became the first major US food processor to voluntarily adopt nutritional labeling on all its food products, an innovation that made headlines throughout the country and applauded by government officials as a breakthrough in consumer education. Del Monte became part of R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. (later RJR Nabisco, Inc.) in 1979. Ten years later, the fresh fruit business was sold and renamed Fresh Del Monte Produce. Although no longer affiliated with Del Monte Foods, Del Monte Produce continued to market pineapples, bananas, and other produce under a licensing agreement for the Del Monte label. RJR Nabisco sold the remaining food processing divisions, known as Del Monte Foods, to private investors in 1989. Del Monte Foods again became a publicly traded company in 1999, and in 2002, it purchased several brands from US food giant Heinz in an all-stock transaction that left Heinz shareholders with 74.5% of Del Monte and original Del Monte shareholders with 25.5% of the company, and nearly tripled Del Monte Foods' size.[7] Del Monte acquired the worldwide rights to the SunFresh brand, a brand of premium citrus and tropical fruits, in 2000.[4] In March of the following year, it acquired the worldwide rights to the S&W brand of processed fruit, vegetable, tomato and specialty sauce products.[8] On September 28, 2004, the site of Del Monte's former Plant No. 1 was dedicated as Del Monte Square. It was once the worlds largest fruit and vegetable cannery. In 2006, Del Monte became the second largest pet foods company upon divesting its US infant feeding business and US retail private label soup and gravy businesses and acquiring two key pet brands. The company sold its Soup and Infant Feeding business in April 2006 to TreeHouse Foods, Inc.[9] Del Monte bought Meow Mix in May 2006,[10] and acquired Milk-Bone in July of that year from Kraft Foods.[11] As precautionary measure, in 2007 Del Monte declared a voluntarily recall of several of brands of its pet foods due to the 2007 pet food recalls.[12] In June 2008, Del Monte announced the sale of its seafood division, StarKist, to South Korea-based Dongwon Enterprise Company. Dongwon purchased the business for $363 million. Del Monte stated that StarKist was no longer a good fit for the company and that they would be concentrating on pet food and higher margin produce.[13] On March 8, 2011, the company announced it had been acquired by an investor group led by funds affiliated with Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Vestar Capital Partners and Centerview Partners. The stock was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange prior to the start of trading on March 9, 2011.[14] Del Monte Foods worldwide[edit]

Del Monte Foods plant

Pittsburgh Del Monte Foods markets packaged food products under the Del Monte brand in the United States and South America. Del Monte Foods is not affiliated with Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc., Del Monte International or their subsidiaries or affiliates. Del Monte maintains a major sale in India and has also received acclaim due to its unique Advertising. Criticism and controversy[edit]

In January 2007, Del Monte Foods was wrongly accused of opposing efforts by the United States Congress to apply the continental minimum wage to the lower-paying tuna packing plants in American Samoa. On January 16, 2007, Melissa Murphy Brown, spokesperson for Del Monte, stated that the application would "severely cripple the local economy." She also stated that "For over 50 years, the Federal Department of Labor has provided that wages in U.S. territories, including American Samoa, be set by a federally appointed wage board, following public hearings".[15] Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was the subject of false claims in chain e-mails and on web sites such as Gateway Pundit,[16] Newsbusters,[17] claiming that she or her husband own stock in Del Monte and that she has thus pushed for keeping the tax loophole for Del Monte.[18] Pelosi has not received any contributions from Del Monte employees.[19] In 2009, Del Monte Foods provided the following clarification to news outlets reporting misinformation about its relationship with Speaker Pelosi: First, Del Monte Foods no longer owns StarKist. The brand was officially sold to Dongwon Industries in early October, 2008. Secondly, Del Monte Foods is not a major contributor to Pelosi. Del Monte has not contributed to Speaker Pelosi. Because Del Monte Foods does not operate a Political Action Committee (a requirement for federal election donations), the Company has not made a direct political contribution to any elected official or candidate for office. Finally, regarding the issue of minimum wage in American Samoa, Del Monte Foods has not lobbied Speaker Pelosis office nor participated in any lobbying regarding the financial bailout bill. Specifically, the Company did not participate in any lobbying regarding any American Samoa provisions that were included in the bailout bill.[citation needed] Pop culture references[edit]

Del Monte produced an iconic advertising campaign in the 1980s with the catchphrase "The Man from Del Monte he says YES". The man from Del Monte was portrayed by British actor Brian Jackson.

During The Troubles in Ireland, the Unionist political slogan, "Ulster says no!" was mocked by nationalists who added "...and the man from Del Monte says yes." This was in response to the Del Monte advertising campaign at the time. In a related incident, a gable wall in Belfast was painted with a huge mural supporting Rev Ian Paisley's "Ulster Says No To Sodomy" campaign (which opposed the legalisation of homosexual acts between consenting adults in Northern Ireland). The graffiti "But the man from DelMonte says Yes!" soon appeared in response. On The Simpsons, Mr. Burns hires an assassin to kill Grampa Simpson and delivers a picture of Grampa eating Del Monte canned peas. The assassin remarks, 'Ah, Del Monte. Enjoy them old man, they will be your last!" On The Simpsons, Kent Brockman proclaims, while showing off one of his many vacuous awards, "This is the most prestigious award that Del Monte gives." On Pee-wee's Playhouse, the picture phone has a Del Monte can. The logo does not have the words 'Del Monte', but is solid red within the Del Monte symbol. There is also a cat in the fruit cocktail.[20] In the comic strip Bloom County, Opus once agreed to an absurd bargain over a case of "Del Monte herring entrails." In the UK, between 199698, Del Monte's now defunct popular fruit drink at the time, Fruit Burst, sponsored Gladiators. On the website of satirical newspaper The Onion, in a video about the fake takeover of the United States Government staged in order to excuse the federal government from paying off the national debt, the rebel leader's name is Octavius Del Monte. Snausages were featured in the 1983 episode of VH1's I Love the '80s Strikes Back. Popular characters from a 1980s Del Monte promotion, the Country Yumkins, appeared in parades, including a Ringling Bros. elephant walk. Robert Duvall's character in The Road eats a can of Del Monte fruit. The Pinky and the Brain episode "Where the Deer and the Mousealopes Play" features a secondary character named Dell Monte as a Presidential candidate (being a stand-in for 1996 Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole; whose last name is shared with the Dole Food Company). Del Monte Foods products[edit]

Consumer brands[edit] Del Monte Fresh Cut Orchard Select SunFresh

Superfruit Fruit Naturals Fruit Chillers Fruit Undressed S&W (S&W Fine Foods, acquired in 2001) Contadina College Inn Pet brands[edit] Milk-Bone Kibbles 'n Bits 9Lives Meow Mix Pounce Pup-Peroni Snausages Nature's Recipe Meaty Bone Gravy Train Canine Carry Outs Jerky Treats Natural Balance The Del Monte Pacific (DMPL) Group is a group of companies that caters to todays consumer needs for premium quality, healthy food and beverage products. It innovates, produces, markets and distributes its products worldwide.

The DMPL Group owns the Del Monte brand in the Philippines for processed products where it enjoys leading market shares for canned pineapple juice and juice drinks, canned pineapple and tropical mixed fruits, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce and tomato ketchup.

The Del Monte Pacific Group also owns another premium brand, S&W, globally except the Americas, Australia and New Zealand. As with Del Monte, S&W originated in the USA in the 1890s as a producer and marketer of premium quality processed fruit and vegetable products.

The DMPL Group owns approximately 92% of a holding company that owns 50% of FieldFresh Foods Private Limited in India. FieldFresh markets Del Monte-branded processed products in the domestic market and Fieldfresh-branded fresh produce. Del Monte Pacifics partner in Fieldfresh Foods is the well-respected Bharti Enterprises, which owns one of the largest conglomerates in India.

Del Monte Pacific holds the exclusive rights to produce and distribute processed food and beverage products under the Del Monte brand in the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar.

With its 23,000-hectare pineapple plantation in the Philippines, 700,000-ton processing capacity and a port beside the Cannery, Del Monte Pacific's subsidiary, Del Monte Philippines, operates the worlds largest fully-integrated pineapple operation. It is proud of its long heritage of 87 years of pineapple growing and processing. It has long-term supply agreements with some of the Del Monte trademark owners and licensees around the world.

Del Monte Pacific and its subsidiaries are not affiliated with other Del Monte companies in the world, including, Del Monte Foods Co (USA), Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc, Del Monte Canada, Del Monte Asia Pte Ltd and these companies affiliates. To learn more about Del Monte worldwide, please click here.

Del Monte Pacific is 79%-owned by NutriAsia Pacific Ltd (NPL). NPL is owned by the NutriAsia Group of Companies which is majority-owned by the Campos family of the Philippines. The NutriAsia Group is the market leader in liquid condiments, specialty sauces and cooking oil market in the Philippines. Bharti and Del Monte tie-up

FieldFresh Foods Private Limited is a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises & Del Monte Pacific Limited. The company has a vision to be "the most trusted and innovative provider of branded fresh vegetables and processed foods".

The company offers processed food and beverage products in India under the brand Del Monte and fresh vegetables in its export markets under the brand fieldfresh.

For fresh vegetables, FieldFresh Foods has an Agriculture Centre of Excellence (ACE) at Ladhowal, Ludhiana in Punjab, which is one of the largest agricultural R&D facilities of its kind and is spread over 300 acres with a state of the art protected & open field cultivation for value added vegetables. At ACE, the advanced technologies and agricultural best practices are showcased to partner farmers in order to help them in enhancing their agricultural productivity and farm income in an environmentally sustainable manner. FieldFresh Foods also has a new product development farm in Karad, Maharashtra. FieldFresh Foods is engaged with over 4000 partner farmers across 5000 acres in Punjab & Maharashtra, who are GlobalGAP compliant and grow vegetables for export to Europe. This has enabled FieldFresh Foods to become the largest Indian exporter of fresh baby corn with a 15% share of the UK retail market. In addition, FieldFresh Foods is also growing and exporting fresh sweet corn, chilies, herbs, sugar snaps & snow peas.

FieldFresh Foods boasts of a world class manufacturing and R&D centre for its Del Monte range of products at Hosur, near Bengaluru. This state-of-the-art facility manufactures Fruit Drinks (PET & Cans), Ketchup, Sauces, Mustard and Mayonnaise etc all under one roof. The plant has fully integrated & highly automated lines producing consistently high quality products which are untouched by the human hand. The R&D facility at Hosur drives innovation and customized solutions for its B2B customers. Within a short span of three years, the Del Monte team now services most large QSRs like Domino's, Pizza Hut, KFC, Cafe Coffee Day, Subway, McDonalds etc besides being a preferred supplier to the Food service channel and being available across the top 50 cities in nearly 50,000 modern trade and general trade outlets.

With a range of superior tasting products and the synergy between Bhartis dynamism and Del Monte Pacifics food business experience, FieldFresh Foods looks forward to becoming a leading and trusted food and beverage company in India.

Bharti Enterprises Bharti Enterprises is one of Indias leading business groups with interests in telecom, agri business, financial services, retail and manufacturing. Bharti has been a pioneering force in the telecom sector with many firsts and innovations to its credit. Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading integrated telecommunications company with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 5 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G & 3G mobile services, fixed line, high speed broadband through DSL, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G & 3G mobile services. Beetel Teletech is the countrys largest manufacturer and exporter of telephone terminals.

Del Monte Pacific Limited Del Monte Pacific Limited is listed in the Singapore Stock Exchange and holds a group of companies that caters to todays consumer needs for premium quality, healthy food and beverage products. The Del Monte Pacific Group has exclusive rights to the Del Monte brand for processed food and beverage products in the Indian subcontinent and in the Philippines where it enjoys leading market shares for canned pineapple juice and juice drinks, canned pineapple and tropical mixed fruits, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce and tomato ketchup.

Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal. Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti Enterprises. "Our new Hosur facility heralds a new phase of development for us. Going forward our vision is to make Del Monte as one of the top 10 brands in the processed food and beverage industry over the next few years"

Mr. Joselito D. Campos. Jr. Managing Director and CEO, DMPL. "Brand Del Monte has had a great journey so far in India. I am excited about this new chapter and look forward to many more milestiones in our India story"