Q&A on the News

I heard of a possible merger between the Campbell Soup Co. and Snyder’s-Lance Inc. the other day. Who were the “Campbell,” the “Snyder” and the “Lance” of these companies? —Lance DeLoach, Thomaston

A: The Campbell Soup Co. announced in mid-December it would acquire snack food producer Snyder’s-Lance, according to a press release. The food company, formed in 1869 in Camden, New Jersey, is named after Joseph Campbell, a fruit merchant who co-founded the business with Abraham Anderson, an ice box manufacturer.

Snyder’s-Lance takes its name from Snyder’s of Hanover, the pretzel company that got its start in 1909 when Harry V. Warehime began selling pretzels in Hanover, Pennsylvania, and Philip L. Lance, a North Carolina merchant whose roasted peanut business eventually became Lance Inc.

The Snyder name can be traced to the 1920s, when Eda and Edward Snyder II began selling fried potato chip snacks door-to-door and the family established a bakery in Hanover.

The Snyder family later sold its Hanover plant to the Warehime family’s pretzel company. Snyder’s of Hanover and Lance Inc. merged in 2010, combining their respective names into a single, hyphenated title.

Fast Copy News Service wrote this column; Dillon Thompson contributed. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).