While the name might not be immediately recognizable, the Dorrance family is behind one of the best-known food brands in the world through their ownership stake in the Campbell Soup Company, a food processing and production company. Alongside its line of soups, the Campbell Soup Company runs other food brands, including Bolthouse Farms, Pepperidge Farm and V8, amongst others. The family’s roots in the Campbell Soup Company trace back to 1897 when chemist John T. Dorrance began working for the company. He developed a commercially-viable method for condensing soup, which led to a spike in sales of the company’s signature product. He served as president of the company from 1914 to 1930 and eventually bought the company outright. At the time of his death in 1930, he was the sole owner and left the company to his son, Jack, and his four daughters, although Jack received the lion’s share of the company. Jack ran the company from 1962 to 1984 and passed away in 1989. He left his shares in the company to his three children, John T. “Ippy” Dorrance, Mary Alice Malone and Bennett Dorrance. Mary Alice and Bennett are Campbell’s largest shareholders, holding a combined 33.1 per cent of the company. Ippy sold his stake in the company several years ago.
