ORRVILLE, Ohio — You may not know it but the J.M. Smucker Co. is much more than just jams and jellies. The company is comprised of more than 40 brands which includes popular coffee brands, peanut butter and pet food.
The 123-year-old company employs more than 7,000 people worldwide. Company officials said more than two thirds of their workforce includes people who work inside their manufacturing plants. Amid the pandemic, they've had to make several adjustments inside those plants to keep people safe.
"When employees are able to work remote we've asked them to work remotely," said Ray Hancart, director of corporate communications. "We've taken some extreme safety precautions to keep them safe in terms of mapping the way they work their way through the facility, obviously, requiring and providing face coverings and masks and in cases where social or physical distancing isn't really an option we put up things such as plexiglass to ensure that employees remain as safe as possible when they come into the workplace."
But those aren't the only changes employees within the company will see this year.
The company just unveiled its new logo and brand identity after more than a year of work, ditching the traditional strawberries.
"We now have a portfolio of over 40 brands and in many ways we outgrew our identity. So, this the catalyst was really to better represent the breadth of our portfolio and kind of capture the vibrancy and the optimism of our organization today," said director of creative services, Kara Buckler. "Given that we're a 120 year old company, we really wanted to respect and honor our heritage, but also signal growth and momentum."
Buckler said the anchor piece of the new logo is a nod to the company's heritage and the other shapes that follow represent where the company is heading towards and practices important to the company.
"We're willing to change almost everything about our company except our core values," she said. "We're a modern company."
But, don't worry - the Smucker's brand logo will remain the same to include the iconic strawberries and banner.
Hancart said the new direction was also an opportunity to give current and prospective employees, investors and community members a sense of pride.
"Identity certainly reflects a lot of inspirational tones to it, things that we want to make sure we live up to as a company every day, and in particularly in the future," he said. "So every time we go out to meet a prospective employee or talk with a retail customer, they now see this identity and are reminded of the fact that we are experts in coffee and pet food and peanut butter and a variety of other categories."
If you're looking for a job, the J.M. Smucker Co. is hiring. Click here for more information.
