Object Record
Images
Metadata
Collection |
Waterloo Region Museum |
Object ID |
2015.017.013 |
Object Name |
Rotisserie |
Description |
Wooden container that contains a metal rotisserie. Printed on the outside of the container in blue paint is "Schneider Limited, Kitchener," "Demonstration Equipment," "Handle with Care," "Glass". Two fragile stickers on top of container along with a metal handle. The container is wrapped with packing tape. The container opens with two hinged doors on the front. On the inside of the left door is written "Please check and return extension cords. Please put in toaster properly and return all utensils. Thank you". Message on the right door says: "Contents: Return: one toaster. 1 pair. Tongs, one cutting board. extension cord. Thank you. JMS". The rotisserie itself is electric with a rotating internal drum to hold wieners. "Schneiders" is painted in orange along the upper edge of the rotisserie. A metal tray slides under the drum. Black dials on the left side operate the machine. |
Date |
1930 |
Date |
1960 |
Dimensions |
H-19.25 W-17.5 L-22.5 cm |
History |
John Metz (J.M.) Schneider (1859-1942) began selling sausages door to door in 1886. The sausages were made with his mother's recipe and with help from both his wife, Helena Ahrens (1859-1944) and mother, Anna (Metz) Schneider (1832-1904). In 1890, J.M. began making sausages full-time from his home on Courtland Avenue. By 1900, he had built a retail store next to his home in order to expand the business. In 1911, J.M. bought a 16-acre parcel of land at the end of Courtland Avenue, where an abattoir was built. The following year, the business was organized into a joint stock company under the name of J.M. Schneider & Sons Limited. In order to keep up with demand, a new factory was built on the same 16-acre parcel of land, which opened in 1925. In 1930, the company was renamed J.M. Schneider Limited, and new items such as non-sausage meats and cheeses were introduced. By the mid-1940s, the company employed over 500 people at the Courtland plant. Expansion continued with the Wellesley Cheese Company being acquired in 1945, followed by six other companies across the country by 1972. The corporate structure was reorganized in 1975 with a holding company, Schneiders Corporation, formed to oversee the various companies. J.M. Schneider Limited became J.M. Schneider Inc. and continued to be the meat processing division. Schneiders had remained a family-owned business until 1997 when the company was sold to Smithfield Foods of the United States. Smithfield then sold the company to Maple Leaf Foods in 2004. The Courtland Avenue plant was closed in February of 2015, with 1,200 jobs being lost. |
Search Terms |
J.M. Schneider Limited |