Big Ideas. Bold Ventures: J.M. Smucker Company

The J.M. Smucker Company's products can be found in more than 80% of American homes.

Orville-based The J. M. Smucker Company has been a favorite in American homes since 1897, when Jerome Monroe Smucker pressed cider from his mill and made his first jar of apple butter – which he promptly sold from the back of a horse-drawn wagon. Today Smucker's portfolio includes brands people and pets love that are in more than 80 % of American homes, including a broad range of jams, jellies, peanut butters (to go with those jellies!) and their beloved Uncrustable sandwiches.

But pantry and freezer staples are far from all the Ohio company makes. Their brands include an array of coffees, including Folgers, Café Bustelo and Dunkin; Milk-Bone dog snacks; Meow Mix cat food; and Hostess sweet baked snacks. In 2023, the company that began with one man and his apple butter is guided by the fifth generation of family leadership, ranked No. 465 on the Fortune 500 and has nearly 9,000 employees delivering products consumers trust for themselves and their families every day.