The brand traces its roots back to Indianapolis, where in 1861 Gilbert Van Camp and associates Calvin Fletcher and Martin Williams constructed what became the nation’s first successful commercial cold storage warehouse. Primarily concerned with the preservation of fruits and vegetables, Van Camp quickly began experimenting with canning, and by 1862 he had started to can fruits and vegetables in the summertime for winter consumption. Shortly thereafter, Van Camp secured a lucrative contract to supply Union troops during the Civil War. Van Camp’s pork and beans quickly became a wartime staple….The firm is considered to have been a trendsetter in the canned-foods industry. In 1933 it was acquired by James and John Stokely, who operated the Stokely canned tomato company in Newport, Tennessee, forming Stokely-Van Camp, Inc., with the resultant combined company headquartered in Indianapolis. – Wikipedia