Claussen pickles


Claussen is a brand of pickled cucumbers. It is headquartered in Woodstock, Illinois, an exurb of Chicago. Unlike many other brands, Claussen pickles are uncooked, and are typically found in the refrigerated section of grocery stores.
Claussen is advertised as having superior crunchiness to other brands. In a 1992 television advertisement, Claussen pickles were shown to snap under pressure, whereas unidentified competing brands merely bent without snapping. In response, Vlasic Foods Inc. submitted a complaint to an advertising industry tribunal, claiming that the commercial was unfair and misleading. Ultimately, however, the claims of Claussen were upheld by the tribunal.

Varieties

Claussen pickles come in several varieties:
Additionally, Claussen is the manufacturer of sauerkraut and a sweet pickle relish which won the San Francisco Chronicles June 18, 2008, Taster's Choice challenge.

History

The company C. F. Claussen & Sons was founded by Claus Claussen Sr. in Chicago in May 1870. Claussen was a vegetable farmer on land that today is in the Chicago city limits at 51st and South Western Blvd. He had a surplus crop of cucumbers one year, and so he decided to pickle them. Claussen pickles were produced on the same piece of land until 1976 when the plant moved to Woodstock, Ill.
Claus Claussen Sr. was succeeded by his son Claus S. Claussen, who was serving as president of the company when he died following an automobile accident on December 20, 1932.
For some years, William C. Claussen served as president of the Claussen Pickle Company.
The company was sold to Oscar Mayer in 1970 and moved to Woodstock in 1976. Oscar Mayer was later acquired by General Foods in 1981, who in turn merged with Kraft, Inc. in 1990 to form Kraft General Foods, renamed Kraft Foods in 1995. In 2015, Kraft Foods and Heinz agreed to a merger and Kraft Foods became known as Kraft Heinz.
In 2002, the investment group that owned Vlasic Pickles sought to acquire the Claussen brand as well. The Federal Trade Commission blocked the proposed merger on the grounds that it would have severe anticompetitive effects, leading to a monopoly in the refrigerated-pickle market.