Sacramento In a Can

From Soup to Nuts…
We proudly present “Sacramento In a Can”,
showcasing the Capital City’s fascinating canning history.

Join us for an “Mmm… Mmm… Good” day honoring former Campbell’s employees Saturday, December 6, from noon to 3pm, as we wind down our exhibit, “Sacramento In a Can”,
showcasing the Capital City’s fascinating canning history.

Former employees are welcome to share memories, enjoying the nostalgia, and reconnect with friends. Admission will be free for former employees of  Campbell’s Soup, Sacramento. 

The Sacramento in a Can exhibit will be closing on January 4th. 

Sacramento was a powerhouse of California’s canning industry for over a century. “Major companies such as Libby, McNeill & Libby; Bercut Richards; California Packing Corporation (later Del Monte) along with the California Almond Growers Exchange operated alongside smaller, family run outfits,” said author and local historian Maryellen Burns. “These plants pulsed with seasonal activity, employing thousands, especially women and children from immigrant, Indigenous, and working-class communities.”

The limited time “Sacramento In a Can” exhibit is perfect for visitors interested in learning how Sacramento became the Tomato Soup capital of the world. 

“As Northern California’s rail and river transportation hub, and the region’s largest population center, Sacramento’s canning industry processed just about anything edible that could be put in a can,” said historian William Burg. “Our canneries, including some of the largest in the nation, turned our region’s agricultural bounty into goods that could be shipped around the world, and provided employment for thousands of Sacramentans, principally women of color. While most of our canneries are now gone, or converted to other uses, many Sacramentans still remember the days when workers rushed to process the region’s bounty of vegetables during harvest season, and large parts of the city smelled like tomato soup!”