Carlisle FoodService Company History
In 1917, Charles S. Moomy had saved up just enough money to invest in machinery necessary to make bicycle inner tubes. Founding Carlisle Tire and Rubber Company, Moomy discovered partners and established an agreement with Montgomery Ward & Company to buy the inner tubes he would manufacture. By 1928, Carlisle Tire and Rubber Company had pioneered the first commercially extruded and fully molded inner tube in America.
Carlisle continued an upward swing for the next several years, producing more than 10,000 inner tubes daily and reaching record size, with a peak of 388 employees.1 However, Carlisle's rise, like most companies in 1929, was about to come to a crashing halt.
The Stock Market Crash
Over the course of the next 3 years, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 90% of its value and many Americans lost most of their wealth along with it. The economy collapsed and a whirlwind of misfortune swept the country, destroying savings, businesses, and personal wellbeing across the economic spectrum. Many businesses faced dire financial losses and had to pivot quickly to avoid shuttering their doors, and Carlisle was no exception.2
Timeline During the Great Depression1
- The price of rubber drops swiftly, endangering suppliers
- Carlisle helps Montgomery Ward & Co. pay excise taxes
- The economy worsens and Carlisle works to avoid bankruptcy
- With the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933, Carlisle writes off $452,938 in debt
- Carlisle's Assistant Treasurer puts up personal assets as collateral to meet payroll
- A loan of $250,000 kept Carlisle solvent until World War II
Acquisition and Invigoration
Still underwater after the Great Depression, Carlisle Tire and Rubber Company was bought out by a competitor called Pharis Tire and Rubber Company through its debt to The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Pharis was producing many products for the war effort during World War II and desperately needed additional capacity, which Carlisle provided. Pharis was bought out several years later by G.L. Ohlstrom & Co., bringing the Carlisle brand under a bigger corporate umbrella.
Under the leadership of G.L. Ohlstrom, Carlisle pivoted from rubber and tires to an entrepreneurial culture. A range of new companies under the rebranded Carlisle Companies name gave it many possibilities to pursue, including new products such as radiator hoses, brake blocks, conductors, wire, and cable.
By the end of 1950, Carlisle was back on top, with net sales greater than $23,000,000 and 550 employees. This comeback set the stage for the modern day Carlisle Companies.1
While Carlisle Companies held entities in numerous industries – including the tire manufacturing in which it began – we're going to focus on the branches of the company relative to the foodservice industry. Various branches of Carlisle had ups and downs along with the world economy – notably, the tire production and automotive plastics sectors did poorly when the automobile industry slumped during the recession. Other aspects of the company, such as foodservice, didn't face the same slumps, so the company invested more in those areas to compensate for losses in others.
Breaking Into Foodservice
The first aspect of Carlisle that modern operators would recognize came in 1955, when a small molding shop in Oklahoma called Continental Plastics started creating the world's first plastic Bains Marie. Continental Plastics eventually would be absorbed into Carlisle as Carlisle Continental, producing the first commercial-grade plastic beverage pitcher, commonly referred to as a beer pitcher.3 This beer pitcher design became an industry standard, and the models you see today aren't too different from the ones Continental made decades ago.
Another future facet of Carlisle, SiLite Incorporated, was founded in a wartime factory that made blankets for the U.S. Army – SiLite used their experience with cloth to pioneer the use of cotton rags to strengthen melamine dishware. SiLite acquired many other famous lines of melamine manufacturers under its brand and became a leader in affordable, durable dinnerware production.3
Continental/SiLite International
Carlisle Companies purchased SiLite in 1991 and merged it with the already acquired Continental Plastics to form Continental/SiLite International. As the name indicates, Continental/SiLite International focused on breaking into the international market, and they were incredibly successful in that endeavor. After the merger, international business increased by a massive 444 percent in the first four years of pursuing that direction.1,4
In 1994, Carlisle Companies acquired the Sparta Brush Company, adding foodservice brushes and cleaning supplies to their existing portfolio of rubber, melamine, and other foodservice products. Overall, the foodservice arm of Carlisle Companies offered more than 6,000 products, aiming for innovation, versatility, and durability. Two years after acquiring Sparta Brush Company, Continental/SiLite International renamed itself to the title recognized now as Carlisle FoodService Products.3
Carlisle FoodService Products
The name was chosen, according to Carlisle FSP, "to capitalize on the combined strength of CSI and Sparta Brush and to reflect the increased value CSI represented as a supplier to the foodservice industry." By the time it adopted the Carlisle FoodService Products name, Carlisle's foodservice market was the largest segment of its business, partly because of the recession that hurt the prospects of the automotive branches.3,4
Carlisle followed these moves by acquiring Plastic Manufacturing Company, which increased Carlisle's plastic manufacturing capabilities. Two years later, Carlisle acquired Marko International, which was famous for its table coverings, expanding Carlisle's offerings in that sphere. Carlisle rounded out this set of purchases with Dura-Ware Co. of America, which manufactured cookware and servingware, making Carlisle FoodService Products the most complete foodservice resource in the industry.
In January of 2001, Carlisle FSP acquired from Toppo Manufacturing a line of pumps, dispensers, and organizers for their portfolio. This acquisition included the original Speed-Rak® bar organizer and the first condiment caddy, pushing Carlisle into the bars market, as well as concession stands and other mobile or outdoor arenas.3
Changing Tiers of Application
Carlisle's foodservice arm initially gained traction in the fast-food sector; that avenue of expansion slowed down as the market stabilized in the 90s. At the same time, casual, family-style dining picked up the slack, snapping up Carlisle's kitchen equipment, salad bar equipment, beverage dispensers, and dinnerware. Carlisle expanded its foodservice production to include high-quality pewter items.4 Its catalogue of affordable, high-quality kitchen and dinnerware fit right in with the growth of mid-tier restaurants offering pleasant aesthetics without fine china and silver utensil costs. Melamine tableware filled this niche with light, durable products that could be made to match any look and for inexpensive replacement when operators needed changes.
Carlisle FoodService Products could now provide a huge percentage of the dinnerware, kitchenware, and cleaning supplies a restaurant operator might need. By immersing itself in the foodservice industry, Carlisle understands and addresses the problems faced by everyday operators, both in serving food and in sanitizing a place of business after service concludes.
Healthcare and Dinex
With a firm grip on commercial foodservice, Carlisle looked into other markets. In 2008, seven years after acquiring Toppo Manufacturing, Carlisle FoodService Products purchased Dinex. This brought Carlisle into the healthcare foodservice market, drawing from experience with plastics and foodservice to create valuable products for niche use.
The TQ Quiet Cart eliminated excess noise and disturbance caused by traditional food carts, suiting it for use in healthcare facilities where peace and quiet contribute to patients' wellbeing.3
Other healthcare-specific items, including Fenwick insulated wares, make it possible for hospital kitchens to serve desirable meals to hundreds or even thousands of patients. Proper nutrition is vital when a patient is recovering from an illness or surgery, although serving high volumes of patients in a healthcare facility can be tricky, especially when keeping food warm. Insulated servingware, as well as carts and other insulated pieces, ensures patients receive meals they want to eat. Dinex has been a fruitful enterprise for Carlisle FSP, growing into a new facet of the industry.
Safety and San Jamar
The next step for Carlisle FSP was to branch into specially designed food safety products with the acquisition of San Jamar. San Jamar offers a selection of color-coded products so restaurants can follow HACCP safety principles, as well as myriad operator safety products, janitorial supplies, and portion control pieces.5 With the rise of social media, every instance of lax food safety became a potentially business-ending disaster. While foodservice establishments have always needed to ensure safety, risk has increased with the speed of information, and operators are willing to invest capital to ensure their restaurant doesn't go viral for a bout of food poisoning.
San Jamar products offer operators a way to control potential food contamination and prevent employee injury, which is another gigantic risk for operators.
San Jamar also provides portion control products, which can promote uniform product across franchises and save money by reducing product waste. Additionally, with nutrition becoming more and more important to customers, portion sizes ensure operators are able to provide accurate calorie counts and nutrition facts.
CFS Brands
In 2018, Carlisle created CFS Brands to be the new parent company for all these foodservice-related brands. Carlisle FSP, San Jamar, Dinex, and Sparta Brush are all incorporated under this one umbrella now. For the last 70 years, the companies that comprise CFS Brands have led their industries into new frontiers, developed industry standards in new products, won awards, and even designed pieces that can be found in the Museum of Modern Art.3 CFS Brands intends to take that innovative spirit and professional quality into the next decade and beyond.
References
- Our History. Carlisle Companies Incorporated. Accessed March 2023.
- Stock Market Crash. The Balance. Accessed April 2022.
- History. Carlisle FoodService Products. Accessed March 2023.
- Carlisle Companies Incorporated History. Funding Universe. Accessed March 2023.
- Our History. San Jamar. Accessed March 2023.
